Spangle Nights

"Where Has Spangle Been?"

2011-09-19T17:17:00.002+01:00

Some of you have asked where I was between 2006 and 2011. A fair question, and it is an interesting story actually.

As you know, my tours are normally incident packed, and the summer 2006 Spangle Band Reunion World Tour, starting with the South American leg, was certainly no exception! The first night’s gig went very well, and at the post-gig party I was talking to a couple of lovely local ladies and enthusiastically supping the local sparkling “wine”. The rest of the evening is rather hazy, but apparently the Spangle charm was working and one thing may or may not have led to another.

It appears, with hindsight, that I may have mis-read the situation slightly: it turns out that I was not at the after show party at all, but at an official reception. And the ladies in question were, in fact, the feared President’s wife and daughter. Really nothing more than a simple misunderstanding, but it did take four years, a spangle-fanatic guard (thanks Eduardo if you are reading this!) and a microlight flight across the border to sort it out.

It was a shame that we let down the fans by having to cancel the final 237 nights of the tour, but I’m sure anyone who was at the opening night will remember it for years! I’m told it was a stormer, and it was certainly great to be back at the old Club Genocidos los Hombres Indigenos in Cuela del Fecundas again. The best Cocktails for literally miles around, and the outdoor pool is still there (if not the water).

Anyway, we are back rehearsing again and getting ready for another shot at the Christmas number 1. If you want us to play a gig near you, why not add a request below?

Keep on rockin’

Rick x

The Glastonbury dream so close ....

2011-07-22T16:23:00.005+01:00

A big Spangle "hello" to all my loyal fans out there.

The dream of playing Glastonbury came so close this year. It basically came down to a straight fight between me and The Wombles for the coveted 70's revival slot. I say a straight fight, but actually they had a numerical advantage and it's amazing how hard you can punch the little buggers without drawing blood. I was on top for a while, but they started to wear me down and (for once) I was quite pleased to see the police arrive!

The damage to the hospitality area was much exaggerated by the press, I'm told, so hopefully the organisers will have forgotten about it by 2013. There is no festival next year, so I can't really see the point of the 12 month exclusion order imposed by the rather square magistrate. I really think they should have seperate courts to deal with the likes of us ... surely different rules should apply to rockers?

Rick x

Hello, it's good to be back!

2006-06-04T01:21:00.000+01:00

Massive apologies for the slight 18 month delay in posting. I have been itching to update you all with details of my excitng life and times, but unfortunately court proceedings have prevented me from posting.

How appropriate that just before the world cup kicks off herr 'Richard Spankle' should suffer a humiliating defeat in the German courts and free me to resume my life as the hero of Thames Valley glam rock. My god, the bufoon wears gold trousers for christ sake!

And even better, the damages awarded to me will (after lawyers fees are deducted) keep me in cider for between 17 and 18 days. More details to follow ...

Warum gibt es keine Photographen hier?

Strange

2005-02-28T14:10:00.000Z

I've just noticed that if you click on "Rick Spangle" in the Favourites Music bit of my profile it fails to come up with any matches amongst other bloggers. I assume that this is a technical fault and will get on to the authorities. It will be a good way to keep in touch directly with the fans.

It's snowing here. Nice.

Rick x

So Here It Is, February

2005-02-08T15:16:00.000Z

Christmas Single Update: after much research we have found out that releasing a Christmas single in February is technically “stupid”, so I’m afraid you guys are going to have to wait until next year to hear it. However it is not all bad news: I am planning to have a competition later in the year and the winners will be able to come into a room and hear it (one at a time). Good luck ladies!

Thanks to everyone who came along to my Big Birthday Bash. It was apparently a fantastic night, and many things happened. Apologies to those who were locked out due to the mix up over tickets, and to those who were locked in by the unstable caretaker. It was a great shame that I was unable to perform, having been diagnosed by my manager as “tired and emotional” on the evening. Still, if it’s good enough for that shamblebaby chap …

Finally, did you all tune in to the Superbowl to catch me performing in the half-time spectacular? Hopefully not, as there was some confusion at our end and the gig was actually to entertain people queuing in the car park. Ridiculous!! As you can imagine the people couldn’t believe their luck, and joined in the fun by offering me beer as they drove past. Unfortunately some of the cans were empty, and a couple accidentally hit me on the head. Still, at least I got to see the game (in a bar in a nearby town).

Rock on,

Rick x

Rick's Christmas Message

2004-12-24T10:31:00.000Z

Once again it is time for the traditional Spangle Christmas message. The last year has been almost unique in its similarity to the previous one. The curtailed come-back tour, cancelled Christmas number one single, the loss of another drummer.

A big thank you to all the fans for your support throughout the year: you are what makes it all so special. Christmas is a time for families, and I like to think of all of you as one big spangley family (as long as you don’t all turn up at my place looking for a free glass of Cava and a slice of nut roast on Christmas day!!).

[Note to Spangle: insert something about world peace here – it always looks good. If you can’t think of anything just cut and paste something from Bob’s site]

Have a fantastic time, don’t forget to over-indulge and I look forward to seeing lots of you at Rickstock 2005 in January.

Merry Rickmas!!

RS xxx

Christmas Single Cliffed

2004-12-24T10:21:00.000Z

I can only apologise that the Christmas single failed to appear in time for Christmas. The legal wrangle with Cliff’s people was unfortunate and (I think) unnecessary, and the injunction a complete over-reaction if what I’m told about my behaviour outside his house is accurate.

Thanks to those of you who came along to the launch party anyway, especially those of you who didn’t know it had been cancelled: your commitment is humbling.

Releasing a Christmas single in February is either revolutionary or very stupid. Once we have worked out which it is we will decide whether to release ‘Christmas Time ….’ ASAP or hold it back until next year. Either way I think it is among my best work for years and can’t wait to share it with you all.

Ho Ho Ho etc.

Rick xx

Ricardos Spanglos in Action (not in Acton)

2004-11-19T16:23:00.000Z

I have been (anomymously) sent some video footage from my legendary gig at the Club Genocidos los Hombres Indigenos in Cuela del Fecundas on my last South American tour. It will go up on the website once it is finally set up.

It's a smashing venue: outdoors with a swimming pool, palm trees and the finest cocktails this side of Costa Rica. The footage is very entertaining, despite the fact that we only got to play 3 songs.

The riot was most unfortunate. I think the crowd should have made more allowance for my less than perfect Spanish. It was obviously not my intention to tell the crowd that their mothers were whores of Satan. I was actually trying to say that their mothers were 'Whores of Saturn'.

To be honest most of my gigs end like that. Ai caramba (or something)!

Autobiog Update

2004-11-09T13:07:00.000Z

I've decided on a new title for the autobiography: 'Then Was Not The Time'. It's obvious really, incorporating my most famous record ('Now Is Not The Time'), the whole time thing and, like so many things, it doesn't really make sense.

I promise that you, the avid readers of this site, will be the first to read the section about the infamous incident in the Top of the Pops hospitality suite. I have never commented on it publicly before and my agent wants me to sell it to the papers - the Oxford Mail are said to be interested, and maybe the Daily Star - but I will put my foot down (platform boot and all) so you are the first to read it.

Rick x

Hazy Memories!

2004-10-13T16:30:00.000+01:00

I've been trying to pull together lots of facts and figures and dates for my autobiography (provionally titled 'Crazy Days and Spangle Nights'). Although I am writing it myself, the actual selecting of the words and putting them in order is being done by a journalist called Dave - apparently he's a big name in the local free weekly newspaper world.

Although I remember a lot of the incidents that happened in the 1970's and 80's it is surprisingly hard to get them in order with the right people there. Some of the events have turned out to be hallucinations, and Dave says that some people get a bit pissed off if you write things about them that didn't happen. In fact we had to go back and re-write the first chapter after he had checked some of the stuff. I must say Dave has something of a short temper, and doesn't seem to appreciate the honour of being chosen to document so many seminal events from rock history.

He is locked in my toilet with a copy of the Guiness Book Of Hit Singles as I write. If his attitude doesn't improve soon I am going to break with tradition and write my own bloody autobiography.

You Can Leave Comments

2004-10-05T17:18:00.000+01:00

It may not be immediately obvious, but you can make comments on any of the postings here (click on where it says 'comments').

There are probably hundreds of you reading these pages every day, but only a couple of comments. It would be nice to hear from some of you, even if you just want to pester me for signed photos and stuff.

Cheers,

Rick.

The Last Few Weeks. Christmas Coming Soon.

2004-09-30T13:21:00.000+01:00

Been ages. I'm sure there have been the usual conspiracy theories circulating on the Interweb, so just to set the record straight:

- I have not been in The Priory detoxing. They still have a 5 mile exclusion order out on me.
- I have in no way 'gone missing again'.
- I'm afraid I have not been holed up in a studio in the South of France putting the finishing touches to this year's come-back album with my old producer Martin 'Hamster' Hampson.

In fact I have been busy pulling together my pitch for the Christmas number one. The collaboration with Radiohead looks unlikely unless they reply to one of my messages soon (I'm not pissed off - I understand the pressures they must be under, what with the year off and all. Lots of house work to catch up on I imagine). The Faint are also busy doing "something else".

Anyway, I thought I might give the fans a chance to vote which one to put out. I'll lay down some MP3's when I get the chance, but it's likely to be between:

'Spangling Christmas Party Night' - knocked together tat, the stuff punters seem to love at Christmas.
'Merry Christmas (War Is ... errm)' - hard hitting political satire with a glam-party backtrack.
'Do You Want To Touch My Beard' - novelty re-make. Excuse to get tactile with groupies again like in the 70's (sigh).
'Christmas Time, Cigarettes and Wine' - novelty re-make. Cliff's people may be a problem.

A bientot,

Rick x

The Spangle Band

2004-09-13T17:04:00.000+01:00

In the years following the hit thinks got a bit hazy. We were living the dream, and the dream was living us. No matter how crazy things got though we still had the band, the solid unit. It was a classic 5 piece - Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Sax, Drums – except that we had a reserve drummer in case Lenny ‘Lucky’ Stix was unable to play (or, to be more accurate, unable to stand).

If my memory serves me correctly Lenny 'Lucky' Stix died in a bizarre accident at the country house in 1977 and we buried .... no wait a minute - that's right, he went missing and try as we might we couldn't track him down. Wow, imagine if he was still around somewhere. Derrick ‘Spare’ Stevens took over full time until he had to retire through what would now be known as repetitive strain injury. We were convinced it had nothing to do with the drumming! He threatened to take us to an industrial tribunal but luckily he woke up one morning soon after and his mind had be erased, presumably by aliens.

We just about kept it all together right through to the legendary ‘Spangle Nation’ tour of 1981, when it all finally fell apart. One day we were playing a gig in Croydon, next thing I knew I was meditating in a cave in India with a Guru on one side and Spangle sax legend Dunston ‘Dunny’ McGiddy on the other. How and why I don’t know to this day, but this was to be life for the next few years.

Last I heard Dunny was doing the Butlins circuit with The Rollers - still one of the finest sax players of all time if you ask me. Last I saw him he was dressed in orange handing out flowers at Delhi airport - I was being deported. I tried to wave, but couldn't because of the handcuffs.

Of the original band, Steve ‘The Rage’ Paige still plays guitar in the band, and still has a hair-trigger temper on him. He was famously arrested in Glasgow on the ‘Spangle Banner’ tour of 1978 when he tied a policeman’s shoelaces together and threw him in the river because he “looked at him funny, like”. One of the roadies stepped in to play guitar, and it was a great show (despite only lasting for 3 songs).

Dave ‘No Nick-Name’ Roberts still plays bass, but keeps himself very much to himself these days.

Some thoughts from the 1970’s – The Hit(s)

2004-09-10T16:30:00.000+01:00

Gary Glitter – he was not the talented one. He didn't write any of his own songs, and always mimed on Top Of The Pops. On my one and only almost-appearance I insisted on singing live (which incidentally had nothing to do with it being cut from the show at the last minute - that was due to Steeleye Span over-running). Until my accident in the hospitality suite I was promised an appearance the following week.

There was much resentment in the Glam Rock community at Glitter's success - some say that was the reason so many of us spent the 1980's in re-hab. But look where he is now.

For those too young to remember the time, my hit "Now Is Not The Time" was considered groundbreaking at the time. Taking the excess of the Glam Rock scene and combining it with lyrics that Melody Maker described as “simplistic” and “naive” threatened to revolutionise the work of popular music. Obviously a bit revolutionary for a number 1 hit, but number 27 would suffice.

Then disaster as the release of the risqué follow up “Do You Want To Touch My Hair” approached. Glitter appears with “Do You Want To Touch Me There” a matter of weeks before, and the thunder is well and truly stolen. Claims it was a coincidence have never washed with me, but I can’t say any more until the expiry of the 50-year restraining order that was imposed on me in the following months. I didn’t take it well.

At least it is now considered a collectable rarity. I like to think more for the music than the gold vinyl with limited edition scratch 'n' sniff sleeve.

Tour Diary

2004-09-10T13:30:00.000+01:00

Well, I'm new to this blogging business, but I'm thinking of keeping an on-line diary during my upcoming tour of Central American hot-spots. It will probably be a bit crazy: touring with the Spangle Band is never dull and we normally lose at least one drummer along the way.

If anyone reads it I will keep going. Watch this space.

Love,

Rick x

Spangle Nights

2004-09-09T13:32:00.000+01:00

Nights of Spangle.

Knight of Spangle?