Your English is fine by the way! This was Brian back from the dead I was talking to. Brian was not a fan of Lou Reed. Feeling nostalgic I decided to look up information on my childhood favourites “Sweet”, I read a number of articles, one of them, an interview with Brian, so cruel, it bordered on vicious, a real “kick ’em when they’re down” rant. My band life, getting paid for what I loved to do, was coming to an end and I had to think of a way to blag my way back to the real world – a place I had hoped was left behind when I signed a record deal four years earlier. Brian was very gracious. Was it lust for riches? Yes Brian’s voice was incredible, really distinctive, and when he let it go, with all its huskiness and power, it was really something. Brian was all class and so gracious and the interviewer’s outright abuse of his subject was a disgrace to the editorial desk of that station. Too good you could say.It came through in his TV appearences. There was something incredbily charasmatic about that man – loved by so many still to this day. (For a second I thought he might get up and leave), He then went on to tell me how Sweet had a lot of input on their records and that, far from how they were seen by the ‘serious music press’ they were not pop puppets. I suddenly had an impulse to tell Brian I would write some songs for him. The taxman being one of them. Sweet was a game-changer for me. Over the years, as I evolved musically, I lost touch with my “first love” but I’d still catch a glimpse of them in so many other great bands – Queen, Def Leppard, Aerosmith, Foreigner (tell me the intro to Foreigner’s Long, Long Way From Home doesn’t sound like Sweet!) I wrote down what I could remember straight away and then tried to hawk my interview to music papers. Brian said: ‘They left me high and dry, no pay off, nothing. No!’ Brian’s voice now a knackered strangulated attempt at trying to sound like Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan. Sourced from interviews that Brian gave between 1971 and 1973, this is the story of Brian Connolly in his own words. Rock ‘n’ roll can become a tragedy of Shakespearian proportions, and Brian’s story could have been written by the great bard. I liked him when I met him – he was very polite and obliging. ... Nicola Connolly Interview. No! I went solo for a while but it wasn’t the same”. Did Brian feel it would all go on forever then? Laura C has already summarized everything in detail, there’s almost nothing to add. In the low light of the back of the gig, he almost looked his former youthful self. The Kinks had played there. Nah, don’t think our readers would be interested’…, Sounds: ‘We do not commission unsolicited articles. In fact, in Germany, they were perceived as a band in the same musical sphere as Deep Purple (a band that Brian was a fan of). And Brian Connolly was a compelling front man – his girly long blonde hair framing his masculine face was a killer combination for the teenyboppers back then. Brian Connolly Glam Rock Couple Photos Family Pictures Interview My Favorite Things Reading Sweet Music. His hair, actually thinning on top, was combed forward to try and recapture those splendorous goldilocks. I felt sorry for Brian. I couldn’t help but wonder if anyone truly cared enough about this poor soul to have attempted to strong-arm him into an intervention of sorts? Brian, a man who obviously had had a lot of female attention was very polite to her. Another story is of the Shadows who, driving away from the Fiesta after a gig there in 1964, saw a meteorite shower, inspiring the B-side of one of their hits called ‘Stars Fell on Stockton’. He looked ten years older than his age at that time: 45 (as he told me). Was it leechy managers plotting to fill their own pockets? culturedebunker! Brian Connolly, it seemed to me, was almost an innocent who entered the gilded palace of rock n roll sin. Good luck with it’. I felt very sad for Brian. Greeting from Germany, Ellen. He was adopted at birth and went by the name Brian… Brian did indeed get a very bad deal from the music industry. Back on benefits, staring into the void of feeling terminally useless I decided the only option for me was to become a music journalist. In fact, in Germany, they were perceived as a band in the same musical sphere as Deep Purple (a band that Brian was a fan of). On top of his game, a blonde male bombshell living the pop star high life that my teenage self dreamed about. Aug 9, 2020 - Explore Sharon Bassford's board "Brian connolly" on Pinterest. The stupid player had not worked. Brian delivered his punch line. Glad you liked it. Thank you. ‘You don’t have time to stop and think. He told me how he was ‘getting well’ but that being kicked out of the band sent him over the edge. I went back stage to introduce myself and straight away, two of them sidled up to me to tell me tales of how they were in a proper original material band and that this was just a ‘job’ for them. As Brian sang, his voice was surprisingly strong. He disappeared back to his hotel – actually more like a cheap traveller’s bed and breakfast place, not a plush five star place – shook my hand and said ‘we’ll speak later…enjoy the show’…. ‘POOOF!’ – a pathetic plume of smoke crawled into the air as the band crashed in with ‘Hellraiser’. One I had forgotten about: ‘Teenage Rampage’ – it started with some roadies baying into the microphones ’We want Sweet! Thinking I was a journalist who could give them exposure, their crawling around me was astonishing to see. ‘POOOF!’ – a pathetic plume of smoke crawled into the air as the band crashed in with ‘Hellraiser’. The band came onstage to a puny attempt at pyrotechnics. I saw Andy Scott’s Sweet about ten years ago. His hair, actually thinning on top, was combed forward to try and recapture those splendorous goldilocks. Brian Connolly’s Sweet was playing the local Black Cats venue in my resident town of Stockton on Tees. ‘They could write hits and we didn’t learn how to do that until later. This was a very intimate and sensitive write up about a man whose career and life ended so sadly. In the low light of the back of the gig, he almost looked his former youthful self. Brian told me how Sweet used to get Pans People to advise them on makeup. I was not lying. He told me he could identify with the words on that one. Cheer Giles. It somehow seemed horribly symbolic of a career long having gone up in smoke. I almost wish I didn’t know the end of his story, and that I could’ve gone on thinking of him out there somewhere, a gracefully aging, golden-gray haired old gentleman still plying his trade a la David Gilmore or Robert Plant. Thanks again to culturedebunker! More information... People also love these ideas Thanks anyway’. He looked slightly menacing in his catsuits and leather gloves too. It was appalling timing as Sweet had just scored their first big hit there with ‘Love is like oxygen’. I sat in anticipation of the show, already too many drinks down the line. My band life, getting paid for what I loved to do, was coming to an end and I had to think of a way to blag my way back to the real world – a place I had hoped was left behind when I signed a record deal four years earlier. The taxman being one of them. It felt like a Slade gig for about thirty glorious seconds. We went out on the town in London a couple of … it was a strong feeling of disillusion. They were horrible people. archived 6 Oct 2013 09:01:30 UTC. The place had had its glory years – as indeed, had Sweet – when it was called the Fiesta: back in the sixties and early seventies, when hit makers actually played such uncool places. The band was my life and then it was gone. The court fool who can no longer rise a laugh or hide his pain behind the mask of his profession. BITTER SWEET MEMORIES – AN INTERVIEW WITH 70S POP STAR bRIAN cONNOLLY. Brian James Sweet Band Giving Up Drinking Brian Connolly Miss My Dad Just Good Friends Marc Bolan Glam Rock Girly Outfits. We learnt a lot from them’. He related the tale to me with icy precision. What was his favourite Sweet single I wondered? I saw Brian just for one time in 1988 in an ice sports hall in Witten,Germany headlining after the Rubettes. I’m crying because i wish Brian was still alive and happy, and i hope he would have never been through the very bad things he went through. In a radio interview, Connolly reported that singing was a large part of growing up since there was no television, and that he was regularly called upon to sing for family and … August 2020. I decided to use my own initiative, get some interviews under my belt to build a kind of portfolio, and then offer my services to any paper that would have me. Brian told me he was playing to pay off debts. I had loads of tape to look forward to listening to. With such a roll call of musical luminaries, I was entering a place that had its own legendary status. I felt really bad – almost like I had betrayed Brian, who had given his time to give me a very open talk. Early music career and Sweet I found it interesting that he’d given an autograph to a young Joan Jett (I’m so jealous, now). Shocking, Thank you, Culturedebunker, for this fascinating interview and for being the respectful and consummate professional you are. What really saddened me that day was the band who were backing him. First it was hooray but after a few Songs the Band got heckled. His eyes seemed dull and were etched with lines that told a story of pain, of disappointment, of struggle. I am sure Andy Scott would not be offended by this comment – he probably would agree! Yeah!’ screams, his face contorted into a look that seemed to suggest deep pain. In an interview with Focus in the Mix, Sweet bass player Steve Priest said Connolly’s hard partying lifestyle took its toll. Brian liked Marc saying he was a ‘very nice bloke underneath all that ego’. We want Sweet!’ emulating the record. He told me a story of how he gave an autograph to a girl when she was only about 15; Sweet were playing a gig in Los Angeles. ‘You don’t have time to stop and think. Here he was, manfully trying to be the idol he used to be, having a bunch of wannabe scheming jerks on his pay roll. But hey, 13 year olds don’t even know such a thing exists. It felt strange. See more ideas about Brian connolly, Music videos, Glam rock. Rock ‘n’ roll can become a tragedy of Shakespearian proportions, and Brian’s story could have been written by the great bard. And Brian Connolly was a compelling front man – his girly long blonde hair framing his masculine face was a killer combination for the teenyboppers back then. Half an hour later he appeared. The girl from the dressing room earlier appeared. It came as quite a shock for many fans. You keep rolling along with it’ he replied. I used to really love Sweet when they were out in the 70s…Brian was a great charismatic front man…and a very under rated singer too! ‘We got Hell’s Angels at our gigs. She and I were doing about the same thing, musically, at the same time, just on opposite coasts. Brian told me how Sweet used to get Pans People to advise them on makeup. Melody Maker: ‘What that singer from Sweet? Girl politely put on hold for later, I asked him about those Top of the Pops appearances. I really liked Sweet’s singles from ‘Blockbuster!’ onward. Maybe good for a club audience but no way for a crowd of 10.000 in there. Was it lust for riches? Brian was not a fan of Lou Reed. I just feebly nodded, wanting to protest but didn’t. Unbelievably poignant. The Walker Brothers. He also revealed that not everyone in the band felt this way. He had changed into a T-shirt that stretched over his bloated body and the irony struck me: it was a Jack Daniels T-shirt. Required fields are marked *. Its no wonder the others wanted him gone. Thanks a lot for this! Nice to meet a humble man like you and well done for your interview Respect, Thanks for this Interview, its not one of the usual ones, its one of the great ones with interessting facts. Steve and Andy are great too. I was also drunk and those rock ‘n’ roll fairies mentioned earlier were flirting with my reason. ‘Fantastic…but all the touring, being in demand. Let’s hope alot more people (Sweet fans) read your interview, it would have been an easy task to have slaughtered Brian at this time. We were a heavy rock band that just happened to have hits’ . Was it fame? Sorry’. On more than one occasion, I found myself thinking, “God, I wish I’d known he was in such bad shape”, as if there was something I could’ve done as a mere stranger, a fan, but a caring (solvent) human being nevertheless. I just feebly nodded, wanting to protest but didn’t. A person acting as Brian’s protector/manager vetted me. What a wonderful connection, it just saddens me that it didn’t happen for him earlier in life, when, I think, he needed it most. The band came onstage to a puny attempt at pyrotechnics. Even Alvin Stardust at the height of his brief fame. The question seemed to resonate with a deeper meaning. I think you’re right about abandonment too. It somehow seemed horribly symbolic of a career long having gone up in smoke. I asked him about other pop stars of the day. He could record them and we would restore him to former glories. The set was peppered with the thrilling hits: ‘Blockbuster’ – with authentic siren alarms, ‘Wigwam Bam’ – Eddie Cochran gone daft – and of course, saving the best for last: ‘Ballroom Blitz’. I enjoyed your interview, thank you. He was a nice bloke and didn’t deserve it. My mind flashed back to Brian on Top of the Pops. The Punch & Judy man who can neither successfully woo a younger nor fulfil the nostalgic dreams of the older audience’s heyday – emblematic. But if there’s a heaven i hope i will find them there one day. Thanks for sharing, it really is a unique interview. There are a lot of fans of the music still out there! Was it fame? I know he wasn’t an angel (although he looked like one at times), and he brought a lot of his pain on himself with poor life choices but, so much of it, I think, was the result of naiveté and the “sudden” imposition of a lifestyle, for which, he was, tragically ill-prepared (and who wouldn’t be). Of course, Brian waited for an entrance. Melody Maker: ‘What that singer from Sweet? It was like I was not there. His eyes lit up. Thanks for your fantastic music, Brian. He was effectively kicked out of the band as his alcoholism was affecting his performances and the band could not continue with him in it. Of course, they lacked ‘rock cred’. There’s a little bit of Sweet in all of us. I’m sure your sincerity and kindness were not lost on Brian and they certainly aren’t lost on those of us who appreciated and respected him. Saw Andy this year in may stretching 12 Songs into 90 minutes. Brian liked Marc saying he was a ‘very nice bloke underneath all that ego’. I don’t think he ever got them. Brian had no problem with the fact that Sweet’s hits were written by Chinn and Chapman. No! ‘I just didn’t know what to do. He seemed to me to be someone who didn’t have any friends around him too, which made it even sadder. Sweet were good mates with Slade too, and there was a friendly rivalry between them. I asked him about other pop stars of the day. From Australia: During the 1990 tour it was revealed Brian Connolly was using a passport with the name McManus on it! The calibre of Sweet as musicians is not in doubt: they could rock heavily with the best of them. Bio: Alan Savage is a Middlesbrough, U.K, born singer and songwriter. Sweet was a heaven sent band as a whole. What was his favourite Sweet single I wondered? I gushed about how Sweet were essential Top of the Pops viewing back in the day and that I was a fan. They came across to me like a band who really did not give a shit. ‘Andy (Scott) and Steve (Priest) were always asking for an A side and got frustrated. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. I gushed about how Sweet were essential Top of the Pops viewing back in the day and that I was a fan. As the interview went on, he opened up to me. He was right to be, too. Found it extremely revealing. Nicola Connolly Interview. “So he used to lose his voice a lot. So Brian – what was it like to be famous, be a regular band on Top of the Pops? He told me the first time he realised he had made it was when he went out to the newsagents to buy some cigarettes. There is a great deal of feeling in this article . His eyes seemed dull and were etched with lines that told a story of pain, of disappointment, of struggle. Only there was no ‘are you ready Steve?’ spoken intro. He just spent money as if he was one and then of course, the tax man came knocking at his door when the hits dried up. Connolly has credited the Everly Brothers as being his earliest musical influence. Dear Ana, do you know the book that Steve Prist has written? Connolly and the Sweet had just had a top ten single in the UK with ‘Love Is Like Oxygen’, their album Level Headed made the top sixty and they played a sell-out concert at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. See more ideas about Brian connolly, Brian, Cool bands. What a nasty lot they were though. Brian Connolly: rock ‘n’ roll he gave you the best years of his life…, Your email address will not be published. Great but strange’. Always searching for interviews on Brian i read yours with great enthusiasm. Brian Connolly interview May 1989. culturedebunker ♦ April 1, 2011 ♦ 35 Comments. . It really is one of the best I’ve read xox. I felt very sad for Brian. Brian Connolly was born in 1945 in Govanhill, Glasgow. I ventured that it must have been great to have been on Top of the Pops in that garish Glam rock era. He had changed into a T-shirt that stretched over his bloated body and the irony struck me: it was a Jack Daniels T-shirt. (The song was ‘Fox on the run’ by the way). He releases music under his own name and other guises such as Dada Guitars and The Crystaleens. Thank you..glad you enjoyed it. ‘Suddenly a crowd of people appeared, they were at me, wanting to touch me, wanting my autograph. Who can ever forget Sweet on Top of the Pops? We were a heavy rock band that just happened to have hits’ . It’s like in their song Lost Angels, they were probably lost in fame, and that’s why they fell. The fat lasses down the front stood up and cheered; their boyfriends just laughed. He told me how Marc Bolan said ‘you’ll never beat Bolan!’ when he met them at Top of the Pops. The identity of his father was never made public. He was quite an iconic figure and a superb lead singer in his day. Brian Connolly was born in Hamilton, Scotland on the 5th October 1945. Thank you for your response to this article. To hear that they turned their backs on him and stopped returning his calls after kicking him out of the band was heartbreaking. It’s good to know my meeting with Brian Connolly has been warmly received by fans of The Sweet. But when it came to the ‘Yeah! You keep rolling along with it’ he replied. Where was his support system? The memories stay forever. Brian had a very hard life RIP. One I had forgotten about: ‘Teenage Rampage’ – it started with some roadies baying into the microphones ’We want Sweet! He should’ve been fired that night. He seemed pleased and I was surprised that he didn’t know this. The audience got the mantra, joined in clapping and stomping. R. I. P. Please keep singing with your unique voice, wherever you are. Brian Connolly: rock ‘n’ roll he gave you the best years of his life…. My band life, getting paid for what I loved to do, was coming to an end and I had to think of a way to blag my way back to the real world – a place I had hoped was left behind when I signed a record deal four years earlier. If you have to say anything, say nothing at all by E F Fluff, Alan Savage Interviews The Sweet's Brian Connolly (May 1989), The Season of Strangers Discussing My Pubic Hair by Kristin Garth, THE DUPONT CIRCLES: In Search of the Family Gredunza, The Season of Strangers Discussing My Pubic Hair by Kristin Garth. (For a second I thought he might get up and leave), He then went on to tell me how Sweet had a lot of input on their records and that, far from how they were seen by the ‘serious music press’ they were not pop puppets.