About Me
HERE'S A BREIF HISTORY:....................................................
........................DOG DAYS-1979/80: punk band, great songs, great attitude, short lived.(singer joined Duran Duran)......................................................
.......................................VOXPOP-1980-81: great songs, probably a bit too fussy, but a good time to be playing live music, Pete Johns is a fantastic song writer, and along with Ian Johns the singer, we made a great live act. The music was soul/pop/stax and always went down well. This was also my introduction to Neil Pyzer who has featured in most of the musical acts I was a part of since then.A total gentleman and under rated musician, never forgetting Steve Wilcox, always on time, musically and practically.................................................
..........................................................DI
VE DIVE DIVE 1981-83 and beyond : sublime song writing, very creative. Should have done better. Singer Dave Pearson is one of my musical heroes, he pre-empted Babybird and Kaiser cheifs by a two decades, and is responsible for bringing out my finest moments. Patrick Ahern went on to play drums with me on Howard Devoto's album and tours, and went on to play with Big Country and Ultravox....................................................
.....................................................HOWARD DEVOTO- 1982-83 : solo album and tours, happy days, very creative, but i didnt make the most of the opportunity to enhance my reputation. Fabulous buzz to play some of Magazine's songs live, I was a huge fan, and that tour of America was the best!.......................................................
......................................................SPEAR OF DESTINY-1983-1986 AND BEYOND: a proper man's band. no messing about, deep end guitar playing, stripped to the bone. I actually lost some of my technical abilty during this amazing time, but it made me a more complete, solid player. I regained control of my fingers shortly after.
This band allowed me to jump, scream and beleive in music. Politics ruined it. and yes, I would do it all again.I would still put the heads of CBS EPIC on a stake on london bridge for killing a great band........................................................
..................................................Kirk and I worked on some new songs which eventually appeared on SOD'S LAW, including SLOW ME DOWN, BABYON'S CALLING and a couple of dark, huge noises that I dont think made the cut, but they were great fun to demo on a little 4 track portastudio in Kirk's front room. I will see if I can up load the originals on here..........I loved THE PRICE YOU PAY album, and although I didn't play on it, I was asked to tour the album which was a fabulous time revisiting the towns and fans that I didnt think I would get to see again. My favorite moment was when we played the SPORT AID festival in birmingham or Coventry (i think) and we were scheduled to go on just after 'the pope'. brilliant, we had the holy father open for us.( he was rubbish)Kirk and I lost touch after that, and I think miscommunication and misunderstanding compromised our relationship, which is a shame because like most of you, I beleived in Kirk. It was the music that mattered to me..........................................................
...................................................ALEX GIFFORD-1986 : I had the pleasure of working with PROPELLOR HEADS front man after Spear split up. we wrote some fabulous material that I still listen too today. Nothing came of it, because I really didnt have the drive to make it happen after the disapointment of the Spear split, but I am so pleased for Alex that he has acheived the success that was inevitable for someone so talented. (I really need to talk to Tears for Fears about the appearence of a very dubious and familiar sounding piano/drums battle in one of their songs during that period!)....................................................
.....................................................ATR/FOU
R-1990-ENDLESS: My very good friend HARRY MATTHEWS asked me to come along and have a play with his rythmn section friends STUART JOHNSON, MARK JOHNSON AND RICHARD RAMSAY. I was stunned at the talent that was living under my nose all the time I had been high flying with Spear and the like. Some fabulous song writing and rehersals didn't really transpose onto tape or stage, but that was just a matter of time. Unfortunatley, we were all pulling in slightly different directions which was a shame, because I wasnt strong enough to keep it all together,it might have been very very good. Work schedules in the real world had taken the energy out of me for those late night rehersals, so the band dissolved. I still rate Stuart Johnson as the best drummer I have ever worked with. Power, feel, creativity and a pop mind made him a pleasure to work with........................................................
.......................................................RLF- 1985- WHO KNOWS? 'THE RUN LIKE FUCK YOUR BED'S ON FIRE BAND' was started as a one off song/video session for my best friend Dave Pearson who had moved to Japan for work. This rather stupid bunch of amateurs eventually developed (via many, many guinnesses) into a 10 piece, fully functioning rock band that would give anyone a run for their money. We only ever played one gig every two years, but the attendance was always phenominal, and the crowd were always as pleased as we were to get through it. The events usually lasted 12 hours and some arrests.
In it's day we had two members of Spear of Destiny in the line up, Simon Le Bon playing shakers (he wasn't allowed to sing even though he and his wife flew from Paris especially for the gig) and various brass, keyboard and percussionists who are destined for musical heaven. god bless those gigs, I was so proud of them. special mention for Kev Hulin, (the second best drummer I ever worked with), and Bob Shave because he deserves it. this band is not dead yet, there may be more........................................................
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