My education ended at age 18 with me leaving grammar school with 8 O-levels and 4 A-levels, none of which I’ve used since (except in a general way, with my ongoing love for books and meticulousness). Grammar school seemed to be a place where we were driven hard down roads we didn’t want to take, and handed reams of homework with which to fill up our hours at home. I never experienced what I imagined to be the luxury of lolling about in a sleek modern college or university, picking and choosing which lectures to attend; having, at last, a proper active sex life; and creating whatever madcap projects I felt like.
David Cunningham, on the other hand, did. Or at least he did the last part of my little vent. It was in Maidstone College of Art that he first conceived of The Flying Lizards, and recorded their first single, “Summertime Blues” (see link below). This art college was the first to be founded in the Surrey/Kent area, in 1867. Among its staff in the 1950s was the great surrealist writer/artist Mervyn Peake. By the early 60s it had also attracted David Hockney, Elisabeth Frink and Ruskin Spear. Tracey Emin studied there in the mid-80s. And to put a cherry on the Maidstone cake, Ralph Steadman was living in the area at the time he explosively created his miniature - and the cover - for Miniatures (and still is).
As a record producer, Cunningham collaborated extensively, notably in the late 70s/early 80s with This Heat, Wayne County, Steve Beresford, General Strike, Palais Schaumburg and Miniatures artiste Michael Nyman. His way of creating so much music/sound with such minimal gear at that time inspired me to make my Hybrid Kids album on a 4-track recorder in a tiny Notting Hill Gate bedsit. A refreshing change, following my recent experiences working at The Virgin Manor with Hendrix/Zeppelin engineer Eddie Kramer and at George Martin’s AIR Studios with Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick, at no little cost. The DIY spirit was in the air for many of us that had felt, and not resisted, the wind of change blasted out by punk.
David, almost inevitably, moved into film music. One of his first scores was for a fascinating film titled Ghost Dance (Ken MacMullen,1983) and featured Jamie Muir and Michael Giles (both ex-King Crimson). He has maintained a relationship with MacMullen ever since, creating scores for at least six of his films. David’s extensive CV indicates that he has worked repeatedly with a number of other cutting edge film/TV directors including William Raban, Stephen Partridge, Jane Thorburn, and Geoff Dunlop, as well as creating music for installations in many countries.
Considering that MTV wasn’t launched until 1981, the Flying Lizards were quick off the mark making their own remarkably inventive music videos. And with the festive season nearly upon us, I hope David won’t mind if bring on a grand finale to this blog post by rolling out several of their fascinating, fun-filled, dada-frolic filmic feasts. Here we go...
🔴 SUMMERTIME BLUES with interesting Gilliam-esque visuals.
🔴 The definitive version of MONEY
As seen later by a bewildered studio audience on Top of the Pops. David on drums and bits, his regular partner in crime, the six-foot Deborah Evans-Stickland on peevish vocals. Plus, I believe that’s Steve Beresford prodding a piano full of money and some musical toys.
Best youtube comments:
Sounds like my last wife.
These guys make Kraftwerk seem like Madness.
I only wish all the gold diggers I ran into were as upfront as this. At least there's a level of charm in blunt shallowness.
I am still the only person I know that bought their albums. Notice that I said albums......plural!
Weird how the snare is behind the beat at the start but seems to catch up later. Very avant garde.
🔴 A live version of MONEY performed some years later as part of The Steampunk Opium Wars, with “Rule Britannia” played by notorious rock critic/blues guitarist Charles Shaar Murray.
Best youtube comments:
Deborah is CLASS.
Brutal just awful.
She has literally zero talent.
🔴 1980 Interview on Australian TV
Interviewer: Why did you choose to do the vocals like that?
Deborah Evans-Strickland: Can't sing. A lot of people in pop music can't sing.
🔴 David and Deborah comment in 2016
Best comments from David:
I just assumed that she’d probably sing like Tina Turner; this turned out to not be the case.
The Flying Lizards really, not being much of a group, and I’m not much of a musician, and the singer kind of couldn’t sing very well. I hesitate to use the term “get away with it” but - we got away with it!
Best comment from Deborah:
People may wonder why I speak the songs instead of singing them. The answer is really very straightforward: singing is more difficult.
🔴 DIZZY MISS LIZZIE
Best youtube comments:
BEAUTIFUL!
Sounds like junk.
The people who don't like it, doesn't understand. You got to know to get it. Reply back if you need to know, I got the answer. It's European.
I think the Americans filmed the moon landing in the same studio.
🔴 THEN HE KISSED ME
No video but good strings and quite a nice comment:
Eye drops will clear that up.
🔴 SEX MACHINE, in 1984. Prepared piano meets da funk.
Best youtube comments:
No drugs were harmed in the making of this film.
I love this song... James Brown did a much better version though.
Finally I can listen to James Brown without having to deal with all that pesky soul.
Not too many things make me proud to be English these days, but this does.
I think I came?
L
🔵 THIS VIDEO IS NOT RELATED
Next up: the Realm of the Coyne.
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