Interview Benji Webbe Skindred

Nonpoint Skindred Dry Kill Logic 9/24/04 Double Door Interviewer: Sharita Lumpkin Photos: Erika Kristen Watt

Lineup: Benji Webbe - Vocals Mikey Dee - Guitar Dan Pughsley - Bass Dirty Arya - Drums

It's not everyday that you come across a band that can bring reggae, punk and metal together and do it successfully, that band is Skindred. Benji and the boys hail from the South of Wales and are on tour with Dry Kill Logic and label mates Nonpoint. In this interview, Benji lets us know his feelings on downloading, his impression of America,  what's in his CD collection and much more. Read on to hear Benji's thoughts.

Sharita: In doing research I see that you and Dan were in a band called Dub War, tell me about that?

Benji: We had a band called Dub War. We started; let me take my mind back in about 93 till about 97. We traveled the world as kind of a ragga-punk rock vibe.  I’ve always been a lover punk rock,  I mean in my heart I started of singing music in general.  Anything that was on the radio when I was a kid I was singing. I mean I loved Blondie,  I loved bam, anything that had a sort of mix to it because well, I don’t know what it’s like in America but for black people in Britain and white people it’s not such a divided thing.  It’s not like blacks is there and whites is there.  I mean when I watch the comedian I don’t laugh cause’ (Benji goes into another tone) when black people take off their hat it’s like this (both of us laugh) and white folks it’s like…and everyone’s laughing and I’m going heh heh heh, I feel like Bart Simpson around a bunch of bullies. I don’t grasp the concept it’s like a different thing over there. In the 60’s a lot of black people came over from the West Indies and I’m like from the second generation of families.

I grew up listening to a lot of punk music and embracing that as much as I do reggae music.  Of course I’m black and I want to hold on to my culture a little more but I love the sounds of Bob Marley music like I love Phil from Pantera’s music,  that’s the way I grew up to be. Bands like the Specials, the Clash, the Police, the Beat, and most of them are British bands. That’s what I’m saying though it’s pretty weird that British bands will do that type of thing without even thinking about it because it comes natural to them more than someone in NY and grew up around nothing but black people and now all of a sudden he’s Fred Durst and that’s rock man. 

For me the band Dub War was a breath of fresh air I loved punk music and I followed reggae music (since) I was like 14 all the way up (till now).   In my heart I loved listening to those bands and always wanted to do something that was gutsy, organic, real, and fresh and when I had Dub War I started doing that. We went to Australia once, America twice (but) we never really broke anywhere, (however) we did  have a nice underground following we were sort of the band that people spoke about so that was cool.  (By the way) when I talk I’ll answer 50 questions for you at once. [All of us laugh]

Sharita: There were two other members in Dub War and then Skindred before (Dirty) Arya and Mikey (Dee), Ginge (Ford) and Jeff (Rose), tell me what led to their departure from the band?

Benji:  Yeah, the music business is hard and when Dub War finished it (was) because of lack of funds from the record company.  (They) were too proud to let us go but too silly to give us money.  So it’s like this you’re with a man right and you’re in his arms all nice and he wines and dines you, treats you good and you tell your sisters yeah he’s good. (chuckles)  Five months later you’re phoning him and he’s answering the phone differently, gets a little attitude. You’re supposed to meet him at six and he doesn’t show till 7:30. [we all laugh]. That’s the only way I can put it to people to make them understand and that’s what the relationship with the record company became so obviously you loose interest. {Just like in that relationship) you still love him giving him all that you got but he’s not coming through with it.

So in the end it’s like if I phone you and we can go out for a few weeks and you said to me oh I’m washing my hair, no you should be coming to the phone with weave on, wrapped up, (it doesn’t matter you’re coming to the phone) but if you tell someone, tell him I’m washing my hair, it’s over. That’s how the record company was treating us. At first we were like the darlings but then the pocket went dry and they couldn’t support the band no more. Jeff and Ginge experienced Dub War with us and I asked them to come help us (him and Dan) get Skindred started. We got a deal with RCA, that fell apart, and that just killed them. Again the same sort of rubbish, they want to meet you, how much do you want, what time, where do you want to go blah blah blah but then all of sudden were trying to tour and they had no money for us so they just lost interest.  The whole financial roller coaster of being in the music business just sucked it out of Jeff and Ginge. We’re still very good friends and they are quite happy staying in South of Wales, where were from and record bands, do studio work and making money that way, but they are very supportive of the band you know.

Sharita: So that’s when Mikey and Dirty Arya joined.

Benji:  Well Ginge said to me check out this kid he is badass drummer.  (Dan and I) checked him out, our manager in the UK got him to come where we were going to jam, then bam we knew he was the guy for the job, good looking white boy you know. [laughs]  As soon as Ginge and Jeff started getting cold feet Dan was prepping Mikey, never told anyone, Mikey was waiting in the wings for his chance.  Mikey came in and bam (there it was).  The chemistry happened but we spent the first few months just working the set but as quick as they learned it we were writing new songs.  Yeah the team we got right now is solid and it gets the blessing from the old members which is beautiful.

Sharita: You talked about the bands relationship with record companies, how is the relationship with Bieler?

Benji:  Yes Bieler and Lava. The situation with Bieler and Lava is really cool.  Jason and Aaron really believed in the album.  When RCA dropped us my manager from the UK was in NY and just happened to be playing the stuff to somebody and they asked him what is that?  I remember one of the guys in Nonpoint was with him at the time and even he said oh my God what’s this?  I mean we sound different from most bands using the dancehall reggae with punk and it’s not like it doesn’t sell for us.  No disrespect to bands like No Doubt but it sounds a little more rootsy or gutsy and I think that’s because I worked my way up through the British dance halls,  I did that before Dub War and Skindred.  So when they heard it they loved it and asked can we take this to Lava and they heard it and this is where we are today.  I mean I like to say we are on a 12 step ladder and we are on the second step of that ladder.

Sharita: You’ve toured with a lot of bands Ill Nino, Soulfly…

Benji:  I actually worked with Max on a Soulfly track.

Sharita: Yes I know, tell me more about that?

Benji:  Well Max was a fan of Dub War and I met him when we were touring in NY and he was like (starts doing a Max Cavalera impression) I want you to come and do this with me, I love Dub War bring your records  [we all laugh].  He phoned me on a Wednesday and said I have a studio in LA and I will fly you over, your ticket number is and we are going to do some crazy shit man. (Erika and I are laughing hysterically) I just went over there, we done the track.  It was Max, his band, and I with Russ Robinson in the studio at the time.  Russ had done Korn and Slipknot so I was like in awe.  I was in this big American studio with these big names.  I went in the studio and wrote the lyrics with Max.  We talked about being stopped at customs and dealing with racial (prejudice),  not so much from fans but from authority.  Dealing with people who wanted you to bow down to them because they’re wearing a suit and stuff you know and he said the prejudice kills me and I agreed so we wrote the song called “Prejudice” that was good fun.

Sharita: We just came back from Ozzfest here and you did the Ozzfest in Europe some years ago,  talk about that experience for me?

Benji:  Well I’ll tell you the Ozzfest in the UK is a small place,  different from here because it’s a one-day thing.  So all these bands flew in like Metallica and System Of The Down and it was held at the Castle Donnington.

Erika:  One day we might get to see that.

Benji:  Maybe they will send you over to do it.

Sharita: That would be great. [Erika agrees]

Benji:  Basically we got the gig, and that was the first time Jason Bieler got to see us and he was pissed off that we were good and he wasn’t expecting it.  We were actually going to (sign) with someone else and he had (our) demo and he said let’s just go over here and see them they’re gonna be shit, rubbish and he seen us back there and he was amazed by us that was really cool.  On that day, the roads were packed and we phoned the promoter telling them we’re running late, do you think the Ozzfest people give a shit about that?  If you miss our spot, you miss your gig.  So our driver in his insanity drove on the other side of the road. [I laugh]  We got there 15 minutes before we were due on stage.

Sharita:  Wow

Erika:  That’s awesome.

Benji:  The show was unbelievable and we had a great time.  It was on the BBC stage.  It was excellent, it was what we call in England pissing down in rain, cats and dogs, the only place it was dry was in like this big car show room full of 8,000 people that was in front of us, it was really cool.

Sharita:  Babylon will be re-released and you’ve just put out a video for the song “Nobody” I heard that people we actually hurt during the filming…

Benji: Have you seen the video?

Sharita: I’ve seen clips of it,  I think I missed it honestly.

Benji:  Oh well I have it, let’s watch it shall we?

Erika and I:  Great, sure. [Benji gets out his laptop and plays the video for us]

Erika:  So as far as the video how did they bring the concept to you?

Benji:  Well basically we had like a bunch of people come to us, there we some silly things like they wanted us to get on a boat and play on it while going through NY,  but this girl came up with the concept of taking the elements of the dancehall sort of a Sean Paul video and mixing it with the energy of a Slipknot video and we thought well that represents us.  I like Slipknot they are one of the most original metal bands to come out in a while with the masks and all.  She also said she wanted no stage, people falling everywhere with the mayhem and a lot of beautiful girls shaakin' booty.  We thought yes that’s what we want to get across to a lot of people.  We want girls to come to the show and dance and the metal heads to come and do their thing.  When she put it to us she put it on paper and we did it. She’s a young white girl from Canada and her name is Wendy, she works for Revolver (by the way).

Sharita and Erika:  Oh, wow.

Sharita:  So I read on the website about people getting hurt during filming?

Benji:  Yes, two people got taken to the hospital.  This one kid said he wanted to jump on top and fall down, he fell but no one caught him.

Sharita and Erika:  Oh no.

Benji:  My bass player (Dan) got a chipped tooth and cracked his knuckle, blood spilling all over the place. I lost my shoes. (laughs)  Mikey ruined his guitar.  I mean from watching it you could see what was going on,  it was no control over it.  The producer had to tell everybody to calm down, people are getting hurt it’s going over the top.  The people in the video were very cool.  At the beginning of the day all the black kids were over here and all the white metal kids were making faces like (Benji puts on a typical metal scowl) and by the end of a take everyone would applaud,  it was really great energy. Everyone was getting in the mosh; I mean it was a real good vibe not people being tense and weird, just a real electric day, which was cool.  Plus I met, what’s her name Fox? Vivica Fox later on that evening. I went back to the hotel and we’re just kickin’ it and I saw this vision of beautiful.  When she passed I said in my best British accent excuse me are you an actress?  She said, "Yes I’m an actress. Vivica Fox is my name." and she said, "Kill Bill 2, Independence Day that was me honey!". (we both laugh) 

I said can I trouble you for an autograph and she said not that she full of herself just real confident she said I’m sitting right over there and when you're ready come over there and sit with us and I’ll give you an autograph ok brother?  She was sitting with about six black dudes and they were all from Jamaica, gangster lookin’.  She talked about going to the gym and the guys were saying how they got their six packs from the gym blah blah.  So I slipped her the piece of paper and she started writing and the pen wouldn’t work and she was really upset.  She tried different pens and she started asking me about the band, where we’re from and all that and I sat with them,  everyone was really cool.

Sharita: Talk about the writing process for Skindred?

Benji:  I mean,  we just love music and we love life and we try to combine the two.  People say to us like what are your influences.  I’m only one person in the band and this is my CD case. (he opens it) Bob Marley, Burt Bacharach, Tom Waits, Nat King Cole, Isley Brothers, Nonpoint, Michael Jackson, Coheed and Cambria so there is definitely a mix and this is just me.  Sometimes during the set I feel like Michael and go heh (does his best MJ impersonation) (laughs) and then I feel like Phil from Pantera (Does his Phil impersonation).  We just go in a room and Dan (bass) he just comes up with some really good dancehall grooves and I say yeah that’s killer and we'll take that.  I mean we have a canvas and we just cover that canvas with noise and mayhem,  echo,  reverb,  and screaming all of a sudden we stop and we go wow can we save anything there. That’s what happens we just jam and see what comes out of it. I can’t stress enough how this music we are making is to make the crowd jump up and down and enjoy it. 

There is so much mayhem and shit in the world we just want to make militant, strong, positive, and uplifting (music) for the youth (whether they’re) black, white, yellow, green, pink, Chinese no matter what. It’s about consciousness, it’s militant, it’s about dealing with the wicked and when I say wicked those who are oppressing us (no matter what color you are).  I’m trying to show the people of today our music is to encourage people to do better in life.  I mean if you are a ganja smoker and it’s a problem then don’t do it, if you’re a freak for religion and you think you’re getting too crazy pull back on the reigns.  Love is going to conquer all, it’s like they say kill them with kindness.  That’s the way we make the music, the message is about unity, coming together.  Praise God that people here in Chicago are listening to us.  I think about the lyrics to like say “World Domination”, everyone wants to rule and they want to fix things but they are just making it worse, like the situation in Iraq.  I don’t ram it down people’s throats and say George Bush is a bastard (mmm) (laughs) that’s not my job.  I want to sing about the world as it relates to Skindred.  Saying live right, use your head, help one another don’t let anyone push you around, when you are in a mosh pit if someone falls pick them up, that’s all.

Sharita:  Ok, well lastly about downloading, what are your thoughts on that?

Benji: Well see if your mom and dad have money right and they give you 50 dollars and say go to the store and buy some albums then do it, but if you have 50 dollars in your pocket and your downloading, fire for you. I mean if you can afford the album then buy it.  If I love something I go out and buy it I don’t burn it.  If you like one song on the album and you don’t like anything else then download it all you want.  If you love the band and all the songs, just go buy the album man, cause I got copies and they don’t have the same feeling of the album, I don’t treasure them as much.  If you could have bought the album and you’re downloading fire for you, you deserve a beating.  I’m not doing this because I’m on Cribs ya’ know. (Benji goes into his best rapper on cribs impersonation) If you go to a concert and you enjoy the band and see their merchandise and got money in your pocket then buy something. What’s wrong with you man?


I would like to thank Benji, for being a great interview, Bradley Bryant and Sarah Joyce from Lava for setting it up.

Check out Benji's latest interview here