TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

I went to see the comedian Stewart Lee tonight. Excellent as always.

Last year I heard a radio show he'd done where he played records by bands he saw back in the 90s. My old band Onionhead featured. I've actually had a couple of quick chats with him after his gigs in recent years, but I had no idea then that he used to come and watch us and that he had our old records.

So, seizing the opportunity tonight, I went over for a chat and properly introduced myself. We shook hands not once but twice, and he signed my ticket with a lyric reference to one of our old songs. I swear he was nearly as delighted as I was.

He said if we ever put a compilation together that he'd be happy to write the liner notes and that next tme he was passing this way that we should hook up.

How lovely.

Jules



Edit: Definitely worthy of its own thread...!

Cool !

Ha!  That is excellent.  And he does have excellent musical taste.  So, if you were compiling something, tell me what to listen to. Not being as cool as Stewart I've never heard a note of the might Onionhead.

Wow, I vaguely remember seeing Onionhead play support to the Fanatics (who went on to become Ocean Colour Scene) at the Hare and Hounds. I think the singer was a big lad who wore dungarees  ???

That gig is mentioned in the biog I think... http://www.onion-head.co.uk/biog.htm

That is so good!

Going to see him in Liverpool to Saturday.

I subscribe to The Idler magazine and Stewart does regular album reviews of music old and new. It's mostly bands I've never heard of though in the Nov/Dec issue Robyn Hitchcock, Man and Stereolab were included. It's always worth a read for sentences like this...

"I only ever heard of the seventies Birmingham band Bachdenkel because, 20 years ago, their floating fourth member Karel Beer used to ride me on a moped from the Gare du Nord to his comedy club in Paris."

I was not a big lad, and I never wore dungarees.  Our manager, on the other hand fulfilled your criteria.

Jules

So you were at Birmingham Poly in '84 - '85 ish, Jules? You might've come across my brother... did you ever go to the Eggshell Club?



Meanwhile... did Stewart spend a sizeable chunk of the set talking with one person in the audience about some completely random subject?

Cheers

Nick

Where did the band name come from, Jules?

We used to have a teacher at Belper High School called Mr. Astill, and his nickname amongst the pupils was Onionhead.

Answered my own question, courtesy of the Onionhead site!

http://www.onion-head.co.uk/

Yes. The Chameleons.  It was very funny.

Jules

This has its own thread now?  :D

Jules

I was. I don't remember a club by that name.

Jules

That's good. At Oxford he had a lengthy conversation about Sergio Leone films on the basis of a T-shirt worn by a lad in the front row. I suspected it was deliberate, but wondered if it was scripted.

Cheers

Nick

It would appear to be loosely planned. Find a t-shirt he recognises, and have conversation with audience member about whoever is on the t-shirt. So a planned ad lib.

Jules

There's some stuff on Discogs... Check out Electric Ladland. (Genius.) :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ59KNASP2Q

It's Onionhead theme month! The band's drummer got in touch with links to five old gigs that have gone up on somebody's YouTube channel. Yes, we've been bootlegged. Better late than never.

Here's a link to one of them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AP9ndjXfars

Jules

When can we expect the inevitable reunion and the obligatory box set?

As soon as we sort out all the inevitable legal issues.  ;D

Jules