Episode 9: Author Jason Lamb and John Wright of NoMeansNo and Dead Bob

Victoria, Canada’s NoMeansNo is a band that the average person on the street might not recognise, but their favourite band probably does. In fact NoMeansNo might be their favourite band’s favourite band.Formed in 1979 by brothers John and Rob Wright, NoMeansNo carved out their own bass-and-drum-heavy strain of jazz-infused punk rock for over three decades, before finally putting the band to rest in 2016. Wilfully obscure and surrealist when it came to promos and bios, NoMeansNo developed a certain mythos partly from a sense of mystery around the band members (certainly aided by decades of great music). But now thanks to the diligent work of journalist, radio host and long-time-NoMeansNo fan Jason Lamb some of that mystery is being shed within the pages of ‘NoMeansNo: From Obscurity To Oblivion, an oral history’. The book charts the life of the band, going all the way back to John and Rob’s formative years, told from the perspectives of those in the band, around the band, admirers of the band. It’s a story of many perspectives. I was lucky enough to get the chance to talk with Jason and John for an interview feature that first appeared in issue 70 of New Noise Magazine. There’s also a web Q&A that you can read here. Three is a magic number though, so now here for your listening pleasure is my extended interview with Jason Lamb and John Wright, where we talk all things NoMeansNo as well as John’s current project Dead Bob. Thanks for reading (and listening). If you haven’t done so already, why not subscribe? It will add a little sliver of joy to my day and who knows, maybe it’ll ultimately lead to world peace. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tomosman.substack.com