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Doctor Who Rocks: Audio From Peter Capaldi’s Punk Band Unearthed

By Barry Rice

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Current Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi is a man of many talents. He’s had a long and storied career as an actor, and even won an Academy Award in 1994 for Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life, a short film he wrote and directed.

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Even though he’s talked about it frequently, a lot of fans may not be aware that Capaldi was actually in a punk band with comedian and fellow Scot Craig Ferguson in the early 1980s called Dreamboys. That’s right — the Twelfth Doctor sang vocals and played lead guitar in a punk band with former Late Late Show host Ferguson on drums.

By all accounts, it was a pretty wild time for the duo (it was the 80s, after all). Ferguson told Andy Cohen all about his and Capaldi’s partying days during an appearance last year on Watch What Happens Live:

"“We did a lot of drugs. We had every drug available. … There wasn’t much cocaine in Glasgow (Scotland), it was mostly speed or acid.”"

"“I don’t know, when the rest of the guys were going to either Emerson or Harvard, I was taking acid in the back of a van with the guy who ended up playing the Doctor. I don’t know how it happened.”"

Like Capaldi, Ferguson also grew up as a massive Whovian. Doctor Who was featured prominently throughout his time on CBS’s The Late Late Show — he even kept a TARDIS model on his desk.

Related: 10 Actors I’d Like to See on Doctor Who

Well, someone has now managed to locate an eight-minute EP released by Dreamboys in 1980 and uploaded it to YouTube for all to hear. The album, complete with cover art, contains three tracks: “Bela Lugosi’s Birthday,” “Outer Limits,” and “Shalle We Dance.” According to the poster, it was recorded live at The Hellfire Club in Glasgow and released by St. Vitus records. They also note that although Craig Ferguson was the Dreamboys’ drummer, the drums on this EP are actually credited to someone named Robin Livsey.

Take a listen for yourself:

All in all, I’ve gotta say… that’s not bad. I don’t know if I’d call it “good” either, but it’s not the embarrassing trainwreck that Capaldi has alluded to all these years. I especially love that even when singing, there’s no mistaking Capaldi’s distinctive Scottish brogue.

As we’ve seen in the preview for Doctor Who Series 9, the Twelfth Doctor will be brandishing an electric guitar for some unknown reason in an upcoming episode. Maybe he’ll surprise us all and break into a new version of “Bela Lugosi’s Birthday.”

What do you think? Are you impressed with Peter Capaldi’s punk rock skills? Would you buy a Dreamboys album? Sound off in the comments below!

Next: Doctor Who Canon Debate: Should Big Finish Count?

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