Alan Walker
The Bounty Hunters
By Geordie Pleathur
(SugarBuzz USA)
SugarBuzz Magazine
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE INTERVIEW WITH ALAN WALKER FROM THE BOUNTY HUNTERS....(-By Geordie Pleathur)
England's glorious, Bounty Hunters, were one of the most under-rated, great bands of the late eighties. A treasured secret among collectors and all fans of true rock'n'roll, they were the perfect band for people who liked the Black Crowes, but weren't as enthusiastic about them, as they gradually, became a Grateful Dead hippie/pot-smoke/jam band. The Bounty Hunters fantastic songs reminded one of vintage Stones ballads, like "Lady Jane", and "Ruby Tuesday", but with a chiming, melodic pop-rockin' side, reminiscent of the Only Ones, or the Church. They were frequently classified alongside all the coolest, eighties glam groups like Hanoi Rocks, Quireboys, and Dogs D'Amour, and shared intertwining histories and similar influences, with some of those bands, such as the NY Dolls, Faces, and Mott The Hoople.
One of the most creative guitarists in bluesy punk'n'roll, The World Famous Mister Ratboy, of Sour Jazz, Pillbox, and Motorcycle Boy, reflects back: "I remember loving the Bounty Hunters over 20 years ago. They all looked cooler
than cool, like a whole band of Keefs! The scarves, the back combed hair, the cigarettes, the whole thing thing was so romantic in a perfect rock & roll way, along the lines of my own bohemian vision of what ROCK should have been. They also were the only one to have more ballads than rockers on their albums something they shared with The Only Ones, another band I was crazy about. They were the perfect band for me, at that time..." Ozzie of Gunfire Dance says, "Firstly, please pass on my regards to Alan, it's been a long time since I've seen him, and we used to have a lot of fun together, back in the day. All of the Gunfires thought 'Threads' was a great album. It, perhaps, made us realise that we didn't always have to play at a hundred miles an hour to make exciting music. And they were a Birmingham band, which made it even sweeter."
Birchy of Gunfire Dance, the Steppin' Razors, and Black Bombers adds: "The Bounty Hunters were great..when they were fairly sober!!!! Glenn, Alan, and Nick--the best band Kusworth ever had. Used to love the 'Threads' album."
Everyone knows Dave Kusworth went on to make more crucial albums with Nikki Sudden, in the Jacobites, before forming the also stellar, Tenderhooks. At some indeterminate moment in the last two decades, bands like the Bounty Hunters and Gunfire Dance, sadly, seemed to nearly vanish from the scene. It's a cryin' shame. Where are all the
real rock'n'roll people? To a devoted following of tambourine girls, velvet-clad balladeers, and teenage revolutionaries, scattered all around the globe, Kusworth and his band of English dandies remain thee absolute avatars of underground cool. DD the vocalist and guitarist of Dark Rags testifies: "The moment the first Bounty Hunters album hit the record player, my life instantly changed - literally speaking, I was never the same person again. I was struck by the very first notes of 'Riches To Rags', the whole album takes you by the hand, from top to finish, and just won't let you go. I don't recall another album with such a great impact on me, as that first Bounty Hunters album - with the exception of the first two Jacobites albums, as well. In terms of songwriting; I owe almost everything to Dave K & The Bounty Hunters!" Neen, from Canadian post-punk barbarians, Trash Gallery, admires the chemistry of the Bounty Hunters, and considered Walker the ideal foil for Kusworth, describing Walker's work as follows: "Soft as a rose petal and brazen as coiled, razor wire. This duality complimented Dave's compositions in The Bounty Hunters. It's obvious they graduated from the school of the Faces and the Stones, and being as such, they have some gems that should be coveted along with The Stones and The Faces body of work. For every Mick, there's a Keith. However, Alan is a sideman that has more to offer then some borrowed scarves, bangled bracelets and Keith poses. He lets it bleed from the hearts on his sleeves."
SugarBuzz recently had the good fortune to catch up with the cult-favorite, Bounty Hunters guitar-hero, Alan Walker.
SHAME FOR THE ANGELS....
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: Where did you grow up, what was your family-of-origin like?
ALAN WALKER: I grew up in the King's Heath area of Birmingham, England. My upbringing was solid middle class, grammar school educated. Not rock and roll at all.
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: How did you first get into rock'n'roll, what were your early bands like, and how did you meet Dave Kusworth?
ALAN WALKER: I got my first guitar when I was 13 and started learning AC/DC riffs, which sounded horrible on a classical acoustic! After I got a copy of "Get Yer Ya Yas Out", I picked up Chuck Berry riffs, from Keith and Mick Taylor, I had an electric, by then. My first "real" band was The Hollywood Refugees with Glenn Tranter on bass and vocals. Very glam punk complete with Heartbreakers and Ramones covers. I had to learn "Who Are The Mystery Girls?" for the audition.
When I first met Dave, he was busking in the subway, in Birmingham, with Mark and Slim, from 
The Rag Dolls. I had seen the band before, so I watched for a bit and then went over to chat. The next time I saw him, was a notoriously drunken evening, with The Dogs D'Amour. He remembered me and dragged me into the dressing room for a drink with Tyla and co. After that, I went busking with him, he taught me a bunch of his songs and we became great friends.
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: How were you affected by Bolan, Mott the Hoople, Faces, and Stones?
ALAN WALKER: Greatly by the Faces and Stones. At first by the Keef'n'Ronnie dynamic, and later by Mick Taylor's artistry. Mott was something I came to learn about through the record collections of Tranter and Kusworth, my real musical education. Bolan, to a lesser extent.
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: How were you affected by punk rock?
ALAN WALKER: I was really too young to take it in when it was happening, I was only 11 in '77. By the time I became musically aware, it was no more than a fashion. My first musical love was Blondie. Later, when I heard "L.A.M.F." and the first Ramones albums, it had a huge impact. These records were what made me realise I could actually already play well enough to be in a cool band.
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: Fave guitar players?
ALAN WALKER: The most obvious influences on me at the time of the Bounty Hunters were Neil Young and John Perry. Recently, I think Jack
White is one of the most exciting guitar players to come along in a good long while.
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: Growing up, what American bands did you dig? Alice Cooper? NY DOLLS? Stooges? Aerosmith?
I loved all of them. The Dolls and Stooges I already knew about, Dave got me into Alice and lent me a copy of Aerosmith's "Live Bootleg", which I never gave back.
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: Were you a fan of Hanoi Rocks, or Lords Of The New Church?
ALAN WALKER: Absolutely. I saw Hanoi Rocks at least a dozen times, and the Lords 3 or 4 times. Hanoi were awesome live, the best ever. I preferred the Lords albums over the Hanoi albums.
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: Did you know Ray Zell from Kerrang! magazine and Marrionette?
ALAN WALKER: I never knew Ray, but I did see Marionette a couple of times, at the 100 Club, in London, with the Babysitters, and Urban Dogs. They were terrible.
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: Highlights of the Bounty Hunters experience?
ALAN WALKER: The European tours, without a doubt. Turning 21 on a north sea ferry, en route to Berlin. I felt like I lived a week's worth of experiences every day on tour.
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: Weren't some of you cats big partiers?
ALAN WALKER: We all had our moments, usually with Dave K 
and Dave Buxton at the helm. There were a few visits to the hospital, let's put it that way.
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: Were you ever into the sixties blues, folk, protest music?
ALAN WALKER: Not so much at the time, but I am a big blues aficionado these days. Living in the South it is still possible to catch a few of the surviving Chicago sidemen live, such as Hubert Sumlin and Bob Margolin. To a lad who grew up in the UK, it is amazing for me to see these guys.
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: Most memorable gigs?
ALAN WALKER: Opening for Primal Scream in Cardiff, Dave falling into the drumkit mid song. The band never missed a beat and he got up and carried on like nothing had happened. The Primals were impressed. Gigs at Ebensee Kino in Austria. I guess they did not get too many shows and it seemed like the whole town would show up and go berzerk for the night. The next day, they were all back to being school teachers and shopkeepers.
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: One word to describe each of the Bounty Hunters...?
ALAN WALKER: Dave Kusworth -
genuine
Glenn Tranter - perfectionist
Dave Buxton - maniac
Mark Macdonald - artist
Me - moody
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: What do you remember about Kill City Dragons, Crybabys, Birdland, Gunfire Dance, Thee Hypnotics?
ALAN WALKER: We shared a label (Swordfish) with Birdland early on when they were called Zodiac Motel, they did some of their first gigs with us. They were a blast to hang out with, genuine lovers of rock'n'roll. Ant, from Gunfire Dance, was a friend of mine, from the days before either of us were in a band. Through him, I met the others and became part of the Gunfires extended rock'n'roll family. I never saw any of the other three bands.
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: All time rocknroll low?
ALAN WALKER: Mac and I got fired from the band following the recording of the "Wives, Weddings, and Roses" album, a misunderstanding over some money from a gig. Basically, we were set up by our manager at the time. I came back after 6 months, Mac never
did.
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: Peak rockstar moment?
ALAN WALKER: Some random guy jumping on stage to kiss me in Austria. Nobody said it was glamorous!
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: What were your impressions of Nikki Sudden?
ALAN WALKER: Nikki was the ultimate do-it-yourself rocker. He booked his own gigs, drove himself there, managed himself. He never waited around for anything to be done for him. Truly one of the hardest working musicians I have ever known.
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: Why weren't you involved in the Jacobites projects?
ALAN WALKER: By the time I met Dave, "Robespierre's Velvet Basement" had just come out. After that, there were no Jacobites for a number of years, while Dave did the Bounty Hunters, and Nikki did his own thing. They started back up again after I left England, so I was not available for any of the subsequent lineups.
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: Ever meet Stiv Bators, Timo Kaltio, Stevie
Klasson, or the guys from the Only Ones?
ALAN WALKER: I never did. Mike Kelley (Only Ones) used to live in Birmingham and we would see him around from time to time but I don't ever remember talking to him.
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: How do you feel about the Faces touring with Mick Hucknall and Glenn Sex Pistols?
ALAN WALKER: Having heard some of the stuff on Youtube, not too bad. Hucknall looks a bit daft, but not as daft as Rod often does. I can't blame them for doing it, especially Mac, who has been plugging away for years with little recognition. I would go and see them if they came around.
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: What have you been doing in more recent years?
ALAN WALKER: Working for a living!
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: How did you end up in North
Carolina?
ALAN WALKER: After leaving the band I needed to make a clean break from my rock and roll surroundings, for my physical and mental health. This was as far away as I could get from the big city of Birmingham.
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: What do you make of the Wars On Terror, the Patriot Act, and the Airport gropings? Is America the land of the free, or what?
ALAN WALKER: Much has been taken away and many more restrictions have arisen in the name of freedom, during my time here. Now, whenever I go back, I see that the UK has been taken over by CCTV and traffic cameras. The US is big enough that you can finds some remote places that still feel free at least.
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: What contemporary bands do you like? Jim Jones Revue?
ALAN WALKER: Not familiar with Jim Jones. I like the new Strokes album "Angles", and a lot of Jack White stuff like the Dead Weather. That's about a contemporary as I get. There is still so much older music out there I have yet to discover and it takes me a while to warm to new stuff. By the time I'm into it, it's already old.
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: Any musical projects 
in the works?
ALAN WALKER: None.
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: What are the odds of a Bounty Hunters reunion?
ALAN WALKER: Geographically, that would be challenging, but I have no objections to the idea.
SUGARBUZZ MAGAZINE: Where can fans connect with you, what did I neglect to ask you about?
ALAN WALKER: Find me on Facebook, via the Dave Kusworth Community/Fan page. You forgot to ask me why I left. I can't remember, but it seemed very important at the time.