Radio Gonzo

Although I had been a music journalist at various times in my life, I was actually retired from the discipline when my old friend Rob Ayling came to visit back in 2012. He bullied me into taking up the reins once again, but it had been a long time since I had been involved in the music business, and in many ways it had changed beyond all recognition. Back in my earliest days as a writer for Gonzo Multimedia, the lovely Anne-Marie in the Gonzo offices sent me an album by an outfit called Genre Peak, which I enjoyed immensely. It was my first introduction into a peculiarly 21st Century method of work for musicians and further more one that could not have happened before now. It is the use of file sharing via the internet to collaborate with artists who are in a different geographical location to you. In fact, this is not exactly a new idea. I remember that one of my more irritatingly arty friends when I was in my early 20's told me about some European experimental band called (if my memory serves me well) 'Ma

Yes culture lovers, Jaki and Tim are back with another monumentally peculiar radio show. Apparently Tim has spent the last year in cryogenic suspension, and the submarine sank, and the two strange DJs are now in a spaceship made out of an enormous baked bean, along with a bunch of different poultry and other birds. Or something like that. But guess who is back!!!! This is my favourite radio show of all time, and I hope that it will be yours too. Chock full of radical music, even more radical politics and a load of surrealistic silliness, it presses all the right buttons for me. I hope that it does for you guys as well...

Date Published: 4th December 2015 Yes culture lovers, Jaki and Tim are back with another monumentally peculiar radio show. Apparently Tim has spent the last year in cryogenic suspension, and the submarine sank. Maisie the Cow has been abducted by an un-named nobleman, and the two strange DJs are now in a spaceship made out of an enormous baked bean, along with a bunch of different poultry and other birds. Or something like that. This is my favourite radio show of all time, and I hope that it will be yours too. Chock full of radical music, even more radical politics and a load of surrealistic silliness, it presses all the right buttons for me. I hope that it does for you guys as well...

Regular readers of my inky fingered scribblings will be aware that I spent my boyhood in what was then the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong. My parents were ridiculously, even by the standards of the dog days of the British Empire and, for some reason they seemed to think that if either of their sons listened to pop music that they would end up living a life filled with sex, drugs, and rock and roll, and in all probability by the time they were in their late 50's would be edited some dodgy weekly music magazine. Now, I wonder where they got that idea. So pop music was banned in the Downes household, and – to be quite honest – it didn't really impact on my childhood at all. While in the rest of the world the Sixties were Swinging, in my little colonial backwater the 1930's had never really ended. The Governor went to church each Sunday wearing a uniform that hadn't changed since Kipling's day, complete with a hat sprouting a magnificent crest of ostrich plumes, and further more he did so being driven in a ma

Its been about a year since we first told you about 'Family Circle' the extraordinary collaboration between two legendary artists; Jon Anderson, most famous for his work with Yes, and Matt Malley ex of Counting Crows. The thing that makes it such an extraordinary piece of work is that – as is quite normal in these peculiar days – the two parts were recorded separately, but whereas there is a tendency for such collaborations to sound sterile, and get lost in a digital wasteland, this piece of music is bizarrely organic, sounding for all of the world as if Jon and Matt sat around a piano surrounding a roaring fire, eating cake and drinking tea, recording together out of a sprit of mutual love, admiration and good vibes. What makes it even nicer is that the money received from the single has gone to the following charities: the Fluty Foundation – www.flutyfoundation.org (Jon Anderson), Sahaja Yoga Meditation – www.sahajayoga.org (Matt Malley) and the National Autistic Society –www.autism.org.uk (Rob Ayling of G

Its been about a year since we first told you about 'Family Circle' the extraordinary collaboration between two legendary artists; Jon Anderson, most famous for his work with Yes, and Matt Malley ex of Counting Crows. The thing that makes it such an extraordinary piece of work is that – as is quite normal in these peculiar days – the two parts were recorded separately, but whereas there is a tendency for such collaborations to sound sterile, and get lost in a digital wasteland, this piece of music is bizarrely organic, sounding for all of the world as if Jon and Matt sat around a piano surrounding a roaring fire, eating cake and drinking tea, recording together out of a sprit of mutual love, admiration and good vibes. What makes it even nicer is that the money received from the single has gone to the following charities: the Fluty Foundation – www.flutyfoundation.org (Jon Anderson), Sahaja Yoga Meditation – www.sahajayoga.org (Matt Malley) and the National Autistic Society – www.autism.org.uk (Rob Ayling of

Date Published: 27th November 2015 Some years ago, due to public demand, and – one suspects – because he wanted to lay some demons of his own – Steve Ignorant went on a world tour called The Last Supper. It was billed as the last time he would ever play songs by his former band, Crass. About half way through the tour he had to change the line up of his band, most notably the female singer who was to perform the songs made famous originally by Eve Libertine. His new singer turned out to be a beautiful young lady called Carol Hodge who also performed under the nom de juerre of Miss Crystal Grenade, who claimed to be a Victorian freak show exhibit and cabaret style. Carol herself was born with a deformed hand, and I have always been impressed with the way that she flaunts it, rather than hiding it, as society expects such 'disfigured' people to do. As someone who is pretty much crippled myself I have always applauded her for that. But on top of this brave socio-political stance, her music is also pretty bloody

As I wrote some weeks ago it had been one of the more peculiar editorial commissions that I have been given. The Grande Fromage sent me an email asking me to interview a dude called Michael Rescigno. Only trouble was, he omitted to give me anything except for an email address for the man, and I have to admit that I had never heard of him So I did what any good researcher worth his salt does in these decadent days and looked him up on Google. There are all sorts of men with his name, including an interesting fellow who has done research on the growth rates of meadow grass, and although I quite fancy talking to him, I cannot truly say that this is gonna be the sort of thing which will make headline news in a rock and roll weekly, no matter how eccentric. So I did what I should have done in the first place and emailed him, and soon found why I could not find any information about him. He has always played under the stage name of Michael Raz, and his Raz Band has been playing for a hell of a long time, and furt

In 1991 Martin Hudson co-founded the Classic Rock Society with a meeting of classic rock fans at the Florence Nightingale pub on Moorgate Road in Rotherham, in the North of England. Martin Hudson, ran the Society for a number of years, eventually taking it to a Limited Company. In 2009 Martin Hudson decided he had taken the CRS as far as he could. From this came a fanzine that evolved into an A4 sized colour glossy magazine that has included interviews with many of the world's great rock names. The magazine is still going strong and continues to evolve. One such interview back in 1992 saw Martin ask world renowned rock keyboards player, Rick Wakeman, if he would become the CRS' Honorary President to which he readily agreed. He has been part of the CRS ever since. Other famous rock names followed by adding their names as Patrons, including Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett, rock DJ Bob Harris and other rock luminaries such as Rod Argent, Dave Cousins, Fish, Gordon Giltrap, Dave Greenslade, Roger Hodgson, Car

There are not many rock singers who have literally changed the world for a lot of people including yours truly, but Steve Ignorant is and has. Crass were an English collective and punk rock band formed in 1977, which promoted anarchism as a political ideology, a way of life and a resistance movement. Crass popularised the anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, advocating direct action, animal rights and environmentalism. The band used and advocated a DIY punk ethic approach to its sound collages, leaflets, albums and films. Crass spray-painted stencilled graffiti messages in the London Underground system and on advertising billboards, coordinated squats and organised political action. The band expressed its ideals by dressing in black, military-surplus-style clothing and using a stage backdrop amalgamating icons of perceived authority such as the Christian cross, the swastika, the Union Jack and the ouroboros. The band was based around Dial House, an open-house community near Epping, Essex, and form

Once again I have to apologise to the Gonzo Weekly readership for being a hidebound old sod. But I am well into grumpy old git territory and I think that I have accrued enough battle scars so far in my journey through life to have won the right not to change now. But why am I telling you this? Last Sunday I woke late as is my habit at the weekends. By late, I mean half way through the afternoon, and I staggered into my office with more than a slight hangover, fostered by a half bottle of vodka and a bottle of merlot the night before. There was a Facebook instant message for me from some dude called Dani Rabin, of whom I had never heard. He wrote: "Hey Jonathan I play guitar in Marbin (the Prog/jazz band from Chicago) Thought you would enjoy our latest vid (a friend messaged me and told me to send it your way) https://www.facebook.com/marbinmusic/videos/p.872200569542085/872200569542085/?type=2&theater" Now, I am really glad that I was hungover that day. I would normally have checked out what Wikipedia ha

The Digital Age is the great leveller. Now everyone can control the mans of production, and everyone has access to software that can achieve things that previous generations could only fantasise about. But it doesn't mean that they are any good. Take me for example; I can now make records without the necessity of having a live band, which as the keyboard player in my last band went off into the sunset with my first wife, and the rhythm section and I were such a tight unite that we spent enormous amounts of time getting drunk and high together, is probably a good thing. But the stuff I do is something else entirely. It is usually a framework for me to hang words upon, and whilst I have written (and I hope will continue to write) some pretty tunes, I am not under any illusion that I have any real right to call myself a composer. However, Martin Eve, who records under the pseudonym of 4th Eden, is something else entirely. He is one of the most talented composers that I have met, and he is someone for whom th

Corky Laing is one hell of a living legend, best known as the drummer for American hard rockers Mountain since soon after the band's breakthrough performance at the legendary Woodstock festival in 1969. A native of Montreal, Quebec, Laing was the youngest in a family of five children. His eldest sister Carol was followed by triplet brothers, Jeffrey, Leslie, and Stephen, and then by Corky. According to Corky, his brothers called him "Gorky" because they could not pronounce his given name "Gordon". "Gorky" eventually morphed into Corky, a moniker which has remained with him throughout his career. Getting his break playing drums for vocal group The Ink Spots in 1961, he later played in a group called Energy, who were produced by Cream collaborator and Laing's future band mate Felix Pappalardi. Laing left Energy in 1969 to replace drummer N.D. Smart in hard rock outfit and heavy metal forerunner Mountain, who, with Laing at the drum kit, released three albums and the classic song "Mississippi Queen" between 19

Memphis, Tennessee could well be describes as the original nexus of rock and roll. It was, after all, where a young man with a peculiar haircut wandered into Sam Phillip's record store in 1953 and demanded that he record two songs as a present for his mother. Phillip's recognised that here was a true rara avis; a white youth with a black voice, and history was made. Ever since, Memphis has been a sort of multi- cultural musical melting pot where country music, Western swing, rockabilly, rock and roll, soul and blues music all meet each other, cross collateralises and produces new and exciting musical adventures with almost monotonous regularity. The music scene in Memphis is as exciting now as it always was and one of the most important movers and shakers of the contemporary Memphis music scene is Carl “Blue” Wise. His website explains; “Carl "Blue" Wise and his son Jordan formed Blueboy Records to exploit all genres of great music including R&B, Soul, Rock and Roll, Americana, and Pop. Carl "Blue" Wise, h

Both yer esteemed editor and yet Gonzo Grande Fromage are interested in the great mysteries of the universe, and so it was truly only a matter of time before Fortean related content began to seep its way into the magazine and onto Gonzo Web Radio… Mack Maloney is the author of the best-selling "Wingman" science-fiction series, plus UFOs in Wartime, What They Didn't Want You To Know, (Berkley Books). He's a member of SKY CLUB, Gonzo recording artists. He's been a radio host since 2010. He lives with his wife, Doreen, on an island off the coast of Massachusetts. AND LOOK WHAT MACK HAS FOR YOU THIS WEEK UFOs, Jet Packs & George W. Bush -- In Mack's first show back at KGRA, he & Race talk to investigator Ken Cherry about a UFO incident in which an enormous flying saucer flew over President George Bush's Texas ranch while being pursued by F-16s. Also, Commander Cobra, Rob Beckhusen, Cindy Baily Dove, and Mellanie Cadwell on a disturbing "Stolen Valor" case. Plus, Mack flirts with Race's wife again.”

As I wrote some weeks ago it had been one of the more peculiar editorial commissions that I have been given. The Grande Fromage sent me an email asking me to interview a dude called Michael Rescigno. Only trouble was, he omitted to give me anything except for an email address for the man, and I have to admit that I had never heard of him So I did what any good researcher worth his salt does in these decadent days and looked him up on Google. There are all sorts of men with his name, including an interesting fellow who has done research on the growth rates of meadow grass, and although I quite fancy talking to him, I cannot truly say that this is gonna be the sort of thing which will make headline news in a rock and roll weekly, no matter how eccentric. So I did what I should have done in the first place and emailed him, and soon found why I could not find any information about him. He has always played under the stage name of Michael Raz, and his Raz Band has been playing for a hell of a long time, and fur

The other morning I had a lie in. I didn't mean to, but it was only a few days after the Weird Weekend, and I was still recovering. I slept most of Monday, but Tuesday and Wednesday I was supposed to be back to normal. However, it didn't actually work out like that. So it was about eleven in the morning when I staggered out of bed. I was negotiating my way through a plethora of cats when the telephone rang. I am never in the best of tempers first thing in the morning, and assumed that it was probably someone from a call centre somewhere in Uttar Pradesh trying to sell me something. So I picked it up grumpily, quite prepared to instruct the caller to commit a biologically impossible act of self-procreation, when the last person in the world that I was expecting spoke to me. "Hello Jon, it's Roger Dean," the voice said, and I immediately tripped over the orange cat. For Roger Dean has long been an artist whom I admire greatly. I was a devotee of his paintings on Yes album covers long before I actually heard

Coming soon is a newly restored and (finally) complete edition of Mike Oldfield and Tony Palmer'sThe Space Movie. This classic film was originally commissioned by London Weekend Television and Virgin in 1979to mark the 10th Anniversary of the first landing on the moon, July 21st 1969. A recent discovery of a print in mint condition has enabled us to issue the film in a sparkling new (and complete!) edition. The invitation to make the film came out of the clear blue sky from NASA in January 1978. I was invited to Washington and shown the mountain of film NASA had collected from the very beginnings with John Glenn, the first astronaut to orbit the earth in February 1962, until Apollo 17 December 1972. Use whatever I wanted, I was told, plus all the talk-back between ground control in Houston and the various space missions. NASA's extraordinary and spectacular images made me realise I had access to a treasure house beyond imagination. From the beginning, I wanted Mike Oldfield to write the music, and the soun

Date Published: 19th September 2015 Like a lot of people I first heard of Wally Hope when I read a booklet that came free with Crass' 1982 Double LP Box set Christ The Album. It was a complete eye opener, and over the years I have read as much as I can about the man. For those not in the know, Wally Hope (1947–1975) was a name by which Philip Russell (born Philip Alexander Grahame Russell on 9 August 1947) was known. Phil was a visionary and a free-thinker, whose life has had a profound influence on many in the culture of the UK Underground and beyond. He was an important figure in what may loosely be described as 'the organisation' of the Windsor Free Festival from 1972 to 1974, as well providing the impetus for the embryonic Stonehenge Free Festival. It is believed that he was born into a wealthy family, and was due to inherit a considerable sum when he attained the age of 30 years; his guardian was the BBC radio and television announcer John Snagge, according to a newspaper report of Wally's death. Rus

One of the things that I like most about my position as Editor of this peculiar little magazine is that I get to listen to a far wider range of music than I would otherwise have. And amongst that huge wallage of sounds that lands on my desk every week, occasionally there can be an absolute gem. Like this one. NYC/Berlin-based Bee and Flower is led by the smoky-voiced singer/bassist/songwriter Dana Schechter (Insect Ark, Angels of Light). The group specialises in twisted, yet catchy melodies, heartbreaking swoons, and a fierce, dark sonic tableaux. Haunting piano, vocals, strings, percussion, bass and drums creates a distinctive and powerful mix of transcendent beauty and fierce rawness. The band's discography includes 3 studio albums, a split 10”, several singles, compilation tracks, and two Feature Film scores. Special guests in studio and stage include members of Angels of Light, Calexico, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Swans, Iggy Pop, American Music Club, Keren Ann, and more. The current lineup consists o