When rock'n'roll was shaken from its pre-punk complacency by the emergence of Dr. Feelgood, it
was their guitarist Wilko Johnson who excited most attention – not only for the startling violence of
his stage performance (which was to inspire countless imitators and become one of the classic images
of rock'n'roll) but also for his guitar style which combined the roles of lead and rhythm guitar in
driving riffs and a stuttering machine gun frenzy which altered conceptions of 'guitar heroics'. As a
songwriter too – from early Feelgood favourites like 'Back in the Night' to the power and poetry of
'Dr. Dupree' and 'Sneaking Suspicion' he has proved himself one of the best and most original
exponents of rhythm'n'blues styles this side of the Atlantic. The list of '70s New Wave bands who
acknowledge the influence of Wilko and the Feelgoods is extensive and includes The Clash, The Sex
Pistols, The Jam, The Boomtown Rats, and across the Atlantic The Ramones and Blondie (who spent
a whole night at a New York party wearing out their specially imported copy of the Feelgood's first
album, 'Down by the Jetty').
After his abrupt departure from Dr. Feelgood in 1977 Wilko formed his own band, and over the next
few years worked with several personnel of varying degrees of musical accomplishment and mixed
moral character. In 1980, while continuing to work with his own 3-piece, Wilko entered the ranks of
Ian Dury's brilliant Blockheads, co-writing writing several songs with Ian and featuring on the
'Laughter' album. Then in 1985 the Block's sensational and much loved bassist Norman Watt-Roy
joined Wilko, and when Monti took over the drums in 1999, the classic Wilko Johnson Band had
arrived. They have never been off the road since and have startled and blasted audiences from
Helsinki to Madrid, Aberdeen to Istanbul, Toulouse to Tokyo. Monti's stool at the drums has recently
been taken by the much revered Dylan Howe, also of the Blockheads, and this has raised the band to
an even greater level of musical mastery and manic brilliance.
In 2008 the highly acclaimed film director Julien Temple set out to make a documentary film about
the birth and all too brief phenomenon of Dr. Feelgood ('Oil City Confidential', to be launched in
October). He could not have imagined that in the course of filming he would meet 'one of the great
English eccentrics' (his words) in the person of Wilko. So fascinated was he by this discovery that the
project has gone way beyond completion date (and budget) in order to accommodate the many facets
of this extraordinary character, the unexpected hero of the film. As a result of all this, there has
recently been a renewed frenzy of interest in Wilko: watch out for some surprising developments in
the near future.....
the 2nd comment is very funny to see, on your Myspace Wilko, the one with Keith Richards ah ah ah ha ! Hope to see you in France (would be better) this 2010
Bonjour !
Merci pour l’ajout
Bravo pour le myspace
Et surtout, bienvenue parmi nos amis, à nos concerts, sur notre lecteur myspace, dans les commentaires…
Amitiés,
JM
Captain Storm rocks les Trois Arts !
Le samedi 19 décembre 2009 à 20 h 30.
21, rue des Rigoles -
75020 Paris.
Entrée libre, possibilité restauration sur place.
Une équipe sympa, un joli endroit, une belle ambiance !
Métro Jourdain ou Pyrénées.
Yo Wilko Johnson, Whenever I listen to your music. I feel like singing too. But your talent is unmatched. How much time you spend to rehearse per day Wilko Johnson? Love ya. Jane PS:Follow Me Twitter at http://twitter.com/iaent
Yo Wilko Johnson, Whenever I listen to your music. I feel like singing too. But your talent is unmatched. How much time you spend to rehearse per day Wilko Johnson? Love ya. Te PS:Follow Me Twitter at http://twitter.com/iaent
Online Now!
