My Life with Baz Black: My tattoos ruled me out of most acting roles, so I wrote my own stuff

Baz Black recalls punk-rock chaos, overcoming career setbacks and turning his experiences into an unlikely Irish film success

Baz Black penned and directed the movie 'Dublin Crust' which was inspired by his punk days.

I'll never forget the bar owner’s chaotic attempts to repair the floorboards with a drill that night as punters ripped them out from underneath his feet.

Someone else had left off a fire extinguisher, among other “punk” shenanigans. Over the years, I have drummed with 15 punk bands, but this gig, which took place in a Cork city venue, was probably the most outrageous of them all. To this day, it is still referred to as the Chinese Whispers gig. There were so many stories swirling around after that, but people weren’t quite sure which ones to believe. I heard that a few in the audience even ended up in hospital. Luckily, everyone was okay.

Playing with Mongo Horn was always colourful. However, nothing had ever come close to this outrageous. I suppose it didn’t help that part of the stage was made entirely of bread pallets. We had been warned about this in advance, but the first thing one of the band members did was dive straight through it. The incident more or less set the tone for the entire gig.

That was a few years ago now. I often regret not filming the more surreal moments. However, I managed to do the second-best thing by creating a movie inspired by such events. Dublin Crust is a 2023 independent Irish comedy-drama film about a punk drummer who reunites his former bandmates for one final show. My old bandmates, Eddie and Andy, play versions of themselves in the movie.

During our punk days, Eddie, who was the lead vocalist with Mongo Horn, always gave a live performance that was absolute mayhem. There were times when he lit himself on fire. This was just one of the extreme acts that played out on stage. We were notorious in that regard. It resulted in us being barred from a lot of places, which made us even more notorious. We sold out so many venues.

It wasn’t just punk fans who were buying tickets for these concerts. A lot of people just came to witness the crazy antics. I can’t say I ever set myself on fire, but I did get to witness it all from behind my drum kit. The idea for my film was sparked by my lengthy foray into acting.

The punk rock ethos and my naturally rebellious nature had resulted in me getting heavily tattooed. During this time, I had also been working as a body piercer, opening up five studios during the course of my career. My other passion was movies, which eventually drew me to the acting world. My alternative image attracted attention from the industry, leading to appearances in music videos and promotional work. All of a sudden, I was on numerous magazine covers and billboards, in addition to leading massive commercial campaigns. It was ironic that this was even on my radar, given my crippling anxiety.

My tattoos ruled me out of 95% of acting roles, so the only way I could highlight any versatility was by writing my own stuff. My first short film, Reflection, which tackled the difficult subject of male suicide, scooped more than 40 awards.

I continued to write and direct while taking on acting roles in shows like RTÉ’s Into the Badlands and Kin. This all culminated in my debut feature film, Dublin Crust, loosely based on this punk band I had played with for 10 years.

After being turned down for major funding, we had to pivot drastically and shoot the entire movie in just seven days. It was filmed across 32 locations and three counties. I never thought anyone — with the exception of some friends — might see it.

Much to our surprise, it ended up getting a full six-week cinema run and went straight to number one on Amazon Prime upon release. It was really important that everyone in the on-screen band, including Joe Rooney, who plays Terrance, knew how to play the instruments that feature in the movie. This is why we went and recorded the songs in the same way any real-life band would.

Despite its rawness and modest budget, Dublin Crust has a lot of heart. This might be why it resonates with audiences so deeply. Its success opened a lot of doors. I have since penned and directed my latest feature film, Bloodrite, which was shot on location in Finland last year and is set to be released in cinemas this October. My wife and I currently have 15 movies in development through our company Sure Look Productions.

This is my full-time job now. A late-stage diagnosis of ADHD has reiterated the importance of variety in my life. I am constantly juggling writing, directing, acting, and producing, which is ideal for the type of brain I have. There is absolutely no time to get bored because it is a constant, fast-paced hustle. I still experience imposter syndrome almost every single day. There are people who don’t believe in what I am doing, but for me, this just adds fuel to the fire. All I can do is prove them wrong.

• Dublin Crust is currently available to stream on the RTÉ Player.