PART II: In the following months Gaius went on to see other cool bands like The Rat Kennedys, Rat Religion, Rats Pistols, X-Rats Spex, Minor Rats, Rats Division, Rats Dispensers, and many more. They all sounded differently but what they had in common was a relentless drive, an energy, that consumed you.
At the same time Gaius felt the urge to also get on stage and scream out his anger, his frustration and his joy. Anger about humanity and how they treated the planet, they all shared; frustration, both about the same issue and how nothing seemed to make humans change their stupid ways and also about him not being able to travel back in time to be with his friends and family; joy about having found a new community in the punks and having made so many new friends, who at the same time had embraced the idea of living in peace with each other and also not harming earth in any way.
„Hey Sid, have you ever thought about forming a band yourself?“ He asked, after he’d had a couple of drinks. He was shy after all. „Sure!“, Sid answered, „I played with the Rats Pistols until they said they thought I didn’t practise enough.“ He looked to the floor. „Well, probably they were right. I’ve practised a lot since then and would love to play in another band! Let’s ask Poly and Lydia. They’re great musicians!“
And so it was settled. After a few rehearsals, in which it became clear, that Gaius had to be the singer, because he couldn’t play an instrument, they agreed on a name: „Ancient Rats“. They thought it was cool, because Gaius came from the past and Poly and Lydia were kind of old-ish themselves. Playing live was the best! They all went crazy on stage and some rats seemed to like their music. When Malcolm MacRattus asked them to play a tour with the Rats Pistols, they didn’t think twice...
