I asked Vines drummer David Olliffe a few questions and this is what he had to say for himself.

Q: First of all lets get the obvious question out of the way. You have been temporarily replaced as drummer, what is the situation and when will you be rejoining the band?

A: I'm still a full time member, although I'm not getting paid. I'll probably rejoin the band for the Australian tour during the middle of the year. In the meantime I'm working on the next album, which shouldn't be too long in coming. I'm also an artist so I've been spending most of my time working and getting high, usually at the same time.

Q: Can you tell me a little about how long the Vines have been together, how it started and how you all met?

A: We started roughly 7 years ago. None of us could really play, so we just kept at it. We were listening to a lot of Nirvana and You am I at the time, which kinda shows. We focussed on song writing from the outset. Now we probably have about 100 songs on tape. Patrick and I met at high school, while Patrick worked with Craig at Mcdonalds. Eventually we played at friends parties and pubs around Sydney. We won the Sydney Uni band competition in 2000, and toured Australia with You Am I last year.

Q: 1969, from the forthcoming album, has been hailed a classic already. You co-wrote it, so well done to you for that sir...what's the song all about?

A: The song started out as a Dylanesque folk song about an American conscript on his way to Vietnam. It's probably more about me, but I like to have a reference point. Craig wrote the second half after the breakdown. It's definitely going for that Verve 'Northern Soul' feel.

Q: You commented earlier on the 'much rawer' versions of your songs and how they were 'more exciting in some ways' at the demo stage. Have you been involved in the finished recordings of the songs you have been playing with the band for years and in a few case co-written? Either way, how pleased are you with them?

A: The demos always blow my mind when Craig gives them up, he's much more prolific than I am, and certainly has a bigger ego. I didn't have any real input in the finished album. Rob Schnapf had this bullshit production ethic where he called all the shots. If I made a suggestion, he'd give me this dumbfuck stare, then come back and tell me the next day what a great idea it was. He's not creative, his friends are losers and he's the biggest cunt there is. That said, I'm really happy with the album so no hard feelings eh tough guy.

Q: You are in a Rock and Roll band but have any of you ever lived the 'Rock and Roll' lifestyle? Any Liam Gallagher style tantrums? Attacking old ladies with a big stick and so on...

A: We never stopped living the lifestyle, which got us where we are today. If you want to be an artist you need to totally focus on your craft despite the cynicism you get from everyone. The whole philosophy behind The Vines is to get people away from the television and stop believing the bullshit you see on American TV. We're gonna bring down the government, the hypocrisy, and the whole rotten system. That doesn't mean we don't want to just make rock and roll records, its just we've got a lot of time on our hands.

Q: Which would you rather have given a choice between the two; respect and a place in history for your work but with poor sales, or a 'pop' status with 80 million in the bank? i.e. Velvet Underground or U2? And remember you have to choose one or the other.

A: I'd choose the former any day. But why not have both? The music scene is so shit now, because record companies keep pushing the next Britney Spears, like the virgin whores are standing in line. I love the Velvet Underground. One of our earliest covers was of Here She Comes. The stooges probably makes more sense.

Q: Name the greatest Australian band.

A: The Church.

Q: Name the greatest British band.

A: The Verve.

Q: Name the greatest band.

A: The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Q: Which song do you wish you had written?

A: Strawberry Fields Forever.

Q: The music scene in 2002 seems to have improved vastly when compared to the last five years of crap. Why do you think this is? Will the events of September 11th have a massive impact on rock and roll?

A: Well, music always goes in cycles, so its always a matter of time. Bands seem to have a new generation of influences (post Nirvana) which has led to the rise of the underground. Instead of typical 60s retroism, people are talking about Television, Nick Drake, The Stooges etc. Music always reflects the prevailing mood and culture. Undoubtedly September eleven will change the world forever, for better or worse. At least people are starting to think about American imperialism, the military industrial complex, the third world, inequality and the right of the Islamic Nation to stand up for itself.

Q: When was the last time you played with The Vines and what is your favourite memory?

A: I last played with the band while they were rehearsing for the current tour. I last played live at the Viper Room where the record company cunts took the knives out. But how long does thirty pieces of silver last for?

Q: Which is your favourite song on the new album?

A: I'm not trying to be egotistical but I like 1969 the most. In the Jungle is the sentimental favourite, and in my book is the best song Craig ever wrote. Then there's Winning Days, but we can't go into that.

Q: I recently watched a film called 'Chopper', he's Australian too...it's great isn't it? He cut his own ears off you know.

A: Chopper's an Australian icon from the underworld. I like him a lot.

Q: Who has inspired you the most in what you do?

A: Tim Rogers (You Am I) and Richard Ashcroft probably sum up the way I feel.

Q: Was Harold Larwood (the Silent Killer) 'out of order' in the 1932-33 'Bodyline' series or simply an opportunist?

A: He was both. But who can ever deny Bradman?

Q: What is the most memorable gig you have played? and have you ever gone down 'badly'?

A: An earlier gig at this Sydney pub called the hopetoun. I think it was the first time we ever sounded and played like a real band. We played a semi final at the Sydney Uni bandcomp out of tune. We won anyway.

Q: What have you got planned for the future?

A: I'm hoping to record my own album soon in the time I've got off. For the rest of the time I'll keep doing art and tending to the rain forest I built in my backyard.

Q: Do you have any hilarious anecdotes?

A: At a friends party we played our set twice because we were so bad the first time. No one seemed to care, bombed out on acid and such. This also recalls the "mansize rooster" incident which Patrick forced me to play despite the fact we never practiced the song. Needless to say it broke down suddenly, and strong language was used by all concerned.

Q: And finally, what's the strangest thing that has ever happened to you?

A: Being in The Vines.