Sham 69's Jimmy Pursey speaks out on former bandmates' North American tour

Sham 69 frontman Jimmy Pursey has written in with a statement on the upcoming North American tour booked by his ex-bandmates. Pursey and guitarist Dave Parsons have both laid claim to the band name following a bitter split earlier in the year. The group planning to tour this August under the name Sham 69 will feature Parsons, bassist Rob Jefferson, and drummer Ian Whitewood and new vocalist Tim 'Scazz' Scargill.

Pursey commented:

It would be more understandable for you to feel how angered I am by the representation of SHAM 69 , being portrayed as something that you and I know it isn't! The band never was and never will be anything to do with Oi! The band never set out to make money or play millions of gigs around the world, it was an ideology and as near as damn it, a diary of the outside world as how I saw it day by day...

My annoyance and anger is over Dave Parsons bringing over, to the good ol USA, his version of MY band and thinking that he can try and release an album, to which, going back to December 2005, I first penned the lyrics and musically arranged with [former Sham bassist] Matt Sargent.

He also speaks of a song penned for the album titled "Hollywood Hero," a track inspired by the war that the frontman has since decided not appropriate to release. In the below statement Pursey explains his reasons for not wanting it to see the light of day. Click "Read More" for the full text.

WE INTERUPT THIS PROGRAMME ….. ( WHO TOLD YOU THAT ?!)…….

It would be more understandable for you to feel how angered I am by the representation of SHAM 69 , being portrayed as something that you and I know it isn't !
The band never was and never will be anything to do with Oi!
The band never set out to make money or play millions of gigs around the world, it was an ideology and as near as damn it, a diary of the outside world as how I saw it day by day .
Originally, when I, Jimmy Pursey, in 1975, formed the band, with a friend of mine called Albie Maskill, who like me as another farm boy, wanted to escape the 'groundhogged day', greyness
of our world .None of us were musicians just kids looking for an answer, as in heres's one chord , here's another now form a band , to us THIS was PUNK !
As far as music was concened there was only one blueprint "The Ramones"……
Now bringing us up to date firstly , why should WE, SHAM 69, defend,or try to make you realise that I,Jimmy Pursey, is the person that put the band together way back in 1975.
My annoyance and anger is over Dave Parsons bringing over , to the good ol USA, his version of MY band and thinking that he can try and release an album , to which ,going back to
December 2005 , I first penned the lyrics and musically arranged with Matt Sargent, the beginnings of this album…..
On this album is a track called 'Hollywood Hero', at that moment of time I was completely overwhelmed with that sick feeling of the ignorance of what war is all about to the rest of the world
(ie Grosney!)….watching a CNN report on an incident in Fallujah where a GI was filmed shooting ( alledgedly ), an injured civilian on the floor of a dusty room.
But then, after my realisation, that this would not only come across as biased but bitter towards America and it's people , it was then I decided I did not want this track released.
I did not believe that this song helps in any way the world in it's understanding of the American people, i'm sure that they , like me , don't want their boys and girls dying to the fate of ignorance ,
In fact , I know this is true and whenever the American people are slagged off around me , I am quick in defending how many cultures live under their umbrella, and where sometimes the naivety
of help can be a hindrance, in this time we live in, as like SHAM 69 , all is not what you see or perceive.
As in anything of hope or belief, I have come directly , and exclusively to 'PUNK NEWS' to put things straight- God bless America…………x Jimmy Pursey"