I met Julien Temple last night at the Mojo Awards. I was asked to present him and Wilko Johnson with an award for "Oil City Confidential", a documentary that he made on Dr Feelgood. I have to say I had the the chance to see this film a few weeks ago on BBC4 and I found it amazing. It was equally amazing to meet up with Wilko after so many years.
I shared a flat with him in 1977 and had an amazing time but our stay there ended when a girl who also rented a room there got raped by five men. We suddenly felt it was inappropriate to stay any longer and the place was then taken up by Billy Idol and Steve Strange and then Motorhead. This was the basis for the song 5 minutes. For a few seconds Wilko and I were completely oblivious to the large crowd whilst we hugged like the long lost friends we were. I thought it rather appropriate that Wilko was there on that day, the 100th anniversary of the birth of Howlin Wolf. When the Feelgoods were in their prime we called their music RnB. Rhythm and blues. Nothing like what they are calling by the same name now.
On the same table as me was Peter Hamill who was at the Rainbow gigs in Hugh's absence. Also Jean-Michel Jarre who was very courteous and complimentary about the Stranglers. Although he was also complimentary about my French, I was woefully aware that I have an English accent when I speak it! Opposite me on the table was a geezer called Jarvis Cocker who blanked me for the whole dinner and to my right a bloke from the US, Anthony Hegarty who is a singer in a band called Anthony and the Johnsons and who introduced me to his friend, Mervyn. He seemed to attract people such as Rufus Wainwright and Marc Almond who is a guy who once moved hotels when he learned we were staying in the same hotel because we were scary!
Funnily enough when I was backstage being photographed with Mr Temple he informed me that he had been at the same school as Hugh Cornwell, and they used to squirt ink at him because he was a prefect and, apparently, a real c**t. I said nothing........
JJB 11th June 2010
Photos of JJ on the night can be found here
Some more have also been posted here
This sounds good for JJ,Wilko is a legend.one of the greatest British Band's ever.What a tosser cocker was blanking JJ.Maybe JJ should have smashed a wine bottle on his shin.I believe that's part of Shidokan Karate training?
ReplyDeleteWhat a great read - the last paragraph is wicked ... in every sense of the word!
ReplyDeleteThat Cocker sounds an ignorant git, you should have pinned him to the wall with your foot like you did me 30 years ago in Guildford Civic, but then again would you want the likes of him talking to you anyway?
ReplyDelete"For a few seconds Wilko and I were completely oblivious to the large crowd whilst we hugged like the long lost friends we were"
ReplyDeleteGiants among men & both cool as F**k
Manc
next time your there JJ its hopefully for a long overdue award maybe the prefect may even be there!
ReplyDeleteWhat the fuck...Jarvis Cocksucker blanking JJ Burnel.
ReplyDeleteHe isnt fit to shine JJ's boots.
cocker was is and will always be a complete arsehole
ReplyDeleteJarvis Who?
ReplyDeleteA great read , cheers JJ - these ratter things make me feel like reading strangled in 83 - parfait!
ReplyDeleteNice one!! Wilko is one of my heroes! It seems fititng that you guys used to share a place together. One question though, who the hell is Jarvis Cocker? Never heard of him. He must be a nobody.
ReplyDeleteIt's curious Jarvis Cocker blanking JJ because when he chose the tracks of his years on the Ken Bruce show, Cocker picked Peaches and said what a fan he was of the band. Maybe he was star struck.
ReplyDeleteLook at jarvis's surname.
ReplyDeleteSay's it all really i think.
After reading JJ had attended the Mojo awards
ReplyDeletebut alas not to collect an award,
I will post here my letter I sent recently to
BBC radio 2, to object about the ommision
of The Stranglers from the music documentary
recently aired on the BBC....
'To Mark Radcliffe,the producer,
and anyone else involved in the production
of the music documentary:
I'M IN A ROCK N ROLL BAND,
I watched and enjoyed the series I'm in a rock n roll band' which was on the whole
put together and presented well.
However the one band that really should have been included and was not, is THE STRANGLERS.
When I watched the preview for the last episode 'the other one'
I thought the The Stranglers would definitely be included during that episode,
as it would focus on the bass and keyboard players. However I was apalled to find they were not included.
The musicianship of JJ Burnel whose bassline in 'peaches' was voted the most recognisable bass riff ever,
and Dave Greenfield who composed the excellent song 'Golden Brown', are quite remarkable.
Both of these guys have very unique styles in their stagecraft.
Burnel with his bass sound and karate moves and Greenfield with his mastery of keyboard solos and knob twiddling.
Playing the keyboard solo during a live performance of 'No More Heroes'
whilst drinking a pint, is his trademark and great to watch.
Burnel is also well known for his intricate bass playing.
I consider the omission of THE STRANGLERS from this music documentary
quite insulting to me, to the band, and to rock musos worldwide who will no doubt agree
that the shows producers have deliberately missed out the contribution they have
made to british rock music.
This was made more insulting and unjust, by the playing of 'No More Heroes'
during the last episode, because the producer was well aware of the iconic status of that song.
The Stranglers are very much a part of British Rock history and should have been included.
I hope they will finally get the full attention and respect they deserve from the BBC when they play Glastonbury this year.
I would like you discuss my comments live on your radio show when you review the series.
I would also like a response to my comments.'
I didn't get a reply.....
MR COCKER THE ARSEHOLE OF THE MUSIC BUISNESS NEED WE SAY MORE.
ReplyDeleteJAMES BOWYER
Nice blog from JJ. Some pretty unkind posts about Mr. Cocker, who is generally quite quiet in public, especially since his Jacko moment many moons ago.
ReplyDeleteI have heard the guy say many times that he was a Stranglers fan.
I for one found that BBC series utterly pointless, as usual the public are spoonfed a selection of artists picked by a panel, whereas a true poll of the public would allow allcomers, and the final 3 hour finale? Afraid I couldn't make it past the first ten minutes. Peter Hook annoyed me too, everyone knows he is a fan of JJ, yet he is asked to comment upon Paul Simonen, most of whose basslines sound like he's wearing boxing gloves. 'JJ's bass sound is my bass sound' he is quoted as saying, but as usual the Punk mafioso choose to ignore The Stranglers, who, like me , are worried that their Glasto appearance will be short and sweet on the BBC?
ReplyDeleteGet over it guys.
ReplyDeleteThe more you mention Cocker, the more you validate his behaviour.
It's time we accepted the fact that as far as the BBC is concerned 'the Stranglers' have never and will never be included in any program charting the history of music. With regards to Jarvis Cocker, he was just following the party line (as a BBC employee) and ignoring JJ for fear of reprisals from his paymasters!
ReplyDeleteJJ Not being in that crappy BBC program "I`m in a rock and roll band" is pure joy..he is rightly excluded from mediocrity!....
ReplyDeleteObviously Jarvis was totally in awe of JJ, sue to the obvious debt his old band owe The Stranglers
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with Darren Brooks, seems like the
ReplyDeletebbc still hate THE STRANGLERS
I felt exactly the same about "I'm in a Rock'n'Roll Band". I actually fast forwarded through most of it because I knew full well it would be another BBC version of what has gone on in the last 40 years - no Stranglers in other words. This just goes on and on and on year after year. It's Stalinist that a band is airbrushed from the annals of British music. I mean, they are getting JJ to present an award to Wilko Johnson ( I haven't an objection to that) but doesn't it strike them as odd that they cannot bring it upon themselves to honour the man in their midst at the Awards who made thousands of youngsters pick up the bass guitar because of the thunderous basslines he blasted out? JJ and Dave were forever topping the polls of the Music Papers polls in the keyboard and Bass sections - much to the papers annoyance no doubt. Some day they'll get the recognition they deserve.
ReplyDeleteNice one Phil Steer, Kev in Black et al,
ReplyDeleteThe BBC are funded by the mandatory
licence fee and should be held to account
for its actions.
I still enjoyed the show however,
as I liked a lot of those bands
shown in the series.
Although a band doesn't have to be
in a BBC production to prove anything.
Obviously the case regarding The Stranglers...
Anyone else as disappointed as I am with the band's 1.40pm slot at Glasto? Predictable I know, but they might be consigned to a brief blast of NMH or similar when the highlights are shown, but as ever, the general public will miss out in favour of the evening acts. I wouldn't be so certain that the band will ever get the recognition that we feel they deserve, but I am certain they won't give a fuck. You shouldn't be in the business to get the occasional shiny bauble anyway. Loved the new DVD by the way, but I'm still waiting for one where the director knows the parts of the songs as well as the fans, would have much preferred the cameras to concentrate on the bass solo in Genetix for example rather than the back of JJ's head seen through a drum riser. Minor gripe!
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy Jarres gig in Caen JJ (http://aerojarre.blogspot.com/) and the wrist is on the mend after the gig in Birmingham
ReplyDeletejarvis cocker's first gig was the Stranglers.
ReplyDeletePulp were influences by the Stranglers but has since said he was embarrassed by this...
Jarvis Cocker blanking JJ... Jean you should have done to Cocker what you did to Billy Idol and gave him a well deserved kick up the arse! As for Marc Almond... Who? Didn't he have a couple of hits years and years ago?!!
ReplyDelete