Die So Fluid were formed just 2 years ago in the UK and are like something out’ve a Russ Meyer movie – they’ve have faced death, life with Kelly Osbourne (no, not the same thing!) and hell cat wrestling with Tarrie B. Interview with Grog, (wo)man on a mission!

-Shan Siva

You’re a new band aren’t you so first things first, what does Die So Fluid mean?

Drew: we’ve been going for around 3 years. It means live well, and leave a positive legacy - kind’ve of like Keith Richards ‘live-fast-and-have-a-good-looking’ corpse except we come back from the dead ha ha

Al: hmm...we don’t really want to die so I guess its ‘don’t-do-what-I-do-but-do-what-I-say’ ha ha

Grog: its a poetic interpretation meaning do something with your life, leaving a legacy as such. I mean, you’re dying from the moment you’re born so how you’re gonna life your life is what you’re gonna leave behind.

Ok, just what kind’ve name is ‘Grog’?

Grog: ha ha, I know people think it sounds caveman-ish - I can see you laughing already - but its actually an anagram of my first name (with half the letters removed) and I’ve been called it since I was very young. It got mistaken for the drink (rum + water) that the English navy used to serve its sailors during my partying years and its just stuck ever since - I just can’t get rid of the fucking name ha ha!!

Aha, tell me about the party animal years!

Grog: actually I hardly drink at all nowadays. I had a serious alcohol related illness a while back which had me in hospital on a drip

Drew: that was the jinxed period in the band

Grog: it was at Tattoo The Planet, I had been drinking all day, so much in fact that I didn’t eat anything. Then when I got backstage I wiped out Slayer’s rider! The thing with pancreatis is that its gradual and the symptoms are similar to indigestion, which is what happened - I got sent home with some tablets and told to stop worrying - until I couldn’t walk anymore. Then I had to be rushed back to casualty with an oxygen mask. I was on a drip cos there’s very little they can do at this stage, you either make it or you don’t.

Al: on top of that I had shingles at the same time so I we were really fucked

Drew: told you that was the jinxed period in the band

Someone told mean you sought help from a Shaman?

Al: yup, it was a guy from Surinam. After the run of bad luck I thought it might be an idea to see if we could change the way things were happening for the band and it seems to have worked although its hard to work out if it was a mojo or the just the fact that we sought spiritual guidance that changed us psychologically but either way we got the band back together

Drew: but then we didn’t have any money

Grog: yeah, so I had to go and whore myself out ha ha! It was a good experience (playing in Kelly Osbourne’s band), you learn lots of things.

What did you learn about Kelly?

Grog: keep out of her way ha ha. Its pretty much like how you see it all on the Osbournes although she does have a really sweet side to her which maybe you don’t see that much of on TV. Actually growing up in that situation must be difficult for both Jack and Kelly, its almost bizarre.

How did you get the gig with her band?

Grog: my previous manager who works for Sanctuary hooked me up cos I fitted the bill and they needed someone for the tour. Then when she did Top of the Pops, I also helped out by doing keyboards.

You seem multi talented!

Grog: well, I have a classical background and when I was a kid I was encouraged to take up music and I played a number of instruments. I guess this must’ve tuned my ear cos when I took up bass I taught myself. And I can sing too which helps ha ha! Anyway, they flew me out to LA so I learnt the album on the flight (wow!), had a few rehearsals and that was it!

Now that’s the high end of the music biz I guess

Grog: absolutely. Right now I’m back in a cheap bus driving around the country which is a complete change from being looked after and staying in posh hotels etc. And Kelly is a celebrity so you don’t just go out for the evening, it actually becomes quite an experience. Still though, its not the same as being with your pals, just not the same feeling - and none of the material was mine.

You seem to be continuing a tradition of female bass players who’ve had to mix it in some hard rockin bands - examples like Patricia Morrison, Val(ium) and even Suzy Quatro

Grog: yeah, I’m definitely into portraying women as powerful figures not as sheepish domesticated creatures. And I know what you’re gonna ask me next which is ‘do you like to mosh’ ha ha! Yes! Moshing is great, like the other day, some guy who was severely pissed pushed over a PA stack and it severed my bass cable. Yeah, I encourage moshing....just don’t knock my teeth out ha ha! But the power thing is not even a ‘woman’ thing, I just think everyone should have the freedom to explore themselves. Whether they choose to do it is another matter, people talk about it but then there’s a lot of peer pressure to conform.....

Drew: its the same with the metal scene cos we still get hassles being a female fronted band. I think we must’ve played about 100 gigs in the last 6 months and of all the support bands only 3 had a female in them. Grog gets a lotta compliments from girls in the audience going ‘you’re amazing’ as if she’s something outta the ordinary - but she shouldn’t be. Then there’s guys in the industry still saying ‘they’re alright - for a female band’ - there’s just no justification for that. Then there’s the comparisons that we have with My Ruin...

Grog: oh yeah, the internet spat with Tarrie B. It was really bizarre - she just jumps on things and all of a sudden it’s blah blah blah. Ok, so there are comparisons as we’re both female fronted bands with black hair, but it was almost like she was launching a campaign against us - it was a cat fight - and she didn’t even know me ha ha! But maybe she was just being canny cos its a great way to create publicity. She’s had a long career which is commendable and she speaks her mind, which is cool.....anyway I want to shut up now ha ha!

So how would you like to be remembered in your epitaph - as a good musician...?

Drew: as a good bloke.

Al: as a friend

Grog: as someone who got up there and did it - not in the ‘look-at-me-I’m-amazing’ sense but as an example.