The Damned in Mill Hill Music Complex - an interview with Captain Sensible

It was my pleasure yesterday to catch a few words with Captain Sensible of the Damned, during a break from rehearsing at Mill Hill Music Complex. As the Damned are one of my all time favourite bands, this was a true pleasure.

RT - What are you rehearsing for?
CS - We're doing a tour and we're polishing up the material. We're playing the first album (Damned Damned Damned) and the fourth album (The Black Album). We haven't played some of the songs for 30 years and some of them we never wrote endings for as we faded them out in the recordings. The first album was the one the Pistols hated as we got it out first.

RT - Why those two albums?
CS - The first one is iconic, the first punk album and the Black Album is our first real gothic album.

RT - I actually liked the second album
CS - We hated it. The bloke who was the guitarist from Pink Floyd produced it and didn't get the rawness we wanted. I'd love to get the tapes and remix it. We wanted the old singer, so we could do a real psychedelic punk album.

RT -  I really liked a couple of the numbers on the second album, especially Don't cry wolf and the one slagging off Television.
CS - Do you know why we wrote that? We were meant to be supporting them in LA. The fee was going to pay our fare home.  We were stuck. We hired another hall and we put a big bucket with a sign saying "If you want the send the Damned back to the UK, please donate generously". We had all these people like Rod Stewart on the guest list, so we scrubbed them off and told them they had to pay. Basically they left us in the shit so we wrote Idiot box in retaliation".

RT - Any plans to record an album?
CS - Not at the moment, we've all got ideas but we're keeping them to ourselves. We're not signed, although we could put something out ourselves. I'd like to do something raw. This is a great room, we could get a rig and just put the stuff down really cheaply. It's a band decision though".

RT - Are you doing any London gigs?
CS - Yes, at the Roundhouse

RT - How's it been down here with all the building works?
CS -  I love the old Irish guy who is about a hundred and is supervision all the work (Fast Eddie), he cracks me up.
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This blog also appears on the Mill Hill Music Complex blog -
http://millhillmusiccomplex.blogspot.com/2011/08/damned-in-mill-hill-music-complex.html

A personal message to Nick Walkley, ceo of Barnet Council

Dear Mr Walkley,

Following your email, displaying your lack of knowledge of the local music scene, I thought it only fair to educate you in such important matters. As a northerner, you are probably unaware of the punk rock musical connections of Mill Hill and the surrounding enclaves. Chris Bashford, drummer of iconic punk band Chelsea is a Mill Hill resident. The Damned have enjoyed many a happy hour rehearsing at Mill Hill Music Complex over the years. David K of Sisters of Mercy has recorded several albums at Mill Hill Music Complex, being a Barnet Resident. Malcolm MacClaren was an ex pupil of Orange Hill Senior High School (my old school) as was Pat Collier and John Ellis of the Vibrators and Matthew Ashman of the original Adam and the Ants line up as has Boz Boorer who has regularly played with the Ants. Of more recent bands of note, such as Knuckledust have emerged from the Mill Hill Music Complex.

As well as these bands, members of the Ruts, The Exploited, The Radio Stars, to name but a few have regularly rehearsed at the studios. I believe it is most disappointing that a CEO of Barnet is so unaware of the musical pedigree of Mill Hill and the surrounding areas.

Oh and I forgot to mention my own little band, formed in  1979, the False Dots. Please get your facts right in future before making such outrageous claims and statements, a bit more attention to detail would be most welcome.

Many regards

Roger Tichborne

A few interesting customers of Mill Hill Music Complex

Guess what. I've just started a new blog. I'm sure that many people in Barnet will be think "Hasn't he got anything better to do with his time?". Well this new blog is all about what I do with my time, when I'm not banging on here. I've launched a blog for my business - Mill Hill Music Complex. We get so many interesting characters passing through that I thought it would be a great forum for keeping track of what is happening.

Anyway, here's the latest entry -

http://millhillmusiccomplex.blogspot.com/2010/05/few-interesting-customers-of-mill-hill.html

Hope you enjoy it.

Rock and Roll Records

I wanted to write a bit about my favourite Rock and Roll records, but I thought before you start reading it, I'd give you a wicked tune to listen to whilst you read.  It's saturday night so chill and enjoy  - I specifically selected a no vid clip so you'd not get too distracted.

JJ Cale - Rock and Roll Records



I love vinyl records. I love everything about them. The Smell, the shape, the covers, the engravings in the vinyl by the cutters. This little post is about some of the records I love, for reasons other than the ace music they contain.

This is my favourite album cover of all time. I used to just stare at it for ever. I like the perspective that makes the guitars look big. I love the way Steve Miller is leaning on Tim Davis shoulder, whilst Tim Davis is looking mean and sharp. I love the stormy sea and the shipwreck and the earth transposed as the sun. It sort of says to me "Things can be bad but music can get you through the bad times" The earth in the background has promise of unattainable beauty. It sums up the mystical majesty that music can weave in our imagination.

By the way, the music on the album is great as well, I love Dime a Dance Romance. One of the all time greatest forgotten classics.

Next up we have those little messages that the people who actually cut the records used to scratch into the vinyl between the last track and the label. Many punk records had the message "A Porky Prime Cut". Often there would be other little messages. For example "Music For Pleasure" by "The Damned" has "Tweeter Twister" etched onto side A and "Woofer Warper" on side B.

These little throwaway messages have always fascinated me. Rather like ancient graffiti on the inside of Pyramids and notes left in the attics of public buildings. This album is a strange one. Not acclaimed at the time, but I think the single "Don't Cry Wolf" was a classic.

Then there's coloured vinyl. My favourite use of this is Sound of the Suburbs by "The Members". There was a period when everything came out on coloured vinyl. I think this was the most imaginative use. This was actually on clear vinyl.

Next up. The 12" single. Usually associated with dance music, the first time I came across this was when my Sister Caroline bought "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" on numbered, limited edition, 12" vinyl. There is no more glorious record on the planet.

There are many things I could say about the Ramones. Best Live band, Best gig (Roundhouse, June 1977), coolest guitars. Best single title (Bonzo goes to Bitburg), best lyrics - Rockaway Beach, funniest song - Pinhead.

I owe them everything. If I'd not seen the Ramones, I'd not have got Punk Rock.

Then there's Electric Ladyland by Jimi Hendrix. When I was 14 years old, there was no such thing as a video, so there was no such thing as pornorgraphy in Mill Hill. Then I bought this record. I put it on and just stared at this picture for ever. Ever since, whenever I listen to crosstown traffic, I am just transported away to somewhere very nice that I really like to be. I was in a secondhand record store in New York a couple of years ago and a young rocker came in. He picked up the record, looked at this picture for about 1/2 a second and put it down again, without even noticing. I sometimes think we've been so bombarded with everything that we've lost appreciation of the finer things in life. I had a discussion with my Dad about this picture. He said he preffered to see women in revealing cloths and felt it was crass and vulgar. I told him I thought it was very beautiful. He just sniggered at me and said "I suppose I would have when I was your age" I think I still will when I'm his age. Have a great weekend.

Try and guess who I dedicate this song to ......

The Damned Creep (You Can't Fool me) Lyrics:
Think you're pretty mean
Acting James Dean
look real tough
But it ain't good enough
With your heart on
your clothes
You try and act
with your pose
But if I look in your eyes
You just run and hide

You can't
You can't fool me
You can't
You can't fool me

Now the actions begun
You ain't scarin' no one
Just back him up quick
You only make me feel sick
Just going home
Leave us alone
Go and beat up your cat
I bet you're I bet
you're good at that

You can't
You can't fool me
You can't
You can't fool me

Now the actions begun
You ain't scarin' no one
Just back him up quick
You only make me feel sick
Just going home
Leave us alone
Go and beat up your cat
I bet you're I bet
you're good at that

You can't
You can't fool me
You can't
You can't fool me
You can't
You can't fool me
You can't
You can't fool me

The Mill Hill Music Complex Top 10 customers

Today feels like an old fashioned Christmas holiday. The Kids are all off school, we're going tobogoning soon up at Flower Lane park. I love the snow and I love spending time playing with the kids in the snow. Even our Boxer dog is enjoying it !!!

As such, with the extra little bit of time on my hands, I thought I'd compile a little list of my top ten Mill Hill Music Complex studio customers. We have between 500 and 1,000 musicians a week through the door, so here's a pick of some of the most famous and a few notes about them. To qualify for this list you have to have had a chart hit, they are listed in a sort of Chronological order of when their association with us began.

1. The Polecats
2. The Foundations
3. Morrissey
4. The Damned
5. Amy WineHouse
6. Madness
7. Kate Nash
8. Eddie Floyd
9. David Soul
10. The Black Kids

1. The Polecats
Our very first paying customers back in 1979. Boz and Phil were at Orange Hill School with me and they needed a place to rehearse. Still good mates with them all.


2. The Foundations
Alan Warner is an old friend. We recorded our first few demo's in his studio (as did the Polecats!). A great guy and a great band.


3. Morrissey
As Boz Boorer is Moz musical director, much pre production of various albums has been done with us. A true genius.


4. The Damned
As I'm a punk rocker and the Damned released the very first Punk single "New Rose", it was a real buzz to hear this blasting out of room 7. Nice guys


5. Amy WineHouse
Amy rehearsed with us for the year or so before she went big time. She's lovely. When she received her first big cheque from the record company, she marched into the shop and said "wrap that blue guitar up for me" When we asked if she wanted to try it, she said "No I trust you" - three weeks later she was playing it on Top of the Pops.


6. Madness
Lee Thompson is a long standing customer and a great guy. He did a charity gig for me last year, where we raised £3,000 for the MacMillan Trust and Teenage Cancer Trust. Threw his heart and soul into it and sorted out the venue.


7. Kate Nash
Kate is very special. Her dad Steve is a good mate of mine and we sold Kate her first Electric guitar, when she had a broken leg. She still comes down. She's down to earth, looks after her friends and loves her family. She was in the reception chatting to me about her dad's bad leg before Xmas. When she went back to the rehearsal another customer remarked "She looks just like Kate Nash". No airs and graces at all !!!


8. Eddie Floyd
Flew in from the States, had a three hour jam with his band and then immediately set off on a 21 date UK tour. It was great to hear "Knock on Wood" blasting out. Nice guy.


9. David Soul
David came down to a rehearsal with his girlfriends band, who he was doing some singing with. Posed for pictures with all sorts of people. A real gent. Of all our customers, he's the one who EVERYONE instantly recognises.


10. The Black Kids
Flew in from the states and rehearsed with us for two weeks before their first UK tour. A nice bunch. It was great seeing them on the Jonathan Ross Show the day after their slot finished.


Not a bad little list. A good smattering of world wide hits, Brit awards etc. Some days I enjoy going to work !!!!!

I'm Beginning to see the light !!!!!!

As some of you know, who follow this blog, generally at the weekend (when no one annoys me and needs a good kick), I like to take one of my favourite songs and share it with you. Now I never plan these, I just spin a few discs and see what inspires me.

Today's been a strange day so far. Got up early, did the breakfasts, knocked out a couple of blogs, then went and played football at the Burnt Oak leisure centre against my 8 year old son's team - Dads Vs Kids - Dad's lost 11-4 !!! Mind you they had more players and we only were allowed 2 touches.

Off to Waitrose for shopping and cooking the lunch. I started with "Music For Pleasure" By The Damned. A great and much underrated album. The Damned are also studio customers. One of my greatest buzzes ever was listening at the dooor of room 7, the very first time they booked and hearing them play "New Rose". It's fair to say that if they hadn't recorded the song, I'd not be running a studio. For those of you who didn't know, it was the very first Punk Rock single. David Vanian (vocalist) was interviewed on the Garry Crowley show on BBC London last night. A great interview.


Anyway, I'm currently spinning "White Light/White Heat" by "The Velvet Underground". The Velvets are a band that many people claim as influences. It's amazing how many people have heard of them, but how few are familiar with their work. The album is one of many compilations. My favourite track on the album is "Beginning to see the Light". I find it to be a really uplifting track. It reminds me of my good lady.

There is a line in the song "There are problems in these times but, ooohhh, none of them are mine" - whenever I'm with her I feel like that. I always feel that ultimately everything will be OK.

As it plays out with the Coda "How does it feel to be loved?" I always feel warm and happy. It's one song that always lifts my mood - ALWAYS. Check it out if you don't know it.


I'm Beginning to see the light

Well I’m beginning to see the light (x2)
some people work very hard
but still they never get it right
well I’m beginning to see the light
wanna tell all you people now
now, now, baby, I’m beginning to see the light
hey now baby, I’m beginning to see the light
wine in the morning and some breakfast at night
well I’m beginning to see the light

here we go again
playing the fool again
here we go again
acting hard again-alright!

well I’m beginning to see the light
I wanna tell you (oooooooouuu)
hey now baby I’m beginning to see the light
it comes a little softer now
I wore my teeth in my hands
so I could mess the hair of the night (a-ha-ha)
Hey, well I'm beginning to see the light
Now-now-now-now-now-now-now-now baby I'm beginning to see the light now,
it's coming softer
Hey now baby, I'm beginning to see the light
I met myself in a dream and I just wanted to tell ya everything was alright
Hey now baby, I'm beginning to see the light

Here comes two of you
which one will you choose
One is black and one is blue
don't know just what to do, all right
Well I'm beginning to see the light
oh now here she comes, (ooohhh)
Yeah-yeah baby, I'm beginning to see the light,
oh Some people work very hard
but still they never get it right
Well I'm beginning to see the light
oh, it's getting a little softer in the end now
Now-now baby, I'm beginning to see the light
oh, it's coming round again
Hey now-now-now baby, I'm beginning to see the light (one more time)
There are problems in these times but, ooohhh, none of them are mine
Oh baby, I'm beginning to see the light

Here we go again
I thought that you were my friend
Here we go again
I thought that you were my friend
How does it feel to be loved ? (x3)
(oh!)
How does it feel to be loved? (x3)