Paul Ferguson, Killing Joke- Collaborator Profile Q&A
Paul Ferguson co-foundered the post- punk band Killing Joke in 1978 from his flat down the road from The London Leatherman shop in Battersea, where he bought the leather jeans worn whilst in the band, and he still owns today.
This August 2026 his band Light Of Eternity is set to play a string of shows in the UK and when not playing the drums Paul produces heirloom style, artisan skull rings under the name Boneyard.
Questions by Dave Carroll
Q. You still have the The London Leatherman jeans you wore whilst in Killing Joke. What’s you’re The London Leatherman story, did you visit the Queenstown Road showroom and did you meet Ken?
A. I had a top floor flat on Queenstown Road that I shared with two graphic art students and when one of them left Jaz moved into the vacated room. Jaz and I hatched the plan to form Killing Joke there and it was there that we first met Geordie and that he performed his audition with his Gibson SG guitar and a Vox AC30 amp. The London Leatherman was just up the road from us.
I had a job as warehouseman and delivery driver for a fashion house at the time and was making next to nothing but from that managed to buy a pair of The London Leatherman jeans and a pair of Monkey boots. I bought the custom made jeans from Ken at extraordinary expense considering my circumstance at the time. I think they cost about 200 quid (in 1978).
Q. Various members of Killing Joke have been photographed wearing The London Leatherman pieces over the years including guitarist Kevin ‘Gordie’ Walker who wore the tank version of the cire nylon tops The London Leatherman produced in the 70s, 80s & 90s. How did The London Leatherman come to be worn by the band?
A. I took Geordie to visit Ken from whom he purchased his vest.
Q. How would you describe Battersea in the 70s & 80s? The London Leatherman showroom was positioned on what’s known as the Diamond Estate, a Victorian conservation area where in the 70s Lemmy Kilmister squatted and Toyah Wilcox, Brian Ferry and members of The UK Subs lived close by too.
A. I remember Queenstown Road in particular as being a really depressing place. Jaz and I would walk, always north across the river to Chelsea, through Fulham and onward to Holland Park where my girlfriend and later manager(s) lived. I bought a car but it got nicked while I was away visiting my parents abroad and Jaz and Gordie burned the flat down. I had previously lived for a while in Dulwich and had no desire at that time to explore South London any further.
I remember vividly the cold and damp of our apartment in winter and the summer smog from traffic on Queenstown Road. I wasn’t there when the flat burned down but I know that it was traumatic for the lady who lived next door and for my band mates who ran into the street semi clad in the middle of the night.
Q. Killing Joke falls under the post-punk genre, but what did the beginnings of punk rock mean to you?What was your punk-rock coming of age moment?
A. I was in Art Foundation at High Wycombe College when punk started but I had seen so many bands play at the local pub The Nags Head.. Dr.Feelgood, The Jam, XTC, Elvis Costello, Generation X. It was inevitable that at art school we should form a band , calling ourselves Pink Parts and went on to open for Adam and the Ants.
Q. Rock’a billy flat top (haircut) MA-1 Fight Jacket, The London Leatherman leather jeans and shoes from Robot is a look I remember you wearing. How did leather and (or) studded leather accessories fit into your looks stylistically, on and off stage?
A. The leather jeans never left. I got my my Barnet cut at James Cuts in the London’s West End (Dean Street?) and KJ’s record label was on Kings Road so the clothing stores ROBOT, BOY and JOHNSONS were part of the regular excursions. I had a friend working at The Great Gear Market so hung out there frequently. A girlfriend was studying fashion at St.Martins school of art and made jackets for me.
Q. Cosy Powell notably wore The London Leatherman wristbands as wrist straighteners for drumming. Who would you say are the top three drummers of all time and why?
A. Too many to mention honestly and all with skills far beyond mine. Drummers are a breed apart and I admire the challenge, discipline and ensuing madness of anyone who takes it on.
Q. Of all the inspiring conversation had with the late Andy Weatherall, Killing Joke is a subject he’d talk about at length and his remix of your song Bloodsport is a wonderful memory I have of him. When it comes to music collaborations who’s someone you’d like to collaborate with and why?
A. I’m open to suggestion.
Q. Aside from drumming you’re also a sculptor and create silver and bronze jewelry specializing in skull rings produced under the name Boneyard. For anyone just now discovering your artesian jewelry and casting work how do you describe it to them and how did your craft come about?
A. My work with Boneyard is deliberately rough, weathered and I like to describe it as heirloom. I am as interested in the texture as I am the form.
I moved to NYC in 1987 after a brief stint in LA. I trained as an Ancient Sculpture Conservator and worked for art dealers, museums and auction houses , along the way I learning to weld and lost wax casting. I moved to Puerto Rico for several years (all the while flying back to NY for restoration jobs) and there started a business creating sculptural furnishings and gates. I assisted a sculptor there casting large scale bronzes… This is a long way around to saying that casting small pieces of jewelry is a natural avenue for my sculptural and metal work inclinations.
Q. You’re famously self-taught as a drummer, can the same be said for your jewelry work?
A. Yes, self taught but as explained having been in business of re creating details from sculpture large and small the territory was not new.
Q. Are you working on anything at the moment (musically or for Boneyard) you can disclose here?
A. I have a band named Light Of Eternity I am super excited about . We are recording and producing music you can check out here. We’ll be playing some shows in the UK in August 2026.
I was involved in creating an album for a project named SEVENDIALS recently which I’m very proud of. My solo work is under. https://bigpaulferguson.bandcamp.com
And although I’m absolutely rubbish at advertising and self promotion Boneyard continues to make bespoke pieces through the website https://www.boneyardskullrings.com