http://www.dodgebrothers.co.uk

Dr Mark Kermode will be known to most of you as the refreshingly acerbic yet consistently correct film critic. A regular on Friday afternoons on Radio 5 Live (Simon Mayo Show) and regular contributor to the BBC's Culture Show, Mark is also the unparalleled authority on cult horror movie The Exorcist. His talents however are not restricted to cinematic counsel, he plays bass in rockabilly trio The Dodge Brothers supporting vocalist Mike and guitarist Aly.

HOLV: First of all how are you?

MK: Still in mourning for the death of Elvis, but otherwise chipper, thanks for asking.

HOLV: The Dodge Brothers are described as a rockabilly/blues band. Are you more heavily influenced by earlier performers like Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran or revivalist artists such as Bruce Springsteen?

MK: I've never been a Springsteen fan, although I'm assured, by Simon Mayo, that the Seeger Sessions stuff is great. I'll take his word for it. My own background is in skiffle. I used to play in the Railtown Bottlers with a washboard player named Alison Armstrong-Lee, and we became quite militant about reclaiming the genre's good name. The Dodge Brothers line-up is guitars, banjo, slap bass, harmonica - and no drums, which is essentially a hillbilly/skiffle set-up. The music we play definitely leans toward rockabilly, but the choice of material is somewhat older, our set includes Washboard Sam's 'Who Pumped the Wind in My Doughnut', which remains one of the greatest and rudest songs ever written. I think the best way of describing what we do is to say that we play songs about transport and homicide . . . with occasional episodes of drunkenness.

HOLV: But Rockabilly isn't a typically British music genre. Does this help or hinder the band when you try and attract an audience?

MK: Rockabilly not typically British? What about The Polecats? Although Tim Polecat did once admit to me that "actually, we're just a glam-rock band with a double bass." And our frontman, Mike, is a yank from Alabama. So maybe you have a point. But it's never been a problem.

HOLV: The Dodge Brothers are playing the Larmer Tree Festival near Salisbury, there is quite an impressive line-up of bands featuring. Will you and the rest of the band be attending any of the other gigs?

MK: I haven't seen the rest of the line-up yet, but the Larmer Tree's always great value , everything from bouncy blues bands to esoteric Mongolian nose-flute noodling. Although I'll probably end up spending most of my spare time in the kids' clay crafts and face-painting tents, for obvious reasons.

HOLV: It was rumoured Morrissey was offered a role in The History Boys, great musician but he had the sense to admit he couldn't act. Bowie, Sting, Tom Waits should they have had the same brainwave? Can a singer ever be a truly decent actor?

MK: Actually, Tom Waits is pretty good on screen; think of Ironweed, or Down by Law, or Shortcuts for that matter. Sting is total pants in everything, even Quadrophenia, but then I can't stand his music either , droning, self important dirge. As for Bowie - it's all to do with the right role. He was alien androgyne Thomas Newton in The Man Who Fell to Earth, but he clearly wasn't Serbian physicist Nikolai Tessla in The Prestige. It could also be argued that Hazel O'Connor was a better actor than singer, although her pop career was much more successful than her film career. And Tommy Steele was great on stage and film. So yes, a singer CAN be a truly decent actor … just not that often.

HOLV: Finally, we run an article on 'crap films with good soundtracks' in every edition. Can you think of any films so excruciatingly poor the only endearing aspect is the music?

MK: Exorcist II: The Heretic. Clearly the worst film ever made, a totally irredeemable pile of stinking celluloid donkey droppings with NOTHING to be said in its favour . . . EXCEPT that the mad-as-nuts Ennio Morricone soundtrack is actually pretty terrific. I've got a battered old vinyl copy of the LP, but it was recently reissued on CD, and still stands up as a great slice of sub-giallo psychedelic demonic weirdness. If you liked the Vampyros Lesbos Sexadelic Dance Party CD (and let's face it, who doesn't) then you'll love this.

Interviewed By Hammond