Nicest people in the recording industry

[mobias]

Friend said Mike Skinner was also lovely.

That reminds me of this video clip. Mike Skinner totally wasted before a gig  having some weird rant about Peter Mandelson. Notice how seamlessly he goes straight into his vocal part despite being off his tits. That takes real talent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue1U9Se6jQI

[non capisco]

George Michael of course. The stories of his generosity and righteousness that came out after he died were lovely to hear, but made you miss him more.

The clips of him on Hardtalk that have done the rounds recently are great, especially when he counters the quote from Noel Gallagher with "This is not an intelligent man".

Just watched that, ace. George running rings round that devil's advocate Brian Butterfield looking guy. Yeah, aside from his penchant for driving about off his bollocks all the time he was a dude.

[Brundle-Fly]

You haven't met Hadley then.

I met Tony Hadley once in a cabaret bar in 2002. He was serviceably pleasant.  I came home off my nut on a night bus to Dalston and encountered Tony Hadley's son on the top deck. Sorry to say, he similarly pleasant. Actually, really warm and funny.

Warts and all. I cant dine out on these anecdotes, can I?

[Brundle-Fly]

That reminds me of this video clip. Mike Skinner totally wasted before a gig  having some weird rant about Peter Mandelson. Notice how seamlessly he goes straight into his vocal part despite being off his tits. That takes real talent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue1U9Se6jQI

Mike Skinner lives up the road from me. Or did? Several years ago, his little dog started humping my leg in a Highgate newsagent and he was extremely apologetic. I'm still waiting for the lyric drop. Dry Your ...etc

[Shaky]

Neil Hannon comes across well at gigs and in interviews

I know a few people who've met him back in Ireland (including my Dad), and they've all mentioned his limp handshake. Doesn't exclude him from being nice, of course, but it's the only thing I associate him with now.

[Jockice]

My usual anecdote about meeting Tracey from Voice Of The Beehive.

Actually with my old job it can be hard to tell if musicians were actually nice or just sucking up to me. But ones I have met off duty...

Susan and Joanne from The Human League. Always lovely, especially the latter. Oakey can be a bit strange sometimes but I haven't met him for well over a decade
Pulp, most of the time. Jarvis was a bit of an arse to me once but then I shouldn't really have asked for his autograph. Don't really know Mark Webber but he comes across as a bit of an arse a lot of the time.
Hawley. Ooh, the tales I could tell...The other Longpigs too. They ended up hating each other but were always nice to me.
The Pogues. Very friendly and hospitable, certainly in the early days.
The Undertones. Lovely humble guys. I'd have been disappointed if they'd been anything else. Never met Feargal in real life (although we've been in the same room a couple of times) but have had a couple of Twitter interactions. Can't work out why some people seem to hate him.
Gary Numan. And his lovely mum Beryl.
Paul Heaton. Never met or interviewed him but have had the odd conversation with him on Twitter. Seems really decent.
Gerard Langley. A total chance meeting in a cafe in Manchester. Had never interviewed or met him before. Or since. Seemed surprised and genuinely humbled that I knew who he was.
The Mission. Never liked their music but I once met them (except Wayne) in a pub and they were a good laugh.
The Wonder Stuff. Miles Hunt has a bit of a bad reputation but he was fine with me.
Martin Fry. Friendly if a bit formal. Seemed very surprised when I said: "Hiya Julie,'' to his wife. As did she. I knew her because she'd worked in a clothes shop I used to frequent as a teenager. Was very VERY hurt she seemed not to recognise me. How fame changes people eh?

And on the subject of Spandau Ballet. I've had a grudge against them for years because of a meeting with an arsehole member of their crew. No mate, I'm not trying to get backstage to find out stories to sell to the tabloids. It's because my paper has run a 'meet the band' contest and if the winners don't get to I'm the one who gets in the shit. In the end I made sure the winners got backstage and left. Can't be arsed with that crap.

[buzby]

Steve & Gillian from New Order - too nice for their own good really, given what happened to them during the recording of Get Ready.

[Jockice]

Steve & Gillian from New Order - too nice for their own good really, given what happened to them during the recording of Get Ready.

Oh, I haven't included my anecdote about Steve getting into my car thinking it was a taxi...

[willbo]

Peter Andre was very sweet when he played live where I work

[Jockice]

Peter Andre was very sweet when he played live where I work

As he was when I did a phone interview with him once.

[Inspector Norse]

Michael Stipe seems like a lovely bloke

Read a couple of things about him being a total dickhead customer at restaurants - no tipping, outrageous CELEB demands, all comminication through his lackey, etc.

And he comes across as pretty detached from reality, though I suppose that's more a side-effect of celebrity than a definite signifier of twattery.

[peteprodge]

Andy Partridge is a national treasure

Ahem.

[mobias]

Mike Skinner lives up the road from me. Or did? Several years ago, his little dog started humping my leg in a Highgate newsagent and he was extremely apologetic. I'm still waiting for the lyric drop. Dry Your ...etc

That sort of classic anecdote is why I'm here. Brilliant stuff.

I know a few people who've met him back in Ireland (including my Dad), and they've all mentioned his limp handshake.

I knew a session bassist a while back who toured with Hannon and said he could be a bit of an arse. I'm sure he's probably mellowed out these days though.

I met Tony Hadley once in a cabaret bar in 2002.

Tying this together with the biggest tory cunts thread. My brother is an airline pilot and has met Bruce Dickenson a few times and said he was really cool and friendly.

The Mission. Never liked their music but I once met them (except Wayne) in a pub and they were a good laugh.

One of my favourite rock star anecdotes is a mate of mine got backstage at a Mission gig at the Caird Hall in Dundee back in the late 80's. He went to the loo to take a dump (as you do when you get back stage at a mission gig) and Wayne Hussey was in the next cubicle also taking a dump. So my mate got chatting to him through the cubicle wall and said he was really nice and friendly. Any rock star who can still hold their own and have time for their fans whilst having a difficult bowel movement gets my vote any day.

[Jerzy Bondov]

Neil Finn seems nice. Might not be mind you. But he seems nice.

[Kankurette]

I don't know what she's like to work with, but I met Cerys Matthews back in 2006 when her second album had come out, and she was lovely. A group of us hung around after the Liverpool gig waiting for her and her band to come out, and she stopped for a while to talk to us. She was offering us Pimm's and signing autographs even though she had her baby son with her, and her keyboard player gave us crisps. She's also tiny.

A mate has also played with Corin Tucker and had nothing but good things to say about her, and Janet Weiss as well (he's a massive Sleater-Kinney fan). Carrie, not so much.

[willbo]

She's also tiny.

some of you haven't met enough Welsh people before and it shows

[Small Man Big Horse]

I don't know what she's like to work with, but I met Cerys Matthews back in 2006 when her second album had come out, and she was lovely. A group of us hung around after the Liverpool gig waiting for her and her band to come out, and she stopped for a while to talk to us. She was offering us Pimm's and signing autographs even though she had her baby son with her, and her keyboard player gave us crisps. She's also tiny.

I met Cerys once when I was working on Big Brother as a logger, she'd just been on Big Brother's Little Brother and was leaving the studio and struggling to walk in a straight line as she was so drunk, she was very pleasant but I'm amazed they'd put her on the air as she was slurring her words when I briefly spoke to her.

[Jockice]

I came home off my nut on a night bus to Dalston.

Are you Buster Bloodvessel?

[RickOtter]

Richard Hawley is a wonderful man, very funny and self deprecating.

Paul Heaton seems like a solid gent.

Squeeze drummer Gilson Lavis is proper nice, very generous with his time.

Jarvis Cocker refused me an autograph, but did so wonderfully politely as it wasn't his gig and didn't want to take any attention away from the artist, so he makes my list for being a good egg.

Richard Norris out of The Grid is a total diamond. Just a really lovely bloke.

[mobias]

I hung out with Jon Hopkins a little bit many years ago. He's a friend of a friend. He seemed really nice. 

Paul Heaton seems like a solid gent.

Sounds like he is yeah. An old friend of mine who's a musician became quite good friends with him. Seems like a really nice guy.

[Jockice]

Squeeze drummer Gilson Lavis is proper nice, very generous with his time.

I met Chris Difford three times in less than two years not long ago. My girl...er...partner, is a massive Squeeze fan. He's a nice bloke. Isn't Gilson in Jools Holland's big band these days? He certainly wasn't in the line-ups I've seen recently.

[Custard]

Fleetwood Mac has good eggs

Stevie Nicks is meant to be a lovely woman, but a bit off with the fairies. As you'd expect and want her to be

Christine McVie is very blunt, sweary and no nonsense, but I don't think I've ever read a bad word against her. The other members of the Rumors lineup absolutely adore her

Mick Fleetwood is very charming and fun, and doesn't take much seriously

And John McVie is, well, John McVie. Very quiet, yet loyal and decent

[The Culture Bunker]

Didn't Billy Bragg hand over quite a bit of cash when a label folded (Go! Discs?) to be given to the day-to-day staff?

As I recall, Andy McDonald from Go! gave a load of shares in the label to Billy at some point in the 80s. When McDonald sold out to Polydor, those shares were worth about a million quid, Bragg basically used the cash to provide severance pay to Go! workers who got laid off - Phil Jupitus mentioned it in a interview after he became famous, as he was one of those who benefitted.

Les Pattinson from Echo and the Bunnymen was lovely when I met him, and got quite excited talking about how Cumbria is great for motorcycle trips.

Noble and Hamilton from British Sea Power were very affable when I interviewed them in 2004 - perhaps helped again by the Cumbria connection.

My brother told me Andy McCluskey from OMD was very nice when he recorded in his studio about 20 years back.

Mark Burgess (Chameleons) and Paul Simpson (Teardrop Explodes/Wild Swans/Care) were both incredibly generous with their time, given I was a nobody from a small music website. Bruce Mitchell from the Durutti Column also once rang me to apologise for Vini Reilly backing out of an interview and we ended up having a hour long conversation that confirmed the "top man" status he's long enjoyed in Manchester.

[Kankurette]

some of you haven't met enough Welsh people before and it shows

I'm trying to recall if I've ever met a tall Welsh person. I have a friend from Cardiff and she's tiny, her husband is about twice her size. They're like a Newfoundland and a chihuahua.

My mum sold Paul Heaton a cake once. I see him around my area from time to time.

I met Cerys once when I was working on Big Brother as a logger, she'd just been on Big Brother's Little Brother and was leaving the studio and struggling to walk in a straight line as she was so drunk, she was very pleasant but I'm amazed they'd put her on the air as she was slurring her words when I briefly spoke to her.

Was that when she was in Catatonia? She had a bit of a drink problem then.

[sevendaughters]

One time before heading off on tour the van we were hiring was late so half our band were stuck at this rehearsal space/van hire place with Kirk Brandon of Spear of Destiny and our bassist secretly recorded the chat (he audio documents everything, not a creep, honest!). Kirk sounded ace. Really funny, no flipping the tale around to himself, and he helped them load up too.

Can confirm the lads from BSP are totally cool too.

[Jerzy Bondov]

I met Chris Difford three times in less than two years not long ago. My girl...er...partner, is a massive Squeeze fan. He's a nice bloke. Isn't Gilson in Jools Holland's big band these days? He certainly wasn't in the line-ups I've seen recently.

My dad says Glenn Tilbrook is nice

[Jockice]

My dad says Glenn Tilbrook is nice

Met him very briefly. He seemed it. And the rest of the band. But it was Difford that I appeared to be stalking.

[Brundle-Fly]

Today? Elvis Costello. It's a shame a few more artists arent like this.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-57650176

[Brundle-Fly]

Are you Buster Bloodvessel?

No, but I have shared a few drinks with him a couple of times in the distant past. Exactly how you would expect him to be. Friendly London geezer.

[Egyptian Feast]

Are you Buster Bloodvessel?

He used to drink in my local in Southall when he was living in a canal boat docked nearby, after he'd lost loads of weight. He was alright. Sorry I mentioned 'chunnelling' while your girlfriend was nearby, Buster, but you should perhaps try sharing less in interviews with the music press.