Having interviewed Gary at last years 'London Voices' event I thought it was only right to catch up with the voice of London before he returns to Marylebone for 'Coming Home' on Monday 7th October. Without further a do here's what we chatted about...
MOU: What are your
early memories of living in Marylebone?
GC: Happy memories. We had
family who lived nearby back then. And lots of good friends. Playing out
in the street was a constant whilst I was one of those rare kids who actually
enjoyed school...mostly!
MOU: What was it like
growing up around here in particular attending Rutherford School?
GC: The real bonus living
in Marylebone/Paddington as far as I was concerned was that you were a 20
minute bus/tube ride from the West End.
So when Punk kicked in (I
was 15) I was immediately drawn to the clubs on and around Oxford Street and it
was only a short journey in which I took full advantage of.
The 159 bus became one of
my best friends and my route into town and guaranteed excitement.
Rutherford my school was
multi-racial and I loved the company of my school pals (some of them were the
funniest people I’ve ever met in my life) whilst a couple of the teachers were
particularly encouraging.
One in particular was our
English teacher Dave Meaden, who loved Pop music as much as we did and whose
lessons were always engaging and fun.
MOU: What was the first
single you ever bought?
GC: The first single I ever
bought with my own money was from Giljays on Church Street and was Rain by
Status Quo.
It’s easy to forget but
Quo were one of the cool bands before Punk exploded. So that’s my excuse!
MOU: How did your ‘The
Modern World’ Fanzine come into production?
GC: Fired by Punk and the
excitement and possibilities it offered, myself and my school pals immediately
wanted to get involved in
some way. We’d tried
forming a band but it never got past the discussion stage so gave up
quickly.
Excited by the fanzine
Sniffin Glue and others, my friends and I hijacked our school magazine and with
Mr Meaden’s help, turned it into our own version of a fanzine.
Being in the centre of
London and with me leading the charge we subsequently got to interview all our
favourites including the Jam, Clash, Pistols, Generation X etc.
MOU: What was your
favourite interview from that Fanzine?
GC: It would probably have to
be the interview with Joe Strummer. We literally bumped into
Joe in the street during a school lunch break. I asked if we could
interview him and he said yes. I asked if I could bring a
pal along and he said, ‘Of course’, but when word got around the school, I
think seven or eight of us turned up the next day at (The Clash’s Camden HQ)
Rehearsal Rehearsals!
But he was welcoming and
very encouraging. It meant a lot to us.
MOU: What bands are you
digging at the moment?
GC: I’ve always had
eclectic taste as s kid and new music from WH Lung, Flyte, PP Arnold and Adam
Green are all exciting me on my Saturday night radio show at the moment.
MOU: On leaving school
in 1978 you took up a junior position at Decca Records and then went
onto taking over from Danny Baker at the NME as a telephone receptionist…
What are your memories of this time?
GC: All good! I’ve fond
memories of both of those jobs. I was 17/18 years years of
age and working in the West End with people who were interesting
and mostly encouraging and the late 70s of course
was such an exciting, vibrant, eclectic time for music. I was out almost every
night going to see a real
mixed bag of new bands.
MOU: What was your
introduction to Mod?
GC: My introduction
was through my Auntie Christine and Uncle Dave who were top Mods from
North West London. I literally would sit them
both down and interview them! At school my ‘60s
obsession spilled over to the point where I would gear every school project
that was given to me and make it about the 60s, so I could write about Mod and
other youth cults.
The book Generation X
became my bible. So when I started hearing
about this new wave of bands coming through via the music papers in late
'76/early '77, I was ready! And the two bands that
encapsulated the energy and positivity of Punk/New Wave were the Jam and the
Clash. Those were my favourites.
MOU: What bands are you digging
at the moment?
GC: I’ve always had eclectic
taste as s kid and new music from WH Lung, Flyte, PP Arnold and Adam Green are
all exciting me on my Saturday night radio show at the moment.
MOU: What is your
favourite track at the moment?
GC: Holy Ghost! -
"Do This" I cannot get enough of it and it puts a big dopey smile on
my face and makes me wanna dance. I love the scratchy Chic guitar...
MOU: Sum up London in
one sentence…
GC: "London Pride means our
own dear town to us, and our pride it for ever will be." Copyright Noel Coward.
Coming Home – An Evening
with Gary Crowley takes place at The Cockpit, London NW8 on Monday 7th
October and tickets are £10 from here!
