"We used to always be one paycheck from disaster, which didn't bother me"

What else Steven asked Billy Childish, artist, writer, musician, and poet.

In the second part of our extended interview with painter, writer, musician, and poet Billy Childish at his studio in Chatham Dockyard, Steven asked him about being a musician, being in Medway, Kylie Minogue, and if Billy wants to be remembered.

Billy Childish in his Chatham Dockyard studio. Photo: Rikard Österlund

What is it you like about amateurism?
It's not so much about what I like about it, but that I like the idea of it. I don't understand professionalism in the sense of professional football players. I think a kickabout in the park on Sundays is better. The problem with that, it's not so much what I like about amateur, but amateur in the French does mean for the love of it, and I think the professionals are often paying the mortgage. I think their focus can be wrong. Also, amateurs often, because they don't have the same focus on trying to pay their mortgage, they're freer. Like in the music, I like to say I'm a hobbyist, which I like because it's also silly and also to have done so much and do it as a hobby. I do consider music a hobby. I think people should have more hobbies and less jobs.

What instruments do you play?
None very well, guitar a bit.

It's all self-taught?
Well, as far as self-taught goes. My friends showed me how to do things a bit. I'm not really a musical type. My daughter is learning guitar, she's got a guitar tutor, and I said, ‘Can you teach me something?’ Someone was around the other, I think it was Rikard, so I'm there, and I've got a guitar tutor, and I'm telling Rikard about the new albums we've done. Because I can, for some reason, hold some rhythm, and I can write words, and I can sometimes make a melody. I wasn't allowed in the school choir or to have anything to do with music. The only reason I was in a group was because I had the right trousers, haircut, and shoes.
When I was 14, 15, my brother, who was four years older than me, was into Jimi Hendrix, so I was exposed to a lot of music, and I was not in step with anybody at my school. I had the longest hair, I was Jimi Hendrix fan, didn't like any of the glam music, and my brother's a painter. He was a grammar school kid, totally opposite of me. I had no father, so I think I really wanted to be a bit like my big brother, who doesn't talk to me and hated me. I would actually, when my brother painted, he would wipe his brush on his jeans, and I thought, ‘This is great’, so I would do that as well so that my jeans would have paint marks on so people would see that I had artistic aspirations.
It might be the reason that I'm so against people's identity as artists and things is because I was fortunate enough to get it out of my system at a young age. I was very sort of self-possessed and confident even though I was told I was thick and had no education. What's irritated people about me most of all is probably my lack of ability and my self-confidence.

You have mentioned in the past not making any money from music.
I never made money from music, really. I mean, I’ve made about 150 albums, and one of my favourite stories is I had some songs published by Mute Song 10 years ago or so. One time, we got a statement from Mute by accident of one LP that they had by Nick Cave and Nick Cave’s quarterly statement for this one LP, which I presume isn't one of his best or known whatever, was more on his quarterly statement than I've ever made in music ever. We found that very amusing.

When you're doing music, are there specific places in Medway you like to perform?
Well, not really. We don’t like performing in Medway much. I never considered myself someone interested in the local scene. I don't do anything about being local. People don't believe I've lived here my whole life. I've got nothing against it, but I don't like community art because it's not for the community. It's for some people, for some councillors, to have some canapés.

You have written songs about Medway.
That's another matter. That's because I'm from here.

You've never seriously considered moving away?
Yeah, we're always kind of working out where the hell you escape to. We've thought about California before, but now, with all the politics in America as well, I can't work out where in the world you would go.

Brighton?
No, horrible place. I don't like cool people. I'm really just a pain in the arse. I'm not a fan of the working class at all, they are cunts, but the middle class are bigger cunts because they're the working class, but they think they're better. I don't know where you go then. What it is, humans are really difficult. They're difficult to deal with.

How did you meet Julie (Billy’s wife and musical collaborator)?
I met Julie when we were playing in Seattle because we have a strange relationship with Seattle in the sense that the Seattle connection, when we were in Thee Mighty Caesars, I found out how it happened years later because we were on Sub Pop. When Mudhoney became well known, or were breaking as famous or whatever, they did some songs and mentioned us in the press. Then Sub Pop came over, did their tour with Nirvana and Mudhoney and some of their people in ‘89 or ‘90. We were asked as The Headcoats to do support, which we did. Then they asked us to play in Seattle, and Sub Pop didn't treat us very nicely, but Mud Honey are very nice guys, and although I’m not into the music, I’m friendly with them. I found out that Steve, their guitarist, his father came to London when he was 15, and he went on a business trip with his dad, saw Thee Mighty Caesars play at the Cricketers and when we stayed with him, he showed these photos he took when he was 15. He’s a music nerd, so he told all the Seattle people about us, let us have a go on Sub Pop. We used to do poetry readings and blues as well on the second day in each town. We had no agent, no green card, no gear. We went and people, fans of ours, come and see us and we just played. We'd use their gear.
I did a reading, and Julie was there. I did the blues and reading, and I went up to her and asked her, ‘Are those legs all yours and is there any for me?’ Her friends said, ‘Her boyfriend's here, he's a bit of a dick. You talk to her, and we'll keep him busy.’ I got Julie’s address, and we vaguely corresponded for about three years. Then my relationship ended, and her relationship had ended, and we decided to get together. We've known each other for about 26 years, and we've been married for… How long have we been married, Huddie (Billy’s son)? You're 24, so we’ve been married 23.

Today is your painting day. Do you have other days that are dedicated to a particular art form?
Not really, no, unless I am going into a studio to record. Painting’s the discipline.

What will you do with the rest of your week?
I write in the mornings, working on my novel which I have been doing for the last 14 years. I will stop doing it. I will have to bring it together. I do everything fast, but writing goes on forever. It's the thing I'm not normal at.

Is that also autobiographical?
Yeah, I'm trying to do something around the punk rock period. It's hard to write what I'd like it to be. I'm going to publish this in three parts, in a new novel. I'm trying to find if we can publish stuff. The White Rabbit people… I'm fucking, or when I run in with the Virgin people. Such cunts, publishers. I hate them.