1.The First Song I Wrote
‘Rue Morgue’ – a gothic piece with violin bowed guitar. I was 18 and in a psychedelic band doing the London circuit in 1968. We played supports for Fleetwood Mac and Pink Floyd to 400 people – all light shows and weirdness. The title was courtesy of horror writing pioneer Edgar Allan Poe; it was the beginning of a strange journey into a land of make-believe.
2.The Last Song(s) I Released
Encouraged by the worldwide interest in the re-release in 2005 of the first Fuchsia album (on Pegasus UK in 1971), I eventually continued writing from where I’d left off, and it seemed the muse hadn’t left me. What started as a little home project ended up with a great Mojo article, a doco being made, some amazing reviews, and links with some great musicians, including a young Swedish band.
3. Songwriting Secrets
First, find a sequence of chords with a strong melody line, then a lyric meter/rhythm that drives that melody. Then the mood and atmosphere of the song takes over. The subconscious lines come to the surface, one of which will trigger broader meaning and direction, and the idea develops from there on a course of its own.
4. The Song That Makes Me Proud
Writing songs with string arrangements an integral part was always an experiment. No musical training made it an even bolder challenge. Rehearsing them was an exhilarating experience back then. [We’re] playing them live to an audience for the first time 40 years later, and see them work. Proud? Well, maybe a little! ‘The Band’, written in 1972, failed to get us a new deal after our record deal collapsed. Recently Swedish band Me And My Kites (named after a song from Fuchsia’s first album) recorded it, and the release resulted in my touring Sweden/Europe in 2014 and ’15 with them. Fuchsia was back. It also helped get Fuchsia signed to Cherry Red Records recently.
5. The Song That Changed My Life
From my teens, music from many sources determined my future. It was often music of rebellion and change. [I spent my time in] school with early Yardbirds, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Bob Dylan (‘Masters Of War’), The Who (‘My Generation’), and Syd Barrett/Floyd; then university with the classical giants: Bertolt Brecht/Kurt Weill (Threepenny Opera), which led me to my Mahagonny musical, currently in production.
Fuchsia II: From Psychedelia To A Distant Place is out now independently. Fuchsia play at Django Bar on Sunday January 17.
