When it comes to Glam Rawk...gimme the limeys.  Well they may not have invented it (gotta give props to the king, Little Richard), those rotten toothed bastards sure as hell perfected it. Besides churning out supreme 1st wave necessities like Gary Glitter, Sweet, Cockney Rebel, Slade, Roxy, Bolan, Bowie etc etc, it's no secret that nothing cracks up (or "shocks!") a Brit more than the tried and true man in drag gag (see Benny Hill and Quentin Crisp.)  But giving them the edge in the Glam Rawk stakes even more so than their cross dressing fixation, was the fact that England were the ones that really got the NY Dolls.  Well duh...Malcolm, the Pistols, '77 Punk, yada yada...the story has been written a gazillion times.  But little has been documented about the great UK glam punk revival of the early '80s and it's influence on the Flash Metal explosion.  It ain't too hard to figure out how a post punk London nurtured such a flourishing underground glam scene.  In 1981 the New Romantic movement was already outta control.  Boys and girls were dressed in pirate garb and lip gloss (Stand And Deliver!) and androgyny equaled fashion.  The equally extravagant Goth scene was also emerging, taking the New Wavers' neon drenched romanticism and frilly shirts from the discos into the shadows.  Outta towners like Stiv Bators and Johnny Thunders swarmed to to the city seizing the opportunity to flaunt their Yank Punk cred and like minded cretins hit their local watering holes seeking to replace those dreaded synths with that old monster, the electric guitar.  Add to the mix Finnish transplants Hanoi Rocks, as well as the birth of the bible of hard rock, KERRANG! Magazine (a spin-off of the music weekly Sounds) and you've got an instant scene waiting to explode...Or at least putter on long enough to let some people party beyond their means and dress silly into their twenties...and thirties...and...

Anyway...

The holy grail of bands who looked to conquer theses sleazy streets of London in the early '80s are contained in the almighty 1983 compilation Trash On Delivery.  Not quite "third wave glam" (but if you like-y, be sure to check out Jook or The Radio Stars) or third wave punk (not quite the Anti-Nowhere League, but check out the UK Subs new threads!  Keep Un Running Until You Burn!), Trash On Delivery stands on it's own as something completely unique to itself.  A snapshot into a brief space of time when the previous glories of '70s Glam Rock, Punk, & Heavy Metal met in perfect harmony for perhaps the 1st time.  Twenty odd years later it remains a perfect sleaze punk record and a guaranteed blueprint for those who'd help further commercialize the scene later in the decade (see The Quireboys, Wolfsbane, The Wildhearts, Tattooed Love Boys, and Soho Roses just to name a few.)  The compilation, put together by Flicknife Records' Frenchy Gloder (also of The Genocides, whose scorcher "Private Hell" is included on the comp) features a hodge podge of classic gems ranging from crash and burn trash rawk of emerging scenesters like the awesome Marionette and The Babysitters to the then present day projects of Post-Punk era upper crusts like The Barracudas, The London Cowboys (Glen Matlock, Barry Jones, & Steve Dior) and ex-Swell Map Nikki Sudden (with his Bible Belt project).  Add in some one off gems like Bad Detective's lost power pop classic "Favorite Record", Suffragette's "Do You Want My Love", and "I Heard The Devil" by Little Roosters frontman and future Eastenders TV Celeb, Garrie J. Lammin, as well as the first recorded release of an embryonic Dogs D'amour and Ray Zell cover art,and you've got one primo slab of proto Sleaze Punk!
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They opened legendary London dates for Hanoi, and often disgraced the stages of the Marquee and the Pipeline in Soho.  They recorded a bunch of demos and issued one official self titled album on the Wolverhampton based Heavy Metal Records in 1985 (HM Records was also home to Marionette, The Grip, and the legendary Wrathchild.) The Babysitters album sadly ain't the rave-up it should be...it's chocked with filler, like a lame run through of Chuck Berry's "No Particular Place To Go" as well as a horrible take on the Bo Diddley classic "Pills" strangely re-entitled "Rock N' Roll Chicken".  Of the originals, the standout track remains a hokey, watered down version of "Everybody Loves You", still their greatest tune.  They followed up their debut with a handful of singles and the shabby 12" e.p. "Live From the Marquee" which was also joined by a companion live video in 1987.  Proving an inside joke can go on just a bit, the Marquee 12" has a drawing of a rock n' roll chicken on the front cover, a bad choice when your career is destined to only last a Flash Metal minute.

After disbanding The Babysitters, Buttz was still a major player on the London Flash Metal scene co-hosting tuesday Rock Nights at Gossip's in Soho along with the Quireboys' Spike.  In 1988, he also formed another Flash Metal staple, The Last Of the Teenage Idols who made their debut headlining a "St. Valentine's Day Mascara" (sic) at the Marquee club (but of course!) with the notorious Soho Roses.  The Idols (who also featured ex-Doctor And The Medics drummer Vom) hemorrhaged one album, "Satellite Head Gone Soft" which included a minor indie metal hit called "Looking For A Lady".   Like The Babysitters album, "Satellite Head" was poorly produced and had an annoying keyboard track that pretty much dated the album right away.  Still, both albums are highly sought after by Flash Metal elitists...most likely because they look so damn good (blame cover artist Ray Zell) and because of their inflated price tags during the height of The Dogs D'amour's popularity.

Things began to look up for the Dogs as they cut their chops across Europe and Scandinavia.  As Tyla took over, line-up changes also saw Bam Bam split in favour of Paul Hornsby and the two guitarists dropped for Ragdoll Dave Kusworth, who was also playing with ex-Swell Map Nikki Sudden on his Bible Belt project (which was also issued on Flicknife.)  The band swiftly recorded their first single containing early versions of future Dogs classics 'How Do You Fall In Love' and 'The State We're In' for the Finnish independent label Kumibeat.  Their full length debut "The State We're In" (finally re-issued in the UK in 2004 by GMR Music) soon followed and disappeared as the band struggled on without a new deal.  Skinsman Bam Bam returned to the fold in 1986 whilst Kusworth bailed to re-unite with Nikki Sudden to form the legendary Jacobites and was replaced by Jo Dog.  Steve James also joined the band in early 1987 finally establishing the classic Dogs line-up.   Tyla briefly teamed up with Kusworth again during the recordings for the 1st Jacobites LP (Tyla appears on Silver Street), but soon returned his focus to The Dogs who finally managed a new single, 1987's "How Come It Never Rains" e.p. on M&M Records.  The band were soon picked up by China Records (distributed by first Chrysalis, then Polygram) and released the legendary "(Un)Authorised Bootleg" LP, an odds and sods collection of demos and aborted singles.

The Dogs quickly became the toast of London after upstaging aging Glam heroes Mick Ronson and Ian Hunter on their British tour.  Their U.S. debut and first big budget release, "In The Dynamite Jet Saloon" raised the band's status from cult heroes to mainstream superstars in Ol' Blimey overnight (with help from one of the all time worst lip-synchs in the history of Top Of The Pops by a lit Tyla!)   But in the States, Polygram had no idea how to sell these fucked up broken toothed dandies slurring acoustic ballads championing Charles Bukowski.  First they sent 'em on the road with Mother Love Bone (Good Idea!) then they made 'em play with Dio (not such a good idea!)  And despite celebrity props from megastars like The Black Crowes and Axl Rose (victim of success!)  the band was just a bit too ahead of their time for most spandex hungry yanks.  Tyla proved himself to be a prolific songwriter and countless limited singles were issued during the bands peak years (1987-1993).  Each of these gems were housed in Tyla's unique cartoon art style, and most often stretched over endless formats with picture discs, gatefolds, playing cards, box sets and posters thrown in to keep the punters wasting their bar allowance.  Adopting to the fine tradition of hero Marc Bolan, Tyla would mostly always compose new material for the singles' b-sides, with fresh tracks gracing each available format.  Fans would often get almost a whole new album with each single the band released keeping the band's American fanbase scouring the record racks for new Dogs imports. The band went on to release a string of brilliant records like "Errol Flynn" (1989 *also released in the U.S. as "King Of Thieves"), the Ric Browde produced "Straight" (1990), and the highly underrated "More Uncharted Heights Of Disgrace" (1993 *which saw ex-Crybaby and future Ian Hunter sideman and Diamond Dog guitarist, Darrell Bath, replace Jo Dog). They even pre-dated Guns N' Roses' acoustic monolith "Lies" with their sublime "Graveyard Of Empty Bottles" acoustic e.p. released in early 1989.  But as Grunge Rock destroyed any potential label support a band like The Dogs could muster, they split in 1994 with integrity intact, before branching off into endless Flash Metal side projects.  Tyla spent the nineties releasing more solo records then I care to go on about, before resurrecting the band (with Jo Dog, Bam, and Bam's wife ex-Vixen bassist Share) for the solid comeback album "Happy Ever After" in 2000.  The reunited Dogs managed to secure a support slot for Alice Cooper (along with The Quireboys and Thunder) on 2002's European Monsters Of Rock Tour before self-destructing once again soon after. Tyla has continued using the Dogs banter with the release of 2004's "When Bastards Go To Hell" with his new flame Yella on co-vocals.  Despite his inconsistent output in recent years, Tyla remains a true original rock eccentric. Guaranteed to be cranking out music and art as long as he's still breathing, chances are Tyla's best work is still ahead of him yet.

As Pandora took off, so did Zell's rock journalism career and unfortunately Marionette were placed on the backburner.
Despite their short career, Marionette deserve to be remembered. Their two contributions to the Trash On Delivery album are the compilation's crowning achievements. "My Baby Sucks Real Bad" and "Too Far Gone" are primal and raw, primo-punk rawk at it's best.  Zell spits classic lines like "Oh so very chauvinistic, she won't let me use her lipstick" in "My Baby Sucks Real Bad" like he's delivering the manifesto for the hairspray sect. In "Too Far Gone", Zell removes his tongue from cheek long enough to slurr "Just get me a whiskey. Just get me a beer. I don't need no girls tonight, I think I'm turning queer...Just get me a whiskey...Just get me a beer...But if you get me anything....GET ME OUTTA HEERREE!" ...trading his studied Andrew Matheson lisps for his Iggy yelps like the un-seasoned pro he wuz.

Completed by Dave Veal on guitar and drummer "Pig", the band inked with Heavy Metal Records in 1985. Their first and only record "Blonde Secrets and Dark Bombshells" appeared soon after and it was a bonafide sleaze rock monster. A lost classic of Dolls-y swagger, shitty NWOBHM production value and Pistols bravado, the album earned rave reviews in the UK press. The band also contributed the LP track 'Gettin' Sticky Over The Girl Next Door' to the 1985 Heavy Metal Records compilation album 'Rock Pretty'. 

Unfortunately for us rock fans, the band just seemed to fizzle out as Ray Zell's status as a rock scribe became more solid.  And with the end of Marionette came the end of embryonic stages of the '80s Glam Punk scene, as endless hairsprayed hopefuls emerged from the English sticks looking for chart action and Kerrang! cover status.  I was able to track down the reclusive Glam legend Ray Zell (thanks to Leslie Stilletto!) to pick his brain about his days in the Flash Metal battleground. So with out any further babbling from me, let's hear from the main nigga behind the trigga of the London lipstick gangs!

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So Ray, What's your background? Where did you grow up?

I grew up/threw up in sunny London.  In fact, I think Marionette were about the only London-based band who actually CAME from London...

What sparked your initial interest in Rock n' Roll?  Who were some of your early influences that made you want to become a rocker?  Were you affected by the Punk Scene as well?

I used to only buy chart singles , like Sweet and Queen - I thought albums were made up of a couple of singles and loads of fillers and B-sides. But, that changed when a friend slowly sold me his record collection so he could afford to take some girl out in the warehouse where we worked, and I heard Alice Cooper and Bowie albums and realized... there was more. This was, like, '76. I was about sixteen. But, a MAJOR moment was a double package re-issue of the two Dolls albums! That was magic to me. I just thought they looked amazing. This was in the middle of punk times, natch.  Friends would say to me," You can't like Kiss AND the Sex Pistols. But I did, as I think the Marionette album shambolically displays.

Give me some background on Marionette? How old were you and KK when you formed the band? What's KK doing now?  Did he go on to play in any other bands?  What about Dave Veal and Pig?

I must have been about twenty-one or somethin' when Marionette formed in '81 or '82.  I can't exactly remember!  Although, technically, I joined a band that already existed - The Mandies. KK and Dave were in them, and they had an impending gig but no singer.  KK dared me to do it, and I went for it.  I changed their lyrics though and demanded we wore lipstick, as they were just plain punky.  And, I LOVED bein' onstage and they got stuck with me.  Suckers!  KK went on to do some studio work.  He got the sound on the first Wildhearts album and worked with the late great Mick Ronson on his final elpee. These days, he works on a mobile recording unit, recording radio plays an' shows, etc.  Pig is dabblin' in house music in his home studio (ooh, la-di-dah!), and Dave is happily married to his guitar, a hound from hell and a fridge full of cheap cider. Seriously, he has a whole separate fridge!"

Why did Marionette break up?

Y'know what, we never 'officially' broke up.  We just never booked another rehearsal or looked for another gig.  Musta been '86.  I mean, we were hardly the hardest workin' band.  We basically played in London about once every two months.  And, pretty much got reviewed every time. Where as, like, the Dogs seemed to be playin' London twice a week or somethin'. Marionette played hard to get, y'see.  Oh, and we NEVER headlined.  We DEMANDED that we support.  It was perfect, play a manic half-hour set and then come off, have a drink and catch the main band.  I'd hate to come off stage and the gig had ended.  Screw that.

Was there ever any other recordings made besides the T.O.D. tracks and the "Blonde Secrets...." LP?

The tracks on T.O.D were our first recording as Marionette, I think.  Actually, Frenchie took the album's title from our demo cassette - which was called 'Trash On Delivery'.  The following year (I think) we also had two tracks ('Gettin' Sticky' and 'You Better Believe It') on a Heavy Metal Records compilation called 'Rock Pretty', which I also did the artwork for.

I was told that The Babysitters formed because they were sick of watching the Dogs D'amour play the Pipeline every week. Can you describe the climate of the early '80s London glam scene and what was inspiring the bands? 

As far as I remember, the Babysitters formed after watching US play at the Embassy Club - where we got turned off for using bad language (gasp!) and KK threw his (only) bass guitar at the audience.  It was like the parting of the red sea as it bounced down the middle of the dance floor.  Actually, I helped 'Sitters guitarist Jimbo come up with their name one night in my kitchen.  It was a great scene.  There's been nothing like it since!  The Best club was Pipeline, poky and subterranean.  Although it sucked playin' there, cos the'stage' was like, as high as a step.  I don't think New Romantic or Goth affected our scene at all - its roots were purely Stonesy/Dollsy.

How did The Trash On Deliverly compilation come about?  Whatever happened to the more obscure bands on the comp.?

T.O.D came about cos Frenchy of Flicknife records bunged a coupla bands together.  Wasn't rocket science.  To be honest, my copy of the album is round my ex-girlfriend's house - as I don't own a record player!  Can't truly remember who was on there.  I did love Bad Detective's 'Favourite Record'.  That could STILL be a hit single for someone.  Sadly, though, I believe they disbanded cos of us.  See, we supported 'em at a gig in Hammersmith called The Clarendon, and Geoff Barton, the editor of Sounds music paper reviewed the show and said we were amazing and BD suffered for coming on after us.  I heard they were REALLY pissed off about it.  Next thing they split. The joke was, we didn't even have a bass amp - KK played straight through the PA!

What are some of your early memories of Tyla and The Dogs? Any good Tyla stories?

I only found out about the Dogs after coming off stage somewhere, and this kid comes up to me an' goes, "You think you're the worst band on the planet, don't you?" To which I drunkenly and arrogantly replied, "Fuckin' RIGHT we are!".  But then, to my horror, he told me about this band called Dogs D'Amour who were worse than us.  I HAD to check them out!  I caught 'em at the Clarendon.  They were a beautiful disaster.  I loved 'em.  And Tyla wasn't singin' then, they had this tall American guy called Ned.  To be honest, I don't think I ever saw 'em better than that gig.  It was ELECTRIC!  I met Tyla afterwards and we got on great instantly.  Great character.  They don't make 'em like that any more.  Actually, I was really disappointed with their stuff on T.O.D - it was all acoustic-y and wimpy.  I remember givin' 'em a hard time about that.

How much did Hanoi Rocks' relocation to London influence the scene?  They seemed to break a lot of genre barriers for the time...any good Hanoi stories?

Yeah,  Hanoi kinda gave the scene a boost.  But, I gotta be honest, it was doin' fine without 'em.  I remember just after I'd come off-stage at the 100 Club,  Razzle goin' on about this band 'Hanoi Rocks' that were in Sounds that week.  Me, him and Dave (Veal) went to see 'em at the ZigZAg club - they were first on of a big bill which Lord Of The New Church headlined.  We were the only ones down the front, other than members of a band called Silverwing.  But, it lit the fuse for Razzle, he grabbed me and said, "I have GOT to be in that band".  Hey, y'know, be careful what you wish for...

What's Buttz (Babysitters / Last Of The Teenage Idols) been doing?  Have you cats remained mates?

Me an' Buttz were hardly mates, more acquaintances.  Or, 'friendly rivals' even.  From what I can make out, he's got a toy shop or somethin' and is doin' really well.  So, good luck to 'im.

How did Pandora come about? When did she 1st appear in Kerrang?

With Pandora, I just sent two strips into Kerrang! and said, "When do you want the next one?" This was 'summer '84 (!?!)  Originally, she was loosely a splicing of Beki Bondage of Vice Squad and Wendy O. Williams of the Plasmatics. I kinda wanted the punk and metal thang, y'know.

Any plan for a compilation book of all the Pandora strips?  It would make sense to at least re-publish the old strips in Classic Rock or sumthin'...how about it?

There's always talk of a compilation book, but, some of the strips were so topical and up-to-date, that they don't make sense out of the context of just having read the previous week's issue.  I'd only do it if I could have, like, a 'director's commentary' type thing on each strip explaining what the hell inspired it.

Of all the bozos you've parodied, who gave you the most shit?

Y'know, most bands are thrilled to be Pandora'd, and often ask for the originals.

Was it your decision to change Pandora in the '90s or were you asked to by Kerrang?

Yeah, I was ordered to 'update' Pandora to a post-grunge skatecore brat as Nirvana had become Year Zero for K!  I was abused by readers for the next two years and called a 'sell out'! Someone even told me I was gonna get beaten up by a biker gang who had the original Pandora as their mascot!  But, everyone loves her now, and the original (now referred to as 'Auntie P') sometimes visits.  Which is sweet.

Of all the people you've interviewed or done features on who were the coolest and were the biggest assholes? 

The coolest people I've interviewed are Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson.  Both good talkers, intelligent and funny.  And Aerosmith were also cool.  Although, the evening after the afternoon I first interviewed Steven Tyler, he ran up to me and gave me a big hug and thought I was Spike from the Quireboys!?

OK, thoughts or any stories about the following bands -

Wrathchild UK - Great laugh.  Good guys.  I took Hanoi Rocks to see 'em early on.  They were in hysterics.  And Andy McCoy bought a demo off 'em!  Didn't like 'Stakk Attakk', though.  Too polished and drum-machiney.

Hollywood Brats - A BIG inspiration on Marionette. I like to think our album is its bastard offspring.  We got GREAT reviews for our album and hardly any blatant comparisons.  I always put that down to the reviewers not knowin' who we were rippin' off.  Although, Brats guitarist Brady tells me their album cost a FORTUNE (Bowie was evidently in the studio next door), and we tried to capture its glory for two thousand quid.

Girl (Didn't Phil Lewis get all pissed at you at one point during LA GUNS' peak?) - Loved that first album. Yeah, Phil was angry at me for slaggin' LA Guns 'Cocked And Loaded' album.  I liked Phil, though - we got our first gig at the Marquee through him, when we supported Torme, which he was the singer in at the time.  Didn't mean I was gonna lie about his album, though.  Tracii Guns of LA Guns said once in K! that back before Phil joined, they would get the DJ to play a Marionette track for before they went on. Which is quite flattering.

Quireboys - At first, they were a bit Faces/Stonesy for my more punky/metal tastes, but I grew to love 'em. The pop an' boogie of the first album just ruled.  Spike's still a great mate.  Phones all the time.  In fact, he won't leave me alone!!! 

Babysitters - Great fun. Probably a bit too jokey for my tastes, though. I like fun, not funny. We were always lumped together, but I never thought we sounded anythin' like eac hother. Our albums even got shoved together in our album reviews in Sounds. The difference? We got five outta five and they got three. But, hey, who's countin'?

Mannish Boys - Yeah. Good band.  Although, I was disappointed with Brady's playing in them, cos I wanted him to be all mad and erratic like in the Hollywood Brats.  ALSO, he needed a longer guitar strap!  I was always havin' a go about that.

Badland Pearls - Stiletto's band, right? They were cool. A bit girly.  Stiletto ruled, though.  Great look, like an angelic crow.  She totally influenced the cover artwork I did for Trash On Delivery. And, actually, Pandora in K! originally had a band called the Dark Roots, and the WHOLE BAND looked like Stiletto.

Soho Roses - Great fun.  Probably a bit TOO glam for me, image-wise.  I liked it more ripped an' ratty.  Their singer was always at Marionette gigs...obviously pickin' up tips for his future endeavours.  HA! I remember, he was always jealous that I had small feet an' could wear girls boots....

Gunfire Dance - Great.  Again, a bit too Stonesy for me.  The singer was cool, though.  Great look.  Good bloke, too, if I remember rightly.

Feline Groove - Oh, great little band. I remember lovin' their first demo - the singer had this Alice Cooper-like snarl goin' on. Think I designed their T-shirt...

Aerosmith ( and what they've become) - Erm, well I love Aerosmith up to 'Rock In A Hard Place'.  Actually, that album was another big influence on the Marionette album (one live review said we were "Aerosmith for the under-fives"!) But, sadly, a sober Aerosmith just don't float my boat.  Still, I loved that live album from a few years back, 'A Little South Of Sanity' or somethin'. I play that a LOT! Great pick-me-up.

Diamond David Lee Roth - My hero!  I love Dave!  Saw him play recently.  Wasn't totally impressed.  He had this scary fixed grin and the whole thing was more Vegas than rock 'n' roll. But, y'know, whatever, he's DAAAAAAAAVE!

The Wildhearts - The best, quite simply! 

The Darkness - HA!  Fuckin' great live. Took me a while to adapt to the vocals, though.  I'm not really into the banshee thing.  But, y'know, I give 'em mucho respect for goin' against the grain and pullin' it off. 

What are you up to now? Got anything you wanna plug?

Right now, I'm not up to much. Same ol' same ol'. Keep talkin' about makin' a solo album!  HA! Would be nice if Heavy Metal records got their act together to get the Marionette album out on CD for it's twentieth anniversary next year (2005)!  I'd love to record one new song for it - us covering the Mott The Hoople song we took our name from...

Lastly, is Rock n' Roll dead?

Rock 'n' roll is a alive and well, and living in my heart and trousers.