interview from Aril '84 issue of ZIG ZAG

The last time Beki Bondage was featured in Zig Zag, she was the vivacious spokesperson for Bristol's finest export, Vice Squad, and energetically doing her bit to promote that band's second album. Eighteen months later she's still a vivacious spokesperson, still energetically doing her bit, only now it's all in the name of Ligotage, the band she put together with former Chelsea bassist Line, UK Subs drummer Steve Roberts, and a totally unknown guitar player who rejoices under the unlikely name of Mo MO Sex. With the latter three still recovering from a hectic bout of photo sessions, only Beki was present at our little soiree, but she managed to talk enough for all of them.

I take it that you, Steve, Linc were all already familiar with each other so you find MO MO?
BEKI: When I first left Vice Squad, I went into EMI, who we were signed to, and their first reaction was to tell me to go solo. I said no, I wanted a band behind me, so they told me okay, get one, but find a songwriter first. I'd already got Steve and Line with me, so we held a few auditions, and out of these came Mo. He was the second to last person in line; we had to give him the job because the next bloke was this mad Mohican, who picked up Mo's Strat and said 'Cor, it's a real one!', then put it all out of tune because he reckoned it sounded awful otherwise. And MO was just sitting there going 'Oh God, no!', so we had to give him the job because I felt so embarrassed for him!

So your writing credits are Sex and Bondage?
BEKI: Yes. My name really annoys me sometimes, it makes me feel so limited, but it would seem silly to change it. Everytime I meet someone, I think they're expecting some really nasty person to run over with a whip and start beating hell out of them with it, or be really kinky, and obsessed with sex. I suppose it's my own fault because although I didn't choose the name, I did keep it. It's like poor old Johnny Rotten, he got so pissed off with people expecting him to be rotten all over the place that he changed his name. I can handle it to a certain extent, but I do get fed up with it sometimes.

That said, your public image does seem a little aggressive.
BEKI: It is rather dodgy, isn't it? But I've never done anything particularly outrageous, the most radical thing is probably the Animal Bights thing, and that's only because there's so much money tied up in the vivisection industry and the meat industry, and if you speak out against money you're considered a dangerous person. As far as the studs and things go, I think a lot of that is self defense, aggression to cover up my inferiority complex or whatever. I used to feel threatened by the outside world, and that was my protection against it. And then there was the 'punk fashion' thing . . .

What do you think punk meant?
BEKI: The other day I was at the Marquee, and this bloke came up and started having a go at me, saying he hated me, and I was a useless shit because I'd introduced principles into punk, and punk was about doing what you wanted to, without having to think about it. But what's wrong with that? I'm not setting rules, I'm just suggesting that you think about what you're doing, because basically you're brought up not to think for yourself. That's what I define punk as, thinking for yourself. I admire Flux's little saying, which is 'Survive, and cause as little suffering as possible', which is what I always try to do.

Your involvement in Animal Rights is extremely well documented; do you think you will be able to change things through your music?
BEKI: I used to say that couldn't change anything, but I think that maybe it can after all. Look at Rock Against Racism, there was a huge National Front movement before that, then within two years it was, not wiped out, but a hell of a lot smaller, there were just a few little fringe groups, and there is a really big antinuclear thing now. And the same with the Vietnam war, rock 'n' roll made a lot of people aware of what was going on there. Given the right cause, and the right impetus behind it, I think maybe music can change things.

There was a lot of conflict in Vice Squad about your beliefs wasn't there? Do any of the problems arise with Ligotage?
BEKI: No, it's a lot different, this lot never take the piss. MO often says to me 'It must be awful being the only girl in the band', but I don't really notice it now. I used to, when I was with Vice Squad, but they were so much younger. I don't know if this band see things the same way as I do, but I feel a lot happier. I'm my own boss now, and I know where the money's going ... I think the group see things more from a musical point of view, probably because they're older than I am, and because they've been playing a lot longer.

The single has a very American Radio feel to It.
BEKI: Do you think so? Quick, release it over there' Actually, MO and I do go off from time to time on this little line of Pat Benatar type rip offs. We've got one, 'The Fun Goes On', which sounds very American, but I like it because it's so easy to sing.

You haven't been particularly active on the live front so far, have you?
BEKI: That's probably because we're all so untogether! No, the band took so long to come together, and then when we were ready other things started to go wrong. We played more dates in one week over Christmas, in Israel, than we have in this country! Israel was great, wonderful. It's a totally different type of audience, they all sit there on bar stools, going 'encore, encore', and doing these funny, wriggly dances. I loved it there.

We're going to be spending the whole of March on tour in Britain. Playing everywhere! I'm dreading it in a way, I keep getting visions of the first Vice Squad tour; sleeping in the van, starving, taking far too many bad drugs, and coming home with my neck in a great big lump where one of my earrings had gone rotten.

I'm quite looking forward to it, we might even become quite a competent little band after doing gigs every night instead of one every six months. I just hope somebody bothers turning up, 'Crime And Passion' (Ligotage's debut single) hardly got any airplay because apparently it didn't fit into any category. I thought that was good at first, but unless it sells any records, I suppose it isn't. Heavy metal fans say we're not heavy metal, punks say we're not punks, and pop people say we're not pop, so it must be somewhere between the three, which is good musically, but nobody seems to like it! I just didn't want to be restrained by any particular style of music because that's boring. It's like Bruce Lee's kung fu; it contains all the styles, but in itself is possessed by nothing.

I've heard the term 'Glam Rock' bandied about a bit.
BEKI: Glam always seems so shallow and superficial to me. It's okay wanting to look great and all, but a lot of the bands never seem to have any beliefs or anything. I don't know, maybe I shouldn't be such a political lunatic but ... I think I'd better shut up.