Hi there you freaky Marillos Diz Minnett has been kind enough to send me the next installment of the beginnings of Marillion.. and again , its more brain food, for the Marillion addicts amongst us.. , Im not sure if this is what people want on the page ..as unfortunately the response has been very weak , which is a shame actually ..because this stuff is unreleased gold..and i feel very privileged, to be getting a first hand account of the hectic birth of Marillion.. Aaaannnywayyyyy,,im not going to re-post Parts 1 and 2 here today ,,rather i shall leave a comment under this ,,and people that are interested can ask me for parts 1 and 2 ,, if they so desire My secret identity is ..Stephen Atkins.. Diz Continuation ..... Cambridge – we arrived and set about the search for musicians. However based in one the Girls Hall of Residence at Cambridge University there were too many distractions and existence began to feel like an episode of The Prisoner as we seemed unable to escape from the University long enough to meet any other musicians in the City. We became adopted as what we viewed as the ‘pet musicians’, invited to parties (which we took to attending in full face make up to highlight the increasingly surreal situation), and even taken punting on the Cam. The contrast between the cloistered Merchant Ivory type fantasy environment of the University, and the rest of reality was stark. The conversations were sharp, insightful but generally polarized and I remember the final straw was when we were invited to a dinner party presumably again as the ‘entertainment’. We duly arrived in full face make up and Fish had the Palestinian Scarf he generally wore which inevitably led to a debate with one of the other guests – opinions differed markedly and the world views we heard expressed reflected a parallel universe where people were viewed as objects, and inconvenient realities simply ignored or intellectualized away. We realized that stuck in the amber of Cambridge University we were unlikely to find kindred spirits in our quest to put together a band. The decision was made to move again. With a brief stay in Dalkieth we headed for the Scottish Borders near to Galashiels. Through Frank Usher of Blewitt and latterly Fish’s band who lived over in the next valley at Yarrow ,we had identified a 5 bedroom holiday cottage, Hawkshaw, which had been closed up for the winter, in the tiny village of Ettrick Bridge, home to David Steel (now Lord Steel and at that time head of the Liberal Party). We convinced the local Estate Agent that we were a Rock Band – Sirius, and we needed somewhere to stay and write our next album over the Winter, the cottage was opened up and we were duly ensconced at a minimal rent and the search for musicians began. Although whilst in Ettrick Bridge we were briefly joined by a drummer , Gordon Feenie (Not Quite Red Fox and Citizen Cain) the absence of any other musicians , the lack of a phone for contact , and the fact that we were based in a tiny hamlet miles from the nearest large conurbation (and therefore other musicians) began to take its toll. The lack of income, heating and a reason for a properly regulated sleep cycle meant as nights drew in we drifted into a nocturnal existence that could have passed for an outtake from Withnail and I . Some writing took place; the first version of Garden Party began to take shape (later featured on the tape to Marillion prior to the audition) and also strange moments like being asked by David Steel’s wife to write the music for the village panto , but the general sense was of increasing and inevitable entropy. “Changes had to be made”. We bought a copy of Musicians Only and started to look through the adverts for bands that were looking for a Bass Player or Vocalist having decided we would need to abandon our plans and go our separate ways. Having checked out all the potential vocalist opportunities and feeling despondent Fish headed to the pub, the Cross Keys in Ettrick Bridge. I had one advert that I thought worth trying, a band in Buckinghamshire, 350 miles away, who wanted a Bass Player / Vocalist. I phoned Mick Pointer with my last remaining 10p and started to talk. Before the money ran out I managed to give him the number , and also to convince him that despite the fact that he had never heard of the place (I avoided mentioning the distance) it was worth him phoning back. Thankfully Mick did and after I successfully convinced him that a separate Bass Player and Vocalist was really the way to go and suggested a tape swap. When he realised where Ettrick Bridge was he started to be skeptical but after highlighting our brief odyssey around the UK he seemed more convinced that we were serious and following a tape exchange we were invited to audition on the 2nd January 1981. We collected belongings, closed up Hawkshaw, and headed South. After reading this the first time i was gobsmacked ,,love it ..the vivid picture painted is wonderful ,, such small seemingly irrelevant detail ,,is what makes this interview enthralling for me.. once again Diz, an absolute pleasure, and thank you for , making so much time for us.. we await your next installment with baited breath
Posted on: Tue, 24 Sep 2013 16:50:08 +0000
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