Lee was a rock and roller even at 12 years old. Our school played his school at footy and there was this guy; lanky body and flowing locks, socks rolled down and he was doing flicks and step overs and nutmegs long before Ronaldo was born. We were plodders and hoofers and were told by our coach to nobble the flashy little fucker on the wing. We tried but couldn’t get near him and he took the flying tackles and punches in his stride. We lost 3 nil he scored all three goals.
Later we went to the same high school and played on the same team and we became friends.
A lot of people didn’t like him cus he was flash, except the girls of course, but I like his panache, I was a bit that way myself so we hit it off. I remember going on bike trips a lot and playing football of course and scrumping apples from farmers or a little stealing from the paper shop where we worked delivering newspapers in the mornings before school.
One summer we were allowed to go camping alone for the first time, we were about 13. Me and Lee and the Roberts brothers went to a campsite near Evesham; a riverside holiday town not far from Brum. The Roberts’ were expert thieves and we hit the small town for knives, and a record shop that sold some punk singles and on our best day Nigel Roberts walked out of store with a whole fucking bike! Like I said…top thieves.
Punk had arrived and me and Lee grabbed it with relish. Here was something new, something different. We had both never quite fitted in with the soul crowd, the pub and factory brigade…we wanted out! So it came at just the right time for us. We had our own little punk club, the Irish club and lee was the singer of course in one of the first bands we all formed at 14. And up there on that stage he took all the flash from the footy and posed around; for me a perfect front man.
Punk was all about doing things different, we were offered no chances to be someone or something from school or parents. There was no University waiting for us, just a factory, a wife and kids and beer and footy. We wanted more and punk gave us the chance to aim higher; to look for other things to become. Looking back at that little den of thieves and strays and outsiders, you can see what came out of the punk DIY ethos. Some became politicians, some fashion designers some professors of sociology, some writers and it was all thanks to punk. And Lee became a rocker, for life!
His story is a mixed one, one of failures, downs and almost there’s. But it is a story of a kid from the streets of Kiddy who sang his way around the world and had a lot of success. But it is one also littered with almost made it big moments. And he is quite famous, a well known rock and roller in the niche circles of rock, and he touched the stars but never quite managed to hang on. But the question is was he a success? Depends on how you measure success really. Let us look back and try and piece this thing together.
The stories are many so I’ll summarise for you.
His second band were more post-punk and did well headlining with Pop Will Eat Itself and the Wonderstuff who later signed for Chapter 22 records…Lee told Chapter to fuck off! At the time his sister had died in an accident on a horse and he sat at her gravestone drinking ‘OI! God! Why did you kill my sister you cunt!’ The band could have been big; they got more support slots with The Alarm and Spear of Destiny but Lee just told A and R men to fuck off. Why? That’s another good question. His state of mind, his punk ethics or something else?
The band got another chance. After a gig in Brum a big record company guy offered to sign them. This was it! But the guy drank Lee’s beer and he said ‘Listen cunt nobody drinks my beer.’ The guy left; they signed the Cult instead. The band signed for a minor label and got some cash, but it went the usual rock and roll route. After getting a thousand pound payment after two days in London and breaking his cock (Did you know you can break your cock?) He arrived back in Kiddy with a mike stand and some great stories although fairly blurred.
The band fell apart; two of its members, brothers, later committed suicide. Was the cost of failure to become famous the cause?
I had been in a few bands myself but got sidetracked by politics and travel and adventure. But, Lee’s dream was to make it, so he trudged on!
He formed the Ice babies and became part of the Soho Rock, Glam sleaze scene. And this band went more commercial, Lee really went for it, to finally make that breakthrough. And that scene was a wild scene of late night clubs and early morning bars and coke and groupies and orgies. And that band split and White trash was formed again a record deal was got and support to Lords of the New Church and Hanoi Rocks followed as did even more debauchery on the road and around Soho.
And the women came; Angie Bowie and then Jane Dickenson ex-wife of Iron Maiden’s singer. She took Lee to LA where they indulged in drug and drink fuelled nights with car crashes and head bashes and waking up with cowboy boots and hat in a bath after a threesome.
The LA scene was toxic, guns and toots and boozing and loots.
The band broke up and a broken Lee left to save himself and went with a penniless Spanish girl and moved the Zaragoza. He drifted into the Gypsy Barrios and mixed it with flamenco guitarists and gangsters and formed a new band; The Last gang. Tours followed supporting the Ramones and Motorhead. They got thrown off the Ramones tour for doing pistols covers after being asked not to.
And coke and speed filled nights with Lemmy and his Jack, until he got pissed and told him to ‘get rid of that fucking wart you cunt!’
So, back to the UK and White trash UK was formed and Lee got the closet yet to signing a major deal. One hour before the guy who was about to sign them, he lost control of the company. More tours followed with big bands and fights with Slash and more drugs and groupies. Living the rock and roll lifestyle mannnn! They had a minor record deal and radio play and MTV appearances but again didn’t quite make the top.
The music business is a rigged game. And Lee for some reason tried to play the game but something always bugged him enough to fuck it up just at the wrong moment. His punk ideals? His just fucking stupidity or again was there something else underneath the surface going on?
Then in 2003 the last roll of the dice! The Gypsy Pistoleros- they got an instant tribal, loyal following.
The sound was flamenco in a head on collision with punk/rock riffs, pounding bass and thrashing drums. The songs span madly in the best rock 'n' roll tradition! With big hooks, attitude, and sleaze. Yet those flamenco breaks got into your head and refused to leave.
This mongrel offspring of fiery flamenco passion and gritty gutter glam, the Gypsy Pistoleros were born roamin' somewhere between Barcelona and Birmingham, brought into the world to a soundtrack stack-heeled anthems of sleazy '70s America. Standing alone in musical ancestry and slum sound, they were one one of those most rare acts who honestly could claim the tag 'unique'.
They headlined at festivals in the US and made a few albums. Again never really making it mega big but big enough I think. Then there were splits and conflicts and Lee took up acting appearing in a few minor B movies and some great theatre productions. This culminated in his 30-day one man show at the Edinburgh festival. A rock and roll suicide. A big hit.
In the meantime he was diagnosed with ADHD and a borderline personality disorder.
The questions arise; are these things that made him fuck things up or the things that enabled him to do so much? I believe they are just a part of his personality, maybe they made him be a rock and roller for forty odd years; made him able to get up on that stage whether singing or acting. Did he fuck things up? Yeah of course but that was part of the punk spirit that lived in him. Did he make it? Yeah, of course he did…he performed for years, doing something he loved and believed in. But he never made it famous? What is fame? And who gives a fuck anyway…he did what all we wee punks did...he got himself out of the shithole direction that our lives were destined to follow. Did his disorders fuck him up or his chances of fame? Maybe, but then again so what? The Pistaleros have reformed have a new album out and are gigging again, not a final throw of the dice but a continuation of a spirit living life his way and to the full and living the punk dream. Born a rocker die and rocker.
