DALE ‘BUFFIN’ GRIFFIN
MOTT THE HOOPLE DRUMMER
Dale ‘Buffin’ Griffin co-founded Mott The Hoople, who rose to notoriety with the wildest stage act the UK had seen since the early Rolling Stones, and then became chart stars after being given All The Young Dudes by David Bowie in 1972. Born in Ross-on-Wye, he gained his lifelong nickname ‘Buffin’ – an amalgamation of ‘Sniffin’ Bugger Griffin’ – at school. He was playing with his future Mott bandmates in Silence when, recruited by madcap producer Guy Stevens, the band acquired their singer-pianist Ian Hunter and their name. Though infamous for having the longest hair and loudest amps – they were banned from the Royal Albert Hall in 1971 – they split after four albums, in March 1972. A mortified Bowie came to the rescue with All The Young Dudes, though it rankled with Buffin that pop stardom cost Mott their faithful core following. After the Bowieproduced album of the same
BORN 1948
name, Mott chose to strike out on their own for 1973’s career-peaking Mott album, which was followed by hits including All The Way From Memphis and Roll Away The Stone. In late 1974, an exhausted Hunter quit, leaving Griffin and bassist Overend Watts to carry on as Mott and later British Lions. During the ’80s, Griffin and Watts formed a production company, helming albums by Hanoi Rocks and The Cult, and hits such as Department S’s Is Vic There?. Griffin also produced Radio 1 sessions by Pulp, The Smiths and Nirvana among others. For 25 years, he dreamed of the original Mott line-up playing together again but, in a cruel twist, was diagnosed with dementia when the band reunited to play their Hammersmith Apollo shows in October 2009, although he insisted on joining stand-in drummer Martin Chambers for the encores. As president of Mott’s fan club for four years, this writer recalls Buffin’s extraordinary consideration when it came to writing newsletters. A quiet soul with a devilish sense of humour, he died after fighting Alzheimer’s disease for seven years.