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Rat Scabies | |
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_(7471816888).jpg) Scabies in 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Christopher Millar |
| Also known as | Rat Scabies |
| Born | (1955-07-30)30 July 1955 (age 69) |
| Origin | Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, producer |
| Instrument | Drums |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Labels | None |
Christopher John Millar (born 30 July 1955), known by his stage nameRat Scabies, is a musician best known as the drummer for English punk rock bandthe Damned.[1]
Millar was born inKingston upon Thames, Surrey. He played drums with Tor andLondon SS before foundingthe Damned withBrian James,Dave Vanian andCaptain Sensible in 1976. In his audition for London SS, he obtained the nickname Rat Scabies after he was suffering fromscabies when a rat ran across the basement floor.[2]
The Damned played their first gig supporting theSex Pistols, and later released the first punk single in the UK, "New Rose". Scabies played with the Damned with some interruptions and alongside various personnel changes until a dispute over the release of the albumNot of This Earth led to his departure in 1995.
His solo work outside the Damned includes a cover version ofBob Dylan's "This Wheel's on Fire", credited to "Rat & The Whale".[3] In 2003 Millar formed a short-lived outfit called the Germans with Peter Coyne and Kris Dollimore, originally fromthe Godfathers. In recent times, he has played withDonovan,Nosferatu,ska artistNeville Staple (formerly ofthe Specials) and his band,Dave Catching (Eagles of Death Metal),Chris Goss,the Members,the Mutants, the Spammed, Urban Voodoo Machine andJane Horrocks. He has also worked as a producer, including withFlipron andEbony Bones.[4] In May 2018 he released his solo albumP.H.D. (Prison, Hospital, Debt).
On 17 November 2023, the Damned announced that Scabies had returned as a permanent member.[5][6] In February 2024 The Damned announced that for the first time in 35 years they would be doing a ten dateNorth American tour featuring their 1980's lineup of Scabies,Dave Vanian,Captain Sensible andPaul Gray.[7]
Millar lives with his wife Viv and their three children inBrentford, and is the central character of the bookRat Scabies and The Holy Grail, written by former music journalistChristopher Dawes. The book was published in May 2005 and is billed as "A road trip, a rich historical yarn, and testimony to the odd nature of a great many friendships".[8]
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Scabies uses vintage Leedy & George Hayman drum kits.Over the years he has played various brands, starting with a John Grey 'Autocrat' kit in turquoise sparkle finish, before playing a black Pearl Maxwin kit (early 1970s to 1976), a white Pearl kit (late 1976–1981), a white Premier 'Resonator' kit (1982–1983), a Premier 'Black Shadow' kit (1984–1985), then a Premier 'Resonator' in piano black finish (1985–1996).
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