Ian :- Bob was the initial keyboard player in Magazine, gravitating to only their first three gigs and then disappearing from the face of the earth. In some circles, at least. In fact Bob is still active in music and writing, albeit detached from his New Wave associations entirely. He recently dropped into the ShotByBothSides.com guest book, and left the following message on 22 June 2001:
Since leaving Magazine back in the grey mists of the late seventies,I've been involved in a number of non-rock extra-curricula activities:systems music,contemporary dance scores,music therapy work,etc. There's alot more in life than the rich tapestry of rock!!! Over the last few years I've been working on a book 'Music and the Earth Spirit'which is a multi-cultural exploration of the ways humankind has used both sound and music to connect/commune with nature and the environment.It's published by Capall Bann.What else?Off to Nepal in August to research another book on world sacred music-should be an interesting experience with a maoist insurgency fermenting there! Also check out my Text Music web site--
Having read this, I fitfully decided to contact him and pry a little deeper. As is consistently the case with ex-Magazine members, he was only too happy to oblige and even offered to write his own idiosyncratic memoirs of a brief dalliance with fame. Random questions follow, but here is his story, as posted to me in two parts. All grammatical ticks are his own.
Bob writes :-
Sent: 10 July 2001
SCENE 1: Bob in Virgin Records, Manchester, sometime in July '77.Just finished doing some experimental music performances of Gavin Bryars' 'The Sinking of the Titanic'at the Peterloo Gallery with Dick Witts(founder of Manchester Musicians Collective and later drummer with 'The Passage').Saw the ad on the noticeboard in Virgin,something along the lines of "New Hormones:if you're interesting then we're interested".Phoned the number and it was this guy called Howard Devoto, who I'd never heard of(ignorance is bliss in the world of the avant-garde)--arranged to meet-up--
SCENE 2: THE MEETING WITH HOWARD. His flat somewhere in Salford (I think).Linder is around and seems more open and communicative than the reticent Mr.Devoto.Invited along to rehearse -initially to play violin.
SCENE 3: A REHEARSal STUDIO (SOMEWHERE UNDER THE FLOORBOARDS IN SalFORD) - John Scott, me and Howard.Listen to some demos of 'Shot' and other stuff. John plays guitar.Nice guy,very anti-fashion but high on technical guitar content.Connect with him more than with Howard who always seems to be intent on cutting the image of the 'serious' artist,once again, distant, not too talkative and not the warmest of individuals.Played some violin but Howard does not seem too keen and neither am I.
SCENE 4:Bob purchases this bog-standard Hohner electric piano plus wa-wah pedal--.Back to the rehearsal studio.John has gone and the other John is here along with Barry and Martin.Rehearsals start in earnest.
INTERLUDE: Rehearsals continue.Format of sessions stays fairly much standard from one to the other: establish a riff, repeat it over and over again mantra-like.Howard listens and listens and listens and listens and listens--Suddenly we are hearing words and then its like the sun exploding!!!!This feels special.A lingering thought however: whatever happened to John Scott?
PERSONal THOUGHTS: Never feel at ease with Howard.He seems to be aware of the fact that I'm not from the world of rock (at the time I was commuting back and forth from Keele University where I was researching a Ph.D into spatial aspects of electronic music in the states) and I feel that is a problem for him,mind you,I might be wrong--The whole fashion thing does not appeal to me.The music is inspiring and that first demo we did ('Shot','Suddenly' and something else),well,what more can I say. I get on with Jacko and discover he was into Kiss--Barry is really friendly,warm and open and a natural talent, totally unpretentious--John,friendly on the surface,but I'm sure that at this point discussions were taking place behind the scenes with Howard about my future with the band--
SCENE 5: ELECTRIC CIRCUS--to be continued
Sent: 11 July 2001
I THINK WE WERE AT SCENE 5: ELECTRIC CIRCUS:-
SLAUGHTER AND THE DOGS.BUZZCOCKS.JOHN COOPER CLARKE WAS ON AND FOR SOME REASON BORROWED MY PIANO.WE EXITED THROUGH THE AUDIENCE.GREAT SET-INCLUDED 'BIG DUMMY' WITH HOWARD CAVORTING WITH LIFE size DOLL ONSTAGE.
SCENE 6:RAFTERS,OXFORD STREET--
SUPPORTED BY THE FalL.HELPED OUT THIS MAGIC ACT WITH SOME PIANO BUSKING.BUZZCOCKS PLAYED. LOW CEILING. SWEATY ATMOSPHERE. CROWDED. CROWDED. CROWDED-SET INCLUDED 'SHOT','MY TULPA', 'BURST', 'LIGHT','MOTORCADE','DUMMY'(?),'TOUCH AND GO'.
SCENE 7: MEMORIES OF FURTHER CONVERSATIONS WITH HOWARD:-RECalL H.TalKING ABOUT BECKETT AND HOW HE WOULD LISTEN TO CONVERSATION AT PARTIES AND WRITE DOWN SNIPPETS OF WHAT HE HEARD.LOANED ME THIS BOOK(WHICH I NEVER RETURNED)CONTAINING SOUND POETRY AND OTHER EXPERIMENTal WORD STUFF(WAS SIGNED H.TRAFFORD!).
SCENE 8: HAVING COFFEE WITH THE FalL IN BURY IN COMPANY OF MARK E.SMITH AND UNA (ORIGINal KEYBOARD PLAYER).NOW THOSE GUYS WERE EASY TO COMMUNICATE WITH-NO PRETENSIONS,GREAT HONESTY AND REal CUTTING EDGE-
SCENE 9: DID A BIT OF MOONLIGHTING WHILST WITH MAGAZINE: GOT TOGETHER WITH DICK WITTS IN EXPERIMENTal DECONSTRUCTIVE ROCK DUO CalLED 'BOB AND HIS DICK'-WE DID SINGalONG VERSIONS OF SEX PISTOLS SONGS,MOTOWN STUFF AND REWRITINGS OF STRANGLERS AND BOWIE SONGS.VERY STRANGE.NOT A COVER BAND-DEFINITELY NOT,SORT OF ANTI-POP.LINE UP WAS PIANO ,VOCalS(DICK) AND CELLO(DICK).GIGGED AT SalFORD COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY.
SCENE 10:CREATION OF 'MOTORCADE': ONE LAZY SUMMER AFTERNOON IN THE BACK BEDROOM OF MY PARENTS HOUSE IN BURY.JUST SAT DOWN AT PIANO AND CAME UP WITH THIS STRANGE DISCORDANT OPENING AND THAT MELODY WITH THOSE AUGMENTED FOURTHS.SORT OF DERIVED FROM STUFF HEARD IN ERIK SATIE'S SOLO PIANO MUSIC-.TOOK ABOUT ONE HOUR TO WRITE.THEN IT WAS TO THE STUDIO FOR ARRANGING AND DEVELOPING WITH THE OTHER MEMBERS.
INTERLUDE 2: KEPT MEETING UP WITH OTHER MANCHESTER MUSICIANS. WROTE A SONG FOR A BAND 'SLIGHT SECONDS' LED BY VOCalIST KEV EDEN.TOGETHER WE WROTE THIS SONG CalLED 'BUILDING BRIDGES' WHICH ENDED UP ON THEIR FIRST alBUM ON OBJECT RECORDS.KEV HAS SINCE WRITTEN OFFICIal BIOGRAPHY OF 'WIRE' AND DONE MUCH INTERESTING WORK.CHECK HIM OUT.
SCENE 11: SIGNING CONTRACTS WITH VIRGIN IN LONDON.BEING DRIVEN TO THE MANOR STUDIOS BY SIMON DRAPER-SEEMED A NICE GUY BUT I'VE GOT THIS SNEEKING FEELING HE FELT THAT I DID'NT FIT IN--LISTENED TO ELECTRIC CIRCUS TAPES WITH THIS PRODUCER WHO WENT ONTO DO STUFF WITH SIMPLE MINDS (JOHN LECKIE?NOT TOO SURE)-THEY WERE SO FUCKING BAD-THE MANOR AT THAT TIME WAS ONE COOL PLACE WITH THESE GORGEOUS SCANDANAVIAN LADIES PREPARING FOOD--
SCENE 12: NOW THIS IS WHEN THINGS START GETTING TERMINal!!!.I AM ASKED TO ATTEND THIS MEETING AT A PUB IN CENTRal MANCHESTER.THE GIST OF WHAT HAPPENED WAS THAT BARRY KICKS IN FIRST BY SAYING THAT THE BAND FELT THAT I DID'NT REalLY FIT IN-I DID'NT STAY AROUND MUCH LONGER AFTER THAT-FELT USED AND DECEIVED-.HOWARD PAYS ME OFF WITH SOME PATHETIC SUM TO COVER MY TRAVEL EXPENSES FROM KEELE TO
MANCHESTER----------SCENE 13: BUT THEN!!!!MAYBE A FORTNIGHT LATER HOWARD PHONES ME AND ASKS TO MEET UP.I MEET HIM IN THIS CURRY HOUSE WHERE HE ASKS IF I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN GIGGING WITH THE BAND ON SOME DATES IN LONDON AND POSSIBLY WRITING SOME SONGS TOGETHER.I SAY THAT I WOULD THINK ABOUT IT-HOWEVER, THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE IN THE LAST DAYS HAD LEFT SUCH A BAD TASTE IN MY MOUTH THAT I THOUGHT,NO WAY,'TIMES UP' FOR ME WITH MAGAZINE-
SCENE 14: AFTER JACKO LEAVES THE BAND HE PHONES ME ASKING IF I WOULD LIKE TO PLAY IN THIS NEW BAND HE WAS GETTING TOGETHER.I DECLINE THE OFFER-HE SEEMS A LITTLE BITTER TOWARDS HOWARD AND THE BAND AS WAS JOHN SCOTT WHEN I BUMPED INTO HIM WHEN COLLECTING MY GEAR FROM THE REHEARSal STUDIO.
'BOB AND HIS DICK' SUPPORTING JOY DIVISION AT THE BAND ON THE WalL;
THE BELLE VUE GIG AT THE QUEEN ELIZABETH HalL.SET INCLUDED 'MOTORCADE','SHOT','LIGHT'.ON SAME BILL WERE THE PIRATES AND STEEL PULSE.I BELIEVE EXTRACTS FROM THIS GIG WERE SHOWN ON SOME NEW WAVE DOCUMENTARY SHOWN ON CHANNEL 4 AROUND 1987-88 IN ADDITION TO THE BROADCASTS YOU HAVE alREADY MENTIONED.
alSO: SINCE LEAVING MAGAZINE I GOT REalLY INTO ROCKCLIMBING.CAME ACROSS THIS CLIMBER CalLED GARY GIBSON WHO HAS CLIMBED LITERalLY HUNDREDS OF NEW ROUTES ON CLIFFS alL OVER ENGLAND.PRETTY DIFFICULT STUFF-EACH CLIMB HE NAMES AND A GREAT MANY ROUTES BEAR THE NAMES OF SONGS BY THE STRANGLERS AND MAGAZINE.I CAME ACROSS ONE OF HIS CLIMBS ON FROGATT EDGE IN THE PEAK DISTRICT NAMED 'MOTORCADE' AFTER MY OPUS WHICH INSPIRED HIS CLIMBING ON THIS ROUTE.CLIMBED IT MYSELF AND SOMEHOW PLACED A FULL- STOP ON alL THIS MAGAZINE STUFF--SOMETHINGS AT THE END OF THE DAY SEEM SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT AND INSPIRING THAN MERE MUSIC.YOU KNOW,PHYSICal,CONNECTING-WITH-NATURE STUFF,RETURNING TO A PRE-INDUSTRIal ERA AND DISCOVERING THE WARRIOR WITHIN--
FEEL FREE TO ASK ANY MORE QUESTIONS,
bob
Ian :- And then the questions that sparked some of the above, which were first put to Bob on 28 June 2001:
What do you remember of 'Suddenly We Are Eating Sandwiches'? Next to no one has heard it. Howard reckons it was a slowed-down version of 'My Mind Ain't So Open' with Beckett lyrics.
Can't remember too much about 'Sandwiches' but I've got a feeling it used the original music for 'Touch and Go'. Let me go into regression on that one! I vaguely remember Howard singing it--
You only performed three gigs, yep?
The gigs I did in those early days were: 'Rafters', Oxford Road, Manchester with The Fall, Buzzcocks(?) and a magic act who I was pressganged into playing keyboards for; 'Electric Circus' closing night with all the punk/new wave luminaries from the Manchester scene of the time (this was recorded by The Virgin Mobile but not released - probably due to everyone being out-of-tune!); TV recording for 'So it Goes' recorded at Belle Vue Manchester.Same gig included Steel Pulse and The Pirates on the billing. I believe Mick Hucknall was in the audience.
Dave reckons you created part of the arrangement for 'The Light Pours Out Of Me'. If you can check the interview with DF (see the link on the News page) there is a remark along these lines and I just wondered if you could add anything.
Yep, I did do the keyboard arrangements for 'The Light pours out of me'- those suspended chords fading in with slow filtering and pedal repeated E's over the top of the arrangement in the chorus.The only keyboard I was working with at the time was an electric piano with pedal effects.
If you have any further questions for Bob then drop me a line, I'll pass them on and we shall add to this page should the need arise.
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