Madpost July 1998
[1] – INTRODUCTION –
What’s been going on over the last four weeks on and off the mailing list.
[2] – AMIGAGUIDE MADNESS –
Alex Ingram’s plans for an Amiga Madness database. Alex is after articles and anything Madness related. If you can help, get in touch.
[3] – MADSTOCK IV MELODY MAKER REVIEW –
Painstakingly typed up by Kevin Tizzard.
[4] – JORDAN’S REAL AUDIO MADNESS –
After many long months, Jordan Leigh has finally updated his website with some excellent real audio tracks. Take a visit and have a listen.
[5] – MADSTOCK IV REVIEW FROM `THE SUN` NEWSPAPER –
Thanks go to Simon Roberts for typing this one up.
[6] – GET YER `TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT VIDEOS` –
Paul Girling helps all those Maddies out there who are still after the brilliant Madness movie.
[7] – NEW SUGGS MATERIAL ON ITS WAY –
No, you haven’t misread that. Peter Gardner and James Perry have all the information that you’ll need on this stunning news.
[8] – SIMONS POST MEET STATISTICS –
Simon Roberts returns with his traditional listing of post Madmeet gossip. Keep your fingers crossed that you’re not mentioned!
[9] – NEW MADSTITE –
It’s not very often these days that we get a new Madness website appearing. However, Yvette Reader has decided that she’s going to have a go at putting one together. I haven’t had chance to look at it so I can’t tell you what it’s like. Take a look and send her some feedback.
[10] – MADSTOCK IV SETLIST –
I don’t know how these two have done it, but Kevin Tizzard and Iain Jones certainly have good memories! Find out what was played at the concert.
[11] – SUGGS APPEARS ON THE `BEN ELTON SHOW` –
If you live anywhere other than the UK, it’s likely that you missed Suggs’ appearance on the show. Don’t worry, Simon Roberts has put together an mp3 of the track (entitled `Blackberry Way`) on his website. Get downloading now, you won’t be disappointed.
12] – IT’S COMPLETE MADNESS –
Many thanks to Becky Lane who typed up this huge article from a 1982 issue of `Look-in` magazine. Many thanks!
[13] – MADNESS MADCHAT –
Thanks to the brains of Iain Jones, there’s now a way to chat to other Maddies online with only the aid of a web browser – no fancy software packages needed here. Find out how to get yourself on.
[14] – CLOSING WORDS –
Looking towards the coming month.
[1] – INTRODUCTION
Hello again, and welcome to yet another edition of the `Madness Mailing List Monthly Madpost`.
As usual, you’ll find that this issue of the Madpost is full to bursting point with all things nutty. Many thanks to all who have knowingly or unknowingly helped towards this issue. If you’ve sent me some material for Madpost inclusion and you don’t see your article in this issue it should appear in the next.
Hopefully everyone has now recovered from the recent tidal wave of Madness concerts both Stateside and in mainland England and, if you’ve not done so already, will be tapping up your reviews as I speak. The general views seem to be that all the concerts were the usual reeling off of `greatest hits` with very few b-sides or album tracks being aired at all. One possible reason for this could be Mark Bedford’s return to the band, and with little time to brush up on the tracks of yesteryear, it was decided that the greatest hits selection would be better than nothing. And lets face it, we weren’t disappointed.
Still on the subject of Mark, I can certainly say for all who attended Madstock 4 that it was a pleasant surprise to see him back in the Nutty fold. In a quick few words that a few of us managed to get out of Lee and Chris, it looks like Mark’s return to the band is permanent. Perhaps he won’t be contributing to the new album material (if it ever surfaces), but it’s nice to see him playing once more.
After any Madness concert the UK music press tends to be full of concert reviews, with the NME write-up usually being the best. As this was the case, I was looking forward to including a huge review of Madstock, painstakingly typed up from their inky pages. However, after reading it I decided it just was not worth the effort. Although the interview is a full page affair, it’s difficult to find anything relating to `The Cockney Abba` (as the NME refers to them!) until you reach the last 2 or 3 paragraphs. Most of the article contains in depth reviews of all the bands, with Madness getting a few words at the end. Surprisingly, Finlay Quaye gets a good write-up, and it’s the fans who get the blame for the little friction that flew up when he was on stage. Perhaps I’m wrong, but from where I was, it sure looked and sounded like it was him who was causing the trouble and not our fellow Nutties. The reviewer certainly didn’t think so, and under the tiny picture of Suggs it read `Madness – great band, shit fans!`.
Anyway, exciting news this month is that it looks like the next set of releases from Madness frontman – Suggs might not be too far off at all. Rumours sweeping the mailing list at the moment are that a new Suggs single will be released on August the 17th, whilst a new Album will be released towards the end of the month. However, there is some confusion, as HMV state the 17th August, Virgin have got a release penned in for 20th July. As usual, more news as and when we get it. If you can send us any definite information then please do.
You’ve probably read my postings regarding `Nut Inc`, but issue 12 of the popular mail-only fanzine is now on release. This issue focuses on the `7` album, and the Madness movie – `Take it or Leave it`. For an in-depth summary, please visit the `Nut Inc Web Page` at: http://www.jabba.demon.co.uk/nutinc/ Once there, you can also read selected articles from issues gone by as well as find out how to contact Stuart Wright (the author) and set up your subscription.
And finally, it gives me great pleasure to welcome MML veteran, Chris Bryne back to the list. Maddies who have been subscribed to the list since the year dot may remember the regular news bulletins which Chris used to send us. The lad has now got himself a brand spanking new machine at home, and he tells me that once the football is over (which it is for England!) he’ll be trying his best to post any snippets of information he can get his hands on.
Right, enough of me. Onto the articles…
E-mail: robert@jabba.demon.co.uk
[2] – AMIGAGUIDE MADNESS
I have just started in creating a madness guide for use on the Amiga (my favourite computer). This guide will have lyrics, info, discography and a comprehensive set of gig reviews, and this is where I need peoples help.
Could anyone who has been to a madness concert please post me a review including details of when, where, lineup and so on.
I would also like copy’s of MIS articles and articles in other press.
Once the guide is in a reasonable shape I will convert it to HTML, but as I have never found a decent guide to Madness on the Amiga, I want to do this Amiga version first.
I may also do a guide to the MML, so I need a FAQ, contact details, perhaps little bio’s on frequent posters and SOTW, VOTW and NTL.
Thankyou.
—
Alex Ingram – e-mail: alex@good1.demon.co.uk I am a Member of:
homepage: members.easyspace.com/alexingram/ *TEAM-AMIGA*
[3] MADSTOCK IV – MELODY MAKER REVIEW
Thanks go to Kevin Tizzard for typing this lot up from a recent issue of the Melody Maker…
Outside the park it’s chaos, a white Notting Hill Carnival. More Fred Perry than Lee “Scratch” Perry. One Kray-wannabe blasts a football against a police van with the ferocity of a Psycho free kick. It ricochets off, smashing a pub window: “Get in there!!”
This, Keith Allen, is your “vindaloo” generation, people who make Grant Mitchell look like a Norfolk vicar, lads who recognise no irony whatsoever when dancing to Jamaican-inspired music while draped in the St.George. They feel no shame in adopting foreign colcha as their own – which is why Allen’s subvert-the-plebs experiment is so offensive – and why Madness have the biggest working-class audience in pop history.
Billed as a “Pre-World Cup friendly”, the “En-ger-land” mentality is antagonistic, though that’s OK because I’d rather be at a gig where I’d be lynched for shouting “Chelsea are f***king scum” than the come together vacous bliss-a-delia of, say, Spiritualizzzzzed.
(Catatonia, Space – snipped)
… Finlay Quaye chucks down his mic, his drummer hurls drum sticks at the taunting, wanker-signing crowd, but the trouble’s self-inflicted because a) he predicts that England will f**k up in France and b) he is a total arse. It’s meant to be a friendly, but Finlay vs The Crowd is an Argentina vs Uruguay bloodbath.
Then booting footballs into the crowd (on me ‘ead Suggs!), Madness arrive, Chas skanking away his middle-aged spread, “Baggy Trousers” inducing a Trevi Fountain of laggg-ahhhh!!!. For “House of Fun” one suedehead dives from a human pyramid, cracking his head on the floor – I wonder if it’ll leave a ska (ho-ho!). “Embarrassment” starts and his mates bundle him, before leaping up in one beer-drenched group hug, drunken snogs all round.
Aaah, It must be love, love, love ….
[4] JORDAN’S REAL AUDIO MADNESS
Hiya All,
Well I’ve finally got my act together and now you can listen to some realaudio madness at www.takeorleave.com.
It’s not streaming at the moment so you have to download each file in whole but I am working on it. Also you can’t seem to listen to the files on Netscape for some bizzare reason, unless of course you choose to save to your hard drive which you’ll have to do for now anyway.
The songs are from the bootleg video I brought at the meet before last so are half good and half bad, the ones from the German TV broadcast i.e take it or leave it, sign of the times etc are much better than the maddogs tour ones.
Anyhow go and get listening and enjoy
Thanks
Jordan
[5] MADSTOCK IV – REVIEW FROM `THE SUN`
Many thanks to Simon Roberts for spending the time to type this up – cheers!
From the Sun (and no I dont read it!!!)
‘The Nutty Boys play a blinder’
Madness proved they were still Madstock for it as they topped a superb bill of talent old and new.
Suggs and the Nutty Boys ska-ed, stomped and laughed their way through this pre-World Cup friendly at London’s Finsbury Park.
Before ageing skinheads and rude boys, they belted out old classics including One Step Beyond and The House of Fun.
With them was a younger crowd along to see current chart stars Space, Catatonia and Finley Quaye. Catatonia’s winsome Welsh singer Cery Matthews held the audience transfixed with haunting songs including Road Rage.
But Quaye muttered and mumbled his way through a tepid set before adding anti-England football jibes, These were greeted with boos and beer cans from an angry crowd.
He could have learnt lessons in manners and music from Desmond Dekker and Toots and the Maytals.
But for the crowd, it was a clear result- Madstock 4, Finley Quaye 0.
Simon.
[6] GET YER “TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT VIDEOS”
There were some messages a while ago saying that the ‘Take It Or Leave It’ video was hard to get hold of.
I’ve just ordered a brand new copy from Video Zone.
Going by past orders they are very reliable.
The address is www.videozone.co.uk
Regards.
Paul.
[7] NEW SUGGS MATERIAL ON ITS WAY!!!
Hi all you mads,
Here’s a bit about Suggsy’s new stuff from Music Week
(http://www.dotmusic.com/news/june98/980622news6.shtml). Sounds promising.
launch this summer of his second
solo album and the soundtrack to
the movie The Avengers, which
stars Uma Thurman and Sean
Connery.
A single by the former Madness
singer, I Am, will be issued by WEA
on August 17 and will be the lead
release from the film soundtrack
which also features new recordings
by Annie Lennox, Stereo MC’s,
Roni Size and Grace Jones. Out on
Atlantic on August 3, the soundtrack
will be followed on August 31 by the
new Suggs album “The Three Pyramids
Club”.
WEA marketing manager Richard Marshall
says that Suggs’ profile is at its
to his Channel Five show Night Fever
and this month’s Madstock event.
“In musical terms everybody is saying
this is a return to form,” he says.
“It’s much more in the style of Madness
than the last album.”
Artist : Suggs
Song : I Am
Catalog: WEA174CD
Release: 17 Aug 1998
Information supplied by Peter Gardner and James Perry. Thanks lads.
[8] SIMON’S POST MASTOCK IV MEET STATISTICS
I’m sure you all know the drill by now. Maddies come to the meet’s from far and wide. Most people have too much to drink and Simon is on hand to take down lots of notes to be used against people at a later time and date.
The “Post Meet Statistics” has now climbed to near-legendary proportions. In fact, we don’t have a mad-meet without one.
I’ll let Simon continue…
They thought it was all over.. It is now……
Hope you all behaved yourselves, otherwise you’ll find yourself in my ‘Hall of Shame’.
I can see many worried faces, even if you didn’t go I would still be slightly worried.
It’s big and I hope it doesn’t bounce!!
oh hum… here we go. The awards, stats, info etc..
Last arrival (Saturday): It was Ed again!!!-
Most Pissed: Well, difficult to get pissed at Madness concerts because 1, You cant dance and have beer in your hand at the same time (I dumped mine) 2, Its a three hour job to get served. 3, You’ll be wanting to go to the bog (the operative word!) during the concert – anyway on the whole, its the flying Dutchman himself Luke Roberts.
Missed People: Gary ‘What the problem?’ Mulligan, Nathan ‘Naffa’ Anderson (Luke replaced him;) ) Al ‘I wont say it’ Redpath.. and countless others who had no excuse. Special mention to Darren ‘Mr.Popular ‘ Bowen – A lot of people really wanted to meet him.
Best dressed: The award goes to Ed and Madfan (Yvette) Ed, for the regulation red braces, Docs, jeans- and Madfan for the heart make up around her right eye- (credit to Joe or Vic I think) and Docs.Good show. etc etc…
Madstock 4 weather: Sunny, hot- worrying clouds though!!
Madstock 4 attendance: Sell out.(so the touts said) Bigger than Madstock III!!
Madstock 4- time on stage- 20.06 – 21.25 GMT.(due to the Sunday licensing hours) (where did Jordan go 9 to 10??)
Madstock 4 soundcheck tracks (before I forget) Our House, Yesterday’s Man, Desmond Dekker cover, Bit of Michael Caine.Very long soundcheck. – Suggs said after the tracks (to those people on the park – clapping and cheering) – ‘Right you’ve heard us play -Now f*ck off back to your stalls’ !! 
On television the most: Rob & Madfan- set the video for the interviews!! (VH1) ask Madfan a daft question – Do you know what they will playing tonight? ‘Of course I do… one step…etc…’ should be amusing.
Most talked about person at the meet: Mr. Darren Bowen. (Dont email me asking why!!!)
The not paying attention / dumbest award: Well everyone in the Dublin Castle on Saturday.. Chrissy Boy and Lee Thompson were stood drinking at the bar for ten minutes- eventually Chrissy boy came over and said ‘Hello Rob!!!’ (Either my web page (who’s who) is working or he has a good memory whilst stoned) ‘I recognized the T-Shirt! You want to be on film??’ Dont forget there is a huge film crew outside as well.
We usually watch the door at every madmeet, hoping, waiting, praying for a madman to walk through, and when the time comes… .
The ‘I feel gutted for them’ (see above) award: Joe Skips and Wife (Who wanted to go “Beatrix Potter World” or something ) and Madfan (Yvette)and Vic (Madfan’s friend) who left shortly before the ‘Nutty Boys’ came in, the latter made up for it on Sunday Morning.
The most incredibly luckiest person in the world: Well we all know it’s Elizabeth (see previous madmail about liz’ meeting all the band in the States- ‘I feel sick!’ my reply I think). So there I am in front of ‘Mrs.Madness’ looking for the secrets- but wait, she’s up to her old tricks again ‘I just been back stage with Cathal- Had a chat, signed my program-‘ How does she do this? is she transidentically linked with these people or what? Liz doesn’t follow Madness they follow her!!! apparently she’s had Cathal’s home telephone number since the US tour and Cathal told her to give a ring… (I feel very sick) I think Pete the Gardener (nooo Doctor!) got back stage as well. Liz had more tricks up her sleeve- around 3.30 am Monday morning – Pete (The gardener, he’s not a Doctor honest!!), Kev, Luke, Liz and I decided to call it a day- Liz said ‘Let’s go’- she looked up at the TV (Sky One-Long Play was on) and as if by magic the ‘Suggs’ ‘Blue Day’ video belted out- ‘I not seen this one..’ Liz said calmly.. Crickey! what hasn’t she seen!!!! btw Liz, If your b/f dumps you, I’m waiting for you.. btw2: give me next week’s lottery numbers.. (six numbers between 1 and 49)
My big moment: Meeting (so to speak (I didn’t!) outside the production car park) the almighty god himself Mr. Michael Barson in his car. Mike didn’t let me down (Credit goes to Madfan- It’s Mike! It’s Mike! pointing at him rudely 
) another vision that I will take to my grave;) -Mike was irritable, rubbing his head, not smiling, moaning about something, looked half asleep– It was Mike!!!
Madness Driving in their cars award: A few us went to the production car park on Sunday morning to meet the band- Only Chrissy Boy came over to have word with Yvette (madfan) and I. Mike Barson was in a hire car (I think) – Mark Bedford silver BMW, Suggs/Cathal in a chauffeur driven black Merc with the windows blacked out, Woody (madfan’s heart rate quickens) was in a ‘people carrier’ with the windows blacked out (strange!!) – Lee on his motorbike,- the prize goes to Chrissy Boy in his Red BMW. The things I do to pass time….. Just like Christmas morning!!!
Something’s never change or do they?: Mornington Crescent station’s back up!! ( a famous game you know??). The dog on the glass roof at the DC (DC=Dublin Castle). The signed Ice Cream sign- the signatures have worn off!! (thanks Yvette for the Info) .Something new, something old.(think about it).
Only two people in Finsbury Park dancing to Swan Lake- Me & Madfan. I soon kick-started Robert though.(he was pouring with sweat!! – likes his Chas Smash dance)
Death Wish at Finsbury Park: Finley Quaye. This guy has a Madness fan fatwa on him now (can spell fatwa- !! you know what I mean!!!)
Screamer of the meet: The very quiet, shy, microbiologist from Seattle- Loranne. (Hope I’ve spelt the name right!) – Outside the DC when VH1 was filming the boys asked for the screamer- no one did- all of a sudden Lorrane came out with an almighty ear splintering scream!!- Chrissy Boy said ‘She’ll do’ she then had to be coaxed to the front of of the camera by about twenty mad fans- another scream for the camera!!!! The things people do to get on telly- The quiet ones are the ones you should watch!!
Tried chatting EVERY female up on at the meet for an hour over the weekend but didn’t get very far award: Mr.Luke Roberts, or should I say Father Luke Roberts- he conducted a rather small mass in the New Penbury around 3am -sermon went ‘Stay Nutty!!’ – (we found an alter so to speak) – Luke’s full of beer- (the dutch life jacket!!) anything can happen. Diamond geezer. Good replacement for Nathan. Feck arse.. etc.. I also had to bounce Luke from Suggsylia before he mauled her to death- I cued Suggsylia’s guardian/husband/boyfriend/associate the lead singer/songwriter of the mega upcoming band ‘Slater’ Mr. Dominic J. Kearney to intervene whilst Suggsylia still had her clothes on Think I did the trick. Dominic and Suggsylia; I didn’t take the piss and didn’t ask any awkward questions in case I get into trouble again;) ohhh, aren’t they sweet????
Female Madmeet attendant all time Madness sexual fantasy: It’s Bedders in his Daffodil costume from the ‘Just Another Day’ video (please use your imagination from now on… I cannot go into graphic details;) ) I cant get my head ’round it!! .. .Weird!!! the sender has Oked it for me to publish this as she knows Bedders will read it. Hummmmmmm….. I’ts Madness! I have refrained from printing her name in case she gets any dodgy emails from Mark. I’ll narrow it down a bit – She’s British.
Dont ask daft questions ‘Too young to appreciate Malt whisky’ award: Jordan’s mate asking for a large Glenfiddich in the New Penbury.
Images of Madstock award: I have a few, Yvette saying ‘It’s Mike’ It’s Mike’, Adrian Burns and his g/f during One Better Day (I know he loves this song – he looked contented, so very happy), Suggsylia jumping up and down dancing, a small girl from Brummie who had tears in her eyes.
The human pyramids in the crowd bi-annual competition- The big ‘Boooo!’ when Suggs mentioned Finley Quaye.
Not forgetting the ‘swamp’ or as quoted nicely by Dom, the ‘Festival Toilets’ (piss anywhere) and sores on my feet. (New trainers again on Monday!!)
stop- I could write more, but the mail will bounce!!
I forgot to buy everything apart from a T-Shirt.( I didn’t buy a coffee-mug) (shit for brains)
My phone is now off the hook because I’ve promised loads.
Who gives a shit-
It was M A D N E S S.
Big hellos and thanks to those people who made it such a really great weekend.
So to those I haven’t mentioned like Chris Carter-Pegg , Silvia & friend, numerous American ginzers, Mailing list lurkers .and those two French geezers!! See you all in 2000. MS V.
Au Revoir
Simon.
‘See you in the ‘other place’ up there’
‘Where’s my pot noodle?’
‘Have we time for one more???’
*****
The Lee Thompson/Chrissy Boy bits from the Dublin Castle before I forget…. (Saturday)
Me: Lee, what was the states like?
Lee: Fuckin big!!-( fell for that one) !!!
Me: Did you enjoy it?
Lee: Yes, yes, they wont let you smoke in the hotels.. (then he went on for ages about a big rock star in US telling them to fu*k off..)
Me: Is Bedders playing?
Lee: Yes he is, he stepped in at the last minute – (Once Lee starts talking you cant stop him!!), Norman watt-Roy was given the elbow, ideas above his stations, (plus another 5 minutes of Lee rambling snipped) ***
Forget Mark (Nice way) where’s Mike Barson? We’ve lost him!! – he was supposed to show up for this video,-Me, Chris and Mike were the founders of Madness- its supposed to be all about all roots.
Me: Oh Shit! will he be there tomorrow?
Lee: Of course, dont worry.
Me: Any new material tomorrow ?
Lee: (very apologetic) I’m sorry No- but we are doing xxxxx with xxxxx if he gets up on stage.(another lecture- I’m now losing the plot!)
Rob (joins the scene) Any album tracks Lee?
Lee: (shaking his head) I’m afraid not.
Luke: Who’s the replacement keyboard player?
Lee: You facking what?????
Luke: (Realizes he’s got his words mixed up)
Outside:
Chris – I remember… blah…
Lee- Are you still here?
Producer: Anyone out here went to the first ever Madness gig (Dublin Castle)?
Chris: Bet they don’t know when it was
Lee: (mutters something)
Me: 12th August 1979!!!
Lee: (steps back in amazement, pointing his finger at me shouting;) Now, how the f*ck do you know that???
Me: Because I’m sad.!!!! I’ve watched Take it or leave it too many times!!!
*** other Lee quips : (outside)
Looks there’s Robbo in the white van!! (Dave Robinson Piss take)
Big Laughter- camera pans round to a non-existent white van>
Where’s my bottle of Ice? (running about) (Ice is cold filtered lager btw), Luke offers him his Guiness-‘Nooo!- where my fackin ICe?) Lee eventually gets another bottle and starts using it as a telephone ‘Hello Mum? I’ll be home for dinner…’
Big laughter>
Right – your top 5 Madness questions ever…..
PPS: They played bRiLLiaNtlY!!
PPPSSS: My head hurts.
[9] NEW MADSITE
Hi Madfolk,
Thought I’d let you know that I’ve just published my own website, or rather Madsite! There’s not much there at the moment, but take a look and let me know what you think of it so far. The address is:
http://www.uea.ac.uk/~w9639349
Grooviness,
Yvette
[10] MADSTOCK IV SET LIST
Below is the complete (we think!) set list which Madness played at MSIV.
Thanks to Kevin Tizzard and Iain Jones for this lot.
Anyway, here’s the set taken from a rather drowned and clouded memory, but it’s pretty close:
One Step Beyond,
Embarrassment,
The Prince,
Driving in My Car,
The Sun and the Rain,
My Girl,
House of Fun,
Grey Day,
Shut Up,
Yesterdays Men,
It Must be Love,
Tomorrows Just Another Day,
Michael Caine,
Baggy Trousers,
One Better Day,
Bed and Breakfast Man,
Our House,
Madness.
Swan Lake,
Night Boat to Cairo.
???? (with D.Dekker/Toots)
One Step Beyond
BTW, big thanks and respect to Simon Roberts who came armed to the Mad Meet with personally prepared CD-R’s of the recent San Diego gig. Cheap at half the price…
Hope all that went, got home OK. Excellent gig, Excellent weekend… Thanks all …
I’m off to soak my aching limbs (cheated the ‘Dance Valley Of Death’ for the 43rd time), pop some aspirins, and continue to mumble those immortal words .. Never again ..”
All the Best,
Kev.
Kevin Tizzard
E-Mail: kevin@netzone.force9.net
[11] SUGGS APPEARS ON THE `BEN ELTON SHOW`
There I was, sat in my kitchen the other evening making my sandwiches for the following day of work (no jokes Simon!). In the background the TV was on blaring out Ben Elton’s usual string of crap jokes (I’m not a big fan!), when he starts going on about Madstock IV.
I thought this was a little bit of a strange thing to do, although as it’s well known that Ben is a HUGE Madness fan perhaps it wasn’t.
Ben then starts to introduce some band and I assume it’s going to be Madness. Close, but not quite – it was Suggs!!
The best was yet to come – it was a previously unheard track called “Goodbye Blackberry Way” – a cover of sorts. The track was really classy and would make an excellent album track or B-side. We shall have to see.
Anyway, it wasn’t just me who managed to catch this. Simon Roberts video taped most of the performance and converted it to mp3.
If you’d like to have a listen, go to:
(1.29mb in size).
Its only the last 85 secs of the song.
[12] IT’S COMPLETE MADNESS!!
Many thanks to Becky Lane for painstakingly typing the following article up from a 1982 issue of Look-in magazine…
No one can doubt that Madness are one of the most successful British bands around and a lot of that success must go down to their outstanding videos. They’ve all been seen on TV quite a lot but as singles slip from the charts the videos disappear too. However, the Madness videos are too good to be left to gather dust so the band has released a special video to go with their latest album.
SUGGS AND CO. ON VIDEO?
IT’S COMPLETE MADNESS!
There are 13 tracks on the video, called, as if you hadn’t guessed, Complete Madness, including House of Fun, It Must Be Love and many more of their greatest hits. There are some surprises too.
Remember the last time we featured Madness, Lee told us that you wouldn’t be able to see their Japanese car advertisements here? There was so much interest in the ads that the nutty seven decided to include the two commercials they’d made on the Complete Madness video. And as an added bonus the video even starts off with a Japanese record advertisement of theirs!
All the other great Madness scenes recorded over the years are there on the film. You can see Suggs pretending to be Superman, woody dressed up as Buzby, Chrissy swimming underwater, Mark eating red carnations and pick up a few piano tips from Mike Barson.
The boys have been talking about their film work and so too has Dave Robinson, the boss of Stiff Records who is responsible for making the videos.
The importance of video. They all understand how important video is to them. Says Chas : “Now I’m trying to write more with video in mind. It can sharpen your focus, make things easier to describe and actually write what you’re trying to say.
We want to get into video a lot more. Now you’ve got video juke boxes: at the moment there’s only about 20 in this country but soon there’s going to be about 20,000. It’s going to open up a whole new market. Over the next 18 months it’s going to become a completely new thing. Obviously it’s a big plus, another dimension for us.”
Lee’s early morning ideas. It’s Lee who has a lot of the ideas for the videos. “I lose a lot of sleep over it,” he said. “If I’m awake in bed for more than an hour and have an idea I have to jump out because I know that I’m not going to get to sleep unless I write that idea down. So I get up at three or four in the morning to write it down and hopefully it’ll get used.”
“There doesn’t have to be any reason for anything. It just has to look really good. Like on Baggy Trousers I was on wires and we thought it was going to show, but it didn’t. People thought it was some sort of expensive special effect, but it wasn’t, it was just a crane!” Lee went on: “I enjoy making videos more than making TV shows. There’s not so much hanging about.” He does enjoy some TV shows though: “When we filmed the Kenny Everett Show we set out to prove him wrong – he said people aren’t very visual!” Suggs recalls Lee’s own version of being ‘visual’ for the Kenny Everett TV appearance. “He dressed up as Gary Glitter for the song. He wore a chest wig, a proper glitter suit and platform boots. He was really pleased with himself because Gary is his idol!”
Alarming stunts. The man who has the final say is Stiff Records boss Dave Robinson. He supervises all the filming and stunts, incluDing the group going around the alarming loop ride at Great Yarmouth for the House of Fun video and the equally alarming scene when a grand piano crashed down in front of Mike Barson in Shut Up.
Dave felt the crane driver might not drop the piano in just the right place so he had several people standing close at hand to pull him away quickly if things looked like going wrong. “In the event the scene went without a hitch, but Mike was sweating quite heavily!” says Dave.
He enjoys working with Madness. “They are natural performers and there are plenty of laughs to be had. But you have to catch them quick because after the tenth time through a scene they’ve lost interest!”
Advertising Madness As we said earlier there has been a lot of interest in the Madness commercials for the Japanese car firm.
Chas filled in some of the background: “They presented us with this really awful song to sing. We wanted to do the advert but we didn’t want to do the song. So we said we’d write our own. It was frantic because we had to knock something out in ten minutes. But Barso got us round the piano and we did it. We wanted to be popular in Japan and that was a way of doing it. It opened up doors for us.”
What about a TV show? It all goes to prove that Madness mix well with TV. And with all their nutty antics you’d expect them to make their own TV show.
“The idea of doing our own TV series does come up from time to time,” says Suggs. “When it does, we reel off about 15 ideas for sketches which promptly get forgotten. Haircut One Hundred have got a pilot of a TV series and maybe we’ll do a pilot ourselves but it takes a lot of money to do.”
In the meantime, we’ll just have to enjoy their hit Driving In My Car. There’s no getting away from cars with Madness. If you’ve wondered why the publicity pictures show them in a Morris Minor instead of an honourable Honda, it’s all because the lads were once known as Morris and the Minors. Wonder what the Japanese car people think about that?
Faithfully copied from Look-in 1982.
[13] MADNESS MAD CHAT
A message came onto the Madness Mailing List the other day about Madness ICQ. There is one disadvantage I can see with normal ICQ – you need special software (most of the time, I think) to use it. What if you haven’t got this software? Enter MadChat.
MadChat is located on Total Madness (http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palms/8438) and it’s the link near the bottom of the home page. Just click on the MadChat link, give yourself a handle (nickname) and start chatting. No fancy Java or Javascript browsers needed.
Up to now, MadChat has only had a few visitors because not many people know about it. But I have the feeling that more people are getting to know about it. If you want to use it, I will be available to talk to weekdays from 3:50PM to 5PM (GMT). Please visit it! The more chatters the better!
If you want to bookmark it, it’s easiest to go straight to the chatrrom at http://mercury.beseen.com/chat/rooms/v/4367/ and bookmark it there.
I’ll see you there
Iain Jones
[14] CLOSING WORDS
Well, that’s your lot for another month.
Hopefully, over the next four weeks we’ll be able to see which music chain is correct. Will it be HMV with their August Suggs release, or will it be Virgin who are stating a mid July release? Only time will tell. One thing is for sure, if you’re a UK based Maddie, make sure you buy a duplicate or two of the single and the album so you can ship it out to other Maddies around the globe – they need their dosage of new Suggs material too you know!!
One little request when posting to the list. If you’re going to post something to the list, please make the topic of the e-mail relevant to what you have to say. Some of the mails flying around recently have covered a completely different topic to what is stated in the subject line. I’m not having a moan, but I’m sure you’ll agree that it’ll make following threads and subjects that you’re interested in a bit easier.
Some of you may remember me mentioning that whilst us Maddies who were lucky enough to be in the Dublin Castle during the MSIV a film crew were present. You may also recall that one of the cameramen said that the footage was going towards a new Madness video. I’ve still not heard any information about this. There is a mention of a new Madness video in the MSIV programme but this is all I’ve heard. If any news comes my way I’ll let you know. I know some of you have contacts in the music industry so if you could keep listening out for anything it would be appreciated.
And on that note I shall bid you a nutty farewell until the next Madpost. If you have ANY material you feel is worth including in the next issue of the Mapost, please get in touch with me at: robert@jabba.demon.co.uk and I’ll be happy to put it in.
All the nutty best,
The Author
