The Art Brut song St Pauli which you can hear HERE has a chorus that sounds a bit like a Football Chant.'Punk Rock Ist Nicht Tot'
The first time Art Brut came to Germany those were the only German words I knew. I had learnt them from a Billy Childish record.
I think it was our first long tour and I wasn't used to touring yet. I was having a great time, but I felt a bit detached and lonely and was going for long walks everyday by myself.
It all sort of came to a head in Hamburg. I was on one of my long walks and noticed that almost every other person I saw was wearing a St Pauli T-Shirt. All sorts of people Punks, old ladies, babies in push-chairs, teenagers. I'd never had any interest in football before but all of a sudden it seemed like I had finally found the answer to my loneliness.I realised that if I could get hold of a St Pauli T-Shirt I could be part of this gang and no longer feel completely by myself, I'd feel like I'd belonged to something.
I had no money to buy a T-Shirt though, I couldn't even afford a scarf. I had to come up with a different plan. So I tried to make friends with the St Pauli fans using the only German that I knew.
"Punk Rock Ist Nicht Tot!"
I said smiling to the punks in St Pauli T-Shirts, the old ladies , the babies in pushchairs, the teenagers. To be honest with you I was probably still a bit drunk from the night before but it felt great to making new friends. Without exception everybody smiled back at me nodding and agreeing, maybe they were scared of the strange disheveled englishman that smelt of booze telling them that punk rock wasn't dead and were humoring me. It didn't feel like that though it really did feel like I was making a lot of new friends and since the song it feels like I've made a lot more. It was even played at the stadium a few times.
This painting was commissioned by some awesome St Pauli fans from New York
They gave me a scarf too, so next time I'm in Hamburg I can properly join in.
The painting is huge. 50" x 40" and is made of acrylic paint on canvas.
If you would like to commission a painting of one of our songs from me I can be contacted at eddie.argos.resource@gmail and we can discuss it.
Or I have a shop HERE
If those buttons in my (admittedly quite DIY) shop dont work just email me.
