Three legends of rock & roll have joined forces for a music extravaganza.
Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Phantom will venture onto Australian roads with his buddies – The Sex Pistols bassist Glenn Matlock and David Bowie guitarist Earl Slick – in February as part of their ‘Men Of No Shame’ tour.
Having helped forge the neo-rockabilly sound and image by blending the sounds and fashion of punk and ‘50s rock & roll, Jim says touring these days is more about spending quality time on the road with old mates. “At this point in life, it's a little bit of fun because most things you do, you're involved with people that you're pals with; and between Slick and Glenn, and knowing them 100 years, they're two of my oldest pals,” he says.
“Glenn is one of the first people I ever met outside the Stray Cats guys who I’ve known the longest, since we were kids. I moved to England when I was 19 with the other guys in the band; Glenn was one of the first people I ever met and we've been friends ever since, some 35 years.
“[Earl] Slick is kind of from the same neighbourhood in New York. We started working together in 1985, so we've been pals ever since and every now and again everyone's schedules and interests line up and you go out and do something fun with your buddies, that's what it's really about.”
The ‘Men Of No Shame’ tour brings together three, great musicians on one stage playing the classic songs that gave the middle finger to authority and the mainstream.
With each of them boasting back catalogues ripe with musical gems, Jim says audiences can look forward to a well-stacked setlist that will also include new material from the group. “We'll do the four or five really well-known Stray Cats ones, which I'll sing and we'll do a bunch of [Sex] Pistols ones that Glenn wrote and he'll sing,” Jim says, “and we'll do a couple from Slick's catalogue, like a Bowie one.
“Then we made a record about a year or so ago that we're still tinkering with… we'll be doing a bunch of songs from that as well. Between that we think it's a nice, strong set; because you've got to keep it going, keep everyone interested.”
As for this record of new material from the trio he speaks of, Jim is hopeful of completing and releasing it this year. “We’re working on getting it finished and the next step these days is to find a way to get it out. So that's a little bit of a challenge in the modern environment, getting it out.”Throughout his illustrious career Jim has played alongside legends such as Brian Setzer, the late and great Lemmy Kilmister and Australia’s own Chris Cheney. During their early club days in London, Stray Cats found unlikely fans in members of some of the world’s biggest rock groups such as Led Zeppelin and The Who.
Even with these endorsements and the legacy he has spawned, Slim Jim Phantom is still humble enough to appreciate the simple things in life, like playing one of your favourite songs alongside one of your favourite musicians. “I don't know if there's anything I hate to play because the whole idea that you're getting to play these songs is flattering and [I'm] still grateful for it,” he says.
‘Men Of No Shame’ Tour
Fri 26 Feb - Surfer Paradise Beergarden (Gold Coast)Sat 27 Feb - Chardon's Hotel (Brisbane)
Sun 28 Feb - Newtown Social Club (Sydney)
Wed 2 Mar - Cambridge Hotel (Newcastle)
Thu 3 Mar - Fowlers Live (Adelaide)
Fri 4 Mar - Ding Dong Lounge (Melbourne)
Sat 5 Mar - Flying Saucer Club (Melbourne)
