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Welcome to the Working Week - No. 17, 1982
Suggs of MADNESS spends seven days watching his walls disappear.
MONDAY
After a late Sunday night out with some of the lads I was not surprised when I awoke a bit late on Monday morning - I got up at about 11.00. Usually I'm aroused from my slumbers by Bette (Bright,Suggs' wife) who leaves the house at about 10.00am most days. I caught a cab down to the rehearsal rooms in Holloway to meet the rest of the boys. I can drive and passed my test late last year but somehow I haven't got around to purchasing my own vehicle yet. But I'm going to fairly soon and I fancy something with a bit of poke. Living in London, though, it seems a bit pointless. I mean you're lucky if you get out of second gear most of the time!
At the rehearsals we soon got down to some hard graft on the new numbers we're working on. These will probably be released on the next album which should be around the end of the year with a bit of luck. The songs are really coming together. By late afternoon I'm getting a bit peckish so we all nip out to the local cafe and have fish and chips. Can't beat it I reckon! Carl and I decided after we'd finished at Hallogans to hack down to the Hammersmith Palais to catch the Teardrop Explodes gig. We both had a few jars in the Claredon Hotel just down the road beforehand and signed a few autographs for some fans who recognised us! I really enjoyed the Teardrops and went home to Camden a happy man.
TUESDAY
Got up reasonably early this morning and had time to force down some breakfast before heading down to Air studios in Oxford Street. Once there I listened to the basic backing tracks that the others had prepared. Obviously we don't all have to be in the studio at the same time as different parts of the song are recorded separately and then mixed together for the final product. Today it was my turn to add the basic guide vocals which took most of the day. Bette popped in during the early evening so I took a break and we went for a few bevvies just around the corner. I brought some takeaway junk food back to the studio with me. I stayed at Air until late and then found after arriving home ready to drop into my Slumberland that we'd had the builders in and half the kitchen wall was missing! I'd totally forgotten about the alterations we're having done to our house so it was a bit of a shock. Bette is great at getting it all organised though so I don't expect it will be too inconvenient.
WEDNESDAY
I was rudely awoken on Wednesday by - yes you've guessed it - the builders! I decided to make a fast exit before they drilled through the bedroom wall and it collapsed on me! Bette was making tea for all the men so I joined them and then had a quick chat with my mum on the telephone to let her know how the alterations were going.
My mum is a great woman who's helped me through everything. She's really keen to know what we're getting up to and where we're off to next. I don't know if Madness would have survived without my Mum's butties and endless cups of tea. Not to mention the occasional beer money.
Rehearsals again today. Whoever said this was glamorous! The songs we are rehearsing are called "House of Fun" and "That Faith." This was our last chance to get them ready for recording on Friday so we all got stuck in. Sometimes it's really hard to make yourself get on with it and we all start fooling around and being generally nutty. Mike usually calls us to order though. We rehearsed and rehearsed until we got so tired it seemed to be getting worse and not better. Time to charge next door and get some grub and a drink. We took a cassette of what we'd just done to see if the couple who own the cafe liked it. They played it loud and everyone was tapping their toes so Lee grabbed the owner's wife Ann and danced her around the room.
I dashed home to Bette and found even less walls so we decided to escape the mess and treat ourselves to a Greek meal. We both go to this place in Kentish Town quite often. Tonight we both had Couscous which for those of you who don't know is actually boiled tabby with semonlina. Very tasty!
THURSDAY
Today we had to do a photosession with Anton Corbjin. Some of the shots should be used for the next album sleeve. The photos were all done outside on the roof of a rundown old cinema in Kings Cross and it was a bit parky to say the least. We tried to push our manager off the top but didn't quite manage it. The shots were all quite moody though and should turn out different from most of the nutty type pix we normally go for.
We had to go to the BBC TV Centre for 6.00 pm to record Cardiac Arrest for The Kenny Everett Television Show.
Lee dressed up as Gary Glitter for the song. He wore a chest wig, a proper glitter suit and platform boots(remember them?) Lee was really pleased with himself because Gary is his idol and he has all his records.
We were all raring to go after finishing the show so Chris, Lee, Carl and I decided to go down to Dingwalls and see Tenpole Tudor. The Tenpoles are also on Stiff Records so we know them all pretty well and they are a great band to see live. Lee took his red plastic nose with him and started leaping on people to shock them once we were inside. The band were not on until about midnight so it was late by the time I arrived back home.
FRIDAY
After another late start, more tea and drilling. I had to go down to Basing Street Studios to record the numbers we'd rehearsed on Wednesday. The others jeered Chas and I for being late again. We recorded "House of Fun", "That Faith", and another new number called "The Car Song."
Later on I got a takeaway from an Indian vegetarian restaurant. That's Woody's influence. I was going to go and see a movie with Bette but in the end we were at the studio so late that it became impossible.
SATURDAY
Today I thought I'd have a long lie in until I remembered the builders again. I even had a dream last night about builders and decorators taking over the world.
When we go on tour to Australia and Japan later on this year I'll probably come home to find the house has been totally demolished or something.
I decided to go for a jog this morning. Got to keep myself fit because otherwise I'll peg out after a week on tour. I have built up a punishing routine for myself which consists of jogging four times right around the border of Camden and Highbury. It works out fine unless you get recognized and then you get a stream of people chasing you with pens in their hands.
I was going to see a match on Saturday afternoon but in the end I decided not to bother and instead went shopping with Bette in South Molton Street. Luckily I forgot my cheque book.
Bette cooked a great meal for some friends we had round in the evening. I really like British dishes with lots of gravy. Considering what the kitchen was like at the time (worse than a bombsite) it was amazing how she got it alltogether!
SUNDAY
Sunday morning I spent lazing around watching 'Stingray' on the box. At lunchtime I had to go along to the studio again to begin my final vocal part on the new tracks. Whilst I was down there I heard the new Fun Boy Three album and was really impressed with it. We're friendly with Terry Lynval and Neville because of the times we spent together when they were with The Specials. Bette called me at the studio and popped in later on. We got a takeaway meal and I carried on working until fairly late.
By the time I left I felt whacked and was glad to collapse at home and catch the dying embers of the old gogglebox and finish reading the papers. After a few medicinal beverages to help me with these tasks I was just thinking of a lie in tomorrow when Bette reminded me of the dreaded builders and I started to feel the headache already.
- Contributed by Steve Bringe
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