DEVIL'S ISLAND featuring The Purple Helmets
Welcome to this weeks edition of Devil's Island! Every week we maroon a band or artist on the island and see what they get up to, how they cope with being all alone on a small island in the middle of the ocean. It's not your average desert island and we'll see just how each person copes with the extreme conditions.
This week when we arrived at Devil's Island we find The Purple Helmets sat on the beach. The island is far from their home, so how did they end up here and how did they cope with life on Devil's Island?
Find out now...
Welcome to The Razors'e Edge and our somewhat lovely, warm desert island. Don't worry about it's name I'm sure it's not as bad as that would suggest.
You're marooned here on this island, but before you ended up shipwrecked you chose one album that you couldn't live without. Which album did you each chose and why?
Mike: Duran Duran (self-titled) – because it’s the first record that made me want to play music. And their hair and makeup on the cover was very fascinating to me as a 12-year-old.
Jon: Prince – Purple Rain. His hair was an inspiration for Jon’s hairdo for the early, prime Helmet years.
Don: Michael Jackson – Thriller. NO ONE loved Michael like Don. He still has a huge glove collection.
Chris: Herbie Hancock – Future Shock. Chris was heavy into robot legs, bird sculptures, mannequins, and music at the time of release in 83’. The video for “Rockit” had all of these things and more.
Just behind that palm tree is a shack for each of you to stay in, with enough space for you to put up a poster on the wall of one album cover. What album cover do you each chose?
Mike: Motley Crue – Shout at the Devil. Who was more badass than those guys at that time? Amazing shoulder pads.
Jon: James Brown – Sex Machine. Another of Jon’s key influences. He developed his moves and overall stage presence from that period of JB. That album also influenced another of Jon’s acts from the 90’s. A disco/soul outfit where he performed as the frontman known as “Brown Bread”.
Don: Stevie Ray Vaughan (SRV) – Texas Flood. Big Influence for Don learning guitar. He modelled his early style after SRV. The problem was, he would also show up to jam and do shows wearing the classic SRV hat. It became a problem we had to sort out.
Chris: Voivod – War & Pain. An early Canadian metal band that Chris still loves, going all the way back to 1984.
There's also a bar on this here island. But alas each of you only get to choose one drink for the entirety of your stay. What's your tipple of choice?
Cheap draught for all. It makes us feel like we are playing a week at “the Palace” as a cover band in Halifax again (recapturing our youth).
Your suitcases were lost when your ship sank, but you each managed to salvage one item of band merch. What’s the merch and for what band?
Mike: Autographed Lars spandex shorts from the Justice for All tour.
Jon: Cyndi Lauper hair ribbon. His dad took him to a show when he was 12 years old and she threw one to him, blew him a kiss.
Don: Signed SRV hat with 6 Michael Jackson gloves tucked into the band.
Chris: Signed Nikki Sixx boots from the Too Fast for Love tour. 9-inch heels!
You’re sat on the island thinking “I’m stuck here on this island with my bandmates for eternity”… who would you rather have been shipwrecked with?
With same bandmates, but we’re a huge critical and financial success so it’s ok to be stranded. Because we made it.
There's a walkman in your pocket, on the tape inside is the recording of the one live show that stands out for you. It could be any show, from any band, anywhere in the world. What show is on that walkman?
A poorly recorded Metallica bootleg – live at Donnington, 1984.
You're getting desperate, you decide the only course of action is to put a message in a bottle and hope someone finds it. Your message could be to any member of any band, but should be the most suitable for a rescue attempt. Who is it?
A message that finds its way to a forum full of desperate musicians seeking other musicians to play with. If they wanna jam, they’ll find us.
You've been stuck here a while and food supplies are running low. There's only one thing for it... which fellow band member gets sacrificed to help the others survive?
Mike, after losing a 4-way no rules fight to the death. But the joke is on them because he’s all fat and gristle.
Finally, when the ship sank you each managed to save one person from the wreckage. That person is the one musician that has influenced your career the most, shaped your way of thinking and your outlook on life. Who did you save?
Mike: I would save John Taylor so I can perfect my over dramatic air bass guitar…wear it too high 80s style, with fingers flailing. Do I need to name a drummer if I really need to work on my air bass guitar?
Jon: I would save Phil Everly. He was the king of harmony which has influenced me in always finding the harmonies. Sorry Don....could only save one.
Don: I would save Tom Waits, just so I could smoke cigarettes down to the bone and well…. hang with Tom Waits.
Chris: I would save David Bowie and sing “Hey Man” from Suffragette City over and over and over… with a nice single malt. 3 ice cubes please.
