In 2006, Steve Dior formed a band called the Delinquents, which consisted of him and a girl from Los Angeles called Kelly Pizzo, with Sid Mayall on drums, Edd Whyte on guitar, and Sam on bass. They recorded a song called Pretty Dope Fiend in the film Who Killed Nancy, directed by Alan G Parker. But after 6 months, Kelly returned to Los Angeles!
We took on a six-month residency at the Cock Tavern in Kilburn, a rough old dive. The first night they played there, a headless body was found in a skip, I kid you not. But the band honed their chops during the six months, and we had fun. One night, Rik Mayall turned up to watch his son, Sid. He always stayed in the background and watched if anybody spoke to him; he always gave them his time and was a perfect gentleman. We were standing outside the pub and chatting when an old drunk in his 70s staggered by, who didn't have a clue who Rik was, and for some unknown reason, he walloped Rik on the side of the head for no reason at all and staggered off. Rik just laughed it off and continued chatting as if nothing happened, with a big grin. Sid wasn't there; he was in the toilet when we told him later. He went mad and wanted to kill the guy!
Rik never said a thing and acted like nothing happened, and in my mind, he was a star of the highest calibre and a good man to boot.
The Cock Tavern was a proper old dive, stunk of piss, but the landlady was sound, and we had a 6 month piss up and lock-ins and all sorts were flying about. On the final night, somebody slung a brick through the window, and it crashed on stage as Aaron Barschak was performing. To say we went out with a bang would be an understatement. Aaron was the guy who dressed as Osama bin Laden and gatecrashed Prince William's 21st Birthday Party
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