LEWES musical express
Editorial
Second Issue Winter 2013 www.lewesmusicalexpress.com info@lewesmusicalexpress.com Editorial/Advertising: 01273 471505
Ephoto LEmick hawksworth
Editor/Producer/Writer: John May Designer: Raphael Whittle Treasurer: Lindsey Shakoori
‘...what I refer to confidently as memory – meaning a moment, a scene, a fact that has been subjected to a fixative and thereby rescued from oblivion – is really a form of storytelling that goes on continually in the mind and often changes with the telling.‘ William Maxwell So Long, See You Tomorrow [Harvill Press. 1980] This has been the difficult second album, a long and quite dark journey. We have plunged very deep into the roots of folk music, the world of opera, the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll, through in-depth long-form interviews of a kind that are increasingly rare in mainstream media. As its turned out, through the process of making this issue, a theme of ‘musical memories’ has emerged and formed a linking thread that guided us through the labyrinth. So here’s my memory story about how Ramblin’ Jack Elliott came to Lewes. That’s me up there with the Kerouac beat cap, back of Jack, upstairs at The Lansdown Arms on 22 February 2005. Who the heck is Ramblin’ Jack. Briefly, Jack really knew Woody Guthrie, lived with him, learnt his songs directly off him, visited him in hospital. The younger Dylan arrived later by which time Guthrie was too ill to sing or play. Dylan learnt Guthrie off Jack. Jack was in Britain to receive a Radio 2 Folk award and do some gigs. I interviewed him in London (with his daughter who’d made a documentary about him) and the piece was published in The Telegraph. They needed a picture of Jack and that’s how I came to discover a rare set of pics of Dylan, taken in 1964, that were only just coming to light. The set included shots of Dylan and Jack in New York’s Greenwich Village. [Incidentally, the new Coen brothers film is set in that time and place]
I never expected to see or hear from Jack again but then the phone rang two or three days after the interview. It was Arthur Brown just letting me know about someone who he thought I might like, who was coming to play a hastily-arranged gig at The Lansdown Arms. Who is it then Arthur? Ramblin’ Jack Elliot have you heard if him… Shock! You kidding me! So it was I found myself in the back of a dormobile in a snowstorm, heading up School Hill for Hugh Rae’s. Jack had arrived, taken a shine to my cap and wanted to buy one. He tried some on but in the end he left it. That night, The Lansdown was packed with young people sitting at the foot of the stage and elders clustered round the edges. Jack came out to the small, low bareboard stage and the landlord’s dog followed him and sat at his feet throughout the whole performance. For that one night, it was Greenwich Village in Lewes. That was destined to be the full gist of my editorial but fate took a hand. Back in the day (1975-1982) I worked freelance under the nom-de-plume Dick Tracy for the NME. The paper contacted me a couple weeks ago via Tom Mugridge who lives in Lewes. He asks: Who was Dick Tracy? I respond: That Was Me. [There was then and is now a general impression that Dick Tracy was a name used by a number of writers on the NME. This is officially untrue.] Turns out they’re reprinting one of my favourite pieces from 1978 concerning Keith Richards’ heroin trial in Toronto and I’m getting paid. The issue duly came out as you can see which I felt real good about. It brought back a lot of memories. Your overwhelming support and enthusiasm for our first issue was greatly appreciated. Hope this one also hits the spot. See you next time in the spring. John May, Editor
This complete story of Jack and the lost Dylan photos + the full Keith Richards’ article can be found in four posts on my blog THE GENERALIST: http://hqinfo.blogspot.com The Ballad of Ramblin’ Jack Elliott (17 June 2005), The Lost Dylan Photos (11 September 2005), Ramblin’ Jack Revisited (18 June 2007), NME: The Stone with The Golden Arm (1 December 2005)
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Contributors John Agard Steve Arch Sarah Bayliss Shirley Collins Malcolm Davis Manek Dubash Kim Fuller Carlotta Luke Peter Messer Neeta Pederson Bob Russell John Warburton Print: The Newspaper Club
The 100 Club Martin Leeburn Andy Thomas Mich & Dawn Magnified Learning Stephen George Arch Alexander & Bernadette Jane Whitaker
Issue One: 100 Club Andy Banks, Nick Davies, Ed Mawby, Simon Smewing, Tony Norman, Manek Dubash, Pelham House/David Anderson, Colin Lloyd, Charlie Dobres, Nigel Atkinson, Phil Pickett, Pete Mobbs, Caroline Dorling
Our Banner: Paul Harrison
Big thank you Margaret Messer, Sluff, Steve Franklin, Alec Swinburn, Charlie Dobres, Andrew Mellor, Miles Jenner, Tom Mugridge, Abi Mawer, Will Rogers, Stevie and Jamie Freeman, Polly Marshall, Nick Benjamin, Maria Bowers, Lin Heyworth, Jacqueline Allard, Jack Carey, Eve Deacon, David Anderson, Chris Horton. Tom Mugridge, Tanya Laporte, Paul Morgan, Arthur Brown, Paul Andrew