Leaving Normal: The Ruts’ Paul Fox
Paul Fox, guitarist of The Ruts – one of the most amazing if not highly-influential 70s Brit-punk bands ever – is sadly no longer with us. Foxy died last Sunday, he was 56.
Here’s the report from the band’s site:
Legendary guitarist, Paul Fox, died at home in Uxbridge at 3AM this morning [Sunday 21st October 2007].
Over the years Paul has performed and recorded with many of the worlds greatest musicians but he will mainly be remembered for his revolutionary punk/dub reggae fusion guitar playing with influential punk band The Ruts.
Paul had been in semi retirement for several years but went back out on the road again in 2006 playing the Ruts music with Foxys Ruts which featured his son Lawrence Fox on drums. The band were well received, both in the UK and Europe.
Following his diagnosis with cancer at the end of May 2007 a benefit gig was organised featuring many of the musicians that Paul had worked with or alongside over the years. There was no doubt about the high esteem in which Paul was held by his fellow musicians as the line up read like a who’s who of the UK punk scene with performances by The Damned, Misty in Roots, the UK Subs, Tom Robinson, John Otway, Splodge, TV Smith and many more. For the first time in 27 years the surviving members of the Ruts took to the stage together with Henry Rollins standing in for the late Malcolm Owen who died of a drugs overdose in 1980.
The night was a fitting tribute to one of our much under rated and unsung guitar heroes.
Paul leaves behind his sons Lawrence and William and his wife, Sharon.
He will be dearly missed. – humanpunk.com
Staring At The Rude Boys!!
[audio:https://vintage.ricecooker.site/mp3_wp_rc/rts_stare.mp3]
Singalong!
Staring At The Rude Boys!
It’s a very small world in the middle of a crowd
the room gets dark when the music gets loud
treble cuts thru’ when the rythmn takes the bite
but there’s no room to move ’cause the floor is packed tight
A voice shouts loud
‘we’ll never surrender’
A voice in the crowd
‘Never surrender’
A hand in the crowds flying propaganda:
‘Never surrender, we’ll never surrender’
The skins in the corner are staring at the bar
the rude boys are dancing to some heavy heavy ska
it’s getting so hot people are dripping with sweat
the punks in the corner are speeding like a jet
Staring at the rude boys
Staring at the rude boys
Dancing with the rude boys
Dancing with the rude boys
Staring at the rude boys
Staring at the rude boys…
A bunch of peers march in on the DM’s
with some standing there saluting the air
they wanna be pirates but the sea is not calm
tattooed crossbows on their arm
A voice shouts loud
‘we’ll never surrender’
A voice in the crowd
‘Never surrender’
Another hand fly fly propaganda,
propaganda, propaganda
The lights come alive in a blinding flash
dance floor clears as the mutants clash
everyone leaves when the heavy’s arrive
someone hits the floor, someone takes a dive
Staring at the rude boys
Staring at the rude boys
Dancing with the rude boys
Dancing with the rude boys
Staring at the rude boys
Staring at the rude boys…
Staring at the rude boys
Staring at the rude boys
Dancing with the rude boys
Dancing with the rude boys
Staring at the rude boys
Staring at the rude boys…
we’ll never surrender x 8
more about The Ruts: here
