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**This is a tribute page to remember Razzle. If you have anything you would like to contribute (if you have met Razzle, other stories, pictures, etc.) let us know and we will add it to the page. Also, if you see anything you think is incorrect, don't hesitate to inform us. We believe everything to be correct; however, we could have made a mistake. Thank You.**
Razzle's Biography
Although a rock'n'roll spirit to the core Nicholas Charles Dingley made his entry to the world in the unlikely, genteel, town of Royal Leamington Spa, in the heart of England. He was born to a young single mother, Patricia Ingram, who felt it was best for baby Nicholas to be placed for adoption. This went ahead and his early years passed in the Midlands town of Coventry, the only child of Henry and Irene Dingley. Around 1970 Mr Dingley retired from his haulage contracting business and the family moved to the village of Binstead on the Isle of Wight.
Nick was a likeable lad, settling quickly into the small island community. He had an inventive sense of humour and a boundless appetite for mischief, always leading the way. Scrumping raids were a firm favourite, once ending up getting chased out of the local abbey by an irate monk. So were practical jokes. One friend recalls the day he dressed up as a policeman, pulling in cars with faulty lights, taking out his notebook and giving them a 'caution' before letting the motorists go on their way. To the amazement of his mates he got away with it, something he had a knack for.
In Coventry Nick had been an enthusiastic member of the Cub Scouts and joined the local Binstead troupe, where he went on to play the drum in the band. His former Scout Master remembers him as one of the few boys who really stuck in his mind over many years of service, recalling several of Nick's escapades. There was the time during a troupe night-hike that he crept up on a courting couple in a car to look through the window and got chased by the man as he was trying to put his trousers on. On another outing he climbed a tree overlooking the nudist beach and egged the other boys on to do the same. And he managed to blow up the lungs of the first-aid dummy during mouth-to-mouth, and generally driving the poor instructor to distraction so much that he never returned to finish the course. Nick's scout master remembers all this with affection and admits that more than once he had to hide his own laughter from the boys.
Nick became the envy of his friends as he was one of the first to get his own moped but, showing his natural generosity, gladly took his mates for lifts round the winding island roads - albeit at breakneck speeds which left some of them shaking in their shoes.
Nick attended Ryde High School from '74 to '77 but, putting clowning around above study, he left with a somewhat undistinguished academic record, a solitary CSE exam - English, grade 4.
One of his first encounters with great rock music was occasion he collected bottles during the Isle of Wight Festival, the year Jimi Hendrix played. Although after leaving school he had began work at Ryde's Bellvue Garage Nick developed his love of the drums, acquiring his first kit and a tutor around age 16, before going on to play in several local bands, including Thin Red Line. Somewhere along the way he became Razzle. However, at the garage he was affectionately known as Gonzo, thanks to his 'generous' nose and the green hair he then sported. His former boss remembers him as a thoughtful and obliging young man, recalling one particular occasion when an elderly gentleman collapsed on the garage forecourt. Razzle was the first to spot him and rushed to lend aid, putting his overcoat under the man's head and calling for help.
The garage job helped him save up for his first car, a gold Mini. Again he was one of the first lads to get a car of his own and was the guy to hang around with. Nick was no Sunday Driver, he loved speed and got his kicks bombing round the tight, twisty lanes of Wight. In an ominous precursor of 1984's tragedy this little Mini was nearly the last ride Razzle took, almost crashing head on at excessive speed on at least one occasion. But a car meant freedom and fun.
He often travelled across the water to see various rock and punk shows, including one occasion following the Damned as they toured with their Machine Gun Etiquette album in '79 - sometimes sleeping under the stage after the show was over. It was inevitable that he would take the plunge to relocate permanently. He packed his Mini and headed off for London. Whilst getting by on the dole he put in stints with various punk bands. There was the Fuck Pigs, then Demon Preacher (approx. 80-81), who are probably best known for harbouring Nick Wade in their ranks. Also in the band were two future members, Jimbo and Boo, of slightly less legendary sleaze-glam combo The Babysitters. Best known of his pre-Hanoi bands was The Dark, with whom he cut the Living End EP in 1982, but fate was to lead him to Hanoi Rocks. Razzle first saw them in Sounds magazine, deciding there and then they were the ones for him. Razzle checked out their gig at the Zig Zag club in June 1982 and then pestered and pleaded his way onto the drum stool. He got the gig and his arrival was announced in Kerrang! mag in Sept 1982. He also graced the cover of 'Self Destruction Blues' despite most of the drumming therein having been done by his predecessor Gyp Casino. His first main interview appeared in Finnish mag OK, around 1982, where he lied shamelessly, claiming to be the child of Cherokee-Indian and Gypsy parents, all part of creating that essential rock and roll myth! But it could well have been the truth when he claimed that all cared about was Hanoi Rocks and English motorcycles.
At the start he was the injection of energy that the burning-out Hanoi badly needed and he became an essential element of what held them together through a myriad of crazy times and personal difficulties. Within a band of strong personalities and vibrant images Razzle still stood out as a one-off, always ready with a joke or a smile, burning the candle at both ends while holding a blow torch to its middle. His image was that of the loveable chirpy Cockney, preserved forever on the hilarious track Boiler, from the 'Two Steps From The Move' album. It was an adopted persona that suited him down to the ground despite his half-American genes. Although perhaps not the most technically gifted of drummers he possessed charisma in spades and was blessed with a wild wit, healthily inspired by Monty Python and credited with a penchant for eating pint glasses, fulfilling in every way the ideal rock and roll star. He partied and played his way round the world with Hanoi, taking in Thailand, India, Israel, Japan, Canada, Scandinavia, the UK and America and developing his star stage turn on vocals for Blitzkrieg Bop, a chaotic version of which can be seen on 1983's 'All Those Wasted Years' live video. Razzle, along with the other Hanoi guys, also joined ex-Vibrator Knox making the first Fallen Angels album. Despite the loveable loon antics he had his serious side too - he was a good son, frequently returning to Wight to visit his mum and dad and catch up with his old mates, who all looked up to him as the 'local boy made good'. Sometimes he spoke of settling down with a wife and kids, once he'd made the big time. Friends even say he was engaged to be married at the time of his death.
It sounded like the rock'n'roll dream, and maybe it was, but cracks seemed to lurk beneath the spangly surface. Speaking to a Spanish magazine in 1993 about the time just before it all blew apart Sam Yaffa confided that he and Razzle had spoken about leaving the band, citing Andy McCoy's insufferable behaviour as the main factor. Whether this was serious intent or just letting off steam is up for debate. They could still have had the big time, bright lights, but fate wasn't going to be that generous. In 1984 Razzle had filled out a questionnaire for the fan club, answering that in 10 years he hoped he'd be dead. Black humour, but horribly prophetic...
This biography came from http://freespace.virgin.net/dead.girl/index.html
Facts About Razzle:
Name: Nicholas Dingley
Birthdate: 2nd of December 1960
Birth Place: Royal Leamington Spa, England
Height: 5'11"
There were rumours that he wanted to join Heart.
Met Michael Monroe at a Johnny Thunders concert in London.
Was in the Cub Scouts.
Top 5 Favourite Albums:
1. The Damned: "Machine Gun Ettiquette"
2. Alice Cooper: "Love It To Death"
3. Johnny Thunders: "So Alone"
4. Van Halen's First Album
5. New York Dolls' First Album
Top 5 Favourite Artists:
1. The Damned
2. Johnny Thunders
3. Alice Cooper
4. Mott the Hoople
5. The Scorpions
Where the Razzle fans are from!
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