STAR LETTER
I PLAYED EC’S BEANO ’BURST
While I haven’t found the Beano ’Burst, I was fortunate to play it very briefly. In a spectacular mismatch we – a pop covers band – played support to
The Bluesbreakers at Camberley in December 1965. We, a bunch of Carlisle Grammar School boys called ‘Normans Conquests’ (don’t ask) had just finished our O-Level resits, and ventured more than 300 miles away on a ‘tour’ of Hampshire and Surrey. Anywhere south of Manchester felt so exotic! The fact we had to resort to resits probably emphasises the skew of our music/education life-balance, further highlighted by the lack of an apostrophe in the band name…
My Selmer Zodiac amp packed in during our second set and Eric let me borrow his Marshall combo. After the gig he was really chatty both about Beano and the amp. I had a play on the Les Paul while he explained the merits of how its powerful signal overdrove the amp to create warm distortion. This is all basic stuff to today’s guitarist, but was fascinating back then. He was also becoming increasingly happy with his then-new Marshall, which he was getting used to after having had his previous amp stolen in Spain. He was so enthusiastic about his instrument and eager to chat, the occasion has stuck with me during the intervening 55 years. I guess the only criticism would be his lack of attention to security during that period! Lastly, I seem to have neglected to point out that Eric’s playing was magnificent on the night.
Peter Smithson, via email
Many thanks for your fascinating recollections, Peter – you are in a very rare club indeed having played Beano with Eric himself there to point out its virtues! Something to tell the grandchildren, for sure. Didn’t happen to note down the serial number did you? Seriously, though, that’s such a fantastic memory – and it’s nice to reflect on a scene in which Eric Clapton was just an accessible young musician sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with others. If we ever find the real Beano again, we’ll bring you in for the identity parade! In the meantime, we hope you can find a use for a more modern bit of kit – the excellent Korg tuner that accompanies a Star Letter.
GREENY & THE LYNX
I loved the article about Clapton’s missing Les Paul from the ‘Beano’-album era. I was amazed to see the photos from The Lynx youth centre – I spent my teenage years growing up in Borehamwood and saw my first live show there in 1967, Amen Corner! I didn’t even know about The Bluesbreakers in February 1966 – my favourite bands at the time were The Stones, The Pretty Things and The Yardbirds – Jeff Beck was my guitar idol and I was introduced to the ‘Beano’ album by a school friend that autumn. I still don’t think I’ve ever recovered. I did get to see Fleetwood Mac at The Lynx (shortly after Danny Kirwan had been revealed to the public) on 5 October 1968... the night before they recorded Albatross. Greeny was using his 335 that night and he was on fire! Great days. I’ve been playing guitar since 1968 and love semi-pro gigging... but when are we all going to be able to do it again?
Steve Johnson, via email
Now that’s what we call a youth club, Steve! Peter Green and Danny Kirwan must have been quite a bit more exciting than table tennis... As for gigging again, let’s hope it’s soon. We’ve certainly missed it, as well as seeing everyone for a pint and some great music.
YOU NEED A SHRINK!
A wayward Stratocaster arm can be tamed by putting a shrink sleeve of the correct size over the screw-thread of the arm then reinserting it. You can then shrink-fit it or not, as it works either way. See the attached photo of my recent build (still to be completed). You can buy shrink sleeves from any decent hardware store and they are always useful for joining wires and protecting the joints from shorting.
Paul Kelly, via email
Thanks Paul, that’s a nifty little dodge and inexpensive, too – keep them coming everyone, these tips are great!
NICK’S LOST GUITAR LOCATED
I’m responding to your request for assistance on behalf of Nick Farren, as featured in last issue’s Feedback. The review of Nick’s guitar appears in Guitarist September 2001 issue 214 [see above]. This seems to be the first copy of Guitarist I bought, so I don’t have the earlier copy with the double-page photo.
Well done for continuing to produce the magazine – your efforts are appreciated.
Paul Harris, via email
Who needs Google when you have Guitarist readers to help? Many thanks, Paul, you’re a gent to look it up for Nick. Thanks also to reader Keith Alderton who also sent in the right answer. Want a job in the Guitarist archive, guys?
DID JOHNSON DIE OF RARE SYNDROME?
Thank you for your fascinating article on Annye Anderson’s new book, Brother Robert: Growing Up With Robert Johnson (Hachette Books). Amazing to think, aged 93, she carries her own personal memories of Robert Johnson. In 2006, Eric Clapton caught my attention when he was recounting how challenging it was recreating Robert Johnson’s music for his Me And Mr Johnson album. I wondered then if Robert had some advantage that made him so unnaturally gifted. Some clues fell into place – his long slender fingers, his bad eye and the events of his death – led me to wonder if he suffered from Marfan syndrome, an inherited defect in connective tissue formation in the body. Sufferers are usually tall, have abnormally long slender limbs and fingers, heart defects and eye lens dislocation. I must now revisit the evidence; Annye Anderson’s book will be at the top of my list. I suspect finger-popping will take on more significance!
David G Connell (GP), via email
Thanks David for this fascinating insight from the world of professional medicine. It seems that Marfan syndrome was first identified by French paediatrician Antoine Marfan in 1896. Despite being a known condition by Johnson’s time, the tragic truth is that, as an itinerant black musician, his chances of being diagnosed in the Deep South of the 30s were probably near zero. And when a certain cause is unknown, myth fills the gap – ‘poisoned by a jealous lover’ is just the kind of story that folklore thrives on. But perhaps we may be doing Johnson’s memory a sad disservice if, as you compellingly argue, he may have actually died of this serious inherited disease.
BANDING TOGETHER
Hello! I’m 11 and I play guitar, and I was wondering if you had any ideas on how to form a band with friends my age. I play lead guitar, but the rest of it is uncertain. I have a friend who is going to play guitar – rhythm guitar would be ideal – and another friend was going to be the drummer, but he’s refused, so I asked him to be the bassist, but he hasn’t got back to me on that yet…
Do you have any advice on how to get a band together, and keep it that way with regular rehearsals, etc? I would appreciate it if you did, as it would be awesome to have an actual band for the first time. Rufus King, via email
Congratulations on taking up guitar, Rufus – starting early will serve you well. I wish we could tell you the secret to keeping bands together, but the truth is even the biggest acts don’t have the answer – just ask Fleetwood Mac. Musicians are creative but also diverse in character; this means even when the music’s going well, things can still fall apart. We urge you to recognise that it’s part of the nature of bands to change and occasionally fall apart over time. Persevere, ask around and try to find other young musicians who are into the same music. Each member’s ideas and preferences should also be listened to and respected if you want them to stay.
When you’re older and using rehearsal rooms, they usually have a message board where you can leave a note to recruit new members, and check out online groups to recruit local musicians, too. Once you find the magic combination you’ll be amazed how much fun it is to play together. Good luck!