As a matter of fact, we had contact via email a couple of month ago, and I kept informing him about the development of our re-producing of Its Great which has reached the nearly final stages, and I want to TALK to him. We each had a large and loyal following, and basically shared venues like The Elms, The Halfway House, The London Hotel and The Cricketers. Would you believe, theres a new Aussie band called Treetops Two wonder if Mark Loyd will be doing guest vocals? We new them well and played alternative nights at The Elms in Southend . I believe our first attempt at recording in a professional studio was around 1963 at The Regent Sound studio in Denmark Street. A fellow guitarist , a singer of songs , Perpetual performer , socially strong . We started when school friends at Westcliff High in 1960 and I played bass until 1974 when we had become The Treetops. I was also a classmate of Nigels and Colin at WHSB and I can remember the very early times, in the small school gym., when Nigel was drummer Brian was guitar and If Im correct the first lead singer was a boy (as we all were then) called David Tripcanny, not sure of that spelling. Well push your creativity and go beyond your brief. I am in Australia at the moment, primarily to visit my daughter Alison but also to visit Nigel. We were under the impression that we may have to attend another audition, as the candidates for the job were whittled down. i also went on several occasions to Treetops at Wimbledon I see you h ave come back to the Southend area I remember you working in an Estate agent in Rochford ? Behind every dream is the dreamer. We booked in to some budget accommodation and went out to check out the famous red light district and clubs. Apache..with the daft dance steps Chubby Checkers Twist Again Anybody seen my gal? After they finished, all the other musicians broke into spontaneous applause. SUBSCRIBE. What followed was interesting, as when we had exhausted our repertoire of Beatles and Searchers songs, we were asked by the club manager to play them again. he has only stopped performing himself in the last 5 years and now just manages. I used to enjoy seeing the opposition which I did whenever possible. Could I get in touch with him?? Reference to the Seven Up TV series stirred some memories of a BBC film about youth of the day which featured us playing at The Elms but I dont recall it being broadcast,do you? Hi jim hope you and pam are well it was a shock when i read about mark passingaway last year as it was gary some years back one article in echo paper a while back you asked if some of us met our wifes at the elms i met my wife through freinds who went there we have been married 38 years now we live in rayleigh just out of southend if any of the monotones remember one xmas or newyear eve you had just said one last no before a break half way through gary hit the cymbals and they fell and hit my freind on the head maybe sometime if possible to meet up and catch all for now roy. More less. Pete was originally a local barber, working in Milton Street, which no longer exists. Yes,I remember those steam-driven amplifiers.we probably diced with death every tme we plugged in but somehow we even survived the wet field eventsthose bands at Glastonbury have it easy! I still play in a 70s Rock band and a duo in the North East of England http://www.chevrons74.co.uk I am the one with the long hair playing guitar and keyboards, I am still running Tim Gentle Music, but now mainly as an online store. Join Leeds Retro on facebook. Mecca gave it an 80,000 facelift and Tiffany's was born. . [and Ill give you the low-down on Maxine!!!!] Hi Pete, I was interested in your comments about our supposed recording of When will I be Loved and as I am pretty much house bound at the moment due to the snow etc. He was about 6 2 and 15 stone at the time, which was not too bad for a 17 year old. Although I was never in a band, I followed the Southend groups around the local venues and it was great to be reminded of them The Elm, The London, The Palace, Whitehall and Snakes Lane, Eastwood. Last time I met Paul, was at the retirement bash for Westcliff Highs famed head, Henry Cloke at the Southend Cliffs Pavilion in circa 1972, when we enjoyed sitting together during the formal meal. Brian had purchased the property at Hampton Court which, with the help of a team of builders and carpenters, we had created a mini Tiffanys which was to be named Alexanders. ada.lnk.to/Shadows. Plough Lane was a football stadium in Wimbledon, south west London.For nearly eighty years it was the home ground of Wimbledon Football Club, from September 1912 until May 1991, when the club moved their first team home matches to Selhurst Park as part of a groundshare agreement with Crystal Palace.Both clubs' reserve teams then used Plough Lane as their home ground until 1998, when the site . THE TREETOPS.More personal memories by Jim Eaton. Great to read your contribution which confirms my belief that Westcliff High should errect a monument to its old pupils that helped to create The Southend Sound. Wimbledon's latest opening is located at the end of The Broadway near the Polka Theatre. Glad all still goes well with everyone,sorry to hear about Nigel. Your email address will not be published. I have surfed the tinternet for a similar image in vain. Im not a good flyer but perhaps one day Christine and I will take a slow boat ! Tiffanys was designed in a Polynesian style with fake palm trees, lots of foliage and twinkling stars covering the ceilings. ), 3 weeks (that must mean the number of weeks with Sam)Another boring day at skool.Jackie went to the hospital about her back, she has to wear a corset too cos she has rhemetism? His funeral was a huge event set up by his lovely wife Debbie with over 400 people attending. The next release,in 1968,California My Way brought the following review from a music critic..Ive heard more than enough about California..especially with my chances of ever getting there I wonder what he thought of the B side Carry On Living which was an homage to Whiter Shade Of Pale, with organ intro and the opening line Let the moon turn to cheese and the stars garden peas!I suppose he would have said our follow-up Mississippi Valley goes to prove the influence,on us,of America and its music.Which brings me full circle again as I also take the opportunity of congratulating Chris Bishop on his excellent website without which we wouldnt have discovered the release of When Will I Be Loved. Brian had written a song called Another World and I also vaguely remember recording our version of the Everley Bros When Will I Be Loved. Is Brian still in this world? Of course! I emailed him and still have his reply on file and we agreed that if ever I was in Sydney I would look him up. As a result of my earlier posting I was contacted by his son in law from the USA who told me that Nigel now lived in Sydney and at that time we lived in Australia too. All the best, Jim Eaton. I can't be fairer than that! (Its not and never has been the Elms by the way). My condolences to his family, friends, and band mates. Mecca had already indicated that they didnt like The Monotones name ( I dont blame them ) and as we were an all male group, some managerial genius decided we were to be called Les Garcons, the French for The Boys. Find the right content for your market. I retired from the band in 1980 and moved back to Southend in 1999. The greatest respect for Gary Brooker and Procol Harum, one year earlier than I at WHSB. Anyway, you must be pretty ancient by now, did you stay with Julie? During my stay at Alexanders, Mark left for Australia where he met up with Pete Trout again. The bass player was a guy called Gus Chesney and the band played the local pub circuit, places such as the Elms Hotel in Leigh on Sea and the Cricketers at Southend. He was a quiet modest sort of chap. The club closed in 1997 and was demolished 18 months later, with a block of nondescript red brick flats now on the site - called The . Going back to my nightmare.I have to confess that having written the words Somethings Hurting Me,I decided to leave the band in 1966 so that Rod could sing Rag Doll with you for the Tiffanys audition and I knew he wouldnt survive being called Un Garconand it would only be a matter of time.Well,in fact there was No Waitingand Brian came knocking on my door..to be continued !!! I hope this sparks a few memories and fills in some gaps in the Southend music scene. Some of our first amps were not even enclosed, just a mass of valves and capacitors etc sitting in an open box. I recall we rigged up some fake gear to smash up at the end of our set when supporting The Who. I recall our first three opening numbers as Lullaby of Birdland, the theme from A Man And A Woman and Let There Be Love. Jim. Radio one, was launched by Tony Blackburn, playing Flowers in The Rain by The Move Following a successful BBC audition we began recording shows presented by the following DJs. Sadly, I understand that The Monotones drummer, Gary Nichols, died in April 2007. Did Peter really steal me away? I last saw Mark when I was travelling by train from Lowestoft to London in 1986. This was a radical change, as we decided to replace Pete with a Hammond organist who played pedal bass.welcome to Tony Edwards. They like a good tale at AFC Wimbledon; their remarkable history is full of them. Thanks for the memories. This was the opportunity Hughes needed! Just to let you know that Jim and I went to The Beecroft Gallery and Im pleased [ and relieved.toilet joke ] to tell you that our display is not hanging in any of the loos! The Iconic Blue Box. where is tony kornheiser now / kalawao county treasurer / tiffany's nightclub wimbledon. Mark, who had for many years been a good drummer, was a natural on this new instrument. Like many other contributors, I also attended Westcliff High School for Boys (from 1954-61) and, apart from being lead singer with the Mustangs from 1962-65 (see Mick Reads email of 11th January) Im also the older (and much smaller) brother of Lionel Thomas who, around the time he was a bouncer at the Elm Hotel with Terry Latter, was Britains strongest youth, with an 18 inch collar size and 46 inch chest. We didnt get away from the club until after 1am and had to leave for the studios by 5.30am. Characters drink and smoke in scene . Here's what you need to know ahead of the tournament in the UK capital: When is Wimbledon? Brilliant stuff Chaz! I produced 4 boards with records, photos and posters, one of which is for the gig you mention at The Locarno, where we supported Hermans Hermits .I think hes still touring isnt he? When I collected it from the Elms to take on the gig, it was all covered in beer stains and quite battered, so I spent the next day cleaning it all up and gluing back the bits of covering that had come off the amps, an when I returned it you all thought I had brought back someone elses gear. The early 60s were a fantastic time for fans of live music: the Southend Sound led to a number of serious legends. It was at the height of the punk scene and accordingly all manner of weird looking people would turn up. Got a couple of patents granted, wrote half a dozen papers and messed about on emission control and invented the DI passenger car diesel engine. Mark sang his songs with huge epic endings such as Im Gonna be Strong by Gene Pitney and Jezebel by Marty Wilde and Frankie Laine. He was a great guy and my memories of the nights at the Elms are still as strong as they ever were. Whiter Shade still an evocative, innovative arrangement of Bachs work and still works for me in 2011. I guess he would want to forget this. You will remember that Pam ( Sandys best friend ) was my long time on/off girlfriend who used to help with carrying amps etc! This has never been played since it came out of Regent Sound, probably no good now, but should play it to find out? J s. I did own all of their UK records but unfortunately dont have them anymore. BTW, Tim: Cliff still owns the Swedish Strat look-a-like Hagstrom he purchased from you! Mark Loyd (Nigel Basham) was the loveliest person one could meet. It is the Mark Punter Show on 11th and 18th June and usually around 13.30 . We had a lot of fun and accomplished a lot during my tenure with The Treetops and I have many fond memories from that time. When I left Tiffanys I went to New York and ended up working for United Nations joined UNICEF which spawned a fantastic career as an aid worker working all over the world culminating in 10 years in China in the 80s. 14. I will be putting in my own Garage Band story soon. I still fly a fair bit working as a shipping and port consultatnt so the music I listen to is mainly that of the Pacific which is interesting in itself! his sisters grandson. Are you out there Joyce? What a shock when he went. Our residency at Tiffanys came to an end in the early part of 1974. ), Ian attended Joan Greenwoods Method School with such later luminaries as Olly Reed, John Leyton (Think Great Escape) and other up and coming thespians. Bev at Tiffanys & Toby InnSam did not go to the Drs (coward)Fi is back at school. It was a flop. My memory has never been good but Im blowed if I can remember Gus being in the group. Jim. tiffany's nightclub wimbledon. Also I apologise to Jim for asking about Pam as my last message on here was before Mark told me that she had sadly passed away. The Championships 2023 will be played over 14 days, this marks the second year that play on the Middle Sunday is part of the intended schedule. 152. I loved the Barracuda gigs at The London, and it was you who jogged my memory I had forgotten their name. 2:, that has Is it Right and What Would I Do on. The only person not to attend Westcliff High School was Barry Davis our drummer. This would please me enormously I would be even thinking about going to England again. Tony Wilson. I think it was at this time that the name Monotones was suggested. by | Jul 10, 2021 | opentimeclock 2004 login | list of navy reserve units | Jul 10, 2021 | opentimeclock 2004 login | list of navy reserve units Train was late had to wait hour. Unlike the Monotones who were all Grammar School boys the Whirlwinds were working class boys from nearby Canvey Island, not the most salubrious of places to live in as it was flooded in 1953 and over 100 people died. Batas kecamatan di sebelah timur dengan Kali Ciliwung / Kecamatan Kramat Jati Jakarta Timur, sebelah utara dengan Kecamatan Mampang Prapatan dan Pancoran, sebelah barat dengan Kecamatan Cilandak dan sebelah selatan dengan Kecamatan Jagakarsa. And my eight year old son Theo, has started playing guitar and already has done a few small gigs with another eight year old drummer Sam, and is very proud of being thrown out of a pub we were playing in, because he was still there after 9 oclock, he feels very Rock & Roll, such fun. I regularly watched the Whirlwinds and the Monotones there and Im still downloading Robin Trower albums! By this time Mark had returned as lead singer and with Rod Clarke now joining our vocals we became more of a harmony group, concentrating on numbers by The Four Seasons, The Beach Boys, The Ivy League etc. The lead singer was a guy called Nigel Basham, classmate of mine between 1955-59. They certainly were fun times and I know sometimes you and my brother had your work cut out keeping out the un-desirables . Somehow,I was given the dubious honour of singing the falsetto in Rag Doll.It was OK at rehearsal but on the Sunday cabaret night,in front of an unusually attentive audience,I dried up.the mouth opened but nothing came out!I must have been wearing the wrong trousers..not tight enough.I think it was Nigel that came to the rescue or did Brian take a solo and turn it into the only instrumental version of that song? Bev and J phoned.Sam phoned about 4.30 & 5.00 pm (I have decided to call the boy Sam as it would have been my choice of boys names if I had a son, seems as good a name as any). I havent visited the web site for some time so apologies for the delay in my reply. Another tale. Probably true to say that it was in part Pete Stanleys sound that inspired me to buy an Epiphone Rivoli when I was playing with the Right Attitude. The pictures of Tiffany's are almost all from 1980. Hi Jim, Somewhat belatedly I found your reply to my posting as a result of hearing of Nigels untimely death. They knew me as Mr. If you get this message you can contact me on awbarcelona@yahoo.com All the best. Christ Stevens and his brother, Graham still play: Douggie the lead guitar was the only bloke I knew who actually then owned a Baby Binson disk echo. Any body that knows me from then can e mail me at daviddowns@sky.com. Billy, if you contact Chris, the webmaster, will pass along your info to me or Jill so Rod and I can get in touch. 89 reviews #10 of 46 Restaurants in Wailuku $$ - $$$ Bar Asian Vegetarian Friendly. Hi Judy, Good to hear from you. Who dreamed up all these maniac names? For questions about gifting and jewelry, contact a Sales Professional. I very much hope that this note will reach you and help me on my quest. Mark had also sang a number of cover versions of hit songs for the Music For Pleasure label. I have to stop me now from getting carried away: let me say so: In this year I saw them ALL. Sorry about the pun. Mention of the bass guitar I sold you brought a tear.my Dad made it.How long did it survive,and have you any photos ? As part of our contract we were required to play the tune Theres No Business Like Show Business if a fight or a fire was to break out. I didnt know anything else about the band until Phil T. contacted me with the newspaper clipping and the following info: During their early years, the group line-up changed many times but by 1964, it comprised Brian Alexander (lead), Jim Eaton (vocals and rhythm), Pete Stanley (bass) and Gary Nichols (drums) and I believe that it was these four who made the recordings. 56. worry worm printable poem. Back to skool.Maffia Dance at the Midnight Lounge.Met Sam at the F&G (Fox & Goose) at 8.00 pm. We met up with Rod Clarke, who replaced me temporarily in 1965 and he was able to put names to so many faces [ my memory fails me too often these days ]now where was I.ah yes, if you have time [ no excuse as youve retired ] check out his CV at http;//www.themoodyblues.co.uk/page46.htm..Im always impressed by those who made music their life. Dinner at Tiffany's, by Ed Waiter, Editor of Cuisine In order to finance moving from Edinburgh to London, Ian was offered and took a job playing in an Edinburgh nightclub called Tiffany's. In contrast to all the bands he had been part of in the past, this was well paid! They said it would be raised at their next AGM but to date have had no response. In those days these studios, which were situated at The Holborn, were popular with many chart artists including The Stones and Jimi Hendrix who recorded his massive hit Hey Joethere. It turns out to be a demo recorded before their first Pye 45, released in the U.S. without the groups knowledge! Yes, I do live in Vancouver on Canadas Pacific Coast. The Monotones and The Whirlwinds later to become Force 5, were the two bands everyone looked up to. Gary, our drummer, was replaced as he wished to concentrate on his printing apprenticeship. Gary played a brilliant drum solo during The Shads number Little Bee which gave the rest of us a chance to get to the bar. The Ivy League who were enjoying chart success with Tossing and Turning refused to go on stage if we sang any of their numbers which they had heard us rehearse. The blog makes no mention of the White Hall gigs and St Cedds. The timber hit someone on the head on the opposite side of the stage rendering him temporarily unconscious.this was Nigel. We played The Great Room at the Grosvenor Hotel in Park Lane. I often stayed with him and his parents as I didnt live in the Southend area. An accomplished naturally talented drummer and a versatile vocalist. Im pretty sure he was. The UK Monotones were a group formed almost exclusively of pupils/ex pupils of Westcliff High School for Boys, near Southend on Sea in Essex. Does your group ever play down this neck of the woods, would be great to meet and hear you. So you come from Liverpool originally - this is worse than I thought.I will have to completely reassess our relationship now.Seeing the Sex Pistols mentioned reminded me I was at college with Malcolm McLaren and little Helen who was in the 'Great Rock and Roll Swindle'. As for the other Whirlwinds (which forced the name change) mentioned up further in this thread, I think that must be the band from Manchester area, brought together by Graham Gouldman of later 10cc fame. Mick, Hi Mick Thanks for getting in touchfrom the other side of the world ! ). The first replacement was Brian Edgings, who had been drumming with The Barracudas and later joined The Continentals. The reason for doing it now is that my application for the evening event to be part of the Wirksworth Festival has to be in by May 2nd. Scores of young people ran in panic . More information was not contained in those days. Its good to read all the happy recollections you all have of the early years, and I would definitely be up for a jam session with the lads sometime, especially if Fugley brings his spoons! Having recently left Selmers music store in Charing Cross Road, I was doing daytime recording sessions, and evening gigs with an organ and drums duo called The Organisation. Also a very proficient vocalist. Fridays and Saturdays featured an assortment of pop acts such as Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages etc. you may have wondered what song the kids are dancing to during the party scene towards the end of the film. Thats great to hear you had a reunion recently,its something we are unable to do following the sad loss of our drummer Gary,but Jim and I sat in with the band at my daughters wedding..brave of them!but I think the audience reaction,though biased,convinced them it was worth taking the risk. Dino Coccia, a session drummer and occasional dep, took over. Gigging paid for my motor bike and first car. I remember both Lionel and Jimmy Emmons, but as well as Terry Latter, Larry Laidlaw often worked the door and I recall a bit of aggro happening with some London boys one night who wanted a return fixture having been bounced the previous week that didnt end too well for the home team I also remember Maxine and her sister Michelle from my day job at the airport lovely girls and Im sure they still are! Nice to talk ! Atlanta, GA. 239. Both songs on their first 45 were written by Stanley Alexander, actually Brian Alexander and Stanley Peter Frederick according to the BMI database. TUNNEL 267, 267 The Broadway, Wimbledon, SW19 1SD +44 (0) 208 540 0080 . Might be good to meet for a pint at The Elms. I left Southend and went on to work in Oxford, before settling in Derby in 1970, where I opened a motor repair business which prospered well until I sold out in 1989. I said I was trying to listen to the group, he said Its no good trying to listen out here, you had better come inside and took me in the hall to meet you all. As I recall we had music every night Modern and Trad jazz Mondays and Fridays, Pop Tues Thurs and Saturday and the lounge combo on a Sunday evening. He is frontman for a local group in Dorset who,s genre is punk/heavy metal/rap (OH,IT MAKES ME FEEL SO OLD!!! Are you still alive? We knew this was going to be an important night for us, as several Mecca directors would be there. Brian and I fairly quickly decided I was not going be the next Jet Harris and I would be far better as manager. One amazing facet of Marthas abilities was her sight reading, which enabled her to play the most complex of pieces flawlessly, yet she couldnt take a solo in Johnny B Goode! Sometime prior to the release of Its Great our record company Pye arranged for us to meet with a young man who was promoting their artists. Im wondering if Graham sent you the 45 of What Would I Do or do you mean a photo of such ? buckhorn transfer station prince george hours; tiffany's nightclub wimbledon. Cinderella Rockerfellas. John Portley, aka Exeter's Mr Entertainment. Hi Alan, yes I do remember the great times we had at Tiffanys and Alexanders.if you remember it was myself and Nigel who nicknames you Fugley ( because you were too good looking! ) Hi Jim, I regret that I was too young to see the Monotones at the Elms, but I knew you from when I was a pupil at Southchurch Hall boys school. Having played in various groups (In those days, a band was a large group of people who played a large variety of disparate instruments! It was designed to be a demo studio and we quickly gained a reputation for quality recordings. However, I managed to talk my way into a sales job and eighteen years later in 1998 I retired as managing director of that company. General. Glad to hear your son Christopher is doing well and my regards to Jim and Brian as and when you contact them. With a line-up of Brian Alexander on lead guitar and backing vocals, myself on rhythm guitar and lead vocals, Rod Clarke on bass guitar and lead vocals, Mark Lloyd on lead vocals and vibes and Pete Trout on drums we felt ready for the night. They left Southend for a residency at The Trocadero just off Piccadilly Circus which was to become the first of many Tiffanys clubs, run by Mecca, to open throughout the country. Brian stopped playing with the group as his businesses were commanding so much more of his time. Parlophone R5628 1967 California My Way/Carry On Living. We were asked if we would play on a Sunday night at The Elms, as guests of the resident jazz trio headed by Barry the Bass. This wasnt a dance, but more of a cabaret and we had to entertain a seated crowd who seemed more interested in their drinks than anybody on stage.We decided we needed an act rather than just churn out pop songs. First to Review. With all the great SONGS, plus singers and, as I found out later in my life, singer-songwriters. He used to play a Hofner Club 60 (the one with the pearl inlays and the carved back). At my first month in Bournemouth I saw THE BEATLES at THE GAUMONT for two shows a day for five or six days. So not good-bye JIM but AU REVOIR.. Well all meet again , later , in the HEAVENLY CHOIR . cabarrus county sheriff's office gun permit; lyman high school baseball coach; delegated examining practice test Get Quote. and The Elms was responsible for many a hangover!! I bought a blanket coat in the sales for 20.00 = ok. (20.00 that was a heck of a lot of money then and oh how I remember that coat. By 1978 the studio required more and more of Paddys time and he decided to leave the group to concentrate on it. at Ians parents home in Ailsa Road, Westcliff. He could play Merle Travis stuff while we were trying to get the hang of Apache! After years of living abroad I was so glad to be home and find this webpage about the Monotones as I often did a little spot with them at The Elms in 1964 under the name of Jimmy Dingo and later worked with Jim Eatons brother Freddie doing security work at venues.It has been a nice walk down memory lane for me and glad to know that some of us are still going. Playing a piece many times over bored me and the more you play it, the less likely is that you can make an improvement. Description Discussions 0 Comments 0 Change Notes. Characters animated DahSharky aka me c> . Pasar Minggu. Strat cranked up. I still have some flyers for the St. Clements gigs, very sad but I seem to keep everything. Alas all long since sold to pay the mortgage! Thanks. The Elms, The Halfway House and also The Cricketers and London Hotel. Im pleased to say that all members of the Mustangs are still alive and kicking a third playing reunion of the original band members was held at the Creeksea Ferry Inn on Wallasea Island on 14th August 2010 and, as Mick Reads indicated, our present Rayleigh-based band (called Full Circle for obvious reasons) which I joined as lead singer on my early retirement from international banking in 1995, includes two, and occasionally three, members of the Mustangs, Mick, Keith Chesher and myself. I have a few demo tracks of Jim, Ron and I, and a few special photos of Alexanders beautiful waitresses! John married my sister and soon after moved to Southampton. With thanks to Stephen Gent for this memory of Wimbledon Contact Stephen Gent . 3 talking about this. This of course meant giving away some of my earnings, clearly a situation that could not go on. She maybe back at skool tomorrow. I spent many a great evening at Tiffanys dancing to the Treetops. Brian became the leader of this assortment of individuals by virtue of the fact it was all his idea to start with. Well: this was my chance: after all, I was supposed to be the Manager! Please give my kindest regards to all the other group members when you see them. blue's funeral old school; biometric fee for australian visa in pakistan; christopher jones cause of death; beachfront homes for sale in loreto mexico; paxlovid drug interactions; nicknames for valerie. The small matter of transporting the heavy organ each night definitely had a big bearing on my decision! They would need to be of high-ish resolution, probably not copied from the Garage/Treetops website. Good memories. No part of this website or the articles published here may be reproduced or transmitted in any from or by any means, without prior permission from the author. When home I could not help becoming manager (in no way what that word implies today!) Hanging around with bands in my German school days was logical.