oday, Screaming Lord ,HIS tch is remembered THE for the daft policies and EARLY INFLUENCES INTLUDED outrageous publicity stunts of his Monster Raving RISOUE ]'IATERIAT OF COMEDIAN I\4AX Loony Party. But before the potty politics and his rragic death in lq99 at the age of r\,IILLER, A FASCINATION WITH ILLUSIONISIS 58, Sutch was one of Britain's original rockers, an uncompromising wild live act AN D that overshadorved pop's teen idols and A]'IERICAI{ R()CK'il'R()IL' inspired future shock rockers such as Kiss and Alice Cooper. presenting himself as Mr Sutch came in Service. Now demobbed, he was hanging Energised by artists such as Littie for an audition. He arrived looking like a out at the Cannibal Pot, iistening to Richard. Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee rag-and-bone man, carrying a sheepskin, the jukebox at around the same time Lewis and Screamin'Jay Hawkins, his a pair of buffalo horns, a man-trap, snow Sutch u.as auditioning at the 2I's, when band. The Savages, included luture shoes and so forth." a curious character walked in. "He was music luminaries Jimmy Page, Ritchie After a bizarre performance of a wearing a three- quarter-length Crombie Blackmore, Jeff Beck, Nicky Hopkins and song cal1ed Bullshit Boogie, Littlewood coat and motor bike goggles lvithout the Matthew Fisher, among others. He also signed Sutch to one of his rock'n'roll glass," reported Little. The pair hit it off worked with seminal record producer Joe package tours r,r,ith Vince Tavlor and and agreed to start a band [o counter the Meek on a series oI innovative sing'les. The Playboys and recording artist Jackie bland British rock'n'ro11 scene. before pioneering British oflshore pirate Lynton. Terrified audiences were treated The Savages' seminal early line-up radio and plunging into Loony politics. to Sutch's'Wild Man of Borneo Act', in included Little on drums and vocals, Sutch was a crucial rocker from the which he appeared t,earing his aunt's Bernie Watson on lead guitar, Ricky dawn of Brirish rock. influencing the leopard skin coat with the buffalo horns Fenson on bass and the classically trained hear'ry metal, punk and goth rock genres perched precariously on his head, and Nicky Hopkins on piano. Plaving a setlist he predated, In contrast to the ridicule he sporting impossiblf iong hair. "Walking of supercharged rock'n'roll starrdards at attr-acted at home, the original ionghair down the street. people would see us venues such as the British Legion. the was immense[1' popular with young and cross the road," recalled L1'nton. "He outfit was originally onl). to be managed audienees in both Europe and America. was the first man with hair down to his by Surch. but one night Watson's high- YouTube is bristling u ith his lary singles shoulders. This was 1960. Jong before pitched r.r ailingguitar sound prompteri and early'scopitone' r.ideos: his songs anybody else. It was ridiculous." him ro assault the stage in an avalanche of have been covered by contemporary "l'd turned mysell into a freak way screaming and hairy headshaking that left bands such as the White Stripes. the before the hippies," Sutch later affirmed. both bandmares and audience speechless. Gruesomes, the Black Lips and the But wilder things r,r'ere to come. Ir r,r as decided that Sutch would become Hor:rors, and he was immortalised by the Carlo Little had been obsessed r,r ith the lead singer, and after some vocal Darkness's Justin Hawkins in the 2009 drums since childhood and had pounded coaching from Little (r,r'ho would later Meek biopic Telstar. So what was the skins for the Army during Nationai give drum lessons to the young Keith the method in his madness? Moon), they were ready to rock. A11 they 'His e4riy influences needed was a name. included the risqu6 "Dave announced that his stage 'material of coriredian Max Mi1ler, a name would be Screaming Lord fascination with illusionists and the ' Sutch," explained Little, "partly in American rock'n'roll he heard on tribute to bluesman Screamin' Jay the jukebox at the Ace Caf6 and Hawkins, and also because he used Cannibal Pot coffee bar. From to run up and down underground 1959 he started hanging out trains screamingwhen he was out atlondon's 2lls coffee bar, u,ith his rnates on a Saturday night." 'where Cliff Riehard, Tommy Hawkins was one of Sutch's crucial .' Steele'and Joe'Brown were nrusicai inHuences and had scored a '., all'diseovered, iq the hope sensational hir in 1956 with his insane )" of landins an audition. single PutA Spell OnYou- "Tt was a breeding Harvkins' act inr olved screaming ground for rock'n'ro1[ers," and maniacal laughter, and saw him ' ', ,,,S-ut tiddrexplained-'tBut carried on stage in a coffin, from which they said they didn't want he would emerge surrounded by skulls,
: :.:r aq.rmord guys just c6ming im, burning candles and other voodoo , ,- and copying Elvis. They wanted s),mbolism. Sutch gave it a Victorian ]s,Omething new,ll He:dida't need' music hall spin reminiscent of the telling rwice, as 2I's manager iilusioaists who had'intrigued him as a Tom Littlewood testifred. ''One teenager, and the llamiler hor.ro.f fi.'lm$ afternoon a srange individual ,OIHTR PROPS HE WOULD USE II{CI.UDED A HIJGE A)(E WHI(H HE USED TO ATTACK BOTH BAND AiID HYSTERIffiAUDIENff, *,"{ AND THE '['4INGE POLE'...
With a new name and an outrageous crowd. Venues solcl out, bookings soared stage act, Screaming Lord Sutch and the and the band li-as invited to support Savages were set to terrorise the world. rock'n'roll greats such as Jer'ry, Lee Lewis The buffalo horns and leopard skin on their UK tours. jacket remained a part of Sutch's quick- "The or-r11, tin-re I'\'e eyer knorvn Jerry change act, as did a curioLls toilet-seat Lee Leu,is come oLlt of his dressing room hat and a rubber pig's head mask, while to r.vatch another act was for Screaming other props included a huge axe whicl-r 1-re Lord Sutch," recalled Chas Hodges of used to attack both band and hysterical Chas & Dave fame, also a member of audience, and the 'minge pole', a tu,isted earlv Joe Meek act The Outlarvs. "Sr-rtcl-r metal rod with a sack over the end which u.as the biggest thing on the halls around v,ould slowl), be u'ithdrawn to reveal a Britain." Jackie Lynton agreed: "He knerv large root vegetable and ar-r old n-rop-head, about bums on seats, Dave Sutch did. which was then shaken u,ildly and thrust If .vou bookecl him you knerv it would into the faces ofhis hysterical audience. sell out." Sutch r,r,as norv making huge But the main feature of Sutch's act amounts of cash, r.r.hich enabled him to was Jack The Ripper, for which he wore bu_v a su,ank.v American car and a big white face paint and deep red 1ip ror-rge, house. "It was amazing the mone-v he got augmenting his black top hat lr,ith a considering he ne\rer had a hit record," black cape, black bag and a huge knife said Nicholas. With national fan-re, sel1- with which he would disenbou,el his out venues, hysterical tabloid publicitS.i 'victims', later licking the fake rubber the admiration of his idols and loads-a- innards with glee. "We watch all the latest money, ali Sutch needed was a hit record. horror films," he said of his inspirrrion. In 1961, he signed up rvith record 'Anything associated with horror. Then producer Joe Meek and joined the list of we put our own ideas to that, add music artists to record in the tecl-rno-wizard's and u,e've got a Victorian shour flat-turnecl-recording studio, recording "I'm out to give visual entertainment," six singles and B-sides n ith Meek with he continued. 'A lot of singers just walk mixed results. Early releases such as his up to the microphone with a guitar and debtrt single 'T{l The Followinglirght and open and shut their mouths like a goldfish Jack Tlrc Ripper (banned by the BBC) and nothing happens. I like to put on a were prime exampies of rock horroq show as I'm doing it, not just sing it, but u,hile r.ild flip-sides such as Little acr it too." Richard's Good Golly Miss Mo11y, Huey It was all too craz\ lor wolds. Sutch 'Piano' Smith's, Don'tYou Just Know It, and the Savages often had to flee through Tiny Bradshaw's The Train Kept A Rollin', the back exit from outraged audiences - Big Joe Turner's rnisogl.,nistic Honey on one occasion Sutch was arrested r,r iten I{ush and Sutch's own Come BackBabl, the police were called after he discharged came closer to capturing the crazed spirit blanks from a pistol into the traumatised of his live act. :;&
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The eccenrric partnersirip of Sutctr Blackmore, Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, Sutch's r-rnorthoclox progrtrmmir-rg also and Meek did however also sptrr,vn a the Yardbirds' Jeff Beck, Procol Harum's included playing records by his favor-rlite series ofkitsch novelties such as Llonster Ltlattheu'Fisher and Noel Redding of the risqu6 comedian N{ax Miller and t1-re In Black Tights, She's Itallen In Love Jimi Hendrix Experience paying their reading of extracts from DH Lar.r,rence's Witlt The 1/orrsrcr A /an rrtl Drat'ula's dues u,ith Sr,rtch before flnding fame in conrroversirl Lady Charcerly s Lover h1' Daughter, x4ricl-r abanConed the dark their ou,n right. "He turned them into Nf andy Rice Davies, one of the socief,, comecl1, of his horror act in far.our of r'viid men and 1et them loose on the grirls involred in rhe lorr.l Prolunro Aflrir. embarrirssing parod1,. Sutch's spoof cover rvorld," Hodges later reca11ed. It u,as during this period that Sutch of the Coasters' I\t't A IIog For You Bablt Meanw'hile, in 1964 Sutch set up his first began rr-rnning for election as the uras promising, but clidn't iir.e up to his own pirate radio station, Radio Sutch, National Teenage Part1,, turningJ up at grittier lir.e perf'ormance of the song. on the abandoned Shiver'lng Sands Dorvnir.rg Street u,-ith topless rvomen He continued in the same vein after fort complex in the Thames estuary to while camp:rigring for free radio (which -"vas lerr irrg Nleck. r,r'ith su.:h further quirki publicise his records,. "N.[ine a very didn't succeed) and votes for 18 1,gs1- oilcrirrgs x Purple People Eater and the u,i1d act," he explained, "toc far ahead olds rr,r'h jch did r. Hc u as rlso famously uliginri Black and Halry rcpJrrcirrg his for its day and age. The BBC and Radio photographed shaking hands r.r,it1-r uncompron-lising rock entries. Luxembourg lvouldn't play mv records, bemused prime minster Harold \\ri1son. Bv rhc tinru Sutch partcd comprn\- so I plrr ed nr\ o\ 'r lecords. as u'ell as a Bur br late lo64 Srrtclr lrad tired ol u,ith Meek, the Savages had undergone 1ot by friends of mine like Johnnl, Kidd the rad jo rtstion. Srill r hig lire dlru. nr-linerous line-r.rp changes, rvitl-r and the Pirates. Cliff Bennett and the he sold up and errberked on :r lucrative rrrLrsicinrr. such as Dct'p Purp'le's Ritchie Rrbblerousers aud The Ourlar,r s." Ausrrllian conce|r tour, On reru|ning to Britain. he lound thet tlrc errly 1900s ,SUTIH rock'rr'roll scene u'hich hrd bloughr hinr BTGAN RUI{NIIIG T(}R EI.EffIOil, fame r.r'as long g,rne. \A itlr the Beatles rnd Rolling Storres nori luling the loost. he UP STREET was oui. of inainsrream rock'rr'roll. TURNIr\IG AT I}(}W}IIilG WITH Not yet leadr- ro give up. in I968, he relersed an album of nera'rnaterial. TOPLESS WOIYIEN WHILE IAlvlPAIGNING "i didn'r \ ant to rnake the mistake of covering songs like Great BaIk of Fire F(}R FRTE TAI}!(}' and Blue Suede Shocs." he declared. :>
NSilE S Yll{Tifi$R$0tr 59 ,HE HII BIG WITH HIS SHOCKING LIVE ATT IN THE [}|IDDI.E OF THE BRITISH ROCK'N'ROLL BOOM, BUI NEVER FOUND t{t SUTCESS AS A RE(()RDING ARTIST' f- "That doesn't se11, because everlrbody'5 sir.rgle in 1991, a cod-rap nur.nber entitled got 10 versions of it alread],. This is Number lO Or Bust, u-hich he performed 1.. modern rock'n'ro11 r,i.itl.r the Led Zeppelin on the BBC's Record Breakers to celebrate sound, that driving beat..." his record for losing the most elections. I* Sutcl-r invited former Savages, including Unknorvn to man-_v, Sutch had suffered Page, Beck, Hopkins, Reclciing and from depression for -vears. This came to )t original Sar.ages belter Little to a series of a head u4ren, deep in debt and grieving infolmrl jirr-n sessions, onlr. to horrify the for his mother rvho had died the previous n:riticiprrnts u hen l-ie leleasecl the tracks ,vear, he l-ranged himself or-r 16 June 1999. :. rr-i :1burn, "I $-antecl to have a laugh His funeral u.as attended by hordes scntiin-{ up some old rock'n'rol1," said of leather-clad bikers rr ho followed P:-ile. But the joke reversed when Sutch the hearse u,itl.r his trademark top hat l i.\\'rote all the tunes and added extra perched on the coffin. It u,as t1-re ultimate ::riitar parts." Sportir-rg a lurid cor.er, Iord publicitl. stunt, in a sense his finest hour. Sutch And Heavy Frlends has been dubbed Sutch u,ould have lor-ed it. the u.orst albun.r of al1 time. Screaming Lorcl Sutch had en.rerged Undeterrecl, he repeated the erercise on the cusp of tr.r,o eras but rea1ly fitted two years later. Recorded at London's into neither. Raised on rock'n'roli in Hampstead Countryr Club, Iord Surch the post-r.var 1950s, he hit big u.iti-r 1"ris & Heavy Friends: Hands Of Jack The shocking live act in the middle of the Rtpper saw him roping in Little, Ritchie British rock'n'ro11 boom, but never found Blackmore, Mattl-relr. Fisher and Redding success as a recording artist despite his as well as Little's former proteg6 Keith w'i1d rock sound. This was partly because Moon. "I came do.,vr-r r,vith Matt Fisher his off-t1-re-wal1 act lr,as so difficult to get and rr",e playg.l .r. night," Blackmore onto vin),1, partly because his eccentric recal1ed. "Then I sar.r, the recording partnership rvith Joe N{eek reduced equipment and thou€iht, "He's doinp1 it his controversial black comedy horror againl" Comprising mosth- rock'n'roil pieces to facile novelt)., but also because standards, ironically fJands 'uvas better he recorded too 1ate, concentrating on EY" than its mess1. predecessor, u.hich had his lucrative live act at the expense of a featured nerv material. potentially successful recording career. After this. Sutch rvound clorvn B], the time of his debut single in late 1961 recording to concentrate on his political the Beatles rvere waiting ir-r the wings; by campaigns, causing mirth and mayhem 1964 tl-rey ruled supreme. rvherever he ra,ent;rnd losing 1-ris deposit Although steeped ir-r 1950s influences, every time. He did appear u.ith veteran Sutch s rvild rct. lorrg hair. pirate rrdio rockers Chr-rck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis romp and perverse recordinp; ventures and Bo Diddley atthe\972 \A,'embley painted him as a quirky character in the Rock'n'Ro11 Concert, sporting pre-punk 196Os. Success eluded him in this decade green hair and signature wl-rite face paint roo. rnd hy rhe rirne of his ls72 Wembley witi-r attendant colfin ar.rd topless dancers, appearance he rvas an anachronism. and was stil1 a busy live act, later gigging ln lris hevdrl'. hou'er er. Screming w-ith the Sex Pistols. But now this u.as to Lold Stitch u ls rn originrl. a one-oll finance his abortive campaigns. whose mixture of hard rock and ground- t# He did take time out in 1981 to record breaking vaudeville horror thrilled, Rock & Horror. r ser rnirirrg letrcads oI set rrends rnd paved the ir ay for the old favourites rvith nelr. songs, its perfect nrusicirns u ho l'ollou ed him. w balance of hard rock ancl black humour ''lt u as all vely pretn'-prerry before finally capturing the essence of his oid Surch." recalls Clrrs Hodges. "He put the live act. Bur apalt from gigging to ririse wildness into ir. All rhe musicians thar are nroney lor the canrpaign trail. Surch'uvas anything had gone through Sutch's band finished wirh music. He released one last ct sonre tinre or other," *