Even earlier than he achieved worldwide fame and notoriety with prog rock legends Sure, Rick Wakeman was already rubbing shoulders with the soon-to-be wealthy and well-known due to his job as in-house keyboard participant at Trident Studios in central London. Earlier than lengthy he handed via people proggers the Strawbs and was taking part in huge arenas with Sure. He additionally hit the headlines for his extreme solo exhibits within the 70s, not least his grand try and current his 1975 solo album The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Spherical Desk on ice at Wembley Enviornment! Alongside the best way there was his well-documented battle with booze which ended within the mid-80s, since when he’s carried out with Sure and as a solo artist, in addition to changing into one thing of a media movie star in his personal proper. And, as Basic Rock found after we sat down with him in 2010 to speak about his encounters with the nice and the nice of music and beon, not solely is he nice mates with Sooty, however he’s additionally been given the, er, brush-off by foul-mouthed fox Basil Brush.
David Bowie
I first met David again within the late 60s, again when word-of-mouth and the Melody Maker had been nonetheless the way you discovered about what was nonetheless then referred to as the ‘underground’.
I’d been doing a session for [Bowie producer] Tony Visconti with this band Junior’s Eyes in Willesden in 1969. I walked into the studio and there was a Mellotron there. They had been actually new on the time and nobody truly knew play them, so I requested if I may fiddle with it. And I managed to get it working. Due to that I acquired a name whereas I used to be at Studying Prime Rank membership – I used to play in the home band on a Thursday, taking part in 60s soul tunes – and it was Tony asking me if I may play on [Bowie’s] Area Oddity session at Trident Studios in Soho, as a result of David was recording a single and needed strings and Mellotron featured on there.
The session solely took half an hour. David turned up with a Stylophone [hand-held ‘keyboard’]. David cherished utilizing something new. All of us stated that it wouldn’t work, however when the one got here out, there it was and it labored high quality.
I bear in mind David arguing with this man from his label, Philips, insisting that the report needed to come out as a stereo single, and the report firm needed mono. He acquired his means. He at all times struck me as a really devoted artist.
He additionally helped me out after I ran a small people membership referred to as Booze Droop on the White Hart pub in North Acton. We owed the owner a bit of cash and he was hassling us. I used to be having dinner with David and talked about this, and he provided to play a gig there for us to assist out. So we took these advertisements out plugging Bowie. And about 4 folks turned up. Everybody thought it was a wind-up. He performed the gig, although. The following week the place was packed. We coated our money owed, and I introduced that was the final Booze Droop ever.
John Lennon
I used to be residing in Switzerland on the time, and was in New York to advertise a Sure tour. I at all times wish to eat on the Tavern On The Inexperienced by Central Park. They’d this room, the Crystal Room, the place you can eat with out being pestered, though folks did like to take a look round at who was eating. I used to be in there with my then-wife, and regarded round and there have been John and Yoko sat at a close-by desk.
I knew Ringo very effectively, and I’d met Paul and George just a few instances, however I’d by no means met John. I didn’t suppose he’d know who I used to be, however he came visiting and launched himself and we had a chat. He appeared very good. He was telling me concerning the issues he was experiencing together with his new album [Double Fantasy], and he struck me as being very very like David Bowie in that he was clearly an inspirational and devoted artist. I went over and stated howdy to Yoko.
Once I returned to Switzerland I bear in mind getting a cellphone name from a journalist asking me for a quote about Lennon. Given this was pre-internet, and communications had been nowhere close to what they’re immediately, I didn’t actually know what she was occurring about, till she instructed me that he’d been murdered. Apparently I used to be one of many final musicians to be seen speaking to him. She then requested me essentially the most silly query I’ve ever been requested: did John point out something that prompt he’d had a premonition about his demise? Some folks!
Black Sabbath
I cherished Black Sabbath. I cherished them musically and cherished them as folks as effectively. I knew them fairly effectively as a result of Sure had supported Sabbath in America on just a few excursions within the early 70s they usually all preferred a drink, like I did. Socially Sabbath had been way more my cup of tea than Sure had been – drinkers and hell-raisers who actually cherished their rock’n’roll. I used to journey with Sabbath on their aircraft as a result of we acquired on so effectively. The truth is Tony Iommi, who I’ve remained nice pals with through the years, as soon as instructed me the band had been severely contemplating asking me to affix them at one level, as a result of we acquired on so effectively they usually had been trying to broaden their sound. However Ozzy was nervous, in all probability fairly rightly, about how the steel followers would react.
I first labored with them within the early 70s once they had been recording Sabbath Bloody Sabbath they usually wanted a Mini-Moog on one observe. Sure had been within the studio subsequent door, and I instructed them I’d pop in after we’d completed. Once I acquired there, they had been all… ‘asleep’ is the politest means of describing it. Apart from one frightened younger tape op, who put the observe in query on. I attempted just a few issues out, and after the third factor I performed, Ozzy lifted his head up, stated: “Fucking nice,” and handed out once more.
Jack Lemmon
As a rocker will get older there are issues that appear to creep into one’s life. Like gardening. Cooking. Strolling. And golf. I’d taken up golf after I stopped ingesting within the 80s, and thru that I used to get invited to the Howard Keel Golf Basic, a pro-celebrity occasion held in Manchester.
The spotlight of this was once a showbiz gala that Howard would placed on on the Piccadilly Theatre in Manchester, which might usually characteristic a whole lot of his celeb mates from America. Anyway, this one yr he requested me if I’d wish to play as a result of “Jack goes to play and he likes your piano taking part in. So that you come on, play some stuff, introduce Jack, after which he’ll play after which he’ll introduce me.”
I didn’t actually suppose any extra of it. I turned up on the evening, and Howard comes over and retains speaking about Jack, indicating this bloke stood to the aspect of the stage, when the penny dropped that it was Jack Lemmon. I stood there dumbstruck when he came visiting and stated howdy. Howard had given him a few of my information, and he preferred them and requested if we may play one thing collectively. He was a fairly jazzy pianist, if reminiscence serves me proper. I simply bear in mind being so embarrassed sitting subsequent to this huge movie legend.
Jim Davidson
I’ve recognized Jim for a very long time. He’s an enormous prog rock fan and we’ve change into excellent pals through the years. Jim’s one other a type of who you already know that in case you exit with him, then there’s more likely to be bother. He nonetheless drinks a bit, though he’s nowhere close to as dangerous as he was. However, once more, he’s like Moony in that nobody ever will get harm, no one’s ever accomplished any harm and nobody’s ever felt threatened after we’ve been out on our benders. Even at our worst it was at all times about being humorous.
Keith Moon and Vivian Stanshall
For those who had been going out with Keith, then you definately at all times knew that the police would very seemingly be concerned in some unspecified time in the future through the night. They usually most positively would if [Bonzo Dog Band’s] Vivian Stanshall was alongside for the experience as effectively. The 2 of them had been such pretty folks, and there was by no means any malice behind what they did. They actually had been arch pranksters. However the factor concerning the many nights I spent of their firm was that every one their excessive jinks had been the by-product of drink and good, innocent spirits and a infantile enthusiasm. I had my wildest nights out with these two. Keith actually was like a naughty little boy.
Sooty
Sure, Sooty’s a pal! I by no means knew the unique [puppeteer], Harry Corbett, however I did know his son, Matthew. Anyway, Matthew had offered Sooty on, and the bloke who owned him additionally lived, like me, on the Isle of Wight.
I used to be taking part in a gig in Barnstaple, and my tour supervisor on the time additionally lived on the Isle of Wight, and this man got here alongside to the gig and I acquired launched to him. I requested him the place Sooty was, and he instructed me he was within the supervisor’s workplace. So he went and acquired him and I had my picture taken with him. Once I was leaving, I used to be exterior the stage door signing autographs for about 200 folks. Then this bloke left, and I discussed that he had Sooty, and ten seconds later there’s nobody in entrance of me and this bloke’s surrounded with all these folks wanting their picture taken with Sooty!
Basil Brush
I used to be on the BBC doing [erstwhile TV arts show] Omnibus, and I unintentionally walked into the unsuitable studio. And there in entrance of me was Basil Brush, sat at his desk identical to you see him on the TV. Clearly the puppeteers had been at work. However as I’m stood there not understanding what to do, he says in that Basil Brush voice: “I say, it’s Rick Wakeman!” As there’s an viewers, I mumbled: “Good day, Basil. Very good to satisfy you.” And he simply says: “Proper. We’re in the midst of rehearsal and ever so behind, so in case you may simply fuck off, there’s a very good chap.”
I walked out in a little bit of a daze and ran into [TV presenter] Barry Norman, who taken care of Omnibus on the time. He directed me to the correct studio, and requested me if I used to be okay. I may solely inform him: “Basil Brush simply instructed me to fuck off!”
Initially printed in Basic Rock situation 145, April 2010
