³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ - Ouch! (disability) - Interviews - Heavy Load

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ > Interviews > Heavy Load

Heavy Load

by Ouch Team

8th October 2008

Praise the load! Simon Barker, Paul Richards and Michael White from learning disabled punk rock band Heavy Load talk to us about their surprising musical influences, their much-praised fly-on-the-wall documentary movie and matters of the heart. They also play live in the studio just for Ouch. Interviewed by Mat Fraser and Liz Carr for October 2008's Ouch Podcast.
Simon Barker of Heavy Load in the studio

Audio Highlight

[+] Read transcript

Liz: We've got a rock band in the studio, ladies and gentlemen, welcome Heavy Load.
? Hey!
Liz: Hello.
Mat: Praise the Load.
Mat: Now who have we got here? Can you introduce yourselves to the listeners please?
Simon: I'm Simon Barker I live in [inaudible]
Mat: Simon Barker you're the vocalist of the band is that right?
Simon: Sing.
Mat: You sing. And who are you, mate?
Michael: My name's Michael White, I play with drums and I'm the drummer.
Mat: Great. And over there.
Paul: I'm Paul and I play the bass.
Mat: Okay, cool.
Liz: Now you're here to give us a blast of one of your recent songs for us live, we're looking forward to that.
Mat: Oh God we are. Now how would you guys describe Heavy Load, like what are your influences, what bands do you like and what kind of band are you?
Simon: Michael, you start first.
Mat: Go on Michael then you start.
Michael: Well actually we are a punk band.
Mat: Punk band?
Michael: Yeah disabled punk band.
Mat: Nice. What are your influences who do you like?
Michael: Who do I like - well actually it's Iron Maiden, Guns & Roses, Alice Cooper, KISS.
Mat: Bit of a rock vibe going on there. What about you Simon, who are your influences?
Simon: I like George Michael.
Mat: Okay, George Michael, who else?
Simon: Rick Astley.
Mat: Rick Astley, all right so it's quite eclectic. And Paul what about you?
Paul: I like the Velvet Underground and the Pixies bands like that.
Mat: Wow that's a hell of a mix guys.
Simon: And I like Michael Bolton.
Mat: Whoa did somebody say the 'B' word Michael Bolton?
Liz: You can't say that on the podcast…
Mat: We told you not to swear mate.
Michael: Michael Bolton I like.
Liz: Now you were followed around by a 'fly on the wall' documentary crew this year yeah and the movie is out soon. Can you tell us a bit about it? Simon what was it like?
Mat: The film.
Simon: America?
Mat: No the film mate.
Liz: No being followed round by cameras all the time.
Simon: Gerry filmed me this year. Gerry filmed me, Gerry and him did film…
Mat: Who's Gerry, Simon tell us who Gerry is. Gerry tell us who Gerry is.
Simon: Gerry got married.
Mat: He got married. Now he made the film though as well didn't he?
Simon: Made the film yeah.
Liz: Okay.
Michael: He was the one who made a documentary film and now you see he did have some other guys who was doing… one of them was the sound man who does all the sounding and with a big giant microphone. And also he got the other guys as well which is Stuart and…
Mat: All the crew, like the film crew.
Michael: All the film crew and they made it out…
Liz: And they followed you round for how long?
Michael: I think how long it was I think it was about five or six hours.
Paul: It was about two and a half years wasn't it?
Liz: Oh my goodness. It just felt like five hours.
Mat: Wow. Well let's have a listen to a little clip from the film and then we'll carry on talking.
[Playing film clip]
…Simon, why is tonight special
Simon: : It's my date
You're going on a date?
Simon: : Nicole
And who's Nicole?
Simon: : She's my girlfriend
How easy was it to organise tonight then?
Simon: : Jim, my manager called them all, I can't do it on my own, Jim do it for me.
So what do you like about Nicole
Simon: : She's gorgeous, she is gorgeous
Liz: She is gorgeous or should we say she was gorgeous, Simon, should we?
Simon: Me and Nicole split up this year.
Mat: Oh no. But that's life in a rock and roll world isn't it?
Simon: Something else I got…
Liz: You move on don't you?
Simon: Move on. I've got a new girlfriend live down the garden, mate.
Mat: We'd better not give her a name check in case, by the time this is broadcast, the situation's changed again.
Liz: They'll be somebody else.
Simon: She's June. She's June.
Mat: Now listen you're going to play… I've got here the book, you've got CDs, you've got a film, tonight you're playing a gig at the ICA, the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. You've just been asked by a very popular punk band to support them at the Astoria in two weeks' time.
Liz: You've played with the Blockheads recently.
Mat: You played with Sham 69 and you've got a book here by Morgan Rebels Without Carers we like that. You've done the 'Stay up Late' campaign you guys are a blooming tour de force.
Michael: Thank you, cheers mate
Liz: And they are rock and roll - totally rock and roll. So look when's the film out and where can people see it, do you know?
Paul: The premiere's tonight but it's out at cinemas on Friday and it's going to be at…
Morgan Empire Leicester Square.
Mat: That's October 3rd yeah?
Paul: October 3rd sorry yeah.
Mat: That's all right.
Paul: Yeah Empire Leicester Square.
Mat: Ooohhh!
Morgan The Quad in Derby.
Mat: Yeah The Quad in Derby. Listen, listeners, readers of the website who watch this transcript you've got to see the Heavy Load film - it re-breaks the mould and sets it again. You ain't seen nothing like the Heavy Load film…
Liz: It's fantastic.
Mat: … and you've never heard anything like Heavy Load. Now I know you're going to play out for us today with a track that you've all planned, but I've got a favourite track and I'd love you just… another song of yours it's my favourite and I really want you to do the chorus George Michael.
Michael: Okay, okay.
Mat: Please just do the chorus. Can we sing along?
Simon: Can they sing along?
Paul: Yeah of course.

[Heavy Load playing live]
'We like George Michael
We like George Michael
'Cos he's gay in the week
Gay at the weekends
Gay at weekends, ahhhhh
1,2,3,4, we…'
Mat: Hold on. [laughter] Thank you so much. Listeners, that's the sort of thing you're dealing with when you deal with the Load, it's a heavy load. And to play us out of this brilliant interview, guys thanks for coming, what is happening next Liz?
Liz: Get yourselves ready, we've got to do our goodbyes and thank yous now. We're nearly at the end of podcast 32 for October 2008. The producer was Damon Rose, assistant producer Emma Tracey, web assistant Gideon Goldberg and the studio manager was Chris Muir.
Mat: We're going to be back in November just after Halloween and Divali and just before Guy Fawke's Night but until then, ladies and gentlemen, it's Heavy Load with We're in a Film.
[Heavy Load playing live]
We are in a film
Michael, Paul!
We are in a film
We are in a film
[shouting names]
We are in a film.
We are in a film, Michael
[Cheering and laughing]
Brilliant!
• Like this? Check out more from the Ouch Podcast, our razor-sharp disability talk show.

Bookmark with...


  • All your bookmarks in one place

  • Discover and share content

  • What's new and popular online

  • Stumble about on the web

What are these?

Live community panel

Our blog is the main place to go for all things Ouch! Find info, comment, articles and great disability content on the web via us.


Listen to our regular razor sharp talk show online, or subscribe to it as a podcast. Spread the word: it's where disability and reality almost collide.

More from the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

All the latest news from the paralympics.

News and views for people who are blind or partially sighted.

Weekdays 12.40pm. Radio 4's consumer affairs programme.

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iD

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ navigation

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Â© 2014 The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.