"the Jeff Thomson of guitar ....speed, violence and a good straight line."
Max Bell - NME
BOOKS
In the mid-80's, in Greece, I began writing. Stories recalled at random from The Only Ones screwed-up passage thru the latter half of the 1970's. There was no theme, no order, no chronology. Nothing much linked the stories beyond the fact that they made me howl with laughter. The few people to whom I read out extracts laughed too. It wasn't so much the impressive number as the breadth and extraordinary range of Disasters the band managed to pack into just four years.
Disasters are fun. Even as they're happening they're quite funny and in retrospect they're hysterical. It's just as well I did enjoy them because from quite early on I came to realise that no matter how good our records, or how exciting our live shows, we were never going to enjoy mainstream success. Any detail that our record company overlooked, failed to screw up, misjudge or mistime we were more than capable of fucking up for ourselves.
Without ever being able to define them exactly, I began to feel the elements that made the band special were precisely the things that made the record companies so deeply mistrustful. We were never cartoon rock'n'roll 'rowdies'. The company men could smell something volatile in the air around us; they weren't sure what it was but they were certain they didn't like it.
After 18 months jotting down notes & writing passages along those lines I put the MS aside and returned to London where Johnny Thunders and Patti were having trouble getting the COPYCATS album started.
When I returned to writing it was with a more definite aim, and with a commission from Schirmer to write a book about The Who. Like anyone who saw The Who live between 64-67 I wasn't short of subject matter.
In those years, before 'Tommy' and the invention of Stadium Rock, they were a melodic, violent, pop group issuing a string of the greatest singles ever recorded.
Schirmer commissioned a second book on Hendrix. In all I've written 3 books, all on different subjects but all pretetxts to write about the impact I felt on seeing the best live rock'n'roll bands, close-up, between the ages of 14 and 17.
Buffalo Springfield 'Live at Hollywood Bowl' tape rediscovered.
Sounds like a line run straight off the mixing desk. The balance is all over the place -- harmony vocals suddenly chime in at deafening volume -- but none of that matters; the band are STEAMING.
Played my first shows at 15. At that time the live music scene was jumping and I had enough work by 16 to chuck in school. Played US bases, village halls, rugby clubs, town halls, club circuits and Endless Ballrooms. The Underground was just what I'd been lookin for so when the the festival circuit got into gear (c. '71 Glastonbury) I was out of those ballrooms like a phantom jet. Met a lotta v. funny people & spent several years vagabonding round with the Pink Fairies /Lemmy /Frendz crowd. Played a lot of shows and made a few recordings - most of which, I'm delighted to say, are lost.
That scene melted into the London pubrock circuit which in turn hosted punk. Same venues different haircut. In late 1975 I started work with Peter Perrett on what became The Only Ones. We had about as much fun as its possible to have in a band without getting arrested too often and we made some good records - but by 1981 it was getting stale. Amid acrimonious hassles with CBS, we split.
I formed a band to do Glastonbury one more time then drifted off round the Greek islands for a while. Found a typewriter and began writing up loosely recalled bits and pieces of the Only Ones story. [ See BOOKS ]
When i got back, London was enjoying the Synth era. Hard to recall now but guitars were supposed to be 'old hat'. Got that? Guitar bad; Synth Good. Bands with Manifestos (notoriously hard to dance to) and kids with dodgy haircuts playing ironing boards. I had a suspicion Guitar might outlast Ironing Board tho & kept on playing live. Sessions too, working mostly with friends, Robert Palmer, Sisters of Mercy, Marianne Faithfull, Robert Hunter, Patti Palladin and Anita Pallenberg. Michael Nyman, Screaming Lord Sutch, Evan Dando, Freddie Stevenson and Johnny Thunders.
2009.July.21. 19:00 - Younger Than Yesterday-Yokosuka-Kanagawa / MySpace Cafe- 大滝町2-17エルスビル4F phone-0468288306 横須賀市, 神奈川県 238-0008JP 料金:￥2000. without drinks {バルドトドル / BARDOTHODOL} チベット仏教に伝わる輪廻転生経典をシタール音楽と映像でドラマ化、 ～魂の再誕生の旅をシミュレートします。 / Dramatize the transmigration sacred book handed down to Tibetan Buddhism、 ～with Sitar-music and image-picture～ Simulate the trip of the re-birth of the soul.
2009.July.22. 19:00 - alphabet soup-Shibuya-Tokyo / MySpace Cafe- 宇田川町37-12 カザマビル1F phone-0334686898 渋谷区, 東京都 150-0042 JP 料金:￥3000. with 1food+2drinks {バルドトドル / BARDOTHODOL} チベット仏教に伝わる輪廻転生経典をシタール音楽と映像でドラマ化, ～魂の再誕生の旅をシミュレートします。 / Dramatize the transmigration sacred book handed down to Tibetan Buddhism with Sitar-music and image-picture～ Simulate the trip of the re-birth of the soul.
lemonheads at the bowery last night were a bit speedy. He dedicated the show "this show's for michael" not very loudly - The set list was on a big "scroll" in the middle of the stage. I'll post a picture of it. The stage hands set two pieces of tumbleweed on either side of the stage - that was interesting. One big hefty guy at the front immediately picked it up for a photo op and after his girlfriend took the pic he put it back on the stage. Upside down. The stage hand had to come out and put it back the right way up. ooops sorry. They were a 4 piece. There was a tiny guitarist called Xan. The crowd loved it. The band played and then Evan played a set on his own which was a sing a long. He had lots of pedals. He has obviously practiced your guitar bits. It was a long set. I'll send you another message when I've had a nap. They were clangy jangly and open. Well rehearsed. Didn't veer off. Went straight through and on the bus. No encore even tho crowd requested. bass player was left handed. showed off - as well he should.
Check out 'A Testimonial to Boss Goodman: Portobello Shuffle : A Tribute to the Deviants and Pink Fairies for sound clips from Mick Farren and the Deviants featuring former Motorhead drummer Philthy 'Animal' Taylor;past
and present members of the Damned - Rat Scabies and Brian James, and Captain Sensible and Monty Oxymoron; Wilko
Johnson Band; Clark Hutchinson; Darryl Read, John Perry, Adrian Shaw and Rod Goodway; Pink FA featuring Nik Turner
and Terry Ollis; John Sinclair and His Ladbroke Grove Blues Scholars (AKA George Butler and Slim Tim Slide) and
Felix Dennis. Further clips from Jello Biafra and the Pink Finks themselves!
For more details visit http://www.myspace.com/deviants_pinkfairies ---------------------------------- Keep It Together! Cosmic Boogie with the Deviants and the Pink Fairies by Rich Deakin with an introduction by Mick
John, a nice surprise to meet last night. Well apparent the french experience did you all a power of good - so get thee to a studio and bottle that magic while the iron is hot! - hope you both got back home ok. poxy trains - think we spent as much time waiting for em as riding on em. tp
Hello John Best wishes from the sunny North West. I hope all is well in your world. Thank you for wonderful contributions to the soundtrack of my youth. Regards Paul
Thank you so much for all the brilliant gigs in France and Belgium ...We had such a great time with you all ...After all of these years ,now the time is right for the Only Ones to receive all they deserve ...Life's good John !
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