Public Enemy were a hardcore band from St. John's, Newfoundland in the mid 1980's. Obviously not to be confused with the hip hop group that came out a few years after. They released one demo tape and played a bunch of shows around St. John's. Members went on to be in Schizoid! Here is a quick interview with their guitar player Bob Average from Feb 2022.
When did Public Enemy start out and who was in the band? Did the lineup change over time?
We started in 1983 … me on guitar, Craig Murray on vocals, John Pastore on bass and David Clarke on drums. We played three cover songs at our high school talent nite as a first show. There is a jam tape floating around with two of our own uncollected songs. In April of 84 we opened for DOA .. all covers again and one was a REALLY OLD DOA song … pretty dumb but we did do a Slyme cover!
For this show, Randy Mausokopf drummed. We had a different drummer every show except last going off.. Llew Thomas played twice and on the demo. We drifted apart with Craig and got Hardcore Tony to sing - on the demo tape and for two shows. He went on to start fanzine IRK in Toronto and partnered in some shows. And sang with Godcorp.
I forgot to mention Dave Sweetapple was in a band called the Riot which he quit to play second guitar with Public Enemy before Hardcore Tony joined. The Riot only had one original that never came out.
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| Newspaper clipping about the DOA/PE show! |
Did you play shows outside of St John's?
Only played St John’s .. Schizoid started after Public Enemy.. Murray and I were friends with a guy named Rod in junior high through music. We all liked KISS, CHEAP TRICK … the first two Def Leppard records. And somehow some Sex Pistols as well. I can’t remember how we got Never Mind The Bollocks but I had a friend that came back from England with Swindle, PIL and the first AC/DC DIRTY DEEDS record… and we all taped off of him for sure. He had Maiden too of course. So anyway Rod and I drifted apart but I would see him now and then as his brother lives next door. One day we bumped into each other in the driveway. I had Animosity and he had Onslaught Power from Hell … we freaked out a bit and decided to start a band… I think we moved to Toronto after one jam or something.. in the dead of winter with typical running shoes and barely any money. Stayed at HAPPY HOUSE nearly froze in basement… but got to see Descendents in 85! We started fucking around and came up with song ideas … moved home and got serious with band.
We created the scene .. and I’m not bragging … but when u left there were three or four bands .. I heard later there were hundreds .. I booked one of our last shows .. Place was packed .. I looked around and I knew no one … I thought .. this is cool.. things are getting somewhere. We used to know EVERYONE!
What can you tell me about the demo you released
The artwork we used for the few we made and sent around was kinda like the "Life Is Not Worth Living" art” .. but if I remember correctly we called it “Wanted: Dead Or Alive” … that hand writing on “life’s not…” is mine. But I don’t remember writing something so stupid… the one you uploaded was official cuz I put that stupid dance stuff on it. We broke up by the time the tape came out.. so did my due diligence and sent it around a bit (including one that got reviewed in Maximum Rock N' Roll) … but that’s about it. A few orders trickled in and I traded with some bands and stuff… I wish I was more organized… I should know how many are out there! No one in town really knows it. I’d like to put it out again.
What can you tell me about recording the demo?
Recording the demo was kinda lame. Some cock rocker had a studio in his basement… we were in separate rooms and stuff playing along with bed tracks… should have been done more off floor. But it was good we did it. If it was a single, we would have made a pretty good mark for ourselves.
There is also a live set from Reg's Bar - what do you remember about this show?
Reg’s was out of desperation… we wanted shows with Tony before he moved. Not sure if John had decided on moving at that time. Ya we had to play a couple of sets and two nights or something … needed more than 15 mins of our own shit.
I see you did lots of covers - Minor Threat , 7 Seconds, Asexuals, Raw Power, etc - where were you hearing those bands at the time. Could you buy those records in store in St John's in the time, or did you have to mailorder? Or was it tape trading?
We tape traded. Mail ordered as well, and got a ton of free records from making a zine called WABANA RIOT. We used to race to the mailbox … whoever’s there first got the random stuff ! Haaa! I always won !
The fact that we still did covers in 84 and 85 was terrible.. but our isolation was real .. I brought most of the music to town … mailorder … I would go to preppy parties of people I didn’t know and some punks would take over and I’d hear these mix tapes I made for somebody but the quality was fucked … obviously 16th generation but it made me feel relevant.
But Fred’s records sold some stuff .. just the old high price bullshit. Plus they only had DKs and maybe DOA - WAR ON 45. Me and Murray had a book called INTERNATIONAL GUIDE TO NEW WAVE … we called everywhere in that book .. even Jello once but he wasn’t home. We’d get a bag of chips and cokes and make long distance calls in Murray’s fathers office! Bad... I guess .. not sure if he cared. That’s where we made the zine too! He had a business so it was a full fledged office setting.
Murray and me got all the pistols and clash boots and early DOA by calling used record stores in NY and Vancouver! We also called Shithead and booked that show … or maybe it was the manager .. Ken Lester I think . Oh our shitty FM station OZ was pretty cool back then and one midnite a DJ played some stuff that he just bought in Vancouver… he played Let’s Fuck by DOA .. I loved it .. my new fave band .. I hunted him down and he taped it for us. The rest was history … we loved those guys!
When did you first find out about Public Enemy - the hip hop group? I think you were a couple years ahead of them!
Ya I bet ya it was '87 or something… we shoulda said something! Even the same logo …wonder if they really did steal it. It's probably impossible....
Was there a member of great big sea in the band at one point? I thought I heard that but maybe that was another band.
Bob Hallett (of Great Big Sea) opened for the Reg’s shows with his band The Reckoning.… they were new to town …they played DKs and Black Flag covers. The Reckoning eventually became the band Dead Reckoning and had few releases of original music and even moved to Toronto at one point.
Why did PE break up and what have band members gone on to do?
PE broke up cuz John and Tony moved away and Dave Sweetapple left Public Enemy to go to school in Ontario. So Llew stayed in St John’s and has some sort of 9 to 5 I think. Hardcore Tony is doing his thing somewhere in southern Ontario. I just retired after 32 years at CN Rail. John is in Brooklyn and Dave is in VT. Dave has been tour managing, playing in Witch and SWEETAPPLE, working for Tee Pee … putting out tons of records on various labels currently Outer Battery. He also does some Land Rover club stuff in Vermont.
Musically John and Don and me were in Rise with some Fair Warning guys … Don is an engineer with own studio … and in a million bands. I was in a band called Soulstorm with Adam from Monster Voodoo Machine and I was in a band called WHITE TRASH COMPACTOR with some friends from Newfoundland… one show, no release.
DOWNLOAD THE DEMO (plus live sets & a cover song) here:
Listen to the demo and live set from Reg's here:
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