Dr Feelgood's Canvey (and surrounding areas!) Pt 1 of 3

I can't think of any other band who continued to nail their colours to the local mast quite as much as Dr Feelgood. Even when success came their way, they remained loyal to their home town... Photo shoots, album launches, live gigs, auditions and (incredibly) the bands first eight albums all had some local connection to them.

Over the last couple of months I've been on the trail of Dr Feelgood, hunting down these local landmarks that plot the history of the band. How many would I find still in tact all these years on? This project turned into something of a beast along the way, as the remit got wider and wider the more I delved, so I've had to split it into three parts....

So, to celebrate next weeks much anticipated DVD release of the fabulous Dr Feelgood movie 'Oil City Confidential', I'll be sharing my findings over the next week or so.... Here's part one. (with thanks to Chris Fenwick and Ann Adley from Feelgood HQ who helped me out when I got a bit stuck, much appreciated!)

As a child, I lived in Benfleet, Essex. The same train station at which you alight for Canvey Island. So growing up in 70's Benfleet, the name Dr Feelgood was always legendary. But to me, as a 9/10 year old, 'the name' was really all I knew. The first time that I actually heard them was in early 1979, when their single 'Milk and Alcohol' entered the charts (at the age of 12, I was now heavily into 'chart' music). I loved it, and as soon as my pocket money was in, it was off to Kelly's Radios in Hadleigh to buy it... in fab brown coloured vinyl too! I adored the picture cover, with it's beer bottle design, and I carried it in to school for days afterwards! (why did we do that? Please tell me you used to take records into school too?!) A couple of months later and I spotted the follow up single - As Long As The Price Is Right - in Golden Disc, Southend. The cover design of a close up of a woman in a bra made it THE most outrageous single I ever did buy!

But I still really knew nothing about these beer swillin', bra lovin' Canvey-ites... It seems odd now that people could be so ignorant about bands, but this was all pre-internet, and it was pretty hard to find out much about anyone back then. So whilst us kids waited for Wikipedia to be invented, we did the next best thing, which was make stuff up! My mates and I were now convinced that Dr Feelgood were an outrageous punk band from Canvey, who had been involved in a number of fights with the likes of the Clash, Sex Pistols and Stranglers - they'd won them all too! Whenever a smashed up phone box or bus shelter was spotted, it was always assumed that the Feelgoods had done it on a wild night out!

In the early 80's I had a number of friends who were a few years older than me (all met via the CB Radio!), and I was introduced to a number of 'new' bands by them. They pretty much all loved the Feelgoods, and bombarded me with tapes of their songs... These same mates took me to see Dr Feelgood live (around 1982/3), and it was just about my first ever 'proper' gig.... turned out they weren't punks at all! Of course the line-up had changed a bit by then, but I was oblivious to that at the time, and all these years on, I still have very vivid memories of frontman Lee Brilleaux's incredible performance.

But even after seeing them, it still took a number of years for me to really appreciate just how big a band they were, how influential they had been, and just how loyal they were to their Canvey roots. I wanted to retrace the local steps of Dr Feelgood and try to document the importance of the local area on the band and vica versa. But in order to do that, let's go back a bit....

Lee Collinson was born in 1952, and in the mid-60's his family moved to Canvey Island, where his grandfather already lived. He was soon making new pals on the island, and in particular Chris White, who quickly became his best friend. Lee and Chris were almost inseparable and would spend all their free time playing together. Chris soon introduced Lee to another local lad, John Sparkes (born 1953).

Lee, Chris and John went along to a carnival talent competition, and were impressed by a local band called The North Avenue Jug Band, featuring a guitarist by the name of John Wilkinson (born 1947). John had originally been in a band called The Roamers, with his school mate John Martin (born 1946). But when John Martin left to join The Essex Five, The Roamers had mutated into the Jug Band. John Wilkinson was obsessed with the beat bands of the 60's, and in particular Johnny Kidd and the Pirates. He loved the style of guitarist Mick Green, who had a unique talent of being able to play both lead and rhythm guitar at the same time - a trick John would soon adopt. John had saved up, bought himself a Fender Telecaster, taught himself to play and was now determined to follow in his hero's footsteps.

Inspired by seeing The North Avenue Jug Band, Lee, Chris and John formed the first of what was to become a number of childhood jug bands - 'The Southside Jug Band'. Over the years they would become 'The Razzmatazz Washboard Band', 'The Frisco Bay Jug Band' and even 'Chris White and his Mad Mates'! They would busk all round Canvey - Youth Clubs, The Corner Club, The Canvey Club, The Monico, The Admiral Jellicoe and The Oyster Fleet (more about some of these venues in the next installments!) - and parts of Kent too.

In the meantime, John Wilkinson (now going by the rearranged nickname of Wilko Johnson) had tried out another couple of bands (The Flowerpots and The Fix), before turning his back on music and heading off to Newcastle University. After Uni he went for an extended sabbatical in India, only returning to England when diagnosed with hepatitis. Back in Canvey, he started work as a supply teacher in the local schools.... his guitar laying unplayed for over 4 years.

During this time, Lee and John Sparkes had become members of Wilko's old band - The Fix, along with Lew Lewis and Dave Higgs (who would both go on to be members of Eddie and the Hot Rods), eventually leaving to form The Pigboy Charlie Band. The line up of the band seemed forever in a state of flux, but guess who Lee bumped into in Canvey just after the departure of the lead guitarist?? The wanderer returned, Wilko Johnson! The new look Pigboy Charlie Band soon decide on a new name for the new decade, taken from a Johnny Kidd and the Pirates song.... DR FEELGOOD.

Dr Feelgood played their first ever gig at Cloud 9 disco, Canvey seafront.

(Pre-Cloud 9 in the 1940's/1950's)

(Club Astairs - Circa 2000)

Cloud 9 Disco. By the mid 70's it had been renamed Bardot's and by late 90's/early 2000's it was called 'Astairs'... Today? Well, there's not even a name over the club anymore, and no clear indication that it's even still open. Perhaps the best it can hope for these days is to become an extension of 'Fraggles Rock Bar and Function Room' at some point?!

(Cloud 9\Bardot's\Club Astairs - June 2010)

The band soon picked up a number of local gigs, including residencies at The Railway pub in Pitsea and the Top Alex pub in Southend. There are also regular bookings at The Esplanade and The Palace in Southend.

(The Railway Pub - 1960's)

The Railway is (about to be 'was') a HUGE building.... 11,000 square foot of pub (really!). Built sometime in the 1920's, it sits at the top of Pitsea market, and has been a very prominent landmark of the town ever since. Like so many classic 'old boozers' it's fallen on hard times, and finally closed in 2006. Up until recently it had been humiliated even further by being turned into a car wash:

(The Railway Pub, Pitsea - June 2010)

Now the car wash has gone too, and The Railway awaits the bull-dozers, ready for yet more flats...

(The Railway Pub, Pitsea - July 2010)

(The 'Top Alex' - June 2010)

The Top Alex. Oddly, there used to be another 'Alex' pub in the same street, so as this one was at the 'top' of the road, it was renamed to avoid confusion. It was a legendary biker pub in the 1970's, and was always quite a scary looking place when I was a kid! It's had a number of name changes over the years (most recently it was the 'Fish and Firkin'), but I'm pleased to say it once again carries the name 'The Alex'. The other Alex has long since gone (now a building society), so I guess the 'Top' bit was a bit redundant this time round!

(The Esplanade - July 2010)

The Esplanade was a lovely sweaty, dark and dank live venue, situated right along Southend seafront. That is, up until about eight or ten years or so, when it became a much needed family 'fun' pub (yes, there was irony in that sentence), which it still is today. I saw lots of bands here in the 80's and 90's, most memorably when they somehow got Primal Scream at the height of their power as a Glasto (or possibly Reading) warm up. Pearl Jam played their first ever UK show here too (in Feb 1992).

(The Palace Hotel - June 2010)

The Palace opened in 1904, and was originally called the Metropole Hotel. I've already covered the history of the Palace fairly comprehensively in a previous post here if you fancy a looky-see!

By this point, Lee's best friend Chris White had gone into acting, and due to there already being a 'Chris White' on Equity's books, he was now using his mothers maiden name - Fenwick. Whilst at a wedding in Holland, Fenwick managed to blag a few Dutch gigs for the Feelgoods. Up until this point, the role of drummer had been a rather flexible affair, but in order to honour the Dutch shows, the band decided they now needed a permanent fixture on the kit. Wilko suggested his old mate from The Roamers, John Martin... thus the line-up was complete:

Lee 'brillo' Collinson (soon to be known as Lee Brilleaux) - Lead Vocals
John Wilkinson (Wilko Johnson) - Lead Guitar
John B Sparkes (Sparko) - Bass
John Martin (The Big Figure) - Drums

A Lee and three Johns... no wonder they were keen on nicknames!

In the early 70's, there was a familiar face living in the local area and working at the Basildon office of the local newspaper The Evening Echo.... 60's popster Heinz Burt (yes he of The Tornadoes and 'Just Like Eddie' fame). Heinz was now a sales rep, and a pretty good one too (after four years he was promoted to advertising manager at the Evening Echo’s sister paper, the Thurrock Gazette). Despite his new role with the Echo, he still performed the odd show here and there when asked. Heinz became aware of the Feelgoods, and asked them if they would like to be his 'backing band' for a series of upcoming gigs. The boys agreed, and a (by all accounts) mediocre tour took place. The Feelgoods would perform on their own for the first 45 minutes or so, and then Heinz would join them for the 'main event'. However, their short association with Heinz did provide them with one defining moment. In 1972 Heinz was asked to appear on the bill of the 'London Rock and Roll show' at Wembley Stadium. The unknown (outside of Canvey!) Feelgoods suddenly found themselves sharing a bill with names such as Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Chuck Berry and Bill Haley. There were a few other unknowns on the bill though, including a little outfit called the MC5! The Feelgoods were blown away with their performance (particularly Wilko), and it all went into the pot to shape and mold how the band were progressing.

1973, and there's a big scene taking off in London, pubs are starting to put on gigs in backrooms, upstairs etc etc. Unsurprisingly the scene is labelled 'pub rock' . It wasn't long before Dr Feelgood got the call to join in, and they played their first gig at the Tally Ho in Kentish Town (this pub finally closed in 2006, to make way for a development of flats which now go by the name of 'The Tally Ho Apartments'). Very soon afterwards they became 'the' band on this circuit. DJ Bob Harris caught one of their blistering live shows, and immediately asked them to appear on his radio show. Up until that point, the Dr Feelgood set-list had consisted entirely of cover versions. However, the night before appearing on the Bob Harris show, Wilko decided they should have some of their own material, and starts to write 'She Does It Right'... incredibly, they perform it as part of their set on the radio the very next day!

All the ingredients were complete... Lee with his love of American R&B, Wilko with his love of beat and rock, the tightest rhythm section around in Sparko and The Big Figure, and now writing their own material too. This fused the band into something genuinely different for that time, and people were taking notice. The phrase 'godfather(s) of punk' is an over used one. Musically it was certainly on the right track, but in attitude they were 24 carat proto punks...Wilko with his odd jerky actions, manic stare and snarling guitar solos, Brilleaux with his genuinely menacing and intimidating stage presence and '60-a-day' gravel voice. It wasn't long before the Feelgoods became 'the' live band on the circuit, and they were soon knocking out an incredible 250+ gigs a year (a figure they would continue to achieve every year for decades). It's no surprise that the lads were soon signed up to a record label, United Artists.

By this time, Chris Fenwick was officially the bands manager (he still is to this day). To celebrate his 18th birthday, Chris had been given a plot of land in Canvey by his father who was a builder. A house (with a rehearsal room attached) was soon built on the plot, and christened Feelgood House. Chris and Lee quickly moved in, and the house became the Feelgood operations room for the next few years.

(Feelgood House #1 - July 2010)

As a live act the band were untouchable, but the next task was to try and capture that sound for an album... In August 1974 the band went into the studio to record their debut album. Recording went well, but once at the mixing stage, concerns were aired. The band didn't like the 'stereo' sound of Wilko coming out of one speaker, and Sparko coming out of the other. To everyones amazement (particularly the record labels!) the band insisted on the album being mixed in mono.

Dr Feelgoods 1st Album: Down By The Jetty is released in January 1975. The cover photo is taken, erm... down by the jetty!

(Down By The Jetty - 1975)

(Piley Down By The Jetty - June 2010)

Canvey Island sits below sea level in the Thames estuary, and is protected by a 15 mile concrete sea wall. It's unsurprising then, that the sea and the sea wall featured so heavily in many classic Feelgood publicity shots. The Down By The Jetty photo shoot was done in the early hours of the morning, just as the day was dawning. The lads had only just arrived home from a gig and had not yet slept, hence the rather haggard looks! Here's another couple of shots from that early morning shoot:

(STILL Down By The Jetty! - 1975)

(Down By The Jetty - July 2010)
(Down By The Jetty - June 2010)

The Jetty is right alongside the Lobster Smack pub, which was one of the bands favourite local hostelries.

(The Lobster Smack - early 1900's)

(The Lobster Smack - June 2010)

The Lobster Smack is without doubt the oldest public house on Canvey Island, and is thought to have been constructed as early as 1600 (there are tiles on the roof which have been dated as far back as 1510). Charles Dickens was aware of this place, and sent Magwitch and Pip there to hide out whilst they waited for the Continental steamer in Great Expectations (the capture of Magwitch, the fight in the boat and the arrival of the Hamburg steamer all took place just around the corner from here at Deadman's Point). It was a well known pub to be frequented by smugglers and pirates. There was a time when only Dutch was spoken in this pub, as it was almost exclusivly frequented by sailers from Dutch fishing ships. In the late 1700's, The Lobster Smack was famous for bare-knuckle fighting! There is one memorable bout that lasted 62 rounds, it was only called to a halt because it got dark, and was declared a draw! Ouch!

A couple more photos from the 'Down By The Jetty' shoot:

(Down By The Sea - June 2010)

That's it for part one. Part 2 is here, and Part 3 is here.

If this post has got you all buzzed up for another slice of Feelgood, be sure to pick up Oil City Confidential when it's released on Monday (26th July). You can order it here on Amazon, or buy it via the bands official outlet Cadiz here who have a couple of great packs going on (DVD and T-Shirt, DVD and poster). It'll also be available in all good music shops (an no doubt some rubbish ones as well!).

I can also highly recommend the excellent biography 'Down By The Jetty' by Tony Moon, which has been invaluable in helping me research this project. It's just been updated this year, and is also available on Amazon here

Visit the official Dr Feelgood website here


VIDEOS
Finally, here's a few clips to compliment the Feelgood era covered in part one...

Here's Heinz (with a young Dr Feelgood in tow) at the London Rock and Roll Show, performing a truly awful version of C'mon Everybody! 1972


Dr Feelgood perform Keep It Out Of Sight, Roxette and She Does It Right on OGWT 1975


She Does It Right (live on The Geordie Scene) 1975



Piley

Take a Peek at Pekar...

I dug out some of my Harvey Pekar books and comics on Monday night, and have been engrossed ever since. Not read some of these for a while, but within minutes his work was once again hitting the right spot, and making me think all over again.

Under the circumstances I found this short three page strip from 1978 (when Harvey was still in his late 30's) rather poignant, and thought I'd scan and share it.

This strip is a good example of his more thought provoking work. On one hand you can see why some people found his stuff 'boring', as on the face of it, I guess not a lot happens, yet on the other hand it speaks volumes (to me anyway).

Piley

Harvey Pekar - RIP

Bloody hell... for the 3rd time in as many months I find myself typing a post with the words 'RIP' in the title, and this is the second comic related one.

One of my favourite, favourite comic writers died earlier today, Harvey Pekar, aged 70. I already blogged about Harvey and his career a couple of years back (here), so forgive me if some of this post ends up being a little similar.

Harvey was an acquired taste, and a grouchy one at that! you either loved his stuff or hated it, and I loved it! He started making comics after being introduced to local underground artist Robert Crumb in the 1960s. Harvey was intrigued with Crumb's comics, and he decided to try and create some of his own... only problem was, Harvey couldn't draw! He created his strips using stick figures, showed them to Crumb, who loved them and drew them for him. Harvey's very own comic American Splendor was born soon after, and over the years many more artists would provide the drawings for his strips. I loved the fact that for many years he was getting them all printed himself, stapling them together in his front room, and distributing them from home. I think I'd be right in saying that Harvey never really made any money out of comics for almost 20 years, and rarely re-couped the cost of each issue. But this is no way reflects on the quality of his work, it's intelligent and often profound stuff. It's just in the 70's and 80's in particular, there was simply no market for what Harvey did - real life comics for real life adults. He had pretty much invented the genre, and at that time, everyone assumed that comics were just 'superheros' and made for kids (which bar the odd exception was correct)

His strips were almost the equivalent of blogging in comic form, and in the 70s they would have been so completely different to what anyone else was doing. Harvey would simply log what was going on in his life, in his hometown of Cleveland, every day stuff, it all meant so much to Harvey. Sometimes these stories would whip over your head leaving you cold, but other times they would smash into your heart like a sledgehammer. Harvey was a real thinker, he'd sit and analyse stuff, worry about things, and put it all down.

Harvey was a unique guy for a comic book writer, because pretty much up until the last few years of his life, he continued to have a proper day job (he was a File Clerk in a hospital for almost 40 years until he retired in the early 2000's). Indeed, it was the day job that gave him so much of his material, it was almost like you couldn't have one without the other, although his relative lack of success meant he was always reliant on the income from his job. He was the most 'down to earth' guy you could meet, and as such his comics really spoke to the man on the street, because Harvey was that guy too. Even the 'tag-line' of American Splendor was "ordinary life is pretty complex stuff" (and as I confessed in my original post on Harvey, I may well have been somewhat inspired by this when I came up with the tag-line for this blog!)

In the 80s he became a rather unlikely star of the David Letterman show. Harvey had gone on as a guest in 1986, but his no nonsense chat went down a storm with the viewers, and he was invited back another 5 times in the next year or so. He became the resident grouch of the show, and would come on and moan about topical stories... but that was until he moaned about the wrong thing! In his last appearance he ranted live on air about General Electric, who he had a beef with at the time due to the money they were putting into manufacturing weapons. Trouble was General Electric were also the owners of NBC, who put out the Letterman show! It all got a bit heated and Harvey was banned for life! (although I think he did eventually go back once or twice a decade or two later).

In 1990 he was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer, which he would eventually beat. His struggle with the disease became a powerful graphic novel 'Our Cancer Year' - a 'no-punches-pulled' depiction of the hell both he and his wife went through.

Just as Harvey was retiring, a film was made based on his many autobiographical comic strips. American Splendor the movie was a real joy, and Paul Giamatti captured our man perfectly. It's a really quirky film, and there are moments where the on-screen Harvey comes face to face with the real one!
Harvey had not released any comics lately, the last 4 issue 'mini-series' of American Splendor came out June - September 2008, but these were still as good as his early work. The guy just had a perfect eye for picking out human life. I wonder if Harvey continued working on any more strips after these comics? Perhaps he has left behind a series of unpublished 'stick figures', that may be brought to life as a final tribute?

At this moment it is unclear what Harvey died of today, although he was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Harvey may sadly be gone, but he leaves behind almost forty years of his life in comic strip form. I hope someone will now finally sort them out and do his work justice with a full chronological reprint of his work. He deserves to be kept on the shelf.

I'll be digging out a few of his books later tonight, and will have a good 'ol moan in honour of the man!

RIP Harvey.

VIDEOS:

'that' appearance on David Letterman (it all gets going at around the 7 minute mark... is Harvey the most 'un-celeb' guest you've ever seen on a show like this??!):



Trailer for the wonderful American Splendor movie:

Piley

Marc Almond at the Jazz Cafe - Live Review

Marc Almond Live at The Jazz Cafe, June 2010

I've mentioned before that Marc Almond gigs are something of a varied beast. Always a fabulous evening of course, but after 27 years of going to see him live, I've all but given up on trying to second guess his setlists. This show was no exception.... taking place just 48 hours after the release of his brand new album (Varieté), my money would have been on an almost 'track-by-track' run through of it. But as usual I was way off the mark...

A Marc gig in a small venue usually means two and a half hours of intense, soul wrenching songs of doom, gloom and unrequited love - all played in 'pin-drop' respectful silence. But with this small venue being the 'all standing' Jazz Cafe in Camden (part of a week long series of gigs at the venue hosted by Mojo Magazine to celebrate the Mojo awards), Marc allows himself a rare opportunity to let his hair down and have fun! Hence he trots out songs from his bulging back-catalogue that I've not seen him perform in over 20 years... and one or two I'm not sure I've ever seen him do live.

Marc looks incredibly relaxed and fresh faced as he and his stripped down band take to the stage via the diners on the second floor (an odd set up that you have to see to understand!). There are a smattering of tracks from the new album in evidence tonight (Intro, Nijinsky Heart, The Exhibitionist, Trials Of Eyeliner, Bread And Circus, Cabaret Clown, Variety) but the majority of the set consists of rare outings for some of Marc's livelier numbers (the ones that get the least live airings these days). He looks as though he's really relishing this chance to let himself go - like the studious kid allowed to bring a toy into class on the last day of term - and enjoying the rare opportunity to not be tearing at his soul in agony with his heartfelt torch songs.

Incredibly, Marc is celebrating 30 years of being a recording artist this year (where did those years go?!), and to mark the occasion is touring his rarely performed 'hits' at the back end of the year. But tonight he seems to be celebrating those 3 score years a little early, as we skip through the decades with a perfectly chosen setlist, guaranteed to please Marc fans from any era.... Joey Demento from his debut solo album in 1984, Tears Run Rings from 1988, Jacky from 1991, Brilliant Creatures from 1996, Black Kiss and Open All Night from 1999... the list goes on. But the biggest surprise for me is the performance of the very first Marc and the Mambas track to ever be released, way back in 1982 - the fan club only 12" single Sleaze (the same year Soft Cell released 'Say Hello Wave Goodbye'). The addition of a Hammond organ to this arrangement gave the track a great new groove, and provided it with a whole new lease of life. Marc has always fused this song with a few bars of 'Walk on the Wild Side', but tonight he extends his Lou Reed tribute to a full two minutes worth.

It's too difficult to leave the stage at the Jazz Cafe prior to your encore. I've seen a few gigs here over the years and everyone does the same thing.... Tonight's no exception, and rather than climb all the way up the rickety stairs that go directly from the stage up to the restaurant on the 2nd floor, it's really much easier to just ask the crown if they want some more!

There's an odd phenomenon in music, and when artists get older, they sometimes feel awkward about playing songs from their youth (how does Daltrey feel singing "hope I die before I get old" these days I wonder?). I particularly remember reading Bowie saying he felt uncomfortable performing much of his Ziggy era songs in his later years. There is none of that here though, as Marc reels out Bedsitter and Tainted Love, both from 1981. Bedsitter in particular is spot on, sounds better than ever, and Marc looks cooler than ever performing it. We finish with the second Northern Soul song of the encore, Kenny Robert's lost classic 'Run Like The Devil'.... after which Marc jokes that his next album might be a collection of obscure Northern Soul songs! Ha ha! we all laugh, then slowly all realise that actually, that would be a fabulous idea!

So everyone leaves with a big silly grin on their face (not least Marc, who has danced, laughed and enjoyed himself as much as anyone), if this is a teaser of what's to come in the autumn, then the 30th anniversary tour should be one to catch at all costs. And what a treat I have in store... opening night? Southend! (front row, natch!).

VIDEOS

Sleaze (with a large dash of 'Walk on the Wild Side for good measure):


Bedsitter:


Bread and Circus (from the new album Varieté):

Piley

Stephen Pickard: Chapter Four - More From Pinewood

It's time for another facinating peep behind the camera with our ex-Southend friend in the know, Stephen Pickard. This chapter takes us into the 1970's, and covers the remainder of his time at Pinewood.

Once again, although I was established in the studios I found myself hitting a brick wall with regards to changing jobs. It was next to impossible to make the transition into 'sound' because of the trade union situation - NATKE (projectionists) and ACTT (film technicians). Unless you had a relative in the business (or there happened to be no ACTT members available for work) there was little chance of making the move. The only way to ease across was as a Trainee Boom Assistant, as you didn't necessarily have to be a member of ACTT for this job. So I went to the Sound Department head, Cyril Crowhurst, to ask him to give me a break and luckily for me it worked.

In May, 1969 I started work on J & K Stages, which were only three years old, on the TV sit-com "Up She Goes" (later to be titled "From A Birds Eye View"). The same day, Billy Wilder started shooting the film "Private Life of Sherlock Holmes" on the newly constructed 'Baker Street' set on the back lot. At lunch time I went on the set and chatted to the sound crew. The sound mixer was Jock May (who was Hammer's main production mixer during their golden period at Bray), and the Boom Operator was Charlie Wheeler. I was warned that he was a tough Union man to work for, but I got to like him a lot and he taught me much about the job. The leads, Millicent Martin, Patte Finley and Peter Jones were all very friendly. Likewise, Ralph Levy, who was a superb experienced TV Director. Jeff Seaholme, famous for the Ealing Films, was our camera operator and I got along with him really well too. Unfortunately, he had a falling out with the Director and was dismissed. I told him I was sorry to see him go and on his departure he gave me a whole pile of back issues of "Films and Filming" which I still have.

At this time Nagra quarter-inch Swiss tape recorders were steadily taking over the British Film Industry as the standard for production sound recording. Since the introduction of magnetic film at the beginning of the 50's production sound was either recorded onto 17 1/2 or 35mm single stripe magnetic film. "Up She Goes" was recorded onto 35mm single stripe magnetic film. The audio was picked by a D-25 microphone onto a Fisher 'boom' and was routed through a small 'floor' mixer and then sent to a small 'monitor' room located on the side of the sound stage.

My job as 'Boom Assistant' was to come on to the stage in the morning at least an hour before the crew arrived and lay cables connecting the boom to the mixer and the monitor recording room and a cable from the mixer to the camera. Next, I had to wheel the Fisher 'boom' on to the stage from the sound department. Thr Fisher boom was an instrument on wheels with a platform to stand on and an arm that extended several feet and at the end of it was affixed the microphone. The operator could control with ease the position of the microphone over the actors by extending the arm and swivelling the microphone to the correct angle of the emitting speaking voice. The wheels were like small car tyres and could extend or contract to fit through narrow areas. They had to be extended when being transported to and from the stage. Every assistant had had the harrowing experience of tipping the fragile boom over on it's side at one time or another, and I was no exception! One day upon leaving the stage I forgot to extend the wheels and when I went over the ramp underneath the large stage doors, over it went! Fortunately I wasn't fired for my mistake, but the sound department were obviously not happy with me for days after.

Jock May (sound mixer) did not like me at all. Part of my job was to listen for the 'local' phone which was attached to the side of the mixer. It's major function was to signal to the recordist in the monitor room when to start the recorder. This was done by pressing a button on the phone once, Jock would then wait for two 'beeps' and this would indicate that the recorder was up to 'speed'. He would then motion to the assistant director, Ron Purdie, that the sound crew were ready and the camera crew could commence shooting. On one occasion I missed the phone ringing because I was talking to somebody, and this annoyed Jock greatly. As a result he told me that I should find another job and stay out of the sound department. Well fortunately, this didn't materialise as here I am forty years later still working in the sound department!

Another chore I had as a boom assistant was as a 'grip'. When actors walk from position a to b, which could be any distance, the camera and often the boom has to follow (track). This procedure was not easy. I had to first observe the position of the camera, which was on a 'dolly' a four-wheeled 'transport' which supports the heavy camera. The camera 'grip' can move forward, backward or sharply from side to side by simply turning the steering column handle. Camera tape or chalk marks are placed on the floor as a guide to actors and technicians showing where the camera will move. I then had to follow the camera and make sure I knew when the camera dolly was going to stop so I didn't bump into it. I recall this happened at least once. My wheels bumped into the camera dolly which sent a vibration through to the camera. The camera operator, observing the action through the viewfinder immediately called 'cut' when he felt the sharp movement. This was before the completion of the series and I thought I had been fired. Fortunately I was just re-assigned.

It was at this time that the ACTT Trade Union were reviewing my application and deciding whether or not to grant me membership. There were several people that were opposed to the idea. I have to thank Graham Hartstone, who I heard managed to sway the decision of the board into granting me membership. Graham was a sound technician at the time when I went to work at Pinewood in August '68 and he eventually was promoted to Dubbing Mixer and then as department head before he retired a few years ago.

In August, '69 I was assigned as a boom assistant to a picture called Tam-Lin (The Devil's Daughter). This was the first production to utilise the new L & M Stages. These were identical in design to J & K Stages, built on the opposite side of the studio right on the edge facing Black Park - a large heavily wooded area with a lake and large grass patches and long narrow rough unmade roads. This site is well known as a filming location, and Hammer Films (and Pinewood) used it on many of their productions. "Tam-Lin' was a production made by companies Commonwealth United and Winkast Productions (Jerry Gershwin & Elliot Kastner - who had produced "Where Eagles Dare" the previous year). The director was actor Roddy McDowall. The film had been on location in Scotland and had returned to the studio for filming interiors and other local areas. The sound crew were mixer Bill Daniels and the boom operator was Gus Lloyd. Together they had worked on many Pinewood productions. The continuity lady was Penny Daniels who was married to Bill. The production moved a lot slower compared to working on a TV series due to the more critical lighting methods, camera set-ups and longer rehearsals with the actors. Ava Gardner and Ian McShane were the main stars and the film's plot featured the opportunity for many young actors who would soon develop their own careers, including Stephanie Beacham, Joanna Lumley and Madeline Smith. Also featured were daughters of established players such as Jenny Hanley (daughter of Jimmy) and Sinead Cusack (daughter of Cyril).

I worked on this film for almost two months and it was a happy experience all the way. We had a few interesting people visit the set. Among them were Allan Ladd Jnr. and Stanley Mann, both were either producer/writers on the film. Lee Remick also visited the set on one occasion. She was involved with our assistant director Kip Gowans and, if they weren't already, they would eventually marry. My duties were the same as on "Up She Goes\From A Birds Eye View". Occasionally a second microphone was required for odd dialog lines at a distance where the main boom mike could not access in time. On these occasions I would have to plant myself, often on the set eg. hidden behind a couch out of camera range holding a 'stick' with a microphone on the end.

Usually at the end of production there is always an 'end of production party' when all members of the cast and crew get together on one of the stages for a final get together. This was the only occasion that I had the opportunity for a brief conversation with Ava Gardner who was a very charming and lovely lady. These parties can often be an emotional time, as with long shooting schedules, people form close relationships. For some people these were colleges with whom they would never work with again.

Working on film and TV production, for most of the crew is a 'free-lance' career. Once the film is over you are unemployed and it could be months or the following Monday before you are employed again. In the 1960's the sound department, mixers, boom operators, sound camera recordists and boom assistants were 'on staff' studio employees. Eventually, as time went on they would also become free-lance. Fortunately my employment continued and I was moved over to Theatre #5 in October, '69 and remained there until Spring '74. This was the ADR / Foley recording theatre where post production dialogue and sound effects are recorded.

During my time there I met many actors and directors. For a 21/22 year-old film buff on the loose in a film studio, with so much activity and creativity going on, it was like being in a huge amusement park. Although the job was strict, during the quiet moments I could wander the studio halls and stages. Although some of the sets were closed, e.g. "The Devils" most were not and at every opportunity I would witness the shooting and make friends at the same time. As I had mentioned in a previous post, I had seen "Lawrence of Arabia" in 70mm many times at the Metropole, Victoria in London and "Doctor Zhivago" at least twice in 70mm at the Empire, Leicester Square. The next Lean film was announced and was to be shot in Ireland. Months and weeks went by and "Michael's Day" as it was known then (later to be "Ryans Daughter"), was coming to the end of it's shooting schedule. There was no thought in my mind that the film would come to Pinewood for Post Production, I thought Shepperton would get the job as his last British based production ("Lawrence") was done there. It was early - mid 1970 and I was now working in Theatre 5 which dealt with the recording of dialog and sound effects. (I started as a Boom Assistant on the shooting stages and in late '69 moved into Theatre 5). One day, quite out of the blue it was announced that Pinewood would be handling all the Post Production chores. This meant that the editing crew would move into the studios' cutting rooms. David Lean and his editor Norman Savage had one room and the first and second assistants had the other. There were several sound editors headed by the legendary Winston Ryder. He and Lean went back many years together.

In a matter of days, appointments were made for the recording of the sound effects and post dialog or ADR. We called it the virgin loop system, 'looping'. This consisted of a small amount of the picture cut into a loop. The corresponding production soundtrack was cut to match match. A piece of 35mm unrecorded magnetic film was also cut into a loop and the three pieces of film ran syncronised or interlocked together. The actor would look at the picture loop projected up on the screen while listening to the 'guide track' on a headphone. He will then record his voice onto the magnetic film and try to match it to his lips on the screen. The sound editor, who is supervising the session will tell the actor when he has succeeded in getting the 'sync' and the performance right. The sound editor will then take the newly recorded sound back to the cutting room and refine the sync further with the picture.

The music, it was decided, would be recorded at Denham Studios. There were no music recording facilities at Pinewood. Cyril Crowhurst, who was Pinewood's Sound Department superviser oversaw the installation of a proper scoring stage at Denham in 1946. Denham and Pinewood were two massive studios built in the mid thirties and during the second world war Denham continued to shoot films while Pinewood war used more for storage and other war related missions. After the war in 1945 the two studios used each others facilities and the credit on many productions displayed the D and P logo. The Denham scoring stage, in 1966, was taken over by Ken Cameron's company Anvil, who were formerly at a small studio by the name of Beaconsfield. Ken Cameron was an expert in recording, especially in music. He made his name in the forties and fifties creating soundtracks for many shorts and documentaries. Among his many clients were Hammer Films of which all the classic gothic soundtracks were created there at Beaconsfield. As Ken was drawing close to retiring age he hired Eric Tomlinson who was at the time working at CTS in Bayswater London. Eric was the scoring mixer on "Ryan's Daughter" scheduled to be recorded in July, 1970.

By this time I had met David Lean and all the cutting crew. I wanted to be as close to every aspect of the production as possible, knowing it would probably be years before he decided on making another film. (Thanks to the mouth of critic Pauline Kael, little did I know just how long that would be!) When I heard that the scoring sessions were scheduled I approached editor Norman Savage and asked him if it was possible to attend. A few days later he came to me and said that he spoke to David and said that it would be okay. I then proceeded to book my vacation/holiday time to correspond with the sessions. I spent a whole week over at Anvil, Denham. I had a chair immediately behind the podium. Prior to this I had heard that Jarre was doing the score and that he was to conduct. It was a thrilling experience. I spent five days on the stage. Behind me was the recording room where I could see Eric Tomlinson, the mixer. David Lean attended every day. He always took the time to smile and say good morning to me. The orchestra was overwhelming. Immediately in front of the orchestra were nine harpists a mike hung over groups of three, representing left, center and right, when it came to record the Overture. Monique Rollin, a very attractive blonde lady, played the zither. I made a point of introducing myself to her as her playing was a big part of "Lawrence" and "Zhivago". One day one of the nine harpists left at lunch and didn't return, this was the only time I saw Maurice lose his temper! He was very pleasant toward me and expressed amazement that I would want to spend all my vacation time on a recording stage.

At this time Ken Cameron was taking care of administrative duties relating to the stage and as a consultant. He had a tiny office. He was a Scotsman and always wore a kilt. He also loved his whiskey! Like the rest of the 'old school gentlemen' of the British Film Industry, they were always well educated and well dressed and always had time to talk to you if they knew you were genuinely interested. Several days were spent recording the sound effects and footsteps (foley). We were informed by the editors that this was to be a stereo soundtrack as the procedures for recording are very different to a mono film. No stereo or multiple miking was used. All the main foreground characters on the screen were recorded separately so that during the final mix there could be total control on each character's footsteps as they moved across the three speaker positions on the screen. The background crowd footsteps were done in two ways. Groups of feet movement for the left, center and right side of the screen. Also a track of footsteps would be recorded that would be panned back and forth between speakers. Sound effects and crowd voices were recorded in the same manner. This particular soundtrack was to be a four-track stereo mix, three channels behind the screen and the fourth channel would be for the mono surrounds.

During this time two events happened involving "Lawrence of Arabia". In England, the film was re-issued in it's cut 202 minute UK version at the Dominion, Tottenham Court Road. David and I had a brief discussion about the color of this revival print in the men's toilet of all places outside Theatre 2's dubbing theatre! The other 'event' was that while he was cutting "Ryan" he spent several days over at Shepperton Studios, at the request of Columbia Pictures, removing a further 30 minutes out of "Lawrence" for the US only. The main mixing of "Ryan's Daughter" went very smoothly. By this time I knew Gordon McCallum, the dubbing mixer, very well and spent every available moment I had in the theatre during the pre-mixing of the dialog, efx and music. David Lean came in often and the two of them had many quite discussions on how he wanted the film to sound like. (Lean and McCallum were not strangers to each other. McCallum's career stretches back to the 40's and he had dubbed several of Lean's films). Often it would be just the three of us, other times many of the sound editors would be in attendance when their work was being mixed.

I think that during all this time I only once went into David Lean's editing room and this was to collect some LP's of David's films that I asked Norman if he would have him sign. It took several days and often when I would return from the studio bar at lunchtime, after a drink, I would take a short cut through the executive restaurant and there at a table by the window David would be sitting on his own having his lunch, and as I passed by he would say hello and remind me that he had not forgotten to sign my LP's. Moments like these I will never forget.

Here is Stephen's copy of the Lawrence of Arabia script that David Lean signed for him:

On one Sunday morning, a week or two before the premiere, I attended the Empire, Leicester Square for a test run for sound. Gordon McCallum was present and requested some equalisation of the theatre's sound system. The four-track mix had been artificially spread by Technicolor London's special technique as this was a 70mm roadshow release.This brought to an end my personal relationship with "Ryan's Daughter". The film, now, was ready to be presented to the world.

By this time I was a member of ACTT, and had ambitions to get involved in the more creative side of film-making, which was the cutting rooms. During my time in Theatre 5, I knew many picture and sound editors and assistants. Once again I had hit another kind of brick wall. Most editors, all which are free-lance, usually keep their assistants when they move from film to film. So I ended up seeking a trainee assistant editor's position in a company, probably based in London. This, of course meant me leaving pinewood, which I knew would have to happen at some point. I wanted to be a second assistant picture editor, free-lance which would involve the opportunity to work at any of the major studios such as ABPC and Shepperton.

Eventually, luck came my way. A position opened up in early 1974, around the time that "The Man With The Golden Gun" started shooting, at a company called De Lane Lea in Wardour Street, London. The company was started by french producer Jacques De Lane Lea. So I left the vast studio behind me to work in the top floor offices which were converted into cutting rooms.

As always, a big thank you to Stephen for sharing his memories of his career with us.

Piley