Kerry Minnear interview in Mojo

This interview with Kerry Minnear comes from the February 2000 issue of Mojo in the UK, in a major feature on the Sex Pistols and the punk scene in the UK during the late 1970s. Part of it is a feature on bands who were perceived to have been 'swept away' by punk. Amongst those featured are Amazing Blondel, Man, Caravan and one Gentle Giant. This is what Kerry said for the piece. (Thanks to Simon Brader.)

We lived a fairly enclosed existence, touring and recording, and we spent a lot of time in the States so we weren't exposed to punk too much. But Ray, our bass player, and his girlfriend really liked it and used to play tapes in the car all the time. We did this song Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do That [sic], very fast, as a humorous comment on punk, although as a classically trained keyboard player I was a bit lost on that one. We didn't feel threatened by punk, we had very committed, ardent fans and people who liked gentle Giant weren't going to like punk. If we had been an ordinary pop band, I'd have been more worried. If you look at our album sales they stayed pretty steady. Personally I thought punk was quite amusing - although it offended me in terms of ethos. I'm a christian and value generosity and helping people - not anarchy and spitting. I'm surprised that this music with no refinement whatsoever stuck around for so long. I liked a few of the songs, that one " We're going down the pub" ('Hurry Up Harry', Sham 69). When Gentle Giant finished in 1980 it wasn't because of punk, it was because we had lost our way musically.