Smutty Smith: One Kool Kat

Welllll... if 1954 was the year Rockabilly was born, 1978 was definitetly the year it got a fresh shot in the arm from England's own "Levi and The Rockats". It was the start of a new Rockabilly revolution in the UK and the US and The Rockats got the ball rolling.

I recently caught up with their legendary standup bassman Smutty Smith in Hollywood while he was hosting a party at  Sweeny Todd's Barbershop to promote J.S. Sloane, his recent line of hair pomade. He was in town to play Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend, where 20,000 kids lined up to hear The Rockats perform.

The following interview is accompanied by photographs I have taken of him over the years - here in Los Angeles, London and in Brighton. Smutty has graciously allowed us a peek inside the heart of the rockabilly, punk, glam and rock n' roll scene he was a part of.

Cheers Smut!

Julie Pavlowski Green
April 27, 2013

Julie Pavlowski Green:  
WHEN DID YOU MEET LEVI DEXTER?

Smutty Smith: I actually met Levi at a 'Rock ´N ' Roll roller skating rink around 1974-75. It was in Southend-on Sea, Essex in England above a well established Teddy boy hang out called The Pier Bar. I was still too young to get in but I loved the Rockabilly music coming from the bar. We were often mistaken for brothers around the town. We fast became friends, sharing our love of style and music. Levi shortly after moved in with my family at my house in Basildon, Essex.

JPG:  HOW DID YOU GUYS END UP MEETING LEEE BLACK CHILDERS AND WHAT WAS HE LIKE AS THE MANAGER OF LEVI AND THE ROCKATS?

SS: I first met Leee Black Childers at his house in Islington in North London. At that time he was the manager for The Heartbreakers, featuring Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan from The New York Dolls. They were touring on the Anarchy tour with The Clash, Sex Pistols and other bands. My first introduction to punk was arriving at Leee´s house to meet the likes of Debbie Harry and The Ramones and many more. I must say coming from a totally fifties retro background, I was taken back but soon became fast close friends with all of them! 

Leee was from the old school of Hollywood thought and believed that you could spot a shining star early on. His philosophy was that he could mold, teach and groom raw talent into something amazing and market it to a mass audience. I personally feel that if I had not met him, I would maybe have not chosen the path that I took. He has been and still is like a father figure to me. I owe so much to his old school of thought. He is a star maker in every sense of the word.

JPG: TELL US A PISTOLS AND ROCKATS STORY

SS: The Sex Pistols and their manager Malcom McClarin were all friends and workmates of Leee's. A lot of bands at that time looked up to Johnny Thunders and Leee and his assistant Gail. Leee often would colour his hair electric blue and Gail's canary yellow. Leee´s house on Halton road in Islington was a hub of musicians at the time just hangin' out. Many parties and hair dying get togethers were frequent. 

At the height of punk, when the Pistols were on the Bill Grundy news show and in all the bad and good press, it was war down the Kings Road in Chealsea where Teddy -Boys and Punks hung out. They often got into fights which the press blew up. One night we were all out and met up with Johnny Rotten and invited him back for a beer. We had a great time and Gail took some pics of Levi and Rotten laughing there arses off… The Pistols were just normal blokes from the same background  as all of us! The press made up all the other nasty shit just to sell papers...

JPG: WHO WAS THE FIRST BAND YOU EVER WENT TO SEE PLAY?

SS: The first band I can remember seeing was 'Crazy Cavan and The Rhythm Rockers'. They were a Welsh Teddy- Boy band... I lied about my age to get in and was blown away. I knew at that moment that I was hooked on Rock N 'Roll and nothing else mattered. It must of been at the Pier Bar in Essex around 1974.

JPG: WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST TATOO ?

SS: My first tattoo was done on my Mum's kitchen table when I was fourteen or fifteen by a mate who had made a tattoo machine… I think it was either a small creeper shoe..or the name Gene Vincent…which have all been redone since over and over ! Still keeping the same Teddy Boy old school sailor theme.

JPG: TELL US ABOUT HANGING OUT AT THE FACTORY IN NEW YORK AND MEETING ANDY WARHOL

SS: I was first introduced to Andy Warhol by Leee Black Childers. The whole band ''Levi and The Rockats'' went together.. If I remember correctly, we were not that excited.. it was just one of Leee's old mates..Leee told us that Andy always put on nice lunches and we were always starving hungry back then.. Andy was very polite and strange at the same time. Looking back now, I think he was an observational type of person, just taking everything in. He really liked us and I hung out there several times with some of the guys and on my own. 


One time he said to me ''Smutty can you take your shirt off so I can take a picture of you?'' And I said ''what are you going to give me?'' he laughed and said ..''What do you want ?" So I said a book signed or something..so he gave me a book...Another time I said why don't you draw something on me and I will get it tattooed. So he did. A small champagne glass with a girl in it. It was in biro pen. So I was going to get it done the next day but that night, I got really drunk, woke up and looked at Andy's drawing and it was a blur! So I  never got it done... haha... could have had an original piece of art...oh well. 

JPG: WHO IS YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BASS PLAYER?

SS: My Favorite all time bass player would probably be Ray Campi. He taught me too slap ..and stand on it! But for style it would be Paul Siminon from the Clash.

JPG: HOW DID YOU END UP BEING PHOTOGRAPHED BY ROBERT MAPPLETHORP? TELL US A STORY ABOUT THE PHOTO SHOOT.

SS: I met Robert from hangin in the NY club scene..clubs like Area.. Mud Club.. Dancerteria..Peppermint Lounge...The actual scene then was not that massive ,as far as people attending these venues..You would see pretty much the same crowd at most of the clubs..people like Robert..Andy Warhol..Keith Haring..John Belushi  were regulars around town..Robert came to many Rockat shows.  think he loved the style and hair do´s..We talked a few times backstage and became somewhat friends.

I do remember him really wanting  a hair style from the fifties. I told him that I could help because of my hairdressing background...and I guess he invited me to his loft, which was in Soho around mercer street. I remember going there alone and going into the apartment and noticing that it was kind of bare..flame torches ..which looked liked a mexican jail..and a primitive jail type bed..I thought this guy´s cool... He said that was a photographer and would I like to see his work. I said yes and started looking thru his portfolio…then as i turned the pages, I started to see some pretty hardcore graphic images..thinking then ..'shit what have I got myself in too? 

He was so nice and polite, you could not help but love this man. He asked if we could set up a photo shoot and I said yes. We did the shoot and I was thinking what if he asked me to strip off, shall I? But he never did... It was a great shoot and we became very close friends. I shot with him a few times..and ..I miss him dearly..He always promoted me and featured me in his gallery shows ..and until this day I still am..at the moment on exhibition at the Tate modern in London with two pictures of me...nothing but fond memories... Robert R.I. P..x

JPG: YOU’VE BEEN PHOTOGRAPHED BY SOME OF THE GREATEST PHOTOGRAPHERS OF ALL TIME: MICK ROCK, ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE, BOB GRUEN. DID YOU EVER CONSIDER BEING A FULL TIME MODEL?

SS: I have been a model actually, not for a long time ..but in the early 1980´s I signed to click models in New York and did runway stuff for Betsy Johnson and Steven Sprouse. I  also did some shoots for German Vouge, Italian Vouge.

JPG: WHEN DID YOU MEET TIM SCOTT MCCONNEL AND WHEN DID YOU GUYS FORM THE HAVALINAS?


SS: I first met Tim Scott Mc Connell around 1980´ish. He was in a CBGB´S band called The Decks. He joined The Rockats around then and played on ''Live at the Ritz'' as well as touring the United States.The Havalinas came much later, when I moved to Los Angeles in 1988. We were still very close friends after he split from The Rockats. The Havalinas were signed to Electra records.

JPG:  YOU DID A TOUR WITH BOB DYLAN. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?

SS: Touring with Bob Dylan was great, he has a pretty hard core following. We toured Europe with him, got to meet him and even went to his house for a party... As a person I cannot really say what he was like, never really got to know him. We got the tour after he saw us opening up for John Doe at the Roxy. 

JPG: HAVE YOU ALWAYS PLAYED THE SAME UPRIGHT BASS? WHAT MODEL IS IT? WHAT KIND OF PICK UPS DO YOU HAVE ON IT? 


SS: I have had several basses over the years. I like Kay basses, still have one that I played in The Rockats and The Havalinas and 13 Cats. But for live I have a King bass. They are no longer around.The pick ups I designed myself back in 1980. I could not get the volume that I needed to keep up with The Rockats. At that time I had just met Brian Setzer from Long Island New York. He knew the guy who made the ampeg baby bass, an electric stand up. So I met him, took his idea and made one for an acoustic bass... I think I was the first Rockabilly bass player to have EMG pick ups on an upright bass. 

JPG: YOU’RE DJING IN ICELAND THESE DAYS ON X 97.7  DID YOU EVER DJ BEFORE? WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT DJING ON THE INTERNET?


SS: I have not been a DJ before but I do have a love for music. Everything from Beethoven to Gene Vincent. I just love music so much. I was offered to do a show in Iceland where I live. A Rockabilly show to help promote the scene which is fairly small here. The show is on FM radio live at 10pm Friday nights. It started out that way but when I started to play some other stuff that I liked, the show grew and grew. So now its a Rockabilly, Punk, Old Ska, Glam and Sixties Garage and more... It's now all over the world via the internet.

JPG: YOU STARTED OUT AS A HAIR DRESSER. TELL US ABOUT JS SLOANE AND YOUR NEW LINE OF HAIR POMADE.

SS: JS Sloane was formed with an old friend of mine Joann Kuno, because we shared the love of vintage and that old Hollywood style. I had always wanted to have my own hair grease and had a hairdresser background. With Joann´s business background, we talked and decided to go into partnership together. We actually started out with one product and now have several. All of our products and marketing focuses on the Elegant styles of a time gone by. We are both big fans of film noir and that classic gentleman's look.

JPG: WITH THE NEW ROCKATS ALBUM “ROCKING TOGETHER” ON LANARK RECORDS OUT THIS WEEK, WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT PLAYING WITH THESE GUYS 25 YEARS LATER?


SS: My favorite thing about playing again and recording with The Rockats is that after playing with the same guys for so long, we really don´t need to discuss anything in detail. We just know each other so well. When you have been in or around the same band for over thirty years, you know each other pretty well.