Another Bulletin for all your TUTS AfterGlows!
Hi Doctors people!
RICHARD STRANGE LIVE, NEW YORK, EDINBURGH FESTIVAL AND CANTERBURY FAYRE!!!!
Sorry everyone for being so slack in updates recently - have had to move house and it's been a PIG of a job getting back online. Anway...
RICHARD LIVE IN NEW YORK, July 9th at CBGB's, and 11th at Joe's pub, 425 Lafayette Street, 9.30pm. The latter will feature former ZE Records artiste Christina (Is That All There Is/Disco Clone etc) I'm told.
RICHARD AT EDINBURGH FESTIVAL, 20th/21st/22nd August, 9pm as part of the Lift Festival at the Pleasance
RICHARD AT CANTEBURY FAYRE, August 24th, at Mount Ephriam Gardens, Hernhill (Nr Cantebury), Kent. A festival which will include, amongst others, Arthur Lee's Love and the Buzzcocks! see
www.canteburyfayre.comRichard also writes: "I am currently resting form the everyenjopyabletour with PROTEIN DANCE, the company I have been working with since March. We recommence a UK tour in October, with shows in Warwick, Cambridge, Liverpool, Brighton and Darlington, culminatiung in a big show at The Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, on October 30th"
DOCTORS SONG POLL
Vote for your favourite Doctor's tracks in site regular TJ's survey. See the thread on the discussion board for more details. If none of my favourites make the top five, there'll be tantrums.
RICHARD STRANGE LIVE!! IN JAPAN!
In April, the Japanese group 'Sister Paul' got together with Richard for three gigs, performing 'Doctors of Madness' sets in Tokyo and Osako. I've since heard great things about these dates, and will have some pictures up soon!
REISSUES!
Ozit's reissues of Figments of Emancipation and Sons of Survival are now on general release and are also available by mail order. Click HERE for more details and samples of the cover artwork, also if you wanna see 'Figments' original vinyl issue sleevenotes.
GANGS OF NEW YORK
As far as I can gather, Richard's scenes in Martin Scorcese's newly-released 'Gangs of New York' have wound up on the cutting room floor. Richard played an undertaker named 'Cornelius', for which he worked at Rome's legendary Cinecitta studios. Maybe we should petition for them to be included as extras when the DVD release comes around?
RICHARD'S SITE / DOCTORS LIVE CASSETTE
For more details of Richard's activities, see
www.richardstrange.com , which has all the Strangeness you could wish for, plus tempting CDs for sale! There's also a cassette only release of a live Doctors' gig on sale there, with the full four-piece line up in fine form!
RICHARD'S BOOK
Richard's autobiography, 'Strange - Punks and Drunks and Flicks and Kicks' was published in May by Andre Deutsch. A cracking read, with plenty on Richard's time with the Doctors, not to mention his diverse activities before and since. Richard has been entertaining audiences with extracts from this over the last year or so, highlights including his brushes with The Sex Pistols, Jack Nicholson and others, not to mention the infamous 'tuck in, lads' episode... again, copies can be obtained thru Richard's site,
www.richardstrange.comLIVE CD
The japanese label Captain Trip Records have released a live CD, 'Into The Strange' (see right), documenting the Doctors of Madness' final show in 1978. The sound quality is less than pristine in places, and it's maybe not the best starting point for newcomers to check the band out. But hell, I like it anyway! Criticisms apart, for the dedicated fan, and therefore the majority of you site regulars out there, this 40 minute account of the three-piece Doctors' final stand is still likely to be one for the shopping list. Sonic murkiness aside, there's some fine moments captured here - Marie and Joe, for instance, is a compellingly raw rendition, and Mitzi's Cure/I think we're alone are similarly effective. The closing track, 'Out' seems particularly poignant in its finality. Furthermore there's 2 previously unreleased numbers, 'Trouble', and a cover of the Velvets' 'What Goes On', plus a solo acoustic rerecording of 'Mainlines Prologue' serving as an intro.The CD's packaging is a treat, with a ton of photos, lyrics and sleevenotes by Richard. Altogether, it's worth the struggle with the limitations of the 1970s club-venue mixing desk for this document of the Doctors farewell. That's my verdict anyhow, feel free to discuss!
DAVID VANIAN ON THE DOCTORS
It's been there a while, but I'll plug it anyway... I've interviewed the Damned's David Vanian concerning his brief stint as a Dcotor. Look!
OTHER UPDATES
In the last few months there's been a couple of additions to Cuttings and the gallery, which now includes a couple of images forwarded to me by a mysterious man who calls himself Urban Blitz and claims to be situated in a cave outside Khandahar... judge for yourself. Anyway, it's worth checking fairly regurlarly as things do filter through to me from time to time...
As ever, the site is far from complete; I should have something more substantial for 'Meet the Doctors' fairly soon, (I know, I keep promising!) and some links are long overdue. On top of this, a Doctors chronology is also on the cards. Patience! As always, my thanks for all the feedback that's been coming in - it's nice to see such a level of interest out there. I've been sent some fantastic material for the site in the form of reminiscences, which can be viewed in cuttings/testimonials . A big thank you to Kid Sundown, Joern Lade and Mike Flanagan for this material. If anyone out there has any more, please get in touch! Oh, and if you didn't know already, the discussion board is back in business. Please note that any banner advertising is put there by the service provider, and nothing to do with me personally! (Oh, and if you're going to trade discs/memorabilia etc in there, please play fair, as I can't get involved in any disputes that might arise. Sorry to be a bore, I know you're a civilised bunch!)
RECENT BITS AND PIECES
I gather from various postings in the discussion board that Richard and TV Smith's appearances at 'Glastonwick', Southwick's Beer Music and Poetry festival on June 1st went down very well, as did Richard's 'one man show' at the Hoxton Hall, N1, which took place on June 23rd. As well as reading extracts from his book, Richard performed both acoustically and with a full band featuring David Coulter and others. Richard also appeared in the Autumn, at the Greasy Truckers Party at Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire. See flyer to the right. Is Richard a greasy trucker?? Wouldn't have thought so. Also featuring were Tractor and Spaceritual.net, featuring various ex-Hawkwind types.E
Back in October '01, Richard performed live in Stratford-Upon- Avon, backed by 2nd year students from the popular music course at Stratford Upon Avon Colleg. The show was directed by ex-Pogue, ex-Test Department multi-instrumentalist David Coulter. Much to my disgrace, I couldn't make it, but I've had a sneaky look at a tape of the show and RS was in fine form. I gather a reworking of 'Waiting' was recorded with the musicians featured at the show, not sure when this'll see the light of day...
LESS RECENTLY...
In June 2001, Richard gave a very enjoyable spoken word appearance at the Peaches Club, in Covent Garden. Previously to that, Richard performed at the Hope Festival in Sussex, which he reports went very well. Back in March, he also made a live appearance at the Barn theatre, Southwick, on a double bill with TV Smith. His performance combined acoustic numbers with some spoken passages from 'Strange'. as well as some new compositions, Richard ran through 'Waiting', 'Mitzi's Cure', 'I Think We're Alone' and 'Marie and Joe', much to the pleasure of the assembled Doctors fans.
Thanks as ever to Richard for his cooperation, also to Brian Harding, and many thanks again to everyone who's got in touch with their comments and Docs reminiscences. Keep em coming!
Come in, have a look around, and fall ever deeper...
INTO THE STRANGE!
More soon, in the meantime any comments, suggestions etc etc to
hugh_gulland@hotmail.com