Heartland

Was curious about Tony James' recent assertion that in fact, he and Sputnik guitarist Neil X were brought in for the VT sessions, but Neil was quickly dropped from the project....

I'd take anything Tony says with a fairly large grain of salt. It's certainly possible, even mildly plausible, but it's still the same man who gave us Sputnik. He knows what he's doing when it comes to causing sensation or outrage.

Was Neil X a guitarist? All I remember is he had improbably high hair.

"Was Neil X a guitarist?"

yep, still is. he is (and was then) also a song-writer and producer.

i suspect its this cross-section of skills, coupled with (i imagine) a strong personality, that got him booted. a clash of personalities, i reckon.

also, from von's point of view its pushing it a bit to have TWO members of SSS in the band. 1 member you can dismiss with a few comments about rock and roll, but 2 are much harder to laugh away in the press...

"All I remember is he had improbably high hair"

oh yes!

Thanks for clearing that up Q.
I don't know why SSS didn't just sack Degville and recruit .
I'd love to see him with a fishnet over his head.

Hom_Corleone wrote:Thanks for clearing that up Q.
I don't know why SSS didn't just sack Degville and recruit .
I'd love to see him with a fishnet over his head.

according tpo TJ's blog, they asked him when they were getting SSS together, back in about 83, but the sisters where just gaining momentum so von turned the offer down...

von asking TJ was his way of reciprocating the original offer

can you imagine?

What an image.

Quiff Boy wrote:"Was Neil X a guitarist?"

yep, still is. he is (and was then) also a song-writer and producer.

i suspect its this cross-section of skills, coupled with (i imagine) a strong personality, that got him booted. a clash of personalities, i reckon.

also, from von's point of view its pushing it a bit to have TWO members of SSS in the band. 1 member you can dismiss with a few comments about rock and roll, but 2 are much harder to laugh away in the press...

"All I remember is he had improbably high hair"

oh yes!

He's being playing guitar in Marc Almond's band for what, the last 10 years?

slicepack wrote:

Quiff Boy wrote:"Was Neil X a guitarist?"

yep, still is. he is (and was then) also a song-writer and producer.

i suspect its this cross-section of skills, coupled with (i imagine) a strong personality, that got him booted. a clash of personalities, i reckon.

also, from von's point of view its pushing it a bit to have TWO members of SSS in the band. 1 member you can dismiss with a few comments about rock and roll, but 2 are much harder to laugh away in the press...

"All I remember is he had improbably high hair"

oh yes!

He's being playing guitar in Marc Almond's band for what, the last 10 years?

more. i saw him playing guitar for marc in 1995 when he toured the 'fantastic star' album

the single 'the idol' from the album has neil's name on the credits

http://www.discogs.com/release/162854

his real surname is whitmore.

what's Degville's real name?

Neal X is Neil Whitmore
Martin Degville is Martin Degville

thanking yew

Quiff Boy wrote:

Hom_Corleone wrote:Thanks for clearing that up Q.
I don't know why SSS didn't just sack Degville and recruit .
I'd love to see him with a fishnet over his head.

according tpo TJ's blog, they asked him when they were getting SSS together, back in about 83, but the sisters where just gaining momentum so von turned the offer down...

von asking TJ was his way of reciprocating the original offer

can you imagine?

:von: during an interview with Select magazine in 1990 wrote:Some people thought I worked with Tony James just to make press for six months. I don't really need that, cartoons of me with a pineapple on my head, thank you. I think they're going to have to eat their hats. Tony offered me a job in '82 - he's the only person who's ever offered me a job. I've returned the favour.

Tony James during the same interview wrote:It's so funny doing an interview and not talking to someone who says, "You're a pile of s**t, explain yourself!" I've known Andrew since an early Sisters gig in London. I felt he had the same influences as me at that time, the Stooges verging on Suicide. I thought he'd be a great singer to work with but he said no, and I got lumbered with degville instead, ha ha! Ever since I've known Andrew he's always sent me all his records through the post.

Youth! Youth! Youth! (dub)

coulda bin the next Who

Tony James has also said that Andrew is the only rock personality that he knows who always keeps in touch, no matter what.

I'm sure Gary would find that interesting, especially after the 1995 And Nowhere debacle.