This is a pre peer-reviewed, pre-print (draft pre-refereeing) version of the following published document:

Deakin, Rich (2008) ABSURD! OUTRAGE! GROTESQUE! POOT! Shindig! Quarterly, 2 (5). pp. 40-41.

Official URL: http://www.volcanopublishing.co.uk/shindig-magazine.html

EPrint URI: http://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/3706

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ABSURD!ABSURD! OUTRAGE!OUTRAGE! GROTESQUE!GROTESQUE! POOT!POOT! THETHE PINKPINK FAIRIESFAIRIES were were nevernever friendsfriends withwith thethe establishment.establishment. PlayingPlaying forfor free,free, playingplaying fuckedfucked upup andand oftenoften naked,naked, theythey epitomisedepitomised thethe politicallypolitically charged,charged, angry,angry, post-hippypost-hippy spiritspirit ofof thethe earlyearly ’70s.’70s. RICHRICH DEAKINDEAKIN chronicles chronicles thethe group’sgroup’s earlyearly days.days.

HE PINK FAIRIES EVOLVED summer of ’70. Most notably, stripping naked a letter back from the office of Bag out of The Deviants following an ill- at the Phun City festival, and playing for free Productions, the company set up by Lennon fated trip to Canada in the autumn outside the Bath and Isle of Wight festivals. to deal with public relations and finance, T of 1969, during which Deviants’ They also quickly earned themselves a saying that the Lennon-Onos were too busy, singer was unceremoniously reputation for being a “people’s ” and was suitably piqued to write a song ejected from his own band. On their return to had begun to generate interest from a himself. Thus ‘Do It!’ was born. the UK in February ’70, the remaining number of record companies. Deviants hooked up with erstwhile Pretty There were some differences of opinion over Things drummer, John ‘Twink’ Alder and Having signed to Polydor in the autumn of songwriting credits and individual renamed themselves The Pink Fairies. ’70, The Pink Fairies were booked into contributions to ‘Do It!’ Whatever the Recorded Sound Studios in early December circumstances surrounding its exact The Deviants had been something of an ’70 to record a single. Head of PR for Polydor conception, with its overtly anti-authoritarian anomaly, even in the ’60s. When many of was Peter Knight Jr. and, despite having his lyrics that espoused taking matters into your their contemporaries were espousing the producing days supposedly behind him, he own hands, ‘Do It!’ perfectly encapsulated the ethos of love, peace and flower power, they agreed to the band’s request to produce them. mood of the times. The peace and love released a trio of underground LPs, including optimism of the late ’60s faded as the decade the experimental Ptooff!, that addressed Knight was the son of the renowned gave way to the escalating troubles in social issues such as the evils of composer and arranger Peter Knight, famous Northern Ireland, as well as the bombs of The consumerism, looting supermarkets, and for scoring the orchestral work on The Moody Angry Brigade, whilst the war in Vietnam inner city riots. Following Farren’s departure, Blues’ Days Of Future Passed and virtually dragged on amidst an atmosphere of growing the remaining Deviants were given a freer all of The Carpenters’ work in the ’70s. global political foment. Peter Knight rein to pursue their musical aspirations, and Following in his father’s footsteps, Knight remembers the session vividly: “We took ’s guitar and the dual percussive was more accustomed to dealing with, and them into the studios to do the songs, and onslaught of Russell Hunter and Twink came producing, easy listening fodder like The they were so loud we could hear them to typify The Pink Fairies sound. James Last Orchestra. Nevertheless he through the glass without turning the mics donned his producer’s hat and gamely tackled up. It was guitar, bass and two drummers.” They began to place as much emphasis on what would become two of The Pink Fairies’ providing a good time through their music, as most enduring and endearing anthems: ‘The Because he usually dealt with completely they did getting the underground spirit across Snake’ and ‘Do It!’ With its rampant lyrical different types of artists, Knight found to audiences. But, despite a shift towards imagery, ‘The Snake’ is fairly self explanatory; working with The Pink Fairies an interesting more serious musicianship, the new Pink ‘Do It!’, the flipside of the single, is a little and enjoyable experience. Joly McFie related Fairies retained a social conscience, and were more political. to Seth Wimpfheimer how “[Knight] kept far too steeped in the ethos of the saying it was the most exciting session he’d to abandon their underground Legend has it the lyrics to ‘Do It!’ were done,” and if Twink had a reputation for credentials entirely. Along with fellow written in roadie Joly McFie’s Morris Minor being difficult in recording studios, Knight contemporaries , on the way to the studio. Although it took its remembers he was completely motivated. they were just as likely to be found name from the revolutionary tract by supporting worthwhile community benefits, American yippie activist Jerry Rubin, further With regard to Sandy’s prominent bass sound such as White Panther Party free food lyrical inspiration for the song came from on the single, Joly infers that Paul might have programmes, as they were playing for free on John Lennon and Yoko Ono. In an interview overdubbed it himself. Peter Knight refutes the back of a lorry outside the perimeter on Milwaukee Radio in ’88, Twink said: “We this idea and has said: “I would have fences of mainstream commercial festivals. kind of figured because [John and Yoko] were remembered that. They all played live – that’s This was a stance that justifiably earned them doing what we were doing they would jump at why it was so bloody loud! We did lay tracks the reputation of being one of the foremost the chance to write a song for us, because it down live and did the vocals afterwards.” underground bands in Britain. was all like Power To The People, you know? We were all doing it together.” Twink wrote a Sandy says that he can’t really remember The Pink Fairies had earned themselves a letter to John and Yoko asking them to write Knight contributing much, but if the finished sizeable grass-roots following throughout the a song for The Pink Fairies. When he received single, ‘The Snake’, slightly lacks the

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immediate raw energy of an earlier version then Rudolph, ‘OK. Who’s the fucking recorded for Top Gear, also recorded live in Commie Red?’ and holds up a Chairman Mao Rich Deakin speaks with the studio, it remains a creditable first outing badge, and I went ‘What?’ He goes, ‘Who’s Duncan ‘Sandy’ Sanderson! nevertheless. Peter Knight Jr. made a the fucking Commie Red?’ and I went ‘You promotional film to showcase a number of are joking, right?’” SHINDIG!: Why were ‘The Snake’ and ‘Do It!’ chosen as cuts for Polydor artists, of which The Pink Fairies and the first single? their single ‘The Snake’ were a part. It was But they weren’t joking, and the main filmed on the set of Oliver! at Shepperton “Commie Red” was being given the third SANDY: Peter Knight Jr. thought they were really exciting songs, and it had something to do with the twin-spangled Ludwig drum Studios, and originally shown at a sales degree in the other bedroom. Evidence kits that cost a bloody fortune, as paid for by Polydor with their convention at Polydor’s Hamburg linking Mick to The Angry Brigade bombings advance. Plus we didn’t have too many of our own songs at that headquarters. Knight can only remember the was what the Special Branch hoped to find, point! name of one other band he filmed, an act but according to Mick, “all they came up with from the Midlands that he handled called The was Boss’s Chairman Mao button, most of SD: Like The Clash at CBS some years later, The Pink Fairies Love Machine. Introducing the film was a our drugs and reams of mildly subversive were criticised by some fans for signing to Polydor. Did you feel then unknown Olivia Newton John. literature and documentation.” Mick was you had to justify yourselves to anyone when you signed to ordered to flush all the pills and cannabis Polydor in late 1970? Knight thinks it quite possible that only an down the toilet, because, as Mick relates in DS: No, I don’t think so. I don’t think anybody really gave a fuck. abridged version of each act made the final his autobiography Give The Anarchist A No one was interested enough that we’d signed with a major, cut, as the film was edited down to forty Cigarette, the Special Branch wanted to avoid because in those days there weren’t any minors – there were no minutes for the presentation. It was giving “those drug squad slags the time of Rough Trades… there was nowhere else to go. What we did find apparently well received at the conference, day.” He was then served a second warrant was that Ronan O’Rahilly [Pirate radio entrepreneur and later but neither ‘The Snake’ nor any other part of and whisked away for a raid on the IT offices. MC5 manager] was pissed off because he wanted to sign us to the film was ever seen by the public. It was a RCA, and he’s saying [adopts Irish accent] “I’m talking telephone wasted opportunity by Polydor to ptomote After the questioning of Mick, Ed Barker and numbers here!”, and we just went, “Yeah, whatever.” the band and the single, rush released in Paul Lewis at the IT offices, the Special January ’71, failed to chart. Branch left some six hours later. They didn’t SD: The lyrics to ‘The Snake’ are pretty much open to interpretation, but whom or what was the original inspiration find anything, although the repercussions behind the song? While their debut failed to ignite the charts, affected not only the Cosmic Family, but were its did coincide with the explosion of a felt throughout the wider underground DS: “That old snake, he just wants to come inside” – excuse me bomb at the home of culture. Dozens of Paul! Are you really singing that? Ha ha ha ha ha. the Tory Secretary of other people were State for Employment, raided that same week, SD: How do you think ‘Do It!’ fitted in with the mood of the times? Robert Carr, on thus providing the January 14th. Special Branch with a DS: I think, politically, it hit the button actually… maybe Paul Although not useful insight into came up with the riff, and it was Twink that got the lyric, but it was agit-prop. It’s still kind of relevant – “Do it, ‘cos you can connected directly to other areas of the always get out on bail”! The Pink Fairies at the counterculture, time, The Angry “learning far more SD: Peter Knight Jr. was an unusual choice of producer for your Brigade bombings did than they needed to first single given his easy listening background. How did you find have ramifications know,” as Mick now working with him? within the Cosmic puts it. The activities Family. IT had been of The Angry Brigade DS: As far as producing goes we had a kind of good relationship receiving communiqués weren’t universally with him. His father Peter Knight was a big band leader in the from The Angry Brigade, and as editor, it was approved of, but the police activity they ’30s and ’40s so he knew his music, and he was excited about new stuff and what was on the horizon. He was actually quite a Mick Farren’s duty to publish them. This provoked ensured that the likes of IT and big guy and I liked him. brought Farren to the attention of the Special Friends would continue to support them over Branch. Boss Goodman and Paul Rudolph the establishment any day. SD: What are your memories of filming the promotional video for were staying at Mick’s flat in Clifton Gardens ‘The Snake’? when the Bomb Squad raided early one The Pink Fairies would later play benefits for morning, and all three were accordingly dealt those arrested during the course of DS: That was filmed on the set of Oliver!, in the snow. I can with as potential terrorists. investigations into The Angry Brigade remember Peter Knight Jr. turning up in his Roller with half a Bombings, as well as a myriad of other bottle of brandy, and me getting off the set every now and then, Boss recalls how he had a premonition about countercultural causes and benefits. Some 30 jumping into the back of the car, and the others looking down their noses at me because I was in the warm, drinking brandy being busted, so he and Mick stashed their years later, Seth Wimpfheimer encapsulated with the head of A&R. Ha ha ha. So, he was responsible for that cannabis the previous night. “Rudolph didn’t it perfectly when he described ‘The Snake’ as shoot. get back until the small hours of the “one of the most unrefined and blistering pre- morning,” says Boss, “and, unaware of our punk tracks ever released,” adding: “On both SD: The Pink Fairies are now often referred to as “pre-cursors of paranoia, did what he always did which was sides of this debut release they burn full punk”. How do you feel about this label, having also been cited over to put his dope in his socks, and stick it in his steam ahead with not a care for anything else the years by the likes of Captain Sensible, , Tony James sock drawer.” The following morning the in the world, except in going for broke with and John Lydon, amongst others, as an influence? police arrived and the street was cordoned unlimited raw power. Here everything follows off. “It was a serious raid,” says Boss, “and the awesomely HUGE and ever-widening DS: It makes me feel quite good actually! I mean, The Dead they had all these different vans, cars and guitar sounds of Paul Rudolph as he Kennedys and people like that say, “Wow, fucking Pink Fairies!”, bikes, and they’ve got dogs to smell out navigates both sides of this screaming single you know? We didn’t play like anyone else, or do the single explosives – not drugs!” into exuberant proto-metal rave ups fuelled market thing, or whatever. So by dope, rock’n’roll and fucking in the streets there was this bit of anarchy Mick was obviously the main target for the as lifestyle and shoved into the tiny confines going on, plus the agit-prop raid, but Boss and Paul were also given the of a 45 rpm single…” that had come down through full treatment. Despite finding Paul’s stash of with Micky [Farren]. So there Lebanese hashish, the police were more Remember them this way. was a slight political stance, interested in Boss’s collection of badges. Says but with the Fairies it was a Boss: “I used to have this tiny little chest of Adapted from excerpts from the book Keep It political stance that was more drawers all full of badges… buttons, and this Together! Cosmic Boogie with The Deviants and The about the music business guy, he’s emptied all these buttons – ‘Free Pink Fairies by Rich Deakin with an introduction rather than the politics of the Angela Davis’ and all sorts, so he picks out by Mick Farren, published by Headpress nation shall we say? this one and looks very seriously at me, and www.headpress.com

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