Putting my memories around a publisher’s arms
Far West Press asked me to write a sentence for the back of Peter Crowley’s second volume of memoirs, called Down At The Roxy WC2; which continues on from the first volume Down At Max’s. This request led me down a trail of 1977 memories, present-day refutations and a strange coming together of it all involving Peter, Willy DeVille, Alex Fergusson and Johnny Thunders. All too much to squish into one sentence so to celebrate the release of the book here is my fuller version.
A sentence on the back of a book?
If your first thought is Peter who? Without Peter Crowley it’s likely New York punk would not have existed. He started booking bands into Max’s Kansas City and kickstarted the whole post-Velvets/Dolls scene of the time. I knew none of this when I first met Peter Crowley, apart from him being manager of Wayne County who was on the Max’s Kansas City album.
Wayne, Peter and guitarist Greg Van Cook decamped to London early 1977, full story of this in the book, formed a new backing band called the Electric Chairs and got on stage at The Roxy, and played amazing gigs to us UK punks.
They got themselves signed to Illegal Records, a record company set up by Miles Copeland around the new band of his brother Stewart Copeland called The Police who went onto some fame. The book tells of their tour together in Europe.
Miles also set up two record labels for Mark P of Sniffin’ Glue fanzine fame; which is how I come into the picture. Miles Copeland set up his record company operations in a suite of offices in a building called Dryden Chambers, through a yard named 119 Oxford Street, including one for Mark P and Sniffin’ Glue.
In THIS interview published on my other website, Kill Your Pet Puppy, Mark talks about Miles and Sniffin’ Glue’s office. In the summer of 1977 I used frequent this office, partly to use their typewriter for my Ripped & Torn fanzine and partly to hang out. One of my squat mates, Alex Fergusson (featured in my Ripped & Torn 2 issue) was also around the building as he and Mark P. had formed a band and released a mighty single How Much Longer.
The Sex Pistols had their Glitterbest office on the floor above, where I was also a frequent visitor but that’s another story for another day. Interestingly, the passage way to Dryden Chambers features briefly in the Hitchcock film Frenzy.
This request to write a simple back of book sentence is opening up so many forgotten memories but no Glitterbest stories, not for now. Back to the story.
One day I drifted into Illegal Records office and encountered an image out of an American movie leaning on the counter, neat leather jacket, denim underneath, tight blue jeans and a trim quiff. Quite a shock in the scruffy world of punk we were living in. I spoke to this apparition about American Graffiti and was advised to watch the ‘other’ gang in Brando’s Wild One for an authentic take on the hoodlum time.
That apparition was Peter Crowley, pure authenticity. It was a pleasure to befriend him, he always had incredible tales to tell, some of the relevant ones are in the book. More often though, Peter would be the one asking questions in our meetings keeping his eye on the ball about fluctuations in London and the punk scene.
Peter could not understand the fighting between punks and Teddy Boys, trying to accentuate the similarities in their music and culture through the Wayne County single Eddie and Sheena; then managing the punkabilly band Levi & The Rockats. Through his efforts came the Shockabilly scene leading to such great bands as Theatre of Hate, The Meteors and Southern Death Cult who took it to great heights as The Cult.
If he combed his hair and smartened himself up he would be a good looking kid
Back in Dryden Chambers 1977; the band Mink DeVille are having a huge hit with Spanish Stroll and in town,
Peter champions the band to me saying that he and Willy DeVille are brothers right at the start of it all, the ‘other’ gang era of The Wild One. I never met Willy, but Peter passed on this view to me about Alex Fergusson, ‘why does he mess his hair up? If he combed his hair and smartened himself up he would be a good looking kid’.
That DeVille comment on Alex lives in my head, emerging from the depths thanks to this request and now I’m analysing, twisting it around through many perspectives. Is it funny, farsighted or offensive? I also tilt Willy’s comment as a general view of us London punks, and me in particular, turning it on myself as a perspective about me conforming to sell out or to keep myself uncombed and unsuccessful?
Far West have made me face this conflict, to comb or not to comb in order to climb the ladder?
Peter passed on this Willy titbit as gossip, and why not? Alex lived in the same squat as me, there are numerous publicity shots of Alternative TV around at the time plus many studio recordings available. Willy visited Illegal Records invited by Peter, and he would have seen Alex as he was also a frequent visitor to Dryden Chambers because of being in the Alternative TV group.
Funny enough, a week before the Far West request I’d been out in London with Alex Fergusson…
and we visited 119 Oxford Street, where Dryden Chambers is now concealed behind a tourist shop. A picture was taken.
A few days later I told Alex of the Far West book request and my Willy DeVille memory about his appearance and hair. Incandescent, Alex states he never spoke to Peter Crowley though they did make eye contact a few times, as for Willy DeVille, “the guy was out of touch, what did he do anyway so what does his thoughts matter?” Alex’s thought’s could be summed up in a song written, recorded and released via Dryden Chambers – You Bastard!
Later Alex messages me to say that at the time he was modelling his hair on Johnny Thunders, someone Willy would know and respect so why is it wrong when he does it?
Hair today gone tomorrow
It’s all fun, games and backcombed hair until some one gets hurt. Thunders dies in New Orleans on 23 April 1991 and Willy DeVille sits across the road from St. Peter’s Guest House watching Johnny Thunders’ corpse coming out in a body bag, “Johnny’s body bag came out in a U-shape because he died in the fetal position. I don’t know how the press knew I lived next door but when they called me I told them Johnny was found laying on the floor with his guitar in his hands. I thought I might as well make it look real good, you know, out of respect.”
Johnny Thunders hairstyle on Alex Fergusson was criticised by the man who lied in order to preserve the Thunders mystique at his death. Willy DeVille’s words echo through my years, Alex’s ears and all part of the Peter Crowley story.
Did Willy misunderstand the UK punk look, not knowing how fashions had changed? Or did Willy with all of his eras of experience spot Alex as the most talented rough diamond in the punk rock scene, suggesting what he could do to take it further?
Which Alex did with his work for the band Psychic TV, his hair remained the same but he wrote and recorded with Psychic TV the hit Godstar.
Respect to all concerned in this brief anecdote, and to Far West Press for opening up these memories and ramifications. (Willy De Ville’s quotes about Johnny Thunders’ corpse are from the book Please Kill Me by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain, p.494 of the Abacus 2007 edition, everything else is firsthand from my filth hound life).
It is good to know Peter Crowley continues as Mr Earl, deejaying and MCing in Florida. Thanks for this second volume of your memoirs. Rock on, sir.
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