DEVIL'S ISLAND featuring The Riptide Rats
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 Riptide Rats 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?
Jocke: I would bring “Wildflowers” by Tom Petty. Because it is the best album in the world, if you feel like listening to a country album, you got a country album, and if you feel like rocking out you got a rock album.
Gus: One of my all-time favourites is The Ventures Live in Japan ’65. There’s something magical about that record. First, the energy is insane, the Japanese crowd is completely wild, almost like a rock stadium response but for an instrumental band in the mid-60s. The sound is also way better than you’d expect for a live album from that era. It’s just excellent.
Fred: “Appetite for Destruction” by Guns N’ Roses. If you’re going to be stranded, you might as well have a soundtrack that’s even more chaotic than your own situation.
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?
Jocke: “Powerslave” by Iron Maiden. I remember spending hours just looking at it when it came out, and there were always some new details to find. I think I could use that entertainment on a desert island.
Gus: “Horror Business” by The Misfits, I use to have that one as T-shirt when I was a teenager. Loved it!
Fred: I’d take Kiss’ “Rock and Roll Over.” That artwork looks like a cosmic explosion of face paint and questionable life choices—perfect to stare at while sitting in my palm-tree shack.
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?
Jocke: I would be happy with an endless flow of Jack Daniels. Always, not just on a desert island.
Gus: Mojito, fresh and can be modified with whatever we find on that island!
Fred: A Margarita. If I’m stuck on a desert island, I’m at least going to give the illusion of being on holiday.
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?
Jocke: That would be the KISS coffin. Just put me in there when I drop and push it out in the ocean!! Imagine being the sailors who find it a few years later! Haha!
Gus: II grabbed Dick Dale’s surfboard. If this island turns on me, I’m off!
Fred: I managed to save a pair of KISS platform boots. Totally impractical on sand, but excellent for morale. Also, potentially useful as flotation devices.
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?
Jocke: Gal Gadot.
Gus: Just any woman, just not these dudes….
Fred: Madeleine Stowe. She survived Last of the Mohicans, so a desert island with me and a couple of confused palm trees should be an easy day at the office.
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?
Jocke: That would be Nick Cave live at Waterfront Arena in Stockholm back in 2015, that was the best concert I have ever seen.
Gus: The Blasters live at Knitting Factory in Hollywood 2006. That was on my top 3 list of best concerts I ever saw.
Fred: The Red Hot Chili Peppers show in Gothenburg, 1999. Flea was bouncing like a radioactive pogo stick, Chad Smith was drumming like the sky owed him money, and the whole arena nearly levitated. Perfect fuel for island survival.
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?
Jocke: This was too easy! I would send it to Jason Mamoa, he could easily just swim to the island and bring all his cool dolphin buddies to save us all.
Gus: I would send my message in a bottle to “The Police”. They have already written the manual for this situation. Pretty easy huh!
Fred: I’m sending my bottle to Matt Cameron. If he can navigate Superunknown’s rhythms, he can certainly plan a rescue mission.
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?
Jocke: Well, this is difficult. I am the oldest member, so I should take that bullet. BUT there is more food for the other two guys, so I would let them fight about it. With swords.
Gus: No need…Remember I got Dick Dales surfboard, let’s go fishing!
Fred: I’d love to say me, but let’s be real—I’m the drummer. I’m required for morale and for hitting random logs. So… whoever snores loudest.
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?
Jocke: I would once again have to say Tom Petty. He is the artist I have spent most time listening to over the years!
Gus: I had saved Eddie Angel. He is the perfect blend of surf, rock ’n’ roll and fun. His style taught me not to overthink things, just play and have fun.
Fred: Paul Stanley. If I’m saving one musician from the wreckage, it’s the Starchild himself. The man showed the world that confidence, stage swagger, and an Ibanez Iceman strapped across your body is basically a superpowe
