Street Level Superstar: A Year with Lawrence Q&A at Foyles with Will Hodgkinson and Lawrence, hosted by Jarvis Cocker

Last night we attended a thoroughly entertaining evening at Foyles bookstore in London in the company of Jarvis Cocker who was questioning author Will Hodgkinson about his superb new book "Street Level Superstar: A Year with Lawrence" (Nine Eight Books) along with the enigmatic subject himself, Lawrence, the frontman of Mozart Estate, previously of Go-Kart Mozart, Denim and Felt. Hodgkinson does not shy away from Lawrence's sometimes frustrating idiosyncrasies and in other less involved hands, the story might have veered into sneering or ridiculing the singer's often quite baffling habits. But, it's an affectionate look at someone who basically wants to live life and create art on his own terms. The story is told through the conversations and experiences with Will and Lawrence during a series of walks around various London neighbourhoods over the course of a year. From Lawrence's early childhood in Birmingham to his time in his bands Felt, Denim, Go-Kart Mozart and Mozart Estate right up to the unveiling of Corin Johnson's quite remarkable marble bust, "Street Level Superstar" redefines the music biography genre. From poverty, drug addiction, homelessness to occasional close calls with the elusive stardom he craves, Lawrence is dogged by terrible bad luck, missed opportunities and a tendency to shoot himself in the foot. But despite all the slings and arrows over the years, Lawrence still exudes a cheerfulness and sense of optimism that's evident at the sold-out event. With so much acclaim being lavished on Hodgkinson's book, it might well elevate Lawrence to the fame and fortune that he feels is long overdue, we can but hope! Here are some photos from the talk along with some of the Martin Green curated marble bust exhibition at the stunning Fitzrovia Chapel. I've also included a rare early photo taken by my Retro Man Blog colleague, the Rock photographer Paul Slattery, who also has a photo included in the book.

Felt - Copyright Paul Slattery

Retrosonic Podcast: New Episode Out Now!

Adam from The Jetsonics and Steve from the Retro Man Blog spin some classic Soul from Betty Wright, Psychedelic sounds of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Punk Rock from The Briefs, The Romford Stompers and Basement 5, Ska from The Beat, Mod Revival Power Pop from The Starjets, Glam Punk from The Wolfmen, rare Psych from Noon Express, unreleased New Wave from The Jetsonics, Quirky Indie-Pop from Go-Kart Mozart...AND a classic covered by The King of Luxembourg...phew! Plus the usual waffle, news and chat about what we've been up to...

It was recorded on Friday the 13th and there's a spooky absence of crackling log fires, low flying jets, Brentford parakeets, clinking glasses and the liberal pouring of a nice bottle of Rioja...we're trying to get all professional I suppose...! Let us know what you think of the songs via the Soundcloud site, email or join the brand new Retro Man Blog/Retrosonic Facebook Group. Hope you enjoy it, cheers! Steve & Adam.

Lawrence Of Belgravia (Heavenly Films) + Felt Book

I recently attended the screening of Paul Kelly's excellent new documentary, Lawrence of Belgravia (Heavenly Films), at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. The film was immediately followed by a Q&A session with the Director and Lawrence himself. The documentary traces the trials and tribulations of ex-Felt and Denim singer Lawrence over an eight year period, as he tries to record a new album with his latest band Go-Kart Mozart. It's a refreshingly different music documentary, with Kelly steering away from many of the usual Rock movie cliches. The band's history is mainly told through recorded interviews with various journalists, most of whom are not really prepared for Lawrence's rather unconventional outlook on music and life in general.

Lawrence in 1980 - Photo by Paul Slattery

He doesn't seem interested in modern technology such as computers, "there are too many wires", or mobile phones. This is apparent when he looks dumbfounded at one web-site journalist and asks, "you don't make any money from the internet? I knew it was crap, the internet..."  The darker episodes are not really tackled in any depth though, the camera skims over various eviction notices, letters of debt, medical forms and prescriptions, hinting at Lawrence's drug and mental health problems. Director Kelly excels at using the city of London as an impressive backdrop as he follows Lawrence, whether it be moving into and decorating a new apartment or helping to roadie for a young band. In one scene you discover that underneath all the bravado lurks a self deprecating humour. He's in a clothes store looking for a replacement for his ever present baseball cap and is persuaded to try on some different styles for a change. When trying on a particularly baggy flat cap he says it makes him look like John Lennon New York 1975 but then admits it's actually more like "Bill Oddie, Ecky-Thump 1972".

One thing that is apparent is that Lawrence is seemingly desperate for fame and fortune, longing for the day that he can afford a private jet or Limo and be free from having to travel on the tube with the general public. He moans about Bobby Gillespie not introducing him to Kate Moss, as she was sure to have wanted to marry him. It's these sort of pronouncements that go against the grain in the music scene. It's rare to hear a musician openly and unashamedly say he would gladly write a Eurovision song or love to have a famous supermarket chain adopt one of his tracks to be used in a commercial.

Also, like a lot of innovators, they can sometimes find themselves left behind in the wake of copyists and plunderers who can go on to more, often un-deserved, commercial and critical success. This has certainly been the case with Felt, coupled with a huge slice of plain old bad luck. Like many Alternative bands, Lawrence sent a Felt single to John Peel hoping to get played on his hugely influential radio show. John Peel never played it so Lawrence sent another one, and this time Peel did play it but also made a comment that it was the worst title for a record he'd ever heard. Stung by this reaction Lawrence sent a really nasty letter demanding that Peel should send the records back immediately, which he did. Lawrence admits that without Peel it cost Felt a lot of valuable publicity and support. The release of Denim's impossibly catchy pop single "Summer Smash", what could have been a sure fire hit, happened to coincide with the breaking news of the car crash that killed Princess Diana. Of course, the two were totally unrelated but that did not stop the song being quietly banned from any Radio play in case it was "deemed inappropriate". 

Felt in 1980 - Photo by Paul Slattery

I must admit there was something slightly surreal about watching a documentary when suddenly the subject himself appears on stage as the end credits roll! There followed an interesting and lively discussion with questions from the audience, I asked Lawrence how he felt about giving up so much control to Paul Kelly considering his somewhat controlling nature. He admitted that although he trusted Paul, it was difficult at first and he had to "draw up a mental contract" with himself "not to interfere". At the end I had a little chat to Lawrence and he asked me to remind Paul Slattery to send him some prints of his early Felt photographs (some of which you can see here). "I hope he hasn't lost my address, I wrote it on a piece of paper, I haven't got an email or anything like that". I was about to say he could see some of the photos on the Blog but thought better of it...!





You can still catch the movie before the run ends, tonight May 17th, at the Glasgow Grosvenor, tomorrow May 18th, at Edinburgh Cameo and finally May 21st at the Hackney Playhouse, London.

Check the Heavenly Films web-site for further information and details of tickets and timings. 

Lawrence in 2012 - Photo by Paul Slattery

First Third Books have published an excellent 176 page book about Felt, featuring more than 140 rare photographs from 20 different photographers, including our very own Paul Slattery, who took some of the very first shots of the band. It's a beautifully presented cloth-bound embossed hardback book, limited to 1,000 individually numbered copies all signed by Lawrence. There's also an extensive illustrated discography, an introduction by Bob Stanley of Saint Etienne and Lawrence's own annotations and quotes throughout.

Many thanks to Paul Slattery for the exclusive photos of Felt and Lawrence.