After 12 years of living the city life in Nottingham I decided to move back to the countryside where I grew up. It was a really good move. Life is very peaceful here and I am only an hour away from Birmingham. I have travelled quite extensively over the years and feel pretty satisifed. Now I am living quite a quiet life which suits me just fine. A major plus is the fact that I have no immediate neighbours. Blasting crazy Grindcore at 11 is an option if I feel like it!
I am a complete and utter music fanatic. My heart will always be firmly rooted in metal of all types, but I also have a passion for many other types of music that lie beneath the surface of the mainstream. My favourite band of all time is and always will be BLACK SABBATH. Another major favourite of mine are THIN LIZZY. Philip Lynott was a one off and a genius in my opinion. I have always been attracted to artists that push the boundaries and create something different. I hate hearing artists that sound like a clone of someone else. I am constantly looking for pioneers. To me listening to classic KISS has the same appeal and gives me the same feeling as a COIL record. Two radically different sounds, but totally unique in their own different ways. Honestly, I can play something abstract like NURSE WITH WOUND or MERZBOW and then put on a SLAYER album followed by THE DOORS and be totally into all four in the same hour! Oh, and let's not forget the mighty VAN HALEN! Oh Yeah! I admire Edward Van Halen greatly. He is an original pioneer and the greatest guitar player ever to walk the earth in my opinion.
I am totally addicted to collecting records and CDs. I own shelves and shelves of them! I buy vinyl as often as I can as it is my preferred format. Younger readers take note! It's always an exciting challenge trying to find a copy of that almost impossible to get hold of limited edition LP! Vinyl rules in my opinion. You just can't beat a good ol' slab of plastic! It actually sounds better too. It really does. I spend hours searching for new stuff on the internet. It's amazing what you can unearth of you dig deep enough.
Over the years I have endeavoured to try many different musical pursuits. I worked at Earache Records for quite a long time. I have managed a commercial recording studio. I have also played in a few bands (Warhammer, Unseen Terror, Sacrilege, Heresy, etc.) and have toured all over either as a musician, sound engineer, drum technician, crew member or even as a friend of the band. I have been dormant in the music business for a few years, but I have never been very far way from the music scene in general. I'm still playing the guitar on a daily basis. I am the very proud owner of a Gibson Les Paul and a stack of Marshall amplification. I recently invested in a Tascam digital 8 track which is a killer piece of gear. Material is currently being written for a well overdue (!) UNSEEN TERROR reunion with my good friend Shane Embury.
In my spare time I buy and sell Records/CDs/Memorabilia. I am also working on launching a record label in the not too distant future. Watch this space. When I am not immersed in music I like to read up on anything interesting: History, Geography, Biographical, Art etc. I like watching a good movie or two. I enjoy playing computer games and I'm also a huge fan of STAR WARS and have an ever growing collection of Yoda and Darth Vader figures! A few glasses of wine or good beer are other favourites! Aside from material things I am a huge cat lover. I have three.
Classic DIAMOND HEAD video from 1980. This band were so ahead of their time. Metallica stole their ideas and the rest is history.
Kraftwerk "Tour De France" Live. Classic!
HERESY: "Belief" and "Despair" Live in Geislingen, Germany April 1987 featuring a very young me on guitar.