Photo gallery
The Fast Max collection
Sadly, in August 2011 Clive John passed away. A real loss of a kind and gentle soul. However, out of that sadness, this beam of light emerged, when Fast Max, aka Matt Giarrizzo sent me the following photos from his private collection, and offered to let me share them here.
In Matt's own words...
I got to see Rockpile at Swansea's Top Rank on that 1979 trip (evident from that shot of bearded Martin posing with a very drunk post-show Mr. Lowe).
Here are some snapshots of Clive John's rocking pub band, The Tremblin' Knees, performing at the Coach House in Swansea in 1979, and then again there in 1983. When I returned to see them in 1983, their singer Tony "Plum" Hollis, formerly of the Jets, joked with me from the stage: "There's Matt from California out in the audience again tonight. He was here a few years back and lost 50p on the floor of the pub. Came back tonight to see if he could find it." Welsh humor and music at its best.
Knees, 1979
Martin and Nick 1979
Too much for my elephant
The Marina Nitespot
Leonard and Ace
Martin Ace
Mickey Jones
Deke
Clive John
Clive and Bugsy
The Coach House and Clive
Rolled Gold
Swansea 1987
Here is a publicity shot of Swansea's cabaret act "the magnificent" Rolled Gold (this being exactly how an eccentric old-time emcee, complete with straw hat & waxed curled mustache, announced them) circa 1983. That year I traveled with Clive and the band, which was fronted by his former Bystanders (pre-Man) band mate, comic-singer Gerry Braden (aka Owen Money), in a small van out to a remote Welsh village and watched them do a gig.
Quite hilarious, very very silly and a far cry from Bystanders pop. Still, it was great fun, with all the bad jokes and worse puns, wacky sketches, whimsical songs, funny wigs, costumes, etc. And riding to and from that hall out in the hinterlands of Wales was like hanging out with a Welsh version of the Marx Brothers. Unforgettable.
...and me having a beer with CJ and his then girlfriend Jan in 1987.
Clive's local in Swansea, The Tenby
The Tenby Poolshark
Clive and girlfriend at The Top Rank 1979 Rockpile show
PS Fast Max was my radio disc jockey airname when I did college radio at KFJC, Los Altos Hills, California, 1979-1982
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