SURFIN' DAVE

Enter Dave Coleman. A one-finger-guitar-playing-fragile-voiced-Phil-Silvers-looking man who just wanted to rock. And roll. Actually the weirdest thing about Dave was that he actually DID surf (on the South coast of England in its 8 inch waves and freezing temperatures). Along with Jez Willis (later to find glory as half of Utah Saints) and Mick Green (later to play with Henry and me on Hot Animal Machine) we became Surfin Dave and the Absent Legends (after a brief stint as the Beany Teas). We played mostly around Leeds as one of the stable of last minute opening acts for the Uni and the Poly. We were also a fixture whenever Billy Bragg or Hank Wangford played around the area. It was my first experience of touring Europe and we got to make a record and everything! It was fun and good training for later.

This is us playing in Hamburg at the Freiheit somewhere around 1984. The guitar is the Longhorn. Yes those are cowboy boots. Living in England seemed to make me somewhat more American. And yes, I used to smoke.
 headless chris
This is the pic off the back cover of the album taken in the dressing room of the Leadmill in Sheffield. L-R me, Mick Green, Dave, Jez Willis. Jez used to have hair that should have had its own agent or at least a charity dedicated to its protection and preservation. Come to think of it, so should mine...
This is downstairs from the Hamburg picture. Downstairs from the Grosse Freiheit is the Kaiserkeller where the Beatles used to play. After soundcheck I wandered down and had a look. This was long before they made the movie "Backbeat". Offstage near the stairs there's this TINY dressing room I went down and just soaked up the vibe a bit. Then I went onstage and took a self-timer photo. It was a really powerful experience in the way that those things-that-sound-ridiculous-when-you-describe-them experiences often are. Suffice to say that I was young and being down in that dark place made me feel really connected with something.
This is me all young and skinny and with hair. The sign is from an abandoned old '"make your own record" booth in one of the exits of Leeds railway station. It's good advice...
This is the first gig we did together (at some uni accomodation around Xmas 1982). Back when the SG was still shiny...
Me and Mick Green somewhere in the world. He had a fantastic natural swing that totally led back to Bill Ward and Bonham. MONSTER WARNING!
This is one of the umpteen times we played with Billy Bragg. What a cool guy and even cooler for staying on point all these years. Anyway, if you played with him quite often you'd end up doing his encore ("A13" - his rewrite of "Route 66") and here we are. That's Wiggy on the left. That's the red fake Strat I'm playing. I think Porky the Poet is lurking somewhere onstage too.
Same gig as the Billy Bragg pic. A good illustration of why bands should set up tight on a wide stage.
OH HOW I MISS THAT GUITAR! That was my Rick 420 (425? 450?) that got stolen in L.A. Anyway, this was shot at a gig out on Woodhouse moor in front of about 20 people and some very annoyed squirrels. That's the too-loud-too-heavy Twin in the background.

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