Now for many of you here, the name Jamie Delerict will invoke one of two reactions: The first being "who the fuck!?" and the second (and most likely) a nod of approval and recognition to an individual with true passion and punk rock running through his veins. He is one of those true rock 'n' roll warriors who goes through hell on earth just to entertain us for the hour or so on stage, only to end up starving for his art. But that extra something makes him keep coming back for more...

He has shared the stage with many of punk rock's legends including Marky Ramone, Richard Bacchus (D Generation) and The Misfits. And when I say shared the stage I mean as a member of the group and not just as a support band! Not many people can claim such things as part of their ongoing legacy.

He started his punk rock journey way back in 1991 in the North East of England at a mere 17 years of age in a teenage hardcore band called Submission. He then moved from bass to vocals and guitar with Kids and Flags. "Local" notoriety was not enough though so, upon relocation to Nottingham in 1993, he formed Panic which for the next decade was to be his life's work, releasing three albums and even more EPs. An eventful jam in late 2003 with China Doll's Rob Wylde turned out to be the birth of Teenage Casket Company and they blazed a trail throughout the UK and the US with their original brand of power pop and glam punk.

During the TCC years, Jamie once again crossed paths with a kindred spirit in the form of Andrew Griswold of The Dangerfields and he was invited to play bass for them in early 2007. Along with his new found sobriety, this set off a chain reaction of events in TCC that the band would never quite recover from. Having released two CDs (1 full album and 1 EP) on their own Trashpit Records, (how very punk rock) TCC went on hiatus while band members got down to doing their own thing. As well as countless DFs tours, JD took to the road in the UK with one of his idols Richard Bacchus as part of The Luckiest Girls with his TCC band mate Rob 'Laney 74' Lane in tow (He actually did double duties on that tour as he also played bass for the DFs). In 2009 the 'return' of TCC heralded a new and important chapter of his life as it was during these handful of dates that Jamie felt that it was time for him to move on and leave the band he co-formed back in 2004. Only nine months on from his TCC departure, (in fact, only last month) JD surprised everybody once again by announcing that he had left The Dangerfields after almost four years with the Belfast rockers.

 
This leads us nicely into the here and now and onto the recently formed JD & the FDCs. Joining him are his good friends Joey Strange and Danny Gunn (both of Nottingham's Patchwork Grace) and the man known as Dazmondo (formerly of Fat Boy Rockers DIP.) So, after that rather lengthy intro, here is the Man, the Myth and the Legend that is: Jamie Delerict!

Hi Jamie, thanks for taking the time to answer a couple of questions for the readers and scumbags of Über Röck!!!

I doubt that it'll only be a "couple" of questions, but still, thank you Dave "The Prince" Prince for having me!

First off, give us a little introduction to the highs and lows of JD and tell us a little about where it is you are at - mentally, spiritually and physically.

Well your intro has kind of done a lot of the hard work for me to be honest. You've clearly done your homework! It's been a pretty mental 12 months for me musicwise, but I'll start at the beginning anyway.... Since I discovered the rush of playing music in a band environment back in 1991, I've considered it to be my calling in life. It's in my heart, it's in my soul and it runs through my veins. I really can't ever see myself doing anything else. Most of my friends and peers gave up "chasing the dream" a long time ago and there really aren't many of us left from the early 90s now. I'm not talking about the ones still tinkering with music at the weekends whilst holding down full-time jobs (not that there's anything wrong with that), I'm talking about the guys like me who long ago sacrificed things like a "career" or a university education to follow their dreams and dive head first into and commit to a lifestyle that can at times be harsh, cruel and punishing, but can also occasionally give you a high that's better than any drug you care to mention. In my personal life, it's left one hell of a trail in my wake, but I have no regrets. I guess that I've always been a "late bloomer" so, at 35 years of age, I'm surprisingly not all that jaded and I've never actually been hungrier than I am right now to leave my mark on the world of music.

But of course, "success" is relative. Would I like some financial stability from my life in music? Hell yes. But just because I haven't been in the gossip columns of the Daily Mirror lately, it doesn't mean that I haven't created some incredible memories for myself and hopefully others along the way. I'm utterly convinced that hard work and determination will eventually get you to where you want to be in life and having that is so much more important than being super-talented, "gifted" or a technically sound musician. Someone once said that "hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard." I love that. But I also believe that it was Lemmy who once said "being successful in the music business is 10% talent and 90% luck and being in the right place at the right time." So who knows?! We all have our theories, but you've just got to keep following your heart and doing what makes you happy. And above all, never, NEVER give up! Life is full of soaring highs and crushing lows, but you've just got to keep going haven't you? I'm at a really good place in my life right now where I can just about balance the insanity and the unpredictable nature of all things musical with the far more important duty of being a loving father to my daughter and of course a tolerable partner to my good lady! Er, yeah, so that's mentally and spiritually sorted. Physically, I'm counting the days until the next appointment at my chiropractors actually!

Now I'm known on these hallowed pages as being a bit of a wimpwire, parptastic, power pop guzzling nerd! So what the hell am I doing interviewing a true underground punk legend?! What is it that you are peddling to the masses!?

Yes, ok. You're onto me. Underneath all my talk of spirituality and this "following your heart" clap-trap, I am of course merely attempting to peddle my wares to the masses. My new band is called JD & the FDCs. We've recently had our debut show and all is ticking along nicely and going according to plan. We've just released our first record too. You can buy the FDCCDEP directly from us right here as well as T-shirts and FDC arm-bands too! The CD is three tracks and it's limited edition, full colour, gate-fold, hand numbered and presented on a double sided jet-black disc. We've really pulled out all the stops to make this so much more than just a "demo" CD and I folded, glued and hand numbered all of the sleeves myself. Proper DIY punk rock! I'm running at a financial loss on them, but it'd be very hard trying to justify charging more than £3 for a 3 song CD. There's a lot of love and attention gone into both the recording, production and the packaging though and we're all very proud of it.

If you are a part of the generation that cares not for the physical things in life, the songs will also be available to download on iTunes, Amazon and all other good digital platforms from September 1st. Musically, it's definitely an amalgamation of all of my previous bands rolled into one, so hopefully the pop punk fans of Panic, the glam/pop-rock fans of TCC and the hardcore punks who like the DFs will all dig it too. This is only the first step in what I hope is going to be a very long journey for me and the rest of the FDCs.

I got into Teenage Casket Company back in 2004, just after the release of your debut album 'Dial It Up', having initially been in touch with Rob Wylde regarding some vintage Cinderella, Poison and Nelson rock shirts. Isn't true that you wore the Nelson shirt on stage with TCC back in the day? If I remember correctly it was an all over print tie-dye style Nelson logo...

Yes, that is indeed true. I wore it once and once only for a festival gig. The sun was shining, I had a nice tan and it looked kind of cool on me. It was also of course a dare and if you held a gun to my head, I couldn't even name you one single Nelson song. Or should that be "if you held a GUNNAR to my head"?

I remember reading back in early 2006 about your battles with the demon alcohol. At the time your Myspace blog was essential reading. During this harrowing time you sought refuge in 'The Secret' which I must be honest has helped me a couple of times when I've needed it. What are your memories of that time of your life?

Yeah, thanks mate. Those blogs are still up there (http://www.myspace.com/jamiedelerict) and they were very instrumental in helping me get (and keep) straight. I figured that the more people who knew about my battle with alcoholism, the better. It gave me that much more incentive to keep going. After all, no-one likes looking like a failure to all of their friends do they? It was of course a very tough time and I really found out who my true friends were. But it was also an incredibley eye-opening experience and in rehab I learned more about life in six months than I had done in the 15 years of guzzling and snorting anything that wasn't nailed down! I've thankfully been clean and sober for almost four years now. It's of course hard sometimes and I still attend counselling and go to AA meetings when I'm on tour, but hey, I'm winning! 'The Secret' book and DVD were both a huge help to me early on in my recovery. As Dee Dee Ramone and Bret Michaels have both said, everybody needs "Something To Believe In". And although I'm not at all religious and I don't believe in God, I choose to believe in both my own "Higher Power" and in the power of positive thinking. P.M.A!

Now I always thought that a glam rocker (Wylde) and a punk rocker (yourself) was a strange union, but like a triple fried egg sarnie with chilli sauce and chutney, it worked! The ingredients are wrong, but put them together and it just plain works! How do you think that writing with Wylde affected you and is there anything that you do differently now because of his influence on your writing?

Yeah, there's no doubt about it that it worked really well. We always used to say that I gave his twee AOR songs a bit more of an edge and that he made my spikey punk tunes a little bit smoother. We had a really good run in TCC and there was a time, probably between late 2004 and mid 2006 that I'm still convinced, we were the best band in the UK. We were on fire and just seemed to be riding a wave! It's a shame that the music biz was in such a bad shape at the time as we were definitely ripe for the picking. We spoke in depth with managers, labels etc. but it never really came to anything. In a perfect world, we would have been signed and made ourselves (and of course someone else!) a lot money, but life just isn't fair is it?! I learned a lot from being in TCC though. It was the first time in over twelve years that I wasn't anchored to the lead vocal microphone on stage throughout an entire gig, so I really got to cut loose and certainly "found" myself as a performer for the first time. I've taken influences from every musician I've ever been in a band with. Whether it be a positive influence or simply just what NOT to do!

I first met you in the Con Club in Porth back in 2005, where you and Wylde were playing an acoustic set as support to The Dangerfields. Now I must admit that walking into that room with you tuning up whilst drinking a can of beer and Wylde doing his hair with his straighteners was a strange sight, but having spoken to you at the time and since then, I honestly believe that you are the essence and the epitome of true rock 'n' roll. Especially that night. I mean, how punk can someone be to play an acoustic set in front of a Dangerfields crowd in rainy Porth and then finish it off with a cover of 'Look What The Cat Dragged In' by Poison?!

Ha ha! Yeah, I remember that night. The thing is, I've never really given a second thought to who it is my band shares bills with. That's the truth. I remember TCC supporting punk "legends" 999 and The Vibrators on two seperate occasions and those guys looking at us like we were from Mars or something. But after we'd played our set, the same guys were straight to our merch table buying everything they could get their hands on! I still thrive on and get a kick out of winning over a crowd that technically shouldn't like us. Or at least trying to anyway! I suppose I'm just confident in my own abilities and comfortable with who I am. I've had 2000 drunken Scotsmen on St. Patricks Day baying for my blood when the DFs were on the Stiff Little Fingers tour in 2007, so there's not really much that phases me.

I still enjoy playing the occasional acoustic set. I think that ANY song should be able to be translated to just one voice and one guitar. And as for doing that with 'Look What The Cat Dragged In', that first Poison album is pure bubblegum pop-punk. Albeit with silly hair and lipstick of course.

I also remember speaking to you in late 2007 about the internal problems that TCC were having at that time due to your conflicting schedules with the Dangerfields. It seemed to cause a few problems and an ill feeling around the band. As a fan, I thought that this might have been the end. Can you give us an insight into what really happened?

Sure. With my new found sobriety, I foolishly thought that being in two fairly busy bands was a perfectly manageable situation. And it was. For a while. That was until the August Dwarves/Dangerfields tour overlapped with the Sign/TCC tour. The TCC dates were booked first, so I made arrangements in advance for someone to stand in for me on bass with the DFs for the three Dwarves dates that overlapped the TCC tour. Unfortunately, the guy got cold feet whilst we were on the tour and I was left in a bit of a predicament.... After much thought, I decided to do the Dwarves dates and that TCC could at the very least "survive" as a three piece for a couple of shows. It was a tough call, but it was the only solution that I could think of to keep BOTH bands on the road.

One TCC member was understanding, but it caused a lot of resentment and anger from the other two. So on one side, I had stress and drama with the new guitarist not really working out in the DFs and on the other side, things were very uncomfortable and unpleasant on the TCC tourbus. On top of all that, whilst I was en route to Glasgow with the DFs, my heavily pregnant girlfriend suffered what we all thought was a miscarriage at work. Thankfully, 24 hours later, our baby was once again doing somersaults in Gemma's tummy and the whole experience had definitely put a lot of things into perspective for me....

Can you tell us what was going through your mind when you decided that you were going to leave TCC and how did the others in the band take the news? Especially Laney74 as the two of you had become really good friends. Have you listened to their post-Delerict material? (The 1 track release 'Best Friend Is My Radio')

Well, in hindsight, I think that TCC should have probably ended on at least three occasions. It should really have been left to rest in peace after the final UK tour with The Erotics at the end of 2007. Then we did a "One Night Only" show in Nottingham in 2008 with current FDC member Dazmondo on guitar, which is still one of my favourite ever gigs, so I wish I had definitely ended it there! But we agreed to do one more run for old time's sake in late 2009 and I went into it fully knowing that it would more than likely be my last TCC tour. Myself and Wylde were really not getting along at all any more and although the performances were always fine, my heart was simply no longer in it. We ended up having one argument too many and I just thought that life is too fucking short to be in a band with someone who you no longer have anything in common with. He thinks I'm an arsehole and I think that he's a fucking douchebag cunt, so you know what? Let's just agree to go our seperate ways, yeah?!

Laney was obviously disappointed, but hardly surprised I imagine as he'd often been the go between/referee in the arguments! Spike knew that the writing was on the wall too and he also realised that deep down it was over. It seemed like everybody was just waiting for someone else to jump overboard first! I wish that the band had officially ended there and not limped on, but even as co-founder, that's just not my call to make. Laney and I are still the best of friends and I actually recently caught up with Spike at Laney's wedding party for the first time since our last show. We ended up laughing a lot and actually talked about old times right the way through Miles Hunt's surprise performance! I've not heard the one song they recorded after I left. As I told both Laney and Spike, I just have no desire to listen to it. It's simply not Teenage Casket Company to me.

So can you give us an introduction to the new chapter in your life that is JD & The FDCs? Their inception, creation and the realisation of the band?

Well, having just very recently left the Dangerfields after nearly four years in the trenches, I am now officially in just the ONE band and I think that I'm going to keep it that way. I'm now at the stage in my life where I've accumulated nearly two decades of experience in this business we call "show". That's a lot of knowledge and a ton of information. That's also twenty years of mistakes to have learned from too. Both mine and other peoples. I'm not saying that I now have all the answers, but I definitely now know what it is I want to do, how I'm going to do it and most importantly, how I'm NOT going to do things this time around. I know which areas to apply my energies to so that I don't get burned out and resentfull. I know the routes I want to take so that I'm not having little pieces of my soul taken away from me at every turn. And most importantly, I'm back in charge of my OWN dreams again and not following somebody else's.

I've known both Joey Strange and Danny Gunn (both of Patchwork Grace) since they were teenagers and year by year, I've seen them grow from gangly children into men and seasoned musicians right in front of my very eyes! Joey and I were always destined to be in a band together at some point. It didn't even need mentioning. It's just how it was and we both knew that at some point, the opportunity would present itself when the time was right. The Gunn offered up his services straight away when he got wind of what was happening and there was no way that I was going to turn down the best drummer in the Midlands. We had a bunch of guys (and a girl) in mind for the lead guitar spot, but none of them really felt quite right. Dazmondo was the first and only person I actually asked and he said "yes" before I'd even finished my pitch. Due to my touring commitments, the first rehearsal was a long time coming, but they'd been listening to my demo tracks, so everything clicked for us right away. So, with our first show and CD under our belts, it's gonna be exciting to see what's in the future for us. Don't expect any ridiculous touring schedules though. We're just going to be taking it all as it comes, playing a few gigs here and there and concentrating on making new music. We have no great expectations, we're just going to have fun with the band and see where it takes us. Personally, I already have one eye on recording our debut album in 2011....

A change of subject now, but still a big part of you...Sports Entertainment! What are your thoughts on the WWE at this present time? Do you miss the competition between companies such as the WWE/WWF vs. WCW and the ECW years of the sport? What do you think was the best era?

Indeed, it is a big part of me! I pretty much discovered punk rock and wrestling at the same time and both of them have stayed with me through thick and thin and are very important to me. The mid to late 90s were when wrestling was at its hottest and the battle for the highest TV ratings certainly brought out the best in the WWF, WCW and of course ECW. That competition for supremity made for some incredible TV and some truly unforgettable moments, but I'd probably choose the very early 90s as my favourite era. In particular, Ric Flair's victory at the 1992 Royal Rumble. That's my standout moment! The team of Flair, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and Mr. Perfect was my absolute favourite.

In fact, my best friend and I still talk about that era of wrestling and we're now both old enough to surely know better! Right now, WWE is learning the hard way that they have to start building for the future immediately with younger guys that are actually good at wrestling and not just jacked up meatheads. That in turn is thankfully making things very interesting again. I've stuck by wrestling when at times it's been downright embarassing to call myself a "fan", but with the focus slowly turning back towards athletic competition and away from ridiculous storylines and bad acting, the future is starting to look a lot brighter at last.

A little light hearted way to close off a great interview....

Skid Row or Bon Jovi - Hmmmm. I quite like both, so I'll have to go for N.W.A.

Laney74 or Joey Strange - You will have to KILL ME before I choose one of them over the other!

Trixter or Nelson - Trixter. But only because Nelson remind me of Rob Wylde!

Richard Bacchus or Todd Youth - Well, Richard turned me on to the Notorious BIG and Todd forgets to put me on guest lists. So that's easy: Ricky Boy B is my homeboy.

Green Day or The Offspring - Green Day. It's not even fucking close.

Hulk Hogan or The Ultimate Warrior - I had a very disturbing poster of the Ultimate Warrior on my wall when I was a teenager. The thought of which makes me feel a little bit sick just thinking about it. And I've never been a Hogan fan. So I'll choose CM Punk.

Edge or Matt Hardy - I used to be a fan of both, but Matt Hardy has turned into a bit of a whinger and Edge has recently started to become a little bit dull to be honest. So, it's Lita all the way for me!

And with that done, the only thing left to say is thank you for taking the time to answer both a fan and a friend's questions for all of the readers of Über Röck to enjoy.

Recognise!

You know it mate. RECOGNISE!