Recently one of Britains best kept secrets, Pink Panzer, got into publicity again with the reissue of their long out of print and badly sought after 7" EP "Manthunder". The only remaining living band member, bass player Ashley Croydonson, is living an easy life in Marbella, Spain these days as a windsurf instructor. I needed some tan anyways so I decided to look Ashley up and have a little chat with him about one of the greatest bands of all time... Pink Panzer!
Hi Ashley, first of all thanks a lot for doing this interview! How have you been doing? You are the only remaining, living, member of the legendary, and recently rediscovered, UK pub rock outfit Pink Panzer. How do you feel about being in the center of attention again after living anonymously for years?
I must admit I’m well chuffed. I’ve kept myself busy as a windsurfing instructor in Spain for well over 20 years now, it’s good fun bringing back the old memories, good and bad.
Can I ask what happened to the other three members, Dobby, Stig and Roland, who sadly passed away in, respectively 1984 and 2006. Or is this still a sensitive subject to you?
Well time heals most wounds, but I’ll never forget them. Had some laughs, we did. Stig and Rol, that was shocking. Their death was what led to the demise of the K6. First time that two people died inside a phone box. A lorry from the Guardian made short work of the lot. Dobby died from AIDS.
I want to go way back to ’75 when Pink Panzer was formed in West London. You guys were actually called Panther at first right? What made you guys decide to form a musical group?
I used to sweep up at a pub in Earls Court, moonlighting from signing on. One night, I fucked off for a quick fag across the street, and I heard this brilliant sound coming from down the road a bit. I was drawn to it, and I was never the same again. This band from Canvey Island were on stage, Dr. Feelgood. Tried to have it off with the singer, but he smacked me in the mouth. Great band, though.
As Panther you released one EP, “Cruisin’”, on the French label Le Shok Records. Now that I think back of it, it wasn’t as radical as your later work under the name Pink Panzer. Slow start or different beliefs at the time?
We always held our beliefs, Dobby in particular was very vocal about them, especially after a good piss-up. But back then, we were more interested in brown splits and poppers. We were young, we were physically fit. We behaved like flippin’ Romans. That song really expresses the atmosphere in the West End at the time.
What happened that the band started to radicalize, and being openly white supremacist and homosexual? It’s 2014 now, but at the time that must have been quite a shocker to the pub and Oi! scene you guys were active in?
Dobby had a mate called Nicky, big geezer. He was a top boy with the organisations that were coming to the front at the time. He convinced us that we should speak our minds, and he really was instrumental in us having the bottle to get out there and try to save Britain.
Was this also the reason to change the name from Panther to Pink Panzer? Why not Pink Panther? Legal issues?
We did get sued by six different bands, all called Panther. But we really wanted to represent valour, honour, and Pink Panzer really spoke to that. The SS Panzer division had pink trim on their well-tailoured black uniforms. Hugo Boss is still one of my idols.
Recently American label Chapter 11 Records reissued the classic “Manthunder” EP. How did you and Ian of C11 got in contact?
I was giving a lesson to this bloke called Novak, he was on holiday with his nephew in Marbella. Well, I don’t think it was actually his nephew. They got on a little too well, if I’m not being too cheeky. We were talking about music, and he brought up Combat 84. I told him about the time I buggered Chubby Chris in a chip shop loo in Soho, and the conversation went on. Turns out his mate who runs the label is a huge fan, and he got in touch with me a month later.
Panther/Pink Panzer released a total of 3/4 EP’s before the band disbanded in 1983. Will C11 reissue these other fantastic, but incredible hard to find, EP’s in the future as well?
There’s talk of releasing our last single pretty soon. I’d really like to put out the ep, I think it’s a great example of the band at its best. I don’t know how it’s selling, so I suppose we’ll have to wait and see. The music business can be so cruel.
Speaking of 1983... why did you guys broke up in the first place?
We broke up every few months or so. It just happened that shortly after our last row, which was new year’s eve before a gig, Rol and Stig got, shall we say, bashed by the Guardian.
After disbanding Pink Panzer you started the electro-pop outfit Panzertronic, this wasn't such a success right?
Dismal failure. The label cunts came in and shut it down before I could finish the track. I put it out myself, and sold it at the shop I worked for on Great Portland street.
What do you think was the reason of this fiasco? These days a large ammount of the gay community is into dance music, were homosexuals more into pub rock, Oi! and southern rock back in the eighties?
The gay community were never the problem, it was the suits with the cash. But we’d see every last one of them come nightfall. Bloody hypocritical tosspots.
Does this reincarnation of the Pink Panzer name inspire you to be active in the scene again? You ever thought about pulling on the boots and pickin’ up the bass again?
I would, but it wouldn’t be the same, I’m afraid. I was just a small part of that valiant band of brothers. I’m just proud to have been.
Okay, I am about to round this up, just one more question; Would Hitler have approved Pink Panzer?
One would hope so. I’m sure Ernst Röhm would have been well chuffed. That’s it! Thanks a lot for taking the time to do this interview. If there is anything you’d like to add, feel free to do so!
Cheers, and keep those pink flags flying!
