Thanks so much to Walter, Harry and Martin from the Augsburg, Germany, band The Hyde Parkas for this superb interview! I wrote about the band a few weeks ago on the blog and they were kind enough to get in touch and even better answer all my questions for this interview! The band, who still gets together once a year to play a gig for their faithful fans, released a 7″ back in the 80s and appeared in a few compilations too. If you haven’t heard about them before, give yourself 10 minutes or so, read the interview, and hear one of their tracks on this interview!

++ Hi Walter, Harry and Martin! Thanks so much for being up for this interview! How are you? You are still making music, right? Are there any upcoming releases for the band?

Walter: Hi Roque, we´re fine, thank you! Yeah, The Hyde Parkas are still alive! We played 2015 after a break of 27 years (!) a show in Augsburg just for fun. We sold 300 Tickets in a few days, the show was sold out. So we played 2016 again in a bigger club in our hometown and we sold 440 tickets! That was unbelievable for us. But we don´t want to start career again, only play once a year in Augsburg just for fun and to meet our old friends from the 80s. Releases? Yes, we´re looking to record some songs. 2019 will be our 35th Anniversary. Let´s see what will happen, 7”, 10”, Album….?

++ Let’s start from the beginning. Are you all originally from Augsburg? What are your first music memories? Do you remember what was your first instrument? How did you learn to play it? What sort of music did you listen at home while growing up?

Walter: My brother Harry and me are greeks, but born in Augsburg. We moved 1976 with our parents from Augsburg to the Village Thierhaupten. Martin, our Bassman grew up in Thierhaupten. Martin and Harry became close friends and started to play music together when they were 14/15 years old. Walter was a big fan of The Specials, Dieter of The Beatles, Harry of The Who, Martin of The Beatles and Pink Floyd, Martl more The Kinks. Harry started with classical Guitar, Martin with Harp and acoustic guitar, Dieter was the only one who played already the guitar. Martl was a friend of Dieter and played the drums in other bands.

Martin: All of us learned to play our instruments auto-didactically. Also a close friend showed us some songs from The Stones, Kinks, Neil Young … As children we grew up with Beatles songs that were played on the Radio at home. Listening to music was playing a big role in each family of The Hyde Parkas members.

++ I read you were in Kiesgroup and Coconut Sprinter before The Hyde Parkas. How did these bands sound like? Similar to The Hyde Parkas? Are there any releases or recordings by these bands?

Harry: Yes, thats right. Kiesgroup was more punky and rougher than The Hyde Parkas. We were young boys and we made our first steps with Kiesgroup. We didn’t really know how to play our instruments at this time so we were just loud, wild and rattling. At this time, we mixed everything we had in mind, like Wave, Punk, Neue Deutsche Welle, Pop, Beat and Ska. No plan, no boarders … We recorded a demotape with 9 songs at the 8track analog studio of Peter Luebcke in Steinach.

++ Were you involved in any other bands before the The Hyde Parkas?

Walter: Martin and Harry made their first steps in a school band (just one gig) with some own songs and covers from Beatles, Neil Young, Stones, Simon & Garfunkel … Starting with Kiesgroup and continuing with The Hyde Parkas we were almost the same friends/members. This was very important to us, we didn’t ever want to have strangers in the band.

++ How was Augsburg back when you started the band? Were there any likeminded bands that you were friends with? What where the good record stores? Or what about the places or venues to go check out up and coming bands?

Walter: That was a great and exciting time. An new, an emerging spirit shook the town. So much new bands and artists. There was a Club called SUBWAY by a guy from Berlin. That was the first Punk- & New-Wave-Club in town and we loved this place, it was like our livingroom. We played a lot of times there, the club was giving us and other bands the possibility to be on stage. Subway was home of Punks, Mods, Poppers, Skins & Teddyboys … We had an old-established recordstore in town called “Music Durner”, where a real cool guy worked named Rudi. He was one of the first confessed gays in town, a glammy guy, DJ and maybe Augsburgs first Popstar. He knew always the hottest new stuff and ordered records for us. He also encouraged us to move on. Later he opened a small club named “Slip”. We loved this place.
Harry: By the way…. Walter was many years later (1993-2000) owner of Subway-Club. It was called “Kerosin” and it was one of the most famous clubs in South Germany. They played a lot of bands there, like The Gun Club, Pennywise, Selecter, Bad Manners, Rancid, SNFU, Man or Astroman and a lot of Crypt-Bands like Oblivians, New Bomb Turks….

++ When and how did the band start? How did you all know each other? How was the recruiting process?

Walter: We we´re friends for many years. Martin and Harry got really hooked on playing the guitar. After they realised, how cool it is, to create own songs, the idea for an own band arised.
Martin: Looking for a singer, we remembered Walter. He was DJ in our Youth Club, always singing and dancing while doing that. So we asked him. We started 1981 with Kiesgroup, right time – right place at our Youthclub, 2nd Show was at Subway! Quadrophenia was coming into the cinema. The Movie started a kind of beat and Modmania. Augsburg became a Mecca for Scooterboys (Vespa, Lambretta) and we got that virus too.

++ What happened to the first drummer Martin Glass?

Harry: He was five or six years older and he started working as a teacher. So Fant, a friend of us joined the band.

++ Why the name the The Hyde Parkas?

Harry: After a while we didn´t like the name Kiesgroup anymore and so we decided to change it (Kiesgrube is a Bavarian kind of lake we spent our summers). After a trip to London we decided to change the name. A perfect mix, sounding British, describing our sound and attitude and including the word Parka!

++ How was the creative process for you? Where did you usually practice?

Walter: Most Songs were prepared from Harry and Martin, some from Dieter but all the songs were finished together in the practicing room.

++ There were more than a few good guitar pop bands in Germany during those mid and late 80s. Did you feel part of a scene during that decade? If you were to make a top-five of the best guitar pop bands in Germany, who would you include?

Walter: Spontaneous: Stunde X, The Standards, Dextrin, The Heartbeats, Merricks.

++ And who would you say were influences in the sound of the band?

Harry: We had a lot of Influences. The Beatles, The Specials, The Jam, The Chords, The Who, The B 52s, XTC, The Pretty Things, Joe Jackson, The Smiths, The Milkshakes and later also Psychedelic Bands like The Byrds or The Church from Down Under.

++ The first song you released, as far as I know, was “Anyway”, on the compilation “2000 Töne” released by AuBuMu Records in 1984. Who were AuBuMu Records? And was this compilation what triggered you to sign with the label for the 7″?

Martin: AuBuMu was one of the few labels in town at that time. For the 2000th anniversary of the city of Augsburg a compilation was published. Then AuBuMu made us an offer to publish a 7 “on them.

++ The 7″, I Confess, was released the year after, in 1985. This is a superb record, both songs are great. So was wondering if you could tell me what inspired both of these songs?

Martin: The first Idea of I confess was generated in Dieters kitchen very spontaneously. The lyrics were actually a confession of Walters life with women/relationships at this time, haha… Of course, we tried to exaggerate the meaning just to make it sound cooler.

++ Where was the photo on the cover taken? Was that your car?

Walter: This was indeed an english cab. It was standing in the backyard in the Altstadt (ancient part of the city) of Augsburg. The owner was a friend of our manager Stone.

++ This record was mixed by Achim Zscheille and produced by B.B. Stonestein, what did they bring to the band’s sound? And where were the songs recorded?

Harry: The Studio was out of Augsburg, a analog 24track Studio in Illertissen. We described how we wanted to sound like, we had no clue about recording. Achim and Stone as originally ex 60s Teenagers did their best to make it sound 60s-like with an mix of 80´s sound.

++ Are there any recordings prior to the AuBuMu releases?

Harry: Only Anyway

++ You were to appear on a couple of tape compilations on the label Two By Art. Who were Two by Art and how did they get in touch with you?

Walter: Tom Wieland, Boss of Two by Art was a beat addict a friend and a fan of us. He was almost always present at our concerts. He has also arranged a concert by us in Linz / Vienna/Austria with the Austrian Beat scene.

++ So in total I counted 7 songs released. Were there any other compilation appearances or other releases? Are there more unreleased recordings?

Harry: Yes, there are actually 7-8 unreleased Demo songs recorded in Horgau at the United Ball’s Studio of Harry Kulzer. (Composer of “Pogo In Togo”, a big hit of the Neue Deutsche Welle-Era).

++ If you were to choose your favourite song from the whole Hyde Parkas’ repertoire, what would that be and why?

Martin: “Sometimes”. We love to play this songs after almost 30 years and we start every rehearsal with this song. It is a great mix of power and melody standing perfectly for our sound.

++ Was there any interest in your music by any other labels that for a reason or another it didn’t work out? Perhaps big labels?

Walter: Honestly, we never looked at things like that back then. We were young, just 19, 20 years old, loud and wild and always wanted to play live and have fun.

++ What about gigs? Did you play many? What was the farthest you played from your town?

Harry: Yes, we played for two or three years a lot of shows, mainly around our hometown. That time we could say, we belonged to the most popular bands around. But we played also some cool shows in Munich, Mod-Allnighter in South Germany, Austria and also Wales.

++ And what were the best gigs you remember? Any anecdotes you can share?

Harry: In the 80s school proms with live bands became very hip. The Quadrophenia virus had befallen us. A central spot in downtown, The Koenigsplatz, became a meeting point for the Scooterboys (which still exits today!!!. There were always 500-600 people at the shows including some Scooter-parade. The highlights were definitely the foreign shows in Wales and Austria. And we managed to sell out the Subway in 1986 twice in a row.

Martin: An anecdote? Our singer Walter used to improvise English lyrics to our new songs ´till there was a final text version. In Wales we had to play a new song without a final text version in English so he decided to improvise in German, what was quite exotic for the audience and also very funny for us, because not one sentence made sense at all. Do you want another anecdote?

++ Yes, please!

Harry: When our single arrived from manufacturing we met at a Bar close to the Stadtbach (a small creek). We went wild and partying this night, drinking too much. Martin fell into the creek, while he wanted to rest outside, laying on Walters car. When Walter woke him up, boozy and tired as he was, he stumped and rolled down the hill into the cold water. We heard them arguing and laughing and the whole Band run out and jumped into the water. It was October! We all drove home, just with our wet knickers, drunk and freezing, hoping no police will be around this night.

++ And today, are there any gigs coming up? I saw on Facebook your latest live appearances were in 2017?

Walter: As mentioned before, we want to play once a year. The shows should be something exclusive and special. We want people to look forward to our concerts and not say “oh, that again”. After the show in the KANTINE with over 400 people we did not want to go into a gigantomania and decided to play two shows within a week in small clubs. Both were sold out! We did not play at all in 2018, but 2019 will see a show for the 35th anniversary.

++ Did the band ever split of have you been steady all these years? I believe you also changed your name at some point to The Parish Garden but your sound had changed by then.

Harry: We quit The Hyde Parkas in end of 1988. We always were interested in different kinds and styles of music, although the 60s were our favorites. After a Mod-Allnighter, which was a great weekend with 60s spirit on the one hand but otherwise it showed up the intolerance of some ultratraditional mods. This spoiled the good mood of this festival a bit and we realized the mod thing has borders, a handicap for us in long term.

++ Did you get much attention from the radio or press? I read you were voted as the most popular Augsburg band one year!

Martin: Yes, in the mideighties we were one of the most popular band around. And the Reader of SZENE-City-Magazine voted The Hyde Parkas to best band of Augsburg.

++ What about from fanzines?

Walter: It was en vogue that time. Fanzines were the ultimate voice for the whole scene at this time. Whether punks, mods or skins, everyone has made their own fanzine. We too, our fanzine was called “SHIMMY”.

++ Aside from music, what other hobbies do you have?

Walter: That time? Of course football, scooters, girls and beer!

++ And what do you think of the German team in this year’s World Cup? Do you follow any team in your country?

Harry: The german national team was lacking heart & soul this time, so no big surprise! But we love football and of course we are supporters of FC Augsburg. Walter is also involved in that club, he is since 2003 member of board! I was some years responsible for graphic design and merch.

++ Looking back in retrospective, what would you say was the biggest highlight for the band?

Martin: The trip to England and Wales was really impressing. The trip to Brighton with the Palace Pier and all the original locations of Quadrophenia … we made a lot of great Bandfotos there. And the first release of “Anyway” on Vinyl, the first professional recordings, also with the original engine scootersound Intro (Original stinking Kickstarter Vespa with Max, our local scooter dealer and mechanic)

++ Never been to Augsburg. So maybe I can ask for some suggestions? Like what are the sights I shouldn’t miss? Or the traditional food or drinks that you love that I should try?

Walter: Don’t miss the Augsburger Beer and swabian and bavarian food. Augsburg is the 2nd oldest town in Germany (over 2000 years old). Its not to big and not to small (300.000 citizens). We love to live there. And Augsburg has really a lot good bands.

++ Thanks again! Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Harry: So great what is going on with you. You made a great job with your report about us. This is like a way back machine for us, some of to the things you wrote in you blog … we had forgotten some of that!

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Listen
The Hyde Parkas – I Confess