WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?: IBWM MEETS THE IAIN DUNCAN SMITHS

A curio entered our consciousness last week, namely a reworking of a Smiths record seemingly intended to poke the execrable Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. A truly odious individual, he's ripe for a lampooning and we tracked down the perpetrators of the record for a quick chat with front man Iain 'Psycho' Duncan Smith.

IBWM: First off, how? How did this all come about? Obviously, IDS is a deeply hideous individual and deserves all the lampooning he gets, but why him? Too hard to find a pun on Gove, Lansley or Hunt?
IPDS: The pun arrived with such ferocity that Iain Duncan Smith was destroyed and subsequently reconstituted as four different people, all of whom just so happened to be really into The Smiths. You couldn't script it.
No band for Gove yet, but we are big fans of that Spandau Ballet song: "Gove! Always look after your own/You have the mandate to know human rights are destructible/Always repeal them/You are Gove!" Magic.

IBWM: It seems a simple concept now that it exists. Are the songs fun to write? Maybe cathartic?
IPDS: Definitely both of those. It's very much a group effort what with all of us chipping in - but then we're all the same person, which makes it something of a solo effort. I don't know.

IBWM: Which is stronger - love of the Smiths or hatred of IDS?
IPDS: It started in homage primarily to IDS's mind-altering concept of welfare reform. Since then it has blossomed into an even keener appreciation of The Smiths than I'd had going into it. Learning the songs has been really fun and moreover educational.

IBWM: Is this a good time for satire? Most times I think these twunts are almost unsatirisable.
IPDS: It's more a good time for space lizard conspiracy theorists, I reckon. Osborne and Cameron are clearly reptilian. Donald Trump seems to acquire the mouth of a sea creature when he gets animated. Watch it squeeze inwards and upwards to his nose and tell me that's human. There's a forked tongue in there for sure.

IBWM: How many Iain Duncan Smiths are there? Have you played together before?
IPDS: There are four of us: 
Iain 'Psycho' Duncan Smith (vocals, guitar, Bedroom Tax)
Iain 'Laughing Boy' Duncan Smith (vocals, guitar, Universal Credit)
Iain 'The Quiet One' Duncan Smith (vocals, guitar, Work Capability Assessments)
Iain 'The Other Quiet One' Duncan Smith (vocals, guitar, data suppression, xylophone)
It's the first time we've played together, but then we have only existed as four separate entities for a few months or so. We take it in turns to do the House of Commons stuff.

IBWM: Any physical releases or live shows planned?
IPDS: We'll be playing our debut live show at The Good Ship in north west London. (Facebook details)
Our debut LP Devil's Tunes: The Very Worst of The Iain Duncan Smiths is out now and can be heard on Soundcloud here.

IBWM: Do any of you live in your father in-law's mansion?
IPDS: We all live very happily with our wives The Betsy Duncan Smiths in our respective father-in-laws' mansions, yes.

IBWM: And finally, the Tories have been full of solutions that will fix the economy. But when they say it's going to happen now, when exactly do they mean?
IPDS: You shut your mouth!

All departments have scandals and this is ours, or at least one of them For we have been caught red-handed, and I'm not referring to the blood on our hands Guess now we start to backtrack, so get the Telegraph on the phone! They may be fictional claimants, but you're missing the point So what difference does it make if all our testimonies are fake? It makes none in the long run, they're for illustrative purposes only The DWP will find work for idle sods like you I lie and I lie, and that's fine, because you voted blue And now you try to make me feel shame, which I've never felt before So I'll still lie to you, oh ho ho! So what difference does it make if all our testimonies are fake? Let bygones be bygones, ‘cause taking the piss won't keep you warm tonight Oh, the DWP will find work for idle gits like you I drew up the welfare bill and it got voted through Now you know there's no Sarah and Zac, you won't see them any more But I'll still lie to you, oh ho ho! You'll get no apologies, no no, and I make no apologies, no no You're scroungers, you're all dirty scroungers, and you're feeling very sick and ill today But you'll get no sick pay, oh ho ho!

Thanks to Psycho for his time. Give the album a spin and follow the IDSs on Twitter @ids_dwp