Vivian Stanshall Paul Mccartney

Viv Stanshall interview“VIVIAN, YOU LOOK AWFUL - WHERE’S YOUR SHOES?” an interviewwithVivianStanshallSome days are made inheaven, some days are made in hell and some inhabit a nowhere-land somewherein-between. As we stood on Vivian Stanshall’s Muswell Hill doorstep,wondering when he would respond to the ringing bell, we were none too surewhich category to place this particular day in. It didn’t take long to findout however. Laura Hayden, Vivian’s friend and former Personal Assistant whohad set up the interview for us, was just starting to apologise for Vivian’sapparent absence when she turned sharply and, forgetting the sentence shewas in the middle of, gasped.“Vivian, you lookawful.

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Dec 8, 2001 - Yet for many of his friends the death of Vivian Stanshall - the lead singer. I'm The Urban Spaceman, produced by Paul McCartney under the. Apr 8, 2012 - If 'the real Paul' had those features, why make them the opposite. Vivian Stanshall. Most McCartney's have arched, looped eyebrows.

Where’s your shoes?” exclaimed Laura, and we turned to see not themoustachioed erstwhile Bonzo we were expecting, but something sadlydifferent. Laura was right - he did look awful. An apparently elderlyman, staggering down the road clutching a carved stick and a white plasticcarrier bag containing a freshly purchased bottle of Mr. Smirnoff’s elixir.Mumbling apologies and fending off Laura’s concerned scoldings, he shambledup the steps towards the front door.Two weekspreviously, when the interview had been arranged, Stanshall was, accordingto Laura, in good shape; happy to be interviewed for the Terrascope and offthe booze that has haunted so much of the last twenty-odd years of his life.What had happened to him since, apart from the fact that he was sufferingfrom a cold, was information that we weren’t party to and which we didn’twish to intrude upon. We followed him upstairs to his flat, all the timewondering if we should call the whole thing off for the time being, butknowing that we had come too far and waited too long to do the sensiblething and leave.

We knew that all chance of a structured interview thatwould chart the works of a genius was now a forlorn dream at the end of abottle. But still we went on, and what follows are the results of ourlabours.While Vivianlurched this way and that, mumbling “we must give these gentlemen a cup oftea or coffee” and while Laura volunteered to search out some mugs, we stoodaround, taking in the scene.

The place was a clutter of musical instruments,tapes, Vivian’s paintings, drawings and works in hand, an empty and dustyfish-tank and gold and silver discs on the walls. We finally plugged in andwere ready to roll and with Vivian settled down beneath a framed publicityshot of biG GRunt but looking a shadow of the man in the photograph, we letthe interview begin.VS: I’m sorry I can’tsee you, I haven’t got my glasses on.

Are you see-able?PT: I think so! Atleast, I can see my feet. On the end of my legs.I don’t think you’regoing to get the kind of interview that you want. On the other hand, Ipositively refuse to do snappy half-liners. If one turns up, which I doubt,particularly since I’ve got such a wretched cold, I just refuse to do it.

Myold writing partner, Neil Innes, will turn you up the stuff of television.That is not to be derogatory - I kind of envy him being able to do that as Irefuse to do it myself.Do you think NeilInnes has the type of personality that can coast through life and that hecan consequently take life easier?Yes. Yes, I do.pauses to pour himself a stiff drinkYou were born onMarch 21st, 1943. Where, though?Walthamstow.I’ve readOxfordshire elsewhere, that your family had been evacuated out of London.That’s bullshit. Itruly was evacuated out. Although I don’t sound it, I’m an East-Ender.

And my father came back from the war full of swank, determined that hewas officer class - which he wasn’t! So I went through this horrible periodwhen I went out speaking in an East London accent otherwise I was gonna gethit, and when I got home it was “Hello Mama” and “Hello Papa”. To someextent I forgive him that. What I don’t forgive him is his intolerance. Atthe time the BBC had a commonality of speech, you didn’t hear accents ordialects.That continuedright through the 1950s.Mmmm.I mean, he cleaned up Belsen but never spoke about it.

The only thing Icould speak to him about was snooker, and that only later. Although itdoesn’t look it at the moment, I have considerably long hair. I had verylong hair and I was a teddy boy.

Also, I was clearly an artist. There was noquestion of my being anything other. I tried, dear God! Although he’s beendead for two years I’m still terrified of him now.How much, do youthink, of your father is in you?Too much for comfort.So obviously youwere very distant from your father, but what about your mum?I phone her everynight.Do you think yourartistic side comes from your mother then?Oh, absolutely.And your father.He was rigid thatanything to do with art and fart was worthless. He compared me to a Romanywhich is odd, because I was nearly married to a Romany princess.I’ve readsomewhere that Ian Dury once taught you at Walthamstow College.No!

Jesus Christ,we’re contemporaries.That’s what Ithought. Did you know him well?You went to variousschools in London. Ian went to Chelsea which was the school for painting.

Iwent to Central because that was the school for printing. And you went toRoyal College to get rich! But I did have the choice. We all got pissed inthe same place.

So I can ‘phone Ian now if I do anything that is of laudablesubstance.While you were atart college you had a brief spell in the Merchant Navy I believe.I had to. Because Ihad the balls to go up to the Central School of Art and the Royal College ofArt with my portfolio and say “take me on”, and at that time you needed ‘A’levels. My father needed to pay thirty quid which was bugger all.

It was allto do with how much he earned. So I came back to Leigh On Sea full of hoorayto ask for the thirty quid and he said “You’re not going to become one ofthose”.

And so I went into the Merchant Navy.To earn the moneyand continue in art college?Yeah. I worked as afairground barker. In the winter I painted the pictures for the fairgroundhorses, in the summer I was a busker and a bingo caller. He absolutelywouldn’t shell out for that.

I knew that if I went on the bingo halls orsomething I would simply drink it away. I would use it on clothes and Iwould use it on women and probably in duplicate, if I stayed shoreside Iwould spend it.How long did youstay in the Merchant Navy?Just six months. Iwent round the world. When I came back I was literally a man of the world. Iwas taught by Peter Blake at one point.While you were atcollege you were living with Rodney Slater I believe, is that right?No. He was at St.Martin’s - I did eventually go to live with him, he had all theseinstruments lying about. I found that I can, not very well, but I can playanything.

The whole place was littered with sarrusophones and helicons, andso I would pick any damn thing up and honk it or strum it.This would havebeen 1962, ’63?1962. Rodney had thisbloody great band at the Royal College of Art. I don’t know, about forty offifty of them.All on stage atonce?Yes. People keptsaying, “we’re sensible, we’re painters” and dropping out. So it came downto about thirty or forty. But I remember with a poignancy that I was playingin a boozer, the Deuragon Arms, with sixteen banjo players, me mincing alongthe table - I was always a terrible show-off and queen - and one piano.And the line-upeventually came down to the nucleus of the Bonzos. At what point did itbecome the Bonzo Dog Da Da or Doo Dah Band?Still pursuing arelated strand It never occurred to me to write my own stuff so I wassinging telephone directories.

Well, we were all at art school. I don’tthink any of us took it seriously.So you came downto a nucleus of people.They fell about us.As I said earlier, they said, “I’m a ­painter, I’m a print maker, I’m athis, that and the other”. I felt this was a bloody sight more fun.Moreover, I couldn’t see any difference!It’s all art!Yeah.An historicalinterjection. By now the Bonzos were roughly: Vivian, Rodney and Neil withRoger Ruskin Spear, Sam Spoons (Martin Ash), Vernon Dudley Bohay Nowellplus, for a while, Leon Williams, Raymond Lewitt, John Parry and maybeSydney Nicholls.What surprises meis that in 1966, when the first Bonzos single is released, it containscovers of ’30s songs when other bands like the Pretty Things are moving fromR’n’B to psychedelia.(A littletangentially, probably referring to Pretty Things reunions) I think it’sdesperate. I think what they are doing is desperate. Next year I shall befifty.

Apart from my long hair and eccentric appearances. Even if I hadhair on top, I don’t want to go out waving and bashing a guitar - I think itwould look bloody stupid.Was Legs LarrySmith in the Bonzos in those early days or was he a later addition?No. Legs LarrySmith. I loaned him that tuba and said “Learn that and you get into theband”. He learned two notes, none of them involving a valve. But LegsLarry had a charisma. He came out, waved, blew kisses - people went mad!

Irecognised that and said, “keep him in the band”. Rodney, who founded theband with me, hated him and I think he still does.Of course LegsLarry did eventually make it on to drums.I loved his drums.truly absurd.Was Bob Kerr inthe band?No.Who were theBonzos who left to Join the New Vaudeville Band?The shitbags!

Wellyou see Neil was the finest musician, although I would dispute that nowbecause Rodney plays wonderfully. I’ve never been a musician. A goodcomposer, but. You can’t see them around here but I’ve got about twohundred instruments.All of which youcan do something with.Yeah, in certainkeys. So when we started, when Neil and I started making our own music,people dropped out of the band unless they could play.I always saw thepartnership between you and Neil as.Sweet and sour!And as Lennon andMcCartney figures. Neil as McCartney with the nice tunes, and you as Lennonwith more. Anguish.How to answer thiswith grace?Well without gracethen!Oh yes.

You’d likethat. I got on with McCartney, and with Lennon particularly. I was livingjust round the corner from Joe Orton. Lennon was agitating for thishomosexual madman which didn’t really affect Brian Epstein save that BrianEpstein had the wisdom to see that if any of the Beatles were involved withhomosexuals then it wouldn’t be a very good idea for business.

Johncouldn’t give a shit. Orton lived just round the corner. And in thathideous Rolls Royce he (Lennon) conked out at my place or dropped me off.It depended on how drunk he was. And we had some terrible rows but we goton. Well, we just got on.Was the Bonzosappearance, singing ‘Death Cab for Cutie’, in the Beatles’ ‘Magical MysteryTour’, the start of a career proper?Oh no.Did that get youthrough to a greater audience though?I wish it had done!

Ithink it was pretty blinking good. What really and profoundly pissed me offwas that we didn’t get on the LP. I thought it was mean, that. I think itwas Paul McCartney! Have you heard that oratorio?No.Then we can’t discussit, can we?Let’s assume thenthat you don’t think much of it.No I don’t. I thinkit’s shit.

I mean, for Christ’s sake, if I had Carl Davis knocking out thenotes and the pieces - I think I could be considered a genius! Tootlingaround Liverpool. I could tootle round bloody Walthamstow! Does that makeme Chas ‘n’ Dave?I hope not!I’m sorry you saidthat. I rather like Chas ‘n’ Dave.So, in 1967,things started happening, You had the Gorilla LP out and the ‘EquestrianStatue’ single.Appalling rubbish!What? I think it sums up the era.Maybe it sums upyou.Maybe it does!

Butat that time you also did sessions for John Peel - The Craig Torso Shows.Was Peel a tremendous help in pushing you out to the masses?Absolutely. You see,before that time you didn’t have anything apart from thrashing. Not thatI’ve got anything against thrashing. It wasn’t so much John Peel, it wasJohn Walters - he did marvellous things.

I mean, I’ve played with somerather marvellous men - Danny Thompson, Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton and I’mhonoured, truly, working with people of that ilk.Meanwhile, in 1968,‘Do Not Adjust Your Set’, with regular Bonzo spots, ran for two series on ITV. Sam Spoons and Vernon Dudley Bohay Nowell left the band. Two bassplayers followed in quick succession, Joel Druckman and Dave Clague, beforeDennis Cowan stepped in.

The ‘Urban Spaceman’ single and the superb ‘TheDoughnut In Granny’s Greenhouse’ LP were released in the autumn. The yearended with the Bonzos on ‘Colour Me Pop’ on BBC2 on 21st December.One of the peoplethat your name was linked with in ’68/’69 was Arthur Brown. You werereported to be writing the Brain Opera.Yes we did.Only a couple ofsongs on a Peel session and about a minute or so on an Arthur Brown LP eversurfaced. Was it actually completed?Yeah. ButArthur had something like a four and a half (octave) range, He was anincredible singer and he was a freak.Did he have anyhand in the writing?No.But he would havebeen involved in the performing?Christ, we went downto.

I don’t know where. Arthur was on drugs and I was on booze. Jesus,that’s a fucking awful painting.Whilst Vivian sendsLaura off to find a painting of his depicting “a leonine monster holding amaiden”, we’ll have another word from our resident historian. 1969 saw twoAmerican tours. Peel sessions were, as ever, a regular occurrence. Themasterful ‘Mr Apollo’ single was released. The largely retrogressive‘Tadpoles’ LP was followed by the more serious and desperate (but wonderful)‘Keynsham’, itself spawning two further singles.

But, back to Vivian.Have you got it yet,Laura? It’s behind the plastic patient’s bag. I shouldn’t bemaking her do this, it’s dictatorial. That’s my father - not very pleasant.It’s ultramarine, Laura. Blue celestial sky.Can we meanwhileask you about a Bonzos song called ‘It Was A Great Party till Somebody FoundThe Hammer’? It was part of your live act and supposedly planned as theB-side of a follow-up to ‘Urban Spaceman’. Was it ever recorded?Oh, yes it was.In the studio, orlive?At The Marquee.

Werecorded it and the recording company. I don’t suppose it matters now butit was very hurtful then. There was no meritocracy. And so whilst I. Jimiand Eric and people are clapping it round my house and equally people likeEric Burdon and Alan Price were making noises. The system in this country.Unable to find thepainting, Laura came back twice for additional directions.

Cautiouslyarising to his feet, Vivian made his way out of the room to show her wherehe expected the errant work to be found. After pointing out the vague areain question he slowly returned, followed a couple of minutes later by Laura,triumphantly armed with said painting. Vivian studied it critically for afew moments before putting it to one side.There were severalshort-lived bands, each doing a handful of gigs and Peel sessions, that youput together after the demise of the Bonzos at the end of the 60s. The firstof these was biG GRunt, with Roger Ruskin Spear and Denis Cowan from theBonzos.

Why did these bands fall apart?Because I had thirtyAfricans working with me. And this is post-’Zulu’. I had Reebop Kwaku Baahand.

They were just too African for English people.That’s after biGGRunt, isn’t it?No. Yes.You had biG GRunt,Freaks, the Human Beans.They were allAfricans, all playing talking drums.I saw you on stagein ’75. There was a lot of drumming and drummers, and you still had BubsWhite with you - the enormous guitarist from biG GRunt.Yes, I did.Whatever happenedto him?He became aphysician. And I could never dig him out, because he was the best.

I mean,Jesus could that guy play!Bubs White played onthe Bonzo’s “contractual obligation” album in 1972 entitled ‘Let’s Make UpAnd Be Friendly’, itself a gemThroughout the1970s you spent a lot of time with Keith Moon. He produced and played onyour ‘Suspicion’ single.We couldn’t get itout of our minds!Why did the two ofyou get on so well?Because he wanted todo what I wanted to do and it was reciprocal. I wanted to play like him. Oneafternoon in Enfield, in an horrific house, this Tudor place - they had aglass stairway. It was absolutely horrible - Premier delivered to Keith atransparent drum kit and, to their horror, he just beat the shit out of it!That was hisstyle.No, no. He wanted towrite, and I wanted to drum. There’s the famous story of us going rounddressed as Nazis.Was thatmisinterpreted?Oh yeah.

I married aJewess! We went to a couple of restaurants in Soho, I was dressed asReinhart Heydrich who was responsible for Lidice. I’ve never figured thatout.That was theNazi’s revenge after Heydrich was killed.Reinhart was killedin France and they chose to take their revenge in Czechoslovakia.

AllNazi-ism is madness. There were only two people that I wanted to work with.Joe Cocker and Steve Winwood. I managed one!You wrote all thelyrics to Winwood’s ‘Arc of the Diver’ LP and then it got fiddled aroundwith by Island Records until there was only one song left with your lyricson. Why did that happen?Because ChrisBlackwell said, “What does it mean?” And Winny said, “I don’t know.

But itfeels good!” So it went down into the basement. It was idiotic, Isuppose. One evening, I was reading Gerard de Nerval when he said, “Do youwant to come out?” I said, “No.

I feel ill.” I was taking a great deal ofdrugs. “must stay in the house”. You’ll love this, When he came back.“I’ve written the quatrain of ‘Dream Gerrard.” And he said, “That’sfantastic. Let’s have a chorus.” So I wrote him a chorus and he startedbanging it out on a piano.

“Let’s do another chorus. Let’s have anotherverse.” Well, we did and I think it’s remarkable, one of the best songs I’vewritten.In an attempt tobreak free from an interrogation where the victim has given his name andrank, but forgotten his serial number, Vivian asked, “Have you read C.S.Lewis’?”Yes.

Why do youask?Because I want to getoff myself!Vivian agreed to havehis photo taken, but only with Laura. “I want to look as ridiculous aspossible.”And so we said ourgoodbyes, bleakly telling Vivian to “look after himself”, and let ourselvesout leaving him on the sofa, frail and vulnerable, waiting for Erehwon toenvelope him. We knew we weren’t making contact throughout the interview. Wewanted to, but couldn’t see beyond our pre-ordained agenda of facilequestions. Inside the martyred outer shell was the real Vivian Stanshallwatching us, maybe even trying to get out. We couldn’t find him; and, evenif hindsight is always 20:20 vision, at the time we couldn’t see what wecould have done differently.

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Another interview on a different day wouldfeature Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead, Rawlinson End (LPs, film, book and atleast twelve Peel Sessions), Teddy Boys Don’t Knit, Stinkfoot (“an Englishcomic opera”), Rawlinson Dogends and Crank.In the last RawlinsonEnd Peel Session broadcast, Hubert Rawlinson believes “that sanity is acompromise”. Perhaps; but anaesthesia is submission and abject surrender.Genius is pain.Vivian Stanshallinterview © Ptolemaic Terrascope, November 1992Postscript: A fewdays after this interview took place, Vivian rang me to say, “Dear boy, I’vebeen having second thoughts. I wonder if we mightn’t do the interviewagain?”We arranged for thisto happen, and a no less interesting but far less scurrilous intervieweventually appeared in issue 14 of the Terrascope in August, 1993.VivianStanshall died in a house fire at home on the morning of March 5, 1995.

› › Did Paul McCartney really die in 1966? The history of the conspiracy theoryDid Paul McCartney really die in 1966? The history of the conspiracy theoryBy on. ( )Posted for entertainment valueI don’t think Jim Holiday or Vivian Stanshall is Faul, I think it’s either Tony Tuesday or Joe FridaySeriously, no he. Oh, and I know people will say he actually died on 9/11/66 not 11/9/66. Please fuck off.

Accepting The Memoirs of Billy Shears as non-fiction, even though it’s listed as fiction, is akin to believing the Harry Potter series of books are non-fiction. There’s people who dress up like Lord Voldemort and do some LARPing, like this, but do they really believe it? I guess you can waste your time as you chooseTS. On today’s episode, The Vinyl Geek dives into history The Paul is Dead hoax to see if there’s any truth to one of music’s biggest urban legends.SOURCESReeve, Andru J. Turn Me on, Dead Man. AuthorHouse, 2004.Hunter, Davies.

The Beatles Lyrics. Little, Brown and Company. 2014Moriarty, Paul.

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“Who Buried Paul?” ludix.com/moriarty/paul.html 1999Shivani, Anis. “Paul is Dead: The Conspiracy Theory That Won’t Go Away.” dawn.com January 15, 2017I always have to include this when I tackle subjects like this.