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the Kings James version is so difficult: when you go back to the Old Testament, what the hell is this on about? Trying to work it out. Remember, in those days, I didn’t even know what an olive tree was – I’d never seen an olive. It wasn’t until Pizza Hut opened up in Barking and I got these horrible things on my pizza! And ‘pouring oil on their heads’ – I thought it was Duckhams Q2, because we used lard in the frying pan.” During Steve’s religious phase, a new version of the Bible was issued called Good News For The Modern Man, putting the stories into a modern context, which helped considerably with Steve’s understanding. But it was a Religious Education teacher – and a Christian – that proved the catalyst in Steve’s turning away from the faith. During a lesson, the teacher was explaining that Gautama Buddha was said to have lived for nine years on a grain of rice a day.The teacher vented his opinion that he found this very hard to believe, at which point Steve suggested that if he found that story far-fetched, then what about the story of Jesus Christ raising Lazarus from the dead. Instead of discussing the paradox, the teacher simply told Steve to shut up and sit down.“End of me being in the Christian Union,” notes Steve, of the pivotal moment. On leaving school, Steve, didn’t know what he wanted to do.“At one point I was thinking of joining the Air Force,” he remembers.“That was after I’d wanted to be a priest, of course. But that was way back. So when I went to Dial House and at that time, to make money, they were doing book covers for White Lion publishers and I thought,‘What a great way to live: they send you the title of the book ,you draw or paint it and they give you the money!’ But you had to go to art school, and I needed money, and I was going through a hating my parents stage and I just wanted out. So when my mum and dad insisted I left school anyway, I wasn’t that bothered. I thought I’d get a job which was at least something to do with artwork, so I got a job in a printers in Shepherds Market (near Piccadilly in London), paying £14 a week or something. I just couldn’t survive on that. I was paying rent to my mum and dad and I’d taken up smoking to be flash, so there was no money left for clothes etc. So I left that and went to work in the supermarket. Suddenly I was earning the princely sum of £26 a week, which was fantastic! Plus I could get promotion when I was 30,” he adds, wryly.
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