01Profile
A 1990s Chris Photo
1990s Chris
Poet — Bristol
03Interview
Name, where are you from?
I’m 1990s Chris from Hereford, living in Bristol.
What do you do?
I’m a punk poet, writer, performer and filmmaker.
Describe your style in three words?
Working Class Chic.
What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
One of my favourite gigs was actually in my hometown Hereford - things do actually happen in rural towns sometimes. It was a Citizen Fish show at the Booth Hall which is now sadly closed, think it's luxury flats now. In the middle of the show, I hosted an anarchist raffle. Citizen Fish were waiting to come on whilst I was calling out numbers and giving out flagons of homebrewed rough cider and tea towels with 'Property Is Theft' printed on them. It was very surreal. Citizen Fish were spot on, I was straight in the pit after that raffle.
If you could put any three bands in history on a lineup?
Ultravox!, Tyler, The Creator and Sleaford Mods. I like a bit of variety in a night, a bit of Cabaret, so, I'd have the drag queens from Slaughter Haus Bristol host the night, and Maria Ferguson warm up with a poetry set. Then I'd love to see the original line up of Ultravox! before Midge Ure ruined it. 'Young Savage' is an absolute banger and 'Systems of Romance' is a beautiful album. They speak to the part of me that really wanted to be a football hooligan. Then Tyler, The Creator, can you remember when Theresa May banned him from the UK for being a threat to public order or something? So weird. I love him. And I couldn’t have a line up without Sleaford Mods, they are one of the few bands about that actually talk about a world I can relate to. Art that speaks to working class people is rare and Jason and Andrew absolutely smash it out the park.
Which subcultures have influenced you?
Punk taught me I could do things myself, Riot Grrl taught me to check myself, and Skinhead taught me to have pride in my background and be open about other peoples.
If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
This feels like a very soppy answer, but I'd like to meet my great grandad, 'Ubert and my great nan, Elizabeth. I’d love to speak to them about their lives. He was a miner in the Forest of Dean, and she was a cleaner at a grammar school. I feel our working class histories are not recognised or celebrated as much as they should be, especially women's histories. I wrote a poem about my Great Grandad and one about cleaners in my zine Worker Types.
Where is your favourite independent venue?
I’d have to say the 100 Club, I did a live stream there with Sleaford Mods and Billy Nomates and it was incredible, there was no crowd but the history just pulsed out of the place. It felt so special to be a part of that, hopefully, I'll be there again soon. The Exchange in Bristol is a close second, we need to make sure we look after these.
Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
There's a few, I don't think they are all totally unsung, but they just are important voices that I really think people should hear. Princess Nokia, clipping., The Menstrual Cramps, Billy Nomates and Bob Vylan.
02Playlist
04Playlist Notes
The first track you played on repeat?
'Daydream Believer' by The Monkees, when I was a kid I used to stand on this box in my living room, pretending it was a stage and I’d make my mum and dad be the crowd. They would have to woop and cheer. I think I liked it so much because I was like 6 and I thought the words were "Cheer up sleepy cheese"…
A song that defines the teenage you?
'Gay Rude Boys Unite' by Leftover Crack. Growing up in rural Herefordshire as a queer working class kid there wasn’t much that made me feel I had somewhere to belong, but this track made me feel hopeful and it was something I could skank to.
One record you would keep forever?
'The Man’s Machine' by Jamie T. I think Jamie T’s 'Kings & Queens' is probably the one. It just reminds me of turning 18 drinking in the pub with my mates and putting the world to rights, I used to listen to the vinyl (which was an absolute novelty at the time) in my mate’s attic on her pink record player from Argos, we’d drink wine and talk about our complicated teenage social lives.
A song lyric that has inspired you?
'It Was Supposed To Be So Easy' by The Streets. Pretty much everything on ‘A Grand Don’t Come For Free’ by The Streets. I think it was the first time I felt like I was listening to poetry in a way I actually connected with. I think it’s why I often present my writing through audio and film. The whole way the album is all linked in and how the tracks felt so set in time and space, ones I can recognise, is just ace. It really made me want to write and has been a big influence on my work, especially, my audio work 'Erasure Island' for BBC sounds.
A song you wished you had written?
'White Cedar' by The Mountain Goats. It is just such a beautifully condensed piece of writing, lyrically and musically. It’s one of those that always makes me feel the same every time I listen to it, and those two snare hits are just… yeah, it’s incredible.
Best song to turn up loud?
'Disco' by Special Interest.
A song people wouldn’t expect you to like?
'Ribs' by Lorde. I'm all about Pure Heroine, it is a masterpiece, but maybe I’m not the typical Lorde fan? But I dunno.
A song to get you straight on the dance floor?
'Karma Chameleon' by Culture Club.
Best song to end an all-nighter?
'Islands In The Stream' by Kenny Rodgers and Dolly Parton.
Any new bands you’re into at the moment?
Not all new but this is what I’m listening to:
The Chats / Amyl and The Sniffers / AJJ / Kevin Abstract / Mykki Blanco / Gardna / Withdrawn & Birthmark on Cold Light.
03Interview
Name, where are you from?
I’m 1990s Chris from Hereford, living in Bristol.
What do you do?
I’m a punk poet, writer, performer and filmmaker.
Describe your style in three words?
Working Class Chic.
What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
One of my favourite gigs was actually in my hometown Hereford - things do actually happen in rural towns sometimes. It was a Citizen Fish show at the Booth Hall which is now sadly closed, think it's luxury flats now. In the middle of the show, I hosted an anarchist raffle. Citizen Fish were waiting to come on whilst I was calling out numbers and giving out flagons of homebrewed rough cider and tea towels with 'Property Is Theft' printed on them. It was very surreal. Citizen Fish were spot on, I was straight in the pit after that raffle.
If you could put any three bands in history on a lineup?
Ultravox!, Tyler, The Creator and Sleaford Mods. I like a bit of variety in a night, a bit of Cabaret, so, I'd have the drag queens from Slaughter Haus Bristol host the night, and Maria Ferguson warm up with a poetry set. Then I'd love to see the original line up of Ultravox! before Midge Ure ruined it. 'Young Savage' is an absolute banger and 'Systems of Romance' is a beautiful album. They speak to the part of me that really wanted to be a football hooligan. Then Tyler, The Creator, can you remember when Theresa May banned him from the UK for being a threat to public order or something? So weird. I love him. And I couldn’t have a line up without Sleaford Mods, they are one of the few bands about that actually talk about a world I can relate to. Art that speaks to working class people is rare and Jason and Andrew absolutely smash it out the park.
Which subcultures have influenced you?
Punk taught me I could do things myself, Riot Grrl taught me to check myself, and Skinhead taught me to have pride in my background and be open about other peoples.
If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
This feels like a very soppy answer, but I'd like to meet my great grandad, 'Ubert and my great nan, Elizabeth. I’d love to speak to them about their lives. He was a miner in the Forest of Dean, and she was a cleaner at a grammar school. I feel our working class histories are not recognised or celebrated as much as they should be, especially women's histories. I wrote a poem about my Great Grandad and one about cleaners in my zine Worker Types.
Where is your favourite independent venue?
I’d have to say the 100 Club, I did a live stream there with Sleaford Mods and Billy Nomates and it was incredible, there was no crowd but the history just pulsed out of the place. It felt so special to be a part of that, hopefully, I'll be there again soon. The Exchange in Bristol is a close second, we need to make sure we look after these.
Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
There's a few, I don't think they are all totally unsung, but they just are important voices that I really think people should hear. Princess Nokia, clipping., The Menstrual Cramps, Billy Nomates and Bob Vylan.
04Playlist Notes
The first track you played on repeat?
'Daydream Believer' by The Monkees, when I was a kid I used to stand on this box in my living room, pretending it was a stage and I’d make my mum and dad be the crowd. They would have to woop and cheer. I think I liked it so much because I was like 6 and I thought the words were "Cheer up sleepy cheese"…
A song that defines the teenage you?
'Gay Rude Boys Unite' by Leftover Crack. Growing up in rural Herefordshire as a queer working class kid there wasn’t much that made me feel I had somewhere to belong, but this track made me feel hopeful and it was something I could skank to.
One record you would keep forever?
'The Man’s Machine' by Jamie T. I think Jamie T’s 'Kings & Queens' is probably the one. It just reminds me of turning 18 drinking in the pub with my mates and putting the world to rights, I used to listen to the vinyl (which was an absolute novelty at the time) in my mate’s attic on her pink record player from Argos, we’d drink wine and talk about our complicated teenage social lives.
A song lyric that has inspired you?
'It Was Supposed To Be So Easy' by The Streets. Pretty much everything on ‘A Grand Don’t Come For Free’ by The Streets. I think it was the first time I felt like I was listening to poetry in a way I actually connected with. I think it’s why I often present my writing through audio and film. The whole way the album is all linked in and how the tracks felt so set in time and space, ones I can recognise, is just ace. It really made me want to write and has been a big influence on my work, especially, my audio work 'Erasure Island' for BBC sounds.
A song you wished you had written?
'White Cedar' by The Mountain Goats. It is just such a beautifully condensed piece of writing, lyrically and musically. It’s one of those that always makes me feel the same every time I listen to it, and those two snare hits are just… yeah, it’s incredible.
Best song to turn up loud?
'Disco' by Special Interest.
A song people wouldn’t expect you to like?
'Ribs' by Lorde. I'm all about Pure Heroine, it is a masterpiece, but maybe I’m not the typical Lorde fan? But I dunno.
A song to get you straight on the dance floor?
'Karma Chameleon' by Culture Club.
Best song to end an all-nighter?
'Islands In The Stream' by Kenny Rodgers and Dolly Parton.
Any new bands you’re into at the moment?
Not all new but this is what I’m listening to:
The Chats / Amyl and The Sniffers / AJJ / Kevin Abstract / Mykki Blanco / Gardna / Withdrawn & Birthmark on Cold Light.