I remember seeing them live in 1981 ( I guess) in, of all places, Maaaargate. And have avoided them like the plague ever since. Mind you, a friend interviewed Chas for his radio show last year and he came across as a decent salt-of-the-earth type of chap.
4 May 2014
acidic regulator
I’ve always loved Rabbit. Stewed with vegetables, for preference.
5 May 2014
Third Rate Les
I went to see Spurs in the posh seats once last year (I was actually supporting Olympique Lyonnais) and I ended up sitting on the same table as Chas. I didn’t recognise him until people kept coming up to him and saying hi.
His son was there too (who is his drummer and band manager) and was a deeply interesting chap and we ended up nattering about festival tours, and it turned out he had a bit of a soft spot for Half Man Half Biscuit.
Chas himself looked to me like someone trapped in the lifelong job of being in character as a a cheeky chirpy cockerney; it reminded me a little of some teachers who spend so much time talking at adolescents with a slightly unpleasant bluster that they end up like that all the time.
6 May 2014
Chris The Siteowner
Despite being largely known for the “Chas’n’Dave” material, Chas Hodges has had an amazing career, largely as a session musician in the 60s and 70s.
He was in Joe Meek’s ‘house band’, and played with Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent, Albert Lee and many more. He appeared in the penultimate Word Magazine podcast in June 2012 talking to David Hepworth for an hour, and I’ve posted it online at http://youtu.be/-GuLnXPQFiI. A really good listen.
6 May 2014
Brumbiscuit
There was also a C&D BBC4 programme about them last year. The first part covered Chas’ rock history; an impressive CV, as you suggest, Chris.
I just recall loathing them in the early 80s, as my extreme aversion to anything from darn sarf was strongest then. Their association with Spurs didn’t help, either. I still don’t think I’ll be rushing off to Leamington’s Assembly for their usual pre-christmas (sic) gig though.
6 May 2014
toastkid
C&D’s session career also included playing guitar & bass on “I got the…” for Labi Siffre, which was sampled by Eminem on his breakthrough hit “My name is”. They never got any royalties which is a shame.
Repeated quite recently. Worth looking out for, at least until Dave shows up.
7 May 2014
Third Rate Les
OK, I take it back then. Not so much trapped in his persona, as probably just his way of dealing with the slight frustration of being quite a serious musician and being treated like a novelty act. That’s quite different, and oddly poignant.
I wish I’d talked to him more now, but I could see there was no way through and that talking to his son was the best way.
8 May 2014
Brumbiscuit
I wasn’t questioning your observation, TRL. C&Ds’ act seems to be based on projecting the loveable, chirpy cockney persona; jellied eelsh and all that. Isn’t (nearly) all rock/pop music based on an act, though? Apart from people like Lemmy, who seems to love and live the ‘Lick My Love Pump’ persona, don’t most acts, well, act?
Our chosen band seems to be one of the few exceptions to the rule, in that NB10 appears to be the same bloke on stage as he would be down the pub. Perhaps that’s why he has this amazing skill at seeing life from our perspective and then putting it very adeptly into song.
Or I’m talking poncy bollocks.
8 May 2014
bob the proofreader
Trivia question (with apologies to those who’ve heard it before): Who sang with two different groups on the same edition of Top of the Pops in 1982?
11 November 2014
THe drummer out of flintlock
Steve Archibald!
11 November 2014
bob the proofreader
Correct. I doff my Tam o’ Shanter to you, sir.
12 November 2014
dr desperate
Dr John Cooper Clarke, in his autobiography ‘I Wanna Be Yours’, recalls being at Knebworth on 11th Aug 1979: “The thing that really blew me away was Chas and Dave. It was the first time I’d seen them live. I thought, “Fucking hell. I pity the fools who have to follow this!” (In fact it was The New Commander Cody Band.)
13 June 2021
The Bullet of Escobar
The absolute horror of Snooker Loopy must never be repeated.
Dave (Or I Could Be Mike)
I remember seeing them live in 1981 ( I guess) in, of all places, Maaaargate. And have avoided them like the plague ever since. Mind you, a friend interviewed Chas for his radio show last year and he came across as a decent salt-of-the-earth type of chap.
4 May 2014
acidic regulator
I’ve always loved Rabbit. Stewed with vegetables, for preference.
5 May 2014
Third Rate Les
I went to see Spurs in the posh seats once last year (I was actually supporting Olympique Lyonnais) and I ended up sitting on the same table as Chas. I didn’t recognise him until people kept coming up to him and saying hi.
His son was there too (who is his drummer and band manager) and was a deeply interesting chap and we ended up nattering about festival tours, and it turned out he had a bit of a soft spot for Half Man Half Biscuit.
Chas himself looked to me like someone trapped in the lifelong job of being in character as a a cheeky chirpy cockerney; it reminded me a little of some teachers who spend so much time talking at adolescents with a slightly unpleasant bluster that they end up like that all the time.
6 May 2014
Chris The Siteowner
Despite being largely known for the “Chas’n’Dave” material, Chas Hodges has had an amazing career, largely as a session musician in the 60s and 70s.
He was in Joe Meek’s ‘house band’, and played with Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent, Albert Lee and many more. He appeared in the penultimate Word Magazine podcast in June 2012 talking to David Hepworth for an hour, and I’ve posted it online at http://youtu.be/-GuLnXPQFiI. A really good listen.
6 May 2014
Brumbiscuit
There was also a C&D BBC4 programme about them last year. The first part covered Chas’ rock history; an impressive CV, as you suggest, Chris.
I just recall loathing them in the early 80s, as my extreme aversion to anything from darn sarf was strongest then. Their association with Spurs didn’t help, either. I still don’t think I’ll be rushing off to Leamington’s Assembly for their usual pre-christmas (sic) gig though.
6 May 2014
toastkid
C&D’s session career also included playing guitar & bass on “I got the…” for Labi Siffre, which was sampled by Eminem on his breakthrough hit “My name is”. They never got any royalties which is a shame.
7 May 2014
Brumbiscuit
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01nkdsv
Repeated quite recently. Worth looking out for, at least until Dave shows up.
7 May 2014
Third Rate Les
OK, I take it back then. Not so much trapped in his persona, as probably just his way of dealing with the slight frustration of being quite a serious musician and being treated like a novelty act. That’s quite different, and oddly poignant.
I wish I’d talked to him more now, but I could see there was no way through and that talking to his son was the best way.
8 May 2014
Brumbiscuit
I wasn’t questioning your observation, TRL. C&Ds’ act seems to be based on projecting the loveable, chirpy cockney persona; jellied eelsh and all that. Isn’t (nearly) all rock/pop music based on an act, though? Apart from people like Lemmy, who seems to love and live the ‘Lick My Love Pump’ persona, don’t most acts, well, act?
Our chosen band seems to be one of the few exceptions to the rule, in that NB10 appears to be the same bloke on stage as he would be down the pub. Perhaps that’s why he has this amazing skill at seeing life from our perspective and then putting it very adeptly into song.
Or I’m talking poncy bollocks.
8 May 2014
bob the proofreader
Trivia question (with apologies to those who’ve heard it before): Who sang with two different groups on the same edition of Top of the Pops in 1982?
11 November 2014
THe drummer out of flintlock
Steve Archibald!
11 November 2014
bob the proofreader
Correct. I doff my Tam o’ Shanter to you, sir.
12 November 2014
dr desperate
Dr John Cooper Clarke, in his autobiography ‘I Wanna Be Yours’, recalls being at Knebworth on 11th Aug 1979: “The thing that really blew me away was Chas and Dave. It was the first time I’d seen them live. I thought, “Fucking hell. I pity the fools who have to follow this!”
(In fact it was The New Commander Cody Band.)
13 June 2021
The Bullet of Escobar
The absolute horror of Snooker Loopy must never be repeated.
16 August 2023
Transit full of keith
To say nothing of the horror of German duo’s Gutsche & Goy’s version of “The Sideboard Song” … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPbQcnmelzc
16 August 2023