Gaye Advert's Punk Memorabilia - A New Publication by Gaye and Leonor Faber-Jonker

Leonor Faber-Jonker of SAGO Press will release a collaborative publication along with Gaye Black in August. Titled "Gaye Advert's Punk Memorabilia" it collates twelve items from Gaye's own personal collection of memorabilia and looks at the stories behind each object. With photographs by Eric Waring and designed by Maud Van Rossum and Riso printed, the limited edition publication comes in two versions with some superb extras included. I spoke to Leonor and Gaye about this great project so please read on for the background behind it...

Leonor, how did you discover The Adverts and when did you first meet Gaye?

Leonor: I met Gaye at Rebellion Festival, I think it was in 2006 maybe. I was a big fan of The Adverts, when I was 14 I got my first Punk compilation CD and The Adverts were on there and it was one of the tracks that stood out. I didn't even have a computer at that age and then when I got a computer I started looking up things about The Adverts and I noticed Gaye of course and I thought she looked so cool so I kind of modelled my look on this one grainy picture I had of her, so yeah I was really a big fan.

So when you first met Gaye you didn't have any idea of doing a book or anything like that?

L: I must have been nineteen and I was still working out, finding out what I wanted to do and stuff so it was just more like being starstruck. Then I started organising gigs around that same time, I organised a couple of gigs for TV Smith in the Netherlands, and then I saw Gaye.

So that's similar to me, I also got to know Gaye through promoting TV Smith gigs, where were you putting on your shows?

L: In the Hague at a bar that was run by people who before they ran a squat and when that shut down they opened this very nice little bar with a stage called De Vinger. I put on a couple of shows there for TV Smith but also John Cooper-Clarke which is really wild as he's playing really big venues now. Of course I got talking to Gaye and she was just really sweet, I also bought some of her artwork, I think I bought two or three.

So, when did you get to the point of deciding on doing this project, how did you come up with the idea?

L: Well, I'm really interested in how objects carry a meaning so that's something I do a lot of research on and I'm very interested in family heirlooms or souvenirs. Also how objects change meaning over time 'cos if you carry it with you through your life then it will change, it will signify different things for different moments, so that's kind of the background. Then I have this publishing company SAGO Press and with that I want to make books that are based on archives and I also focus on female artists and musicians from the Punk era or the Post-Punk era of the 80's and started with Truus de Groot who was a Post-Punk pioneer in the Netherlands who went to New York when she was very young. So, it kind of went very naturally 'cos I was thinking for a while as I was organising gigs before and I'd stopped doing that I wanted to offer a platform again to other people or collaborate in a DIY way again. I was thinking maybe a magazine, maybe this or maybe that, and then I came across these photos by Truus de Groot and then I realised this would make a perfect book. Anyway, so I had this publishing house and then of course I thought of Gaye who I'd stayed in touch with as she also came to the HOK Gallery in the Hague and I wrote an essay for her exhibition she had there. I thought it would just be great to make a booklet together and we were just sitting talking, Eric was there too and it just came together and I think Eric might have said, what about the memorabilia objects, so yeah, it just happened.

Eric Waring is the photographer who took the majority of the photos in the book, it's lucky that Gaye has kept most of her memorabilia and prized possessions.

L: Yeah, in a very sort of conscious way and what she kept, she kept it carefully, or even not carefully like with the leather jacket she just put in the garden when it was finally returned by somebody who stole it after decades. She had this leather jacket that she was always wearing in all those iconic photographs and it was stolen from a dressing room in Ireland and she didn't see it for decades and then suddenly it was posted back anonymously. So, she just had this jacket but it was really mouldy and horrible when she got it back so she put it in the garden and it became a home for spiders, but even then it's a caring way to interact with an object.

It's amazing that she got it back, so you've chosen twelve items, how did you start off?

L: The starting point was Gaye's memorabilia collages because she made this series of digital collages and the objects are all in there so that was the starting point, but then Eric had to re-photograph them for the book as the images were not so suitable for printing.

Gaye's left the music world and she's now an Artist and she does use a lot of her memorabilia in her artwork which is really effective isn't it.

L: Yeah, there are a lot of personal mementoes also from before and after the Punk era, all her artworks are filled with personal significant little things.

So the booklet itself is beautifully produced, I'm really happy as I've got to actually look at it finally, and Gaye is writing about the background to each item with some great photos by Eric. You've also included some postcards, you've got a reproduction of the rat sticker that was on her bass and you've even got a reproduction of the fantastic The Damned and The Adverts advert on newspaper, it's almost like it's come out of Sounds in 1976. That's 'The Damned can now play three chords The Adverts can play one, hear all four of them' and then you've got all the tour dates and that's the famous picture of Gaye and Dave Vanian which I'm sure will be familiar to many people. So you get these nice little extras which I think makes it a little bit special and you've done two versions of the booklet, you've got this version that I've got here and then you've got one in a deluxe special edition.

L: Yeah the special edition, I mean the regular version is quite special as it is, if I may say so myself! So the main extras are the poster and three postcards and the rat sticker, I had to cut out 300 rats so I hope you guys appreciate it! It's Riso printed which is quite a special technique and comes in a limited edition of 150 copies in total and numbers 1-25 are the special editions and they come with a signed A4 print of one of Gaye's memorabilia collages, a very nice print.

I won't give everything away on what's in the booklet, people will have to buy it to find out, but some of the more interesting items featured include Iggy Pop's dog collar and a Ramones baseball bat which are quite bizarre, and there's a battered tour suitcase along with other various bits and pieces which I won't give away yet but it's nice to hear the stories behind them. When I got this copy I thought, 'oh wow this must be the deluxe edition' but there's all the extras that come with the standard version too so it's very good value. So, the book will be available from August, you're going to be at the Rebellion Festival in August, will you be there over the whole weekend?

L: I will be yeah, Gaye will have a stall and I'm just a hanger-on, then there's a Q&A session where we're officially presenting it.  

So if you're at Rebellion from August 7th-10th you can pick up a copy or you can order the book from here. Leonor, you said you're getting orders from all over the place already.

L: Yeah from Australia and Mexico, I was really surprised, many orders from the United States, California it's quite surprising and then many from the Netherlands as well.

You've done some previous publications haven't you, including old fanzines and Dutch Punk and things like that as well.

L: Yeah, quite a few publications now, I started by writing a book about Dutch Punk that came out in 2012, and that was because I knew quite a lot about UK bands but I had no idea about what was going on in the Netherlands at that time so I became really curious what was here. Why do I know so many bands in the UK but what else was going on, so that was the starting points of my research. Then I also have quite a few other interests but I always come back to Punk and Post-Punk.

So do you think this idea you have here is something you could spread out to other musicians that you know?

L: I never like to do the same thing twice so I always want to reinvent myself or my work so the publications I've done with Sago now, so far one is photographs and snapshots taken in New York and then there's one coming out with drawings by Dirk Polak from the Dutch New Wave band Mecano. What I like is talking to underground musicians and artists, finding out what they have that has never seen the daylight, that people are not aware of, that's what I really like, digging that out. It's a private archive so what I like to do with my publications is that you have the feeling like you are actually visiting the person, you become a little bit closer to the person, it's biographical in the end.

We're now joined by Gaye and I was wondering how you both narrowed it down to 12 items?

L: Well, it started at Rebellion from the memorabilia collage artwork, there were ten of them, then the final selection was quite tricky actually.

Tell us about Iggy's dog collar Gaye...

Gaye: In 1977 The Adverts were asked to do the U.K. tour with Iggy and throughout the course of that he was always trying to give me items of his clothing, like that raincoat in that picture of him and Patti Smith but I said no, I don't have room for that, so he had this dog collar and he said "would you like that?" and I said OK.

How did you get hold of a Ramones baseball bat? 

G: It was the first time they played in London at the Roundhouse and at the end of the gig Joey came out from the side of the stage and he was giving out these promotional baseball bats and I had one. But I think most people probably couldn't be bothered to carry them home so they became really rare but I held on to it and I've had it ever since, it's not a full size baseball bat, it's there under the TV if you want to see it!

What about the battered old suitcase?

G: This is an old suitcase of my parents that they gave me when I moved to London that was living up in my attic room and it came with me when we went off on tour, 'cos it was the only thing I had. We didn't have rucksacks or things in those days, so I lived out of that for several years. The stickers, I'm a great one for sticking any stickers onto things, a random selection, that big Damned one on the front, that's from their first album I think, carefully unpeeled.

The suitcase is like one of your works of art, one of your collages in itself, you've got backstage passes, Motorhead stickers you've got the Damned one.

G: There's a couple of more contemporary ones too, like The Briefs, but that's quite an old Briefs one, that's probably vintage by now.

L: It's also kind of nice that you haven't kept it as a museum piece, it's just part of your life and still is.

G: Yeah, it was but it's kind of broken now so I can't use it anymore.

So what was it like for you going through looking at these items, was it interesting to drag up the back stories behind them?

G: Yes, I haven't kept all that many things but I had the idea for doing my memorabilia series at Rebellion in 2016 'cos that was their anniversary gig and they went down really well, so I've been doing variations on them. I don't have that many objects and Leonor is a great collector and object fan and she had this idea so she came round here and narrowed it down to what's in the book. 

Well it's great, it's a really unique way of looking at someone's musical life rather than a just a typical biography, list of dates or tour diary it's an unusual take 'cos of all the stories behind the items.

G: I very rarely get rid of anything, I value the things that have memories and if I do get rid of anything it's usually something that I've had more recently so the core things remain.

I don't want to give too much away, people will have to buy the book to find out what's inside. You'll be at Rebellion Festival doing a Q&A session and having your art on display and I guess the books will be on sale.

G: Yes, I'll be interviewed and Leonor will be doing a presentation during my interview and I'll be selling new art stuff in the adjoining room to the literary stage.

Thanks to Leonor and Gaye, as mentioned if you are at Rebellion Festival in Blackpool this year, you'll be able to pick up a copy directly and also check out Gaye's fantastic art. Otherwise, you can order from SAGO Press at this link, find out more about Leonor's projects at her web-site here and you can check out Gaye Black Art here.

Don't forget our thoroughly entertaining Retrosonic Podcast interview special with Gaye is still available to listen to, stream or download, where she discusses her life in Music and Art. Gaye takes us on a musical journey from growing up in a small town in north Devon and discovering music for the first time to buying her first record. We then discover what lured her into Rock 'n' Roll and what inspired her to play the bass. There are tales of her experiences of moving to London, being right at the heart of the early Punk Rock explosion and of course her time with The Adverts. This leads onto the bands and the characters she met and toured with along the way such as Iggy Pop, Lemmy and The Damned. We also cover her DJ'ing and the inspirations on her own Art as well as her time curating Art Exhibitions and working on the artwork for record covers by U.K. Subs bassist Alvin Gibbs. The episode is sound-tracked by Gaye's personal selection of her favourite songs from The Adverts and some of Gaye's most inspirational musical moments including Black Sabbath, Rolling Stones, The Stranglers, The Damned, The Beatles, Mayhem, Motorhead, The Phobics, Mayhem, Turbonegro, Cyanide Pills, The Men Who Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, Iggy Pop, The Stooges, A Place To Bury Strangers, U.K. Subs and the Fireball XL5 Theme...! 

Retrosonic Podcast · Gaye (Advert) Black, Artist & Former Bassist with The Adverts

SuperSizeArt & Tunetables - SuperSize Soho Exhibition

Morgan Howell & Rob Chappelhow - Photo Retro Man Blog

It's hard to believe that it's ten years ago since I first encountered Morgan Howell's fantastic SuperSizeArt thanks to a feature in Mark Ellen and David Hepworth's much-missed Word Magazine. I did a small feature in Retro Man Blog here back in 2011 and then also reported on Morgan's exhibition at Snap Gallery Piccadilly in 2013 which you can also still check out in our archive here. Ever since then I've followed his career with interest and of course, his reputation has gone from strength-to-strength with famous musicians, radio stations and celebrities among Morgan's many happy customers. The extra special thing about Morgan's bespoke commissioned artwork is that they are not purely copies of the cover art of 45rpm singles but faithful reproductions of the actual record itself, creases, price labels, stains, rips and all. For example, if I had my very first single immortalised by Morgan it would be (rather embarrassingly) "Crazy Horses" by The Osmonds complete with my juvenile handwriting of the band's line-up scrawled in biro on the blue and gold MGM sleeve. It's these bespoke touches that make the artwork so evocative and personal. Of course there are various other options - I have a set of four small size versions of The Clash's "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" in different coloured sleeves and there have been postcards and prints available too. In the gallery I saw a guitar case which was adorned with a familiar signature so I asked Morgan about it and he explained that Johnny Marr swapped his guitar for one of his SuperSize singles. Morgan has also released a beautiful book "Morgan Howell at 45rpm" which features explanations and images of one hundred of his pieces and this is available for sale at the exhibition with Morgan more than happy to sign a copy for you. Of course, you can also order the book on-line at the SuperSizeArt web-site or all the usual on-line retailers and in all good bookshops too. I just wish I'd invested in a large SuperSizeArt 45 rpm ten years ago!

Morgan Howell of SuperSizeArt - Photo by Retro Man Blog

Rob Chappelhow of Tunetables - Photo by Retro Man Blog

Sharing the exhibition space was Rob Chappelhow from Tunetables, another great idea for music lovers who also appreciate great design. If like me, you once ditched your CD's following the resurgence of vinyl and were left with crates of the unloved discs in your loft - well you can now turn them into an artistic centrepiece which also serves equally as good as a practical storage solution. I spoke to designer Rob Chappelhow and told him that his work reminded me of the wonderful display of Joe Strummer's cassette tape collection at the "Joe Strummer 001" box-set exhibition back in 2018 - where Joe's lovingly hand-written and coloured covers were on show in a display case. They were visually stunning even before you took the time to see how Joe had individually tailor-made each cover to reflect on the content and genre of these unique compilation tapes. I was pleasantly surprised when Rob told me that was actually one of the inspirations behind the idea of Tunetables, and even more so when he took out his mobile phone to show me a folder of photos of the very same Joe Strummer cassette display. 

Joe Strummer's Tapes - Photo by Retro Man Blog

Rob Chappelhow of Tunetables - Photo by Retro Man Blog

Of course, like any like-minded music fan would do...I couldn't resist taking a good look at the CD's that were in the mightily impressive flight-case coffee table and Rob's collection was packed full of a great selection of Retro Man Blog favourites such as The Specials, The Beat, The Charlatans, The Jam, Pixies, The Smiths and - as the case holds 500 CD's - many, many more! Tunetables also have options for vinyl LP's and Cassettes and are available as classic flight-cases (designed to also satisfy your inner Roadie...) or in a wooden finish and can even be personalised with your initials and date of birth. The exhibition itself is located in a pop-up gallery at 45 Beak Street in Soho close by to Carnaby Street and the Third Man Records London store recently opened by Jack White himself, which is also well worth a visit. The exhibition runs until November 21st so there's still time to visit, enjoy the stunning artwork and design on display and of course, buy a stylish Xmas present or two.

Please click on the highlighted links below for further information.

SuperSizeArt - Official Web-site, Facebook, Instagram

Tunetables - Official Web-site, Facebook, Instagram

The Jam "About The Young Idea" & "Golden Faces 1977-80" Exhibitions plus Rick Buckler "That's Entertainment: My Life In The Jam" Autobiography

Recently, it’s been a good time to be a fan of The Jam, what with two major London exhibitions about the band and the publication of Rick Buckler’s "That's Entertainment: My Life In The Jam", surprisingly the very first official autobiography from any ex-member since "The Jam, Our Story" which was co-written by Rick, Bruce and Alex Ogg. The superb exhibition at Somerset House, "The Jam: About the Young Idea", curated by Tory Turk, Russell Reader, DJ and long-time fan Gary Crowley, music memorabilia collector Den Davis and Paul Weller’s sister Nicky (who used to run The Jam’s fan-club), has just had its stay extended to September 27th. I must say that this has to be the most impressive exhibition of any band’s memorabilia I have ever seen, and I doubt even the most difficult-to-please die-hard Jam fan will leave here disappointed. After all, it is the first time that such a comprehensive collection of personal items from all three members of the band, have been displayed together. The Jam are one of very few bands that, despite achieving huge commercial success, still managed to retain their artistic integrity and popularity amongst their impressively devoted hard-core fan base. Eighteen Top 40 Hits and four U.K. Number 1 Singles and yet they were, and are to this very day, still cool; how many bands can claim such a similar legacy?  

Photo copyright Retro Man Blog 2015

In part this was probably down to Paul Weller's sudden and surprising decision to split the band at the height of their success. They have remained frozen in time at what might well have been their peak. We’ll never know if they could have gone on to scale even greater heights. The next album might have flopped; the band may have imploded or just slowly fizzled out in a disappointing run of lacklustre gigs and releases. Either way Paul Weller wasn’t willing to risk tarnishing the legacy of this great band and in calling it a day in a rather abrupt, and some might say callous way, he did at least ensure that their awesome reputation remained intact. To be honest, I was hoping to discover more about Weller’s sudden and unexpected decision and its effect on his loyal and long-serving band-mates in Rick Buckler's new Omnibus Press autobiography "That's Entertainment".

Unfortunately, anyone expecting an answer is going to be disappointed. It's well documented that the decision probably came as much as a shock to Bruce and Rick as it did to the band's fans. Rick cannot shed much light on Paul's real motives apart from those already published at the time. OK he might have wanted a clean slate, to get away from the confines of a band but to end it with such finality; to cut out Rick and Bruce from his life personally, as well as musically, still seems harsh and unnecessary. After all, in The Jam, Weller was respected and acknowledged as the main song-writer, often lauded as one of England’s finest, and Rick and Bruce were, on the surface at least, the perfect band-mates. They were musically competent loyal and long-time school friends with their own individual styles and input that enabled the band to grow and progress yet never threatened to encroach on or restrict Weller’s role as the main man. I am a big believer in chemistry amongst bands and it's always a shame when court cases about song-writing and publishing raise their ugly heads. I mean Rick and Bruce were without a doubt integral to The Jam's sound, who's to say they would have made it without them? Adrian Thrills wrote in the sleeve notes to "The Jam at The BBC" about this when he visited the band in the studio while they were recording "Going Underground", that the "process was very much a group effort with Rick and Bruce shaping the song's texture as much as Paul". Plus with Paul taking a more rhythmic approach to guitar, rather like one of his influences Wilko Johnson, The Jam's sound was often built around Bruce's excellent bass lines and Rick's economical but effective military style quick-fire drumming. 

Photo copyright Retro Man Blog 2015

Are you trying to tell me Rick and Bruce’s contributions to "Funeral Pyre" weren’t a worthy input into the song's success? Bruce's melodic backing vocals and stage presence were also a vital ingredient - so it is always a pity to have things split down to whose contribution was more important. At no point in the book does Rick let on that there were any serious personal issues between the three of them. In fact the lingering feeling after finishing the book is that Rick seems to be hedging his bets. It’s almost as though deep down he is hoping for that reunion, if not a full-on Jam one then at the very least a personal acknowledgement from his old school friend. The book is at it’s best when Rick drops his guard, particularly in a somewhat moving section where he explains the aftermath of the band’s split, the shock of suddenly being unemployed and the sad and hurtful snubs he received from Weller. At one point during a gig on their farewell tour he finds himself looking at his set-list and realising that it will be the last time he will play these great songs. 

Photo copyright Retro Man Blog 2015

However, there's no mention at all of the court case to recoup unpaid royalties nor is there any criticism of John Weller for his handling of the band’s business accounts, something that was cited in the court case. There’s also nothing about the rumours that he left From The Jam because Bruce and Paul made up and he was still left in the cold. He doesn’t want to dish any dirt, an admirable trait I suppose. It could be construed as refreshing that he wants to keep his counsel but I guess deep down we all like the odd bit of salacious Rock 'n' Roll gossip and back-biting now and then, but you won't get that here. You kind of want Rick to be spitting in anger at Weller’s treatment of him, at the fact that despite those four Number 1 singles he ends up working as a drum roadie and restoring furniture to make a living but Rick has apparently drawn a line under it all. Rick comes over as I had always imagined him, a decent down to earth bloke who you could have a pint with, someone who has a real love and pride of the Jam's legacy and the importance it had on the band's fans. “That’s Entertainment” might not offer much in the way of on-the-road excess but it is certainly a must-read for any Jam fan, particularly for the insight on the band’s early years. It has been co-written by Ian Snowball who was also involved in the Medway Punk book "The Kids Are All Square" and both him and Rick have been touring the U.K. giving talks and Q&A sessions at various venues so please check out their Facebook page for news on future appearances near you.

Photo copyright Retro Man Blog 2015

Anyway, back to the Somerset House exhibition and on arrival, you are greeted by large colourful screen-prints featuring some well known slogans from lyrics such as "And What You Give Is What You Get!" and "To Be Someone Must Be a Wonderful Thing" and then there is a wall covered in gig fly-posters. You then enter a dark room which has a full stage set up as if ready for a performance, with Rick’s white Premier drum-kit with his large custom tom-toms, full back-line with a bass and guitar resting on stands. In fact there is a way the exhibition could have been better - Paul, Rick and Bruce could be there on the stage to greet you with a song or two! No such luck, instead there is a large video wall on a backdrop behind the drums showing a live performance of the band in their prime. Then you move into the main exhibition and you are confronted by a bewildering display of material donated from the band and their families very own personal archives spread over 6 or 7 different rooms each concentrating on a particular period in the band’s history.

Photo copyright Retro Man Blog 2015

So we get some very personal displays from the early and mid 70’s such as the ten year old Paul Weller's school reports, where he only manages to score a C in Music, exercise books covered with slogans, logos, doodles of bands and cartoons of "Paul the Mod". Then the early years of the band forming at Sheerwater County Secondary School in Woking including amusing pics of the four piece Jam with guitarist Steve Brookes, their long centre-parted hair, flares and kipper ties and set lists of the time showing a huge catalogue of popular cover versions such as "Proud Mary", "Roll Over Beethoven", "Be Bob A Lula" and "Long Tall Sally". There’s a nice section dedicated to Paul’s late father John who managed the band right to the time they disbanded and a family Dansette with a selection of 7” vinyl singles from their record collection. The exhibition then moves on to the period where Paul gets influenced by the burgeoning London Punk scene and they ditch the flares and tighten up, throwing out many cover versions and introducing original Weller songs into the set.

Photo copyright Retro Man Blog 2015

Deciding on a smart black and white look at odds with the rest of the Punk fashion they streamline everything – from the drainpipe trousers to slimming down to a three-piece line-up. So we have a tiled wall spray-painted with the logo, actual “Burtons” suits and bowling shoes and outtake photos of the debut album cover. There are early press cuttings including a yellowed and frayed NME interview from 1977 where a contrary Paul claims they are going to vote Conservative in the next election. Paul's Rickenbacker with a sticker of The Boys, Bruce's black Fender Precision and Rickenbacker basses. The Roy Lichtenstein "Whaam!" Rickenbacker guitar and one with the Punkishly nihilistic "I Am Nobody" crudely scratched into the sunburst body. There are stage outfits, jumpers with Mod targets and boating blazers all familiar from various promo videos and TV appearances.

Photo copyright Retro Man Blog 2015

One piece that stood out was a copy of The Eton College Chronicle magazine where Paul is interviewed by a well informed Eton pupil about the lyrics of "Eton Rifles" and Paul appears worried in case they are all angry about the song at the College. "No”, says the interviewer “they are buying the single in droves!" and he goes on to praise Paul’s lyrics, despite the singer admitting he’d never even visited Eton, apparently he did capture the daily routine of the college pretty well as the interviewer admitted that "Beer, Tea, Slough, Rugby and rain stopping play are all part of life at Eton College". There are album and single sleeves displayed in chronological order as well as a selection of backstage tour laminates and button badges. All around the exhibition rooms, every spare bit of space is covered in gig posters and photographs, there really isn't anything you can think of that isn't included. As I mentioned at the start, the exhibition has been extended to September 27th due to public demand, and I would certainly recommend making the effort to go along.

Photo copyright Retro Man Blog 2015

I also popped along to the always excellent Snap Gallery in the rather posh and ornate surroundings of Piccadilly Arcade as they were hosting "Golden Faces: Photographs of The Jam 1977-80" by Martyn Goddard, alongside "The Kinks, Photographs and Artefacts" exhibition at the same time. Unfortunately this exhibition has now ended but a selection of Goddard's photographs also appear in the Somerset House summer 2015 exhibition "The Jam: About The Young Idea", and in his new book "Growing Up…With The Jam" which you can buy at Somerset House.

Some of Martyn Goddard's prints at Snap Gallery

Here's a bit of blurb: Martyn Goddard’s images played a key part in defining The Jam’s image on record sleeves. He shot the cover for their first album, "In the City", and continued to work with them creating images that would appear on the sleeves of many of their singles: "All Around The World", "The Modern World", "News of the World", "David Watts", "Down In The Tube At Midnight", and "Strange Town". His final project with the band was to shoot the images that would appear on the cover of their fifth studio album, "Sound Affects", in 1980. In addition to his sleeve assignments, Goddard photographed the band in the studio for press and promotion purposes.

Photo copyright Retro Man Blog 2015

For tickets and information on the exhibition visit the Somerset House web-site here. To buy copies of Rick's autobiography and other merchandise please check out Strangetown.net. For more photographs of both exhibitions please head on over to the Retro Man Blog Facebook page and hit "Like", if you are not already following, for access to the exclusive photo albums.

The Ramones Museum Berlin

Ramones Musuem founder Flo Hayler - Photo by Paul Slattery

I finally got round to visiting the Ramones Museum in Berlin and I was blown away by the impressive labour of love that the museum founder and "Curator" Flo Hayler and the team have created. First opened in 2005, the Museum expanded and moved to it's current location in 2008 and there are over 500 items of rare Ramones memorabilia on display - from early tour posters, rare photos and a signed bass drum skin - to more personal items such as Marky's sneakers and even Joey's jeans! Then we have other items such as handwritten song lyrics, drum sticks and super-size prints from Roberta Bayley, the photographer responsible for the iconic cover of the Ramones debut album. Hanging from the ceiling are many rare and obscure T-shirts and there's even the geek mask worn by a roadie who would take the stage brandishing the "Gabba Gabba Hey!" sign. There's also a screening room to watch all those great Ramones videos and live shows and movies such as "Rock 'n' Roll High School".

Ramones promoter Gary Topp, Flo and photographer Paul Slattery

There are photos by Ramones Manager Danny Fields, taken on the band's early trips to London, including the legendary Roundhouse and Rainbow shows that were to inspire a generation of British Punk bands. There's a nice cafe and bar and a cool shop where you can stock up on a great selection of Ramones and original Museum branded merchandise. Every now and then the Museum is transformed into a venue for intimate acoustic performances from bands such as The Boys, The Subways and even Ramones bassist CJ Ramone. I was with my Retro Man Blog colleague the photographer, Paul Slattery, who presented Flo with a poster of his "Vive Le Rock" magazine cover shot of Johnny Ramone which will hopefully be soon on display. You can hear Paul talking about his experiences with the Ramones in our special Retrosonic Podcast episode, including being on the side of the stage at the legendary New Years Eve Rainbow show recorded for the "It's Alive" album. 

Ramones Museum Cafe and Bar - Photo by Steve Worrall

While we were there, early Ramones promoter Gary Topp visited the Museum to present Flo with some memorabilia to add to the ever expanding collection. So why Berlin? Well why not...it's after all a city steeped in Rock 'n' Roll, Punk and all kinds of decadent and underground music. The Ramones certainly had a thing about Berlin, I always remember that line "...from old Hanoi to East Berlin..." from "Commando", which featured on the band's second album "Leave Home", and the very last song on the band's very last studio album "Adios Amigos" was entitled "Born To Die In Berlin". So I guess it does make sense that the world's only Ramones Museum is not actually located on the Bowery in downtown New York but in Mitte, the heart of the old East Berlin.

Paul Slattery presents his Ramones Vive Le Rock cover

Photo by Steve Worrall

Flo and Paul Slattery in front of a small selection of the Museum's memorabilia

The Ramones Museum is located at 23 Krausnickstrasse, Mitte, Berlin. The closest S-Bahn station is Oranienburger Strasse. With thanks to Flo for his generosity. All photos copyright as noted. For more photos of the Ramones Museum showing a selection of the memorabilia on display, then please head on over to the Retro Man Blog Facebook page and hit "Like" for access to the exclusive photo album.

Eel Pie Island "The British Beat Explosion" Exhibition

 

I went along to an excellent exhibition about the musical heritage of Eel Pie Island, at the Stables Gallery in Orleans House, Twickenham, and it turned out to be a fascinating look at the importance of this tiny Island in the River Thames, which along with Richmond's Crawdaddy and Windsor's Ricky-Tick Club, played a vital part in British Jazz, Rock 'n' Roll, Beat and Rhythm & Blues history. There are many interesting exhibits and displays of memorabilia, posters and photographs charting the various high profile acts associated with "Eelpiland" - as it was known - from George Melly, Alexis Korner and Chris Barber to the Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, Pink Floyd, Downliners Sect and many other acts. The Who were another band closely linked with the Island, so much so in fact that Pete Townshend named his publishing company and recording studio after the Island, and even his official web-site is entitled eelpie.com. The Eel Pie Hotel is long gone, burned down in a mysterious fire in 1971, only to be re-built as a block of apartments, and nowadays the Island itself is mainly home to a boat-yard and a slightly Bohemian collection of Artist's studios. However local Indie band The Mystery Jets do have their recording studio there, and local pub the Cabbage Patch hosts special Eel Pie Club nights, so the Island's connection with music still continues to this day.

I also picked up a really nice little book that has been published to coincide with the exhibition entitled "The British Beat Explosion: Rock 'n' Roll Island" and co-written by the excellent music journalist and biographer Zoe Howe (Wilko Johnson, The Slits, Jesus & Mary Chain etc) and Michele Whitby. The book tells the story of Eel Pie Island's musical heritage and features lots of great photos throughout.

The Eel Pie Island Exhibition is in Stables Gallery at Orleans House on Riverside, Twickenham TW1 3DY and runs until September 29th, so if you are in the area please do pop along to have a look, and check out the excellent web-site for details on how to get there and opening hours.

Here are some photographs of my visit to the exhibition.

 All Photos (except book cover) Copyright Retro Man Blog 2013.

The Art of The Button Badge: Blondie

When I first started up the Blog just over two years ago, it was really just meant to be somewhere to share some of my music related "stuff" such as Button badges, 7" Single picture covers, Gig tickets and Photos. I didn't really expect things to expand so quickly into doing Reviews and Podcasts and Gig promotions and such-like so I kind of lost touch with the original idea a bit. Hopefully I will get round to scanning and sharing some of my items soon, but in the meantime, Blog reader Marc Talbot kindly submitted some of his huge collection of Blondie badges. It's quite an impressive haul, so here is just a small part of it...

Marc has been collecting Blondie button badges for over 35 years and has amassed over 400 of his own and has scans of about 500 different designs. He is always looking to add to his collection and is considering setting up a web-site to share other badges, so if you have any spares for sale, swap or share then contact the Blog and I'll hook you up with Marc. All Badges and Photos contributed by Marc Talbot.

The Smiths Exhibition including Photos by Paul Slattery at "Rock City Art Gallery" Bedford until November 29th

Retro Man Blog's regular contributor and resident rock photographer Paul Slattery, has some of his excellent Smiths photos included in a new exhibition at Bedford's Rock City Art Gallery. A career spanning exhibition entitled "The Smiths and Morrissey Photographs", the show features well known classic images, such as Stephen Wright's shot of the band outside the Salford Lad's Club, alongside more obscure, lesser known photos. You can see Mark Allan's shot of Morrissey on stage holding a union jack flag, an image that was to be used as a famous NME cover. There are contrasting portraits of the band shot by Paul Slattery, solo photos by Peter Anderson and recent shots of Morrissey taken by Pieter M. Van Hatten. The show opened at the end of October and runs until November 29th, entrance is free.

Morrissey & Marr - Paul Slattery Photograph, photographed by Paul Slattery

The Rock City Art Gallery was founded by leading UK music photographers Mick Hutson and Andy Willsher. The idea evolved from the phenomenally successful Six Shooters shows of 2010 which inspired them to create a gallery for photographers run by photographers.

Paul Slattery in front of his photo of The Smiths at Glastonbury 1984

(L/R) Paul Slattery, Mick Hutson, Mark Allan, Andy Willsher

Rock City Art Gallery is located at 26 Castle Lane Bedford MK40 3US Tel: 01234 910448

Paul Slattery's excellent photographic book "The Smiths: The Early Years", which was published by Omnibus Press, has been re-printed. The beautifully presented book features many iconic shots, including the band posing with flowers in the ruins of the Central Manchester Railway Station (now the G-Mex), candid backstage photos and live shots documenting the first murmurings of the soon-to-be hysteric crowd reaction, to the main stage at the 1984 Glastonbury Festival via the back streets of Montmartre in Paris. There are also many candid off stage photos, many of which are previously unpublished. The book is available in all good bookshops or on-line via Amazon. You can follow Paul's "Adventures in Rock Photography" in our special series of the Retrosonic Podcast and Paul  will be talking about his experiences of working with The Smiths in a future episode. You can listen and download the first two episodes in the series for free at the Retrosonic Podcast Soundcloud web-site. Please keep a check on the Blog, Facebook or Twitter page for news on release dates.