HW: Swindells article in Time Out

[Jon Jarrett]

        Dear All,
                  just been sent this by my Cambridge HW convert (heh
heh), and haven't seen it on BOC-L yet, so I thought I'd post it in case
anyone else hasn't, yours,
                           Jazza

BEGIN INCLUDED MESSAGE

And from Time Out, we have:
(nothing much new here but typed in to show the sort of coverage and to
blatantly violate copyright law)

Techno...       Welcome to the Future
        Silver surfer    H A W K W I N D
Spyder's future meets his past in a blast of Hawkwind.

  Everyone, as Warhol once said, should have their 15 minutes of fame.  In
my case it was more like 15 months in the late '70s.  I was the keyboard
player in a highly influential, pioneering, left-field band called
Hawkwind.  Yes, really.  It was a brilliant experience.  But I wasn't
called Spyder.
  A strange coincidence led to me writing about 'Welcome To The Future',
the band's new Website.  My best girlfriend, who used to run their office
in the '70s, came to lunch the other day.  As I opened the door, I noticed
some late post, including, much to our mutual surprise, a letter from the
Hawkwind manager, Doug Smith.  It transpired that he had been trying to
track me down after all these years to let me know that I was due some
royalties!  Karmic returns, one might say.
  When I rang, he told me about their site and I felt it was only natural
to dip into my past, as it was sending me a much needed financial upturn.
Welcome to the future?  Let's case the joint.
  The site is a classic of its genre.  Hawk-fans are known for their
loyalty and their obsession with the minutiae of literally /anything/ to
do with the band (who have now been around for over a quarter of a
century).  God knows how many musos have passed through the group's cosmic
portals in that time.  And me?  Wanna clue?  Just to get the e-mails
buzzing, I wrote 'Shot Down In The Night', which they released as a single
in 1980 (after I'd left the band) and it went Top 50.
  Hawkwind News is a well written and cheery run-down of what the band are
up to in '97.  They're off to the States again, and OzHawks, their newly
formed Australian Appreciation Society, is helping to organise a mini-tour
Down Under.  Then there's all the info on ex-members' projects, bands and
solo outings.  Hey - wait a minute . . . I'd better get started on that
trippy, inner-city, instrumental CD I've been planning to make for years!
  The 'Live 74' album is currently being mixed; talk about laid back.  The
album will, we're told, feature rare, original photos, along with
never-before-seen artwork from Hawk stalwart Barney Bubbles.  I wonder
what happened to Liquid Len?
  The Hawkwind Network is a Pandora's box of Hawk-fan ephemera, with an
encyclopaedic collection of listings, including fanzines (there are 11),
distributors, labels, merchandise and loads of Hawk-related links.  When I
was in the band, the delightfully batty Robert Calvert was the lead
singer.  Sadly, this talented and visionary character is no longer
treading the boards - he's in Hawk-heaven - but my favourite title for a
linked site is Spirit Of The Page - the one dedicated to his memory.  I'm
sure he's wafting around on a cloud somewhere wearing a safari suit and a
pith helmet and quoting from Camus - in the style of Frankie Howerd, of
course.
  The 'UA/Liberty Re-mastered Series' features the band's first five
albums, which are now available on CD.  'The Hall Of The Mountain Grill'
is a title and a half, so here's a bit of Spyder trivia:  betcha didn't
know that The Mountain Grill was a greasy spoon favoured by the band on
Portobello Road during the early '70s.
  The Cyberspace Interviews are a novel and original way for the fans to
gain access to their heroes without any of the associated hassles.
Guitarist Dave Brock remains the band's head-Hawk.  'Iain' asks him:
'Which newer bands do you think fit well into the Psychedelic "Space Rock"
genre which you more or less invented?  Can any of them stand the pace?'
Dave replies drily:  'Ask me in 25 years.'
  Mark Painter enquires:  'I know that the musical style has changed from
tribal chants to laid-back, modern, swirly synths.  Do you think this has
reduced the band's popular appeal?'  Dave's response is:  'Could be . . .
perhaps we should be doing some swirly chants!'
  The creators of this excellent site, the DC Web Design team, deserve a
mention.  I wish all music related pages paid as much attention to detail.
Oh, and let me dispel one myth:  Hawkwind have the reputation of being the
ultimate druggy band.  Oh really?  When I was with them (getting it
together in the country - naturally!) they were more interested in the
footie on the telly than astral travelling.  And the only trips they took
were to the supermarket.

/Get Hawk-eyed on:/
www.hawkwind.com/

END INCLUDED MESSAGE -THE HAWK SEES ALL