We had decided that we were going to stay in Berlin tor awhile cuz there was nowhere else to go.Plus we were too broke to move. We hadn’t made any money in three months so we were pretty fucked but it was lucky we were used to it Osso had decided he was going back to Italy because there was no more gigs organized and his mother was ill, so he left for Milano leaving just Eugenio, G and P Disease. We would try to find somewhere to live inside a squat somewhere so we could have a practice room and rebuilt Kath who was traveling with us
spoke German and had arranged to go to a meeting at a squat just inside the East called K137. The meeting seemed pretty official where everything develops through chaos, and it didn’t seem too easy to move unless we obeyed the squat regulations.
But there were a few understanding people in the house who were interested in music and getting shows together. Paul and Eugenio looked for an empty room and squatted it and Gary, Kath and Josie lived in the bus in the courtyard, but at last it was a chance to get something started.
It was now December and things had started changing in Berlin. They had evicted the biggest squatted street in E. Berlin called Mainzer Strasse after a three day battle. It took 4,000 police and plenty of gas to get them out – things were looking tough. We had organized to go in the studio in Berlin with Richard and Gus who were still in Amsterdam even though we hadn’t played with them for nearly a year we knew what we would be playing. Eugenio had decided to go back to the Basque and visit his family for xmas. We said goodbye and he left for the train, two hours later he came back and said he had missed the train and this time we had found out that Richard and Gus weren’t coming so we
asked Euginio if he would come in the studio with us even though there was no material and no guitarist. We went to the bars that night in search of a guitarist to come into the studio with us. We arrived in the Milk Bar and bumped into Norbett who played guitar for the Anglees. We had a few drinks together and he said if we picked him and the equipment up in the morning then he would play for us. We had to go via the world shop to see Louis and ask it we could borrow her bass for Eugenio who was bass-less at this time then picked up Norbett and went to the studio, our engineer was Soren Krahl who seemed a good guy to work with and we explained our situation about having no songs ready and so we would have to make it all up while we were there in the studio. Paul and Eugenio thrashed for a couple of hours then we started recording at the end of the day Paul and E ug. had finished the drums and the bass and we said goodbye to Eug. who left to catch a train for the Basque without hearing the finished result.
The next day Norbett layed down the guitar and Gary after scribbling for a day and a half put down the vocals and with no time or money left what was recorded had to stay. The end result of this chaotic recording was the first ep brought out by 2000DS on their own record label – Scrap Records it was named CROWBOROUGH
i lived in bovay st when you guys were there. im not ben death obvs but he is the one i remember best. he was the first person i ever met on e. i helped u guys rip out the radiators and the parque flooring. not sure if that was sold or just burnt. there was a remnant of the somerset stonhenge traveller family who had been brutalised by the gloucestershire police. this must have been around 87. met ben in 88 in the central cafe amsterdam, still in his top hat. i have to say most of the people at bovay street were selfish up themselfs arsholes. ben on the other hand was a sweet guy. btw if you want pix see if the daily mirror achcives have any. i let them in wghen i was on the door one night for £20 each :d peace and love and all that xx
Nice on Ben
I am going to put up a message board /forum so that folks can share their memories of Gary DS and the Wreck N Roll Cirkus. Hopefully we will have some re-releases coming out in the very bear future.
I would love to share my memories of Gary, and KATH (who gets little mention here but, without whom none of the things the band did would have succeeded, may both of them rest in peace. I also find it strange reading this history, that there is no mention of me stealing a motorbike which became the mad cow and that part the hand confiscated it for me for the benefit of the band, and we used to use it on stage, after I stole it during the I also find it strange reading this history, that there is no mention of me as ‘wranglin’ sam’ stealing a motorbike, which became the mad cow Bike we used to use on stage that blew flames out of the exhaust pipes. bike we used to use on stage that blue flames out of the exhaust pipes. and that pat the hand, confiscated it for me for the benefit of the band, and we used to use it on stage, after I stole it during the german porta westfalica festival. in fact there is no mention of me, at all despite the fact that I was with the band the whole time in Germany. It was them who dragged me from Amsterdam and I won’t say what I here. also, there is little mention of Ron bastard also known as Ron tree, who was the most reliable bassist during those years. Nor the fact that I did six months in prison in Germany attempting to raise funds to make an album in the studio in Berlin and the first song of the extended play single they made began with the my name as the first words of the song “Wranglin wranglin wranglin sam” which is Gary’s way of saying “thank you Sam, for doing the time after doing the crime, and keeping yer bloody mouth shut in the name of the album”
I spent most of my time looking after Gary And Paul’s dogs and Paul’s dogs, Nost and Piggy, did fire breathing on stage during concerts, and always had to stand then every time the bloody guitarist disappeared again. We went through guitarists like Italians go through spaghetti Bolognese and pizza. I am wrangling Sam. And this history is incomplete without me
Mark please get in touch with me about some 2000 DS news. It’s good news!
Just found out about the death of Gary and friend? and members of his family. after checking out 2000ds stuff on utube. tragic and shocking, and upsetting, condolences to family an all those close.
Kev-sax player from Phoneys
My 2000DS story-
It was 1991/92/93? I had just seen them at my house at C-Squat in NYC, & I had made my way to SAN Francisco. I got to see 2000DS play again at the Epicenter in The Mission. I was a dirty fucker back then, & was outside the venue smoking a joint w/ a good friend & a stranger. The cops stopped us & actually arrested us!! In SF!! We were taken to a substation. Handcuffed to the booking bench, they asked us if we had any drugs, needles or weapons. We all said no (my friend ate a sheet (100 hits) of LSD he had in his wallet (for sale) in the cop car en route as not to get busted with it). I thought about their question for a sec. Then I chimed in ” but we have lice and scabies”. The booking cop looked at me in awe. He left & went into the booking office. He came out a minute later wearing gloves. He grabbed our backpacks & threw em out the door. Unhandcuffed us & told us to get the fuck out & kicked me hard in the ass as I walked out the door. I got KICKED out of jail for being a dirty squatter. I was back at the venue just as 2000 DS started to play.
Post script- My pal who ate all the LSD called me a week later in Alabama. He knew no one there. He somehow ended up there after a very long 100 hit trip.
2000 DS Forever!!
Sean, I remember the c=squat show like it happened yesterday. this was my first show in NYC I was 15 or 16 at the time. I arrived in the city a couple of weeks before the show. Jake and Little Bob had rescued me from the shit bag junkies I traveled to NYC with and got me a space at glasshouse. two days later a group of people from c-squat came to glasshouse to recruit helpers to hoist a huge fucking I-beam up to repair the roof ahead of the show. I had come from Minneapolis and was accustomed to squatting as a temporary living space that was usually quickly shut down. I was in complete awe of how organized the NYC squat life was. Several dozen people showed up to help and we quickly got the beam hoisted up and the roof was ready to go. what a great time to exist!!! love you brother. p.s who was the guy that took the 100 hits?
We used to go to the Fire Station squat parties I really enjoyed them
I kept loads of flyers from the different venues around London
I still have them after all these years in a box
Love the new york story that was one of the best gigs we ever done in abc no rio.the c squat gig was awesome as well.nice one for telling your jackanory.
I would love to see these flyers!
Like the site
True that I didn’t play the main stage at Treworgey. I didn’t leave as such I was hiding in my tent tripping mi nuts off…
I played with DS many times after that on and off including the WNC mentioned and played the love parade Berlin and several gigs in Belgium and Holland…
I also toured Ireland with the band and was set to play the “Millennium Drone” in 1999 but sadly it fell through….
I knew some of 2000ds when I lived in finsbury sq London 1991. I was hoping someone knows where Nigel is now? He was a mechanic that wouldn’t drive cars but loved motorbikes. He and his gf did an act with angle grinders.
Nigel died in a house fire..before Gary! X
Nigel Fish died a long time back.
I have the flyer from the show they played in Ann Arbor, Michigan. They played at a punk house called “The Thayer Anarchist Collective.”
Fun times.
I would love to share my memories of Gary, and KATH (who gets little mention here but, without whom none of the things the band did would have succeeded, may both of them rest in peace. I also find it strange reading this history, that there is no mention of me stealing a motorbike which became the mad cow and that part the hand confiscated it for me for the benefit of the band, and we used to use it on stage, after I stole it during the I also find it strange reading this history, that there is no mention of me as ‘wranglin’ sam’ stealing a motorbike, which became the mad cow Bike we used to use on stage that blew flames out of the exhaust pipes. bike we used to use on stage that blue flames out of the exhaust pipes. and that pat the hand, confiscated it for me for the benefit of the band, and we used to use it on stage, after I stole it during the german porta westfalica festival. in fact there is no mention of me, at all despite the fact that I was with the band the whole time in Germany. It was them who dragged me from Amsterdam and I won’t say what I here. also, there is little mention of Ron bastard also known as Ron tree, who was the most reliable bassist during those years. Nor the fact that I did six months in prison in Germany attempting to raise funds to make an album in the studio in Berlin and the first song of the extended play single they made began with the my name as the first words of the song “Wranglin wranglin wranglin sam” which is Gary’s way of saying “thank you Sam, for doing the time after doing the crime, and keeping yer bloody mouth shut in the name of the album”
I spent most of my time looking after Gary And Paul’s dogs, Nost and Piggy, did fire breathing on stage during concerts, and always had to stand in on guitar ( i play shite), every time the bloody guitarist disappeared again. We went through guitarists like Italians go through spaghetti Bolognese and pizza. I am wrangling Sam. And this history is incomplete without me
ask Paul if he remembers Wranglin Sam, Finbar Saunders, and the word Poohoo?
I am