"We used to play bar mitzvah's and weddings and things like that. The band was called Prothallos, it's a botanical term. It means the regeneration of seed pods or something."

From there mark went through a series of bands in the early days of the punk era but found it hard to get real musicians to play with. In those days most people had attitude but no musical skills. Mark had both.

After stints in Townsville with a number of shortlived bands (including one with Rick Grossman) Mark played in The Other Side with Rob Younger, before he received a call asking him to join the Hitmen, a band he stayed with (except for brief stints with the New Christs and the Screaming Tribesmen) until taking over the drummer's seat in the Hoodoo Gurus late in 1984.

These days Mark, one of the most powerful drummers in Australian rock'n'roll, is an intricate part of the Gurus. As Dave says, "The most important thing once a song's written is the drums."

And on the subject of Kinky?

"I think it's the most complete album we've done," says Mark.