A Wrap with the Head Slug
ON STAGE WITH HIS slicked back hair and accusing finger Doug Bennett gives the impression of a rather unsavoury nightclub crooner why, by strange coincidence, can belt out very good rock and roll. But chatting with Bennett in person about his band Doug and the Slugs you are struck with his clear-eyed calmness. His clothing and quiet manner suggests a university professor or an up and coming broker.
Bennett realises the connotations that a name like Slugs can create but after serious consideration, it was decided not to change it.
"The name was picked one night when we were scheduled to play a school dance and needed a name fast. We thought we would use it just for that particular dance and then change it afterwards. But it stuck. Nobody ever forgets it," Bennett said in an interview in Toronto recently.
The Vancouver-based band’s popularity grew on the outrageous reputations of the theme dances they organized in the city when the had just begun playing together.
"Each of our dances would have a name. For Beach Bugles we all dressed in bathing suits and wore leis around our necks. For the Free Lunch dance, we made 200 baloney sandwiches with Wonderbread, margarine, yellow mustard, lettuce...All the sandwiches went and people came back asking for seconds. I guess they were all struck with nostalgia for the school lunches of their childhoods," Bennett said.
"The theme dances definitely gained us a following in Vancouver. But we saw that they were developing into kind of a Tubes or Kiss extravaganza kind of thing so we decided to lay low for a while. We decided to come out of retirement last year and held an Otis Spam party. The band was dressed as old men and were pushed onto the stage in wheelchairs. It was our way of thanking Vancouver for giving us a start."
Born in Toronto, Bennett is the only member of the band not from Vancouver. He has worked as a graphic artist in ad agencies in Toronto and Montreal.
Bennett always played the guitar. But after messing with acoustic style demo tapes "I realized I wasn’t meant to be a musician." He decided to devote his time to singing and writing music. He left for Vancouver and three years ago this December, Doug and the Slugs were formed.
Bennett writes all of the band’s music. Then each song is discussed by the entire band who offer suggestions for the arrangements.
"We use consensus to a large degree. Any decision that is made affects the whole band so each member should contribute to the agreements that are reached. Only occasionally do I ever play the heavy," Bennett said.
Bennett readily admits that the Slug’s music doesn’t fit easily into any one category and that this situation can lead to difficulties in today’s tightly programmed rock stations.
"We know our music isn’t exactly the standard radio fare. We can only hope that we would be included in the odd bits and pieces thrown on for versatility. Everyone is always watching for the next big thing. Our music is intentionally diffuse with perhaps a particular drum beat or melody to tie it together," Bennett said.
Surprisingly Bennett only listens to music while visiting his friends. He doesn’t buy many albums.
My group of friends is wide enough to keep me informed of most musical developments. For example, I have a friend who is very involved with new wave art scene. She introduced me to The Gang of Four and Pere Ubu. Because I really enjoyed the fine work The Nylons did on the album I’m going to check out other groups like the Persuasions who sing a cappella."
Bennett whose group has just released their second album Wrap It, is apparently satisfied with the way his musical career has progressed and has no plans to do anything else right now.
"I don’t look that far into the future. Presently the band and myself are in a great situation. I’d be quite happy singing and writing music for a long time to come."
"Music Express: Vol 1 Issue 52 1981"