When i was twelve, dancing round my bedroom with my t-square in my hands, there was one band I wanted to be in…… Mud. Why this bunch of Chinnichap chancers?, well Mud always seemed to be having a bloody good laugh. Gurning around on Top of the Pops, employing their roadies as backing dancers, winking at the cameras and generally just arsing around….and getting paid for it…..and having number one hits! That a job for me I thought, and Ray Stiles was just the coolest dude on the planet with his drape suit and brothel creepers. I so wanted to be Ray Stiles.
Then… they were in a film, the pretty incomprehensible (to a 12 year old) “Never To Young To Rock”. But they got to piss about…with pop guns and sing their biggest hit…in a transport cafe…during a custard pie fight! Bliss.
My illusions were shattered when I read an interview with singer Les Gray who was denouncing the up and coming punk rock. Maybe the impending years of playing Batley Variety Club were weighing on his mind or he could feel his now 14 year old fan base disappearing, (I didnt btw). I found this remarkable because with its dumb lyrics and buzzsaw guitar, its not a great step from Tiger Feet to most of The Ramones ouvre.
I finally saw Mud live a few years ago, well it was Ray Stiles and Rob Davies backed by The Glitter Bands Pete Phipps on drums and a young lad on vocals. They did all the hits including the ill fated excusion into disco and i, aged 54 still wanted to join them!
What band did you want to be in?
The first band i wanted to be in was 1974 Roxy Music. Cool but glam, arty but pop and rocky.
I went through a long phase of aspiring to the lifestyle without any music making, given i have no instrumental talents. Hence being like Pete Sinfield, on lyrics and lightshow would have suited me nicely, and would cover all those progressive and hippie moments.
I loved Bauhaus and Siouxie, and would’ve been up for that (minus any music skills), but always had a vulnerability to being ‘bigger boned’, and glasses-wearing stout goths were not a thing 38 years ago. (They are now seen, of course). I never was a pin-up with my shirt off.
Now I accept that the possibility of having a rock n roll lifestyle of any sort is unlikely. My rock n roll is going to a gig and hoping it ends early and nobody stands up in front of me. Living the dream.
Rob davis of mud wrote can’t get you outta my head.
And the hook line from Groovejet
CGYOMH. Cathy Dennis will be miffed.
Though Batley Variety Club closed in 1978, became Crumpets then the Frontier.
But I know what you mean. The soup in a basket crowd.
Last concert I saw there was Roy Wood about six seven years ago.
I’m not sure I’ve ever wanted to be in any band. The Beatles were obviously a closed shop, so no chance there.
Free maybe. If only I’d learned to play bass at the same age as Andy Fraser had done – I’d have been a shoo-in when he left for the second time. But I’ve never learned to this day.
I saw Mud at Birmingham University around 1976ish. They were brilliant and if it wasn’t a sold out gig, the crush in the crowd suggested they must have come close.
I always saw myself as some louche troubadour rather than a band member, with a minor cult following and a tragic life story, Townes, Gram, these would be my role models. Thank goodness I can’t sing or play any instrument then.
I’ve thought about this many times and used to think it would have been great to have been a JB. Then I heard about the terms and conditions old JB imposed, so the proper answers are…
Talking Heads circa 1980 when they had the big band. One more rhythm guitarist or bass player or percussionist would hardly have been noticed.
Funkadelic looked like a lot of fun.
One of the incarnations of the Modern Lovers up to Modern Lovers 88 but not the early po-faced stuff.
Edwyn Collins’s bands over the years always looked like they were having a good time and taking the music only as seriously as it required.
or from a Dublin perspective Republic of Loose. What a great live band! Like a sleazy Commitments!
Looks and cool wise (and the music) Jesus & Mary Chain round the first three albums period. But strictly music wise, I’d love to have been in Dire Straits at the time of their first album. A nifty little songwriter and pretty cool singer and totes amazeballs guitarist in a sweaty little pub band. I wouldn’t have led them down no stadium route, no siree. ‘Cept I would have, natch, for the dosh, but in my mind I would have carried on playing in and singing about the pubs, Soho, local songs for local people. And no Giordie shite neither. I’d have kept Romeo & Juliet in me repertoire and ditched all the rest. Except maybe Private Investigations and Telegraph Road. Maybe. For me b-sides and the civilian market. And then I’d have probably written J.J. Cale’s ‘Shades’ as my second album.
Great question Uncle Mick!
Not sure if I wanted to be in any particular band per se but have definitely wanted to be a musician.
Wanted to be JJ Burnel, wanted to be Fernando Von Arb, he of the black and white spandex trousers and axe meister of Swiss rockers Krokus. One of those is probably slightly more cooler than the others.
Thin Lizzy’s Scott Gorham c1978.
I had the clothes, the hair (not as long mind) a cheap Kay les paul knockoff and four…FOUR chords.
I had even perfected his cute hair flick during powerchording.
This was all the shit i needed……
The Jam obvs. Bruce Foxton, who rocked what would later be called a mullet and who looked cooler than anyone else in the world with a Rickenbacker bass.
Slade always looked like they were having a laugh. I think Dave Hill’s resting face is actually that “I’m up for anything, me” expression.
I never wanted to be in an existing band – the dream was to be famous as a pop star but without good looks, charisma, songwriting skills, musical ability, or singing voice. To be regarded with as much awe and respect as Bowie but without having to do all the songs. Once you become a parent you get that for a few blissful years until they wise up (around age 13) and realise you are making it up as you go along.
I wanted to be Mickey Finn in T.Rex. I wasn’t exactly sure what he did. Play bongos? Anyway, just being close to Marc Bolan was enough.
Mickey Finn on congas and “something for the ladies”.
The Damned
There seemed to be more dicking about than the average band.
Actually, I wanted to be Captain Sensible
(I even bought a red beret)
Wot???
I wanted to be in Little Feat. Especially after Lowell passed on where I was the obvious replacement. Craig Lee Fuller eat my shorts.
The Osmonds. No wait “Crazy Horses” Osmonds. Me, my brother and 3 of our neighbours did a whole routine in our living room playing along to my sister’s CH single. I think i played air keyboards. ….. Waaaaaaaa waaaaaaa
It never occurred to me to be in a band when I was a pubescent, back in 1963.
I wanted to be a fighter pilot. Or a test pilot. Even better, an astronaut.
Different generations. In the ’70s and ’80s pretty much every boy wanted to be a pop or rock star.
Actually this is true aged 10 wanted to Captain a Royal Navy Destroyer
The Specials was one I was drawn to – to the 10 year old me I think it was the gang mentality
(a definition I have applied some 30+ years later)
Actually, as others recall their experiences, I was actually in a band at primary school. The Walnuts were unashamedly influenced by the Beatles and the Hollies. We played every playtime in a little area that allowed the rhythm guitar and lead guitar to stand on two walls, with the bassist singing in front of the drummer. We were that good that we got a gig playing for the Head Mistress (Mrs Purskie) in her office. I was the rhythm (air) guitarist. It was i964.
The Beatles. One had died by then too, so there was an opening.
I was in the Beatles, around 1965. Being left-handed, I was Paul on tennis racket, my younger brother Mike (not McGear) was George on tennis racket, and Mikey Mahoney from down the road was John on cricket bat. We didn’t bother with Ringo.
We performed You Really Got A Hold On Me* by the backyard incinerator, then broke up.
*On second thought it might have been Please Mr Postman.
I wanted to be in Frank Zappa’s band. Wouldn’t have got past the first minute of the audition.
Also I wanted to be first on EC’s list if Steve Nieve ever left The Attractions. Just as well I didn’t wait for that one
In my daydream fantasy, I am leading an XTC tribute band on the Cropredy stage. No, honestly.
I was in the Rolling Stones once – we mimed to Let’s Spend The Night Together and Ruby Tuesday at the youth club during a revue we put on. I was Brian Jones, so obviously I’m not with them any more….
Are you dead?
For tax purposes only.
I wanted to be in En Vogue.
hur hur hur hur (there’s four of ’em)
Real answer: Madness, for many of the reasons in the OP.
Primary school playground, late 60s, we all wanted to be in The Monkees.
When I was a kid I was given a watch. Hated wearing it – have never worn a watch or jewelry of any kind.
Then along came cellphones and I didn’t need one.
I may have harboured daydreams about being a musician when I was young but one day “Run DMC said a DJ could be a band” and I was the band.
(A sh*t band, granted, but no breathing the drummer’s B.O. in a van).
This thread makes me think of the excited reports when Suede hired a mere lad (and fan) of 17 years to replace Bernard “I’ll get you” Butler. Fast Forward a couple of decades and said guitarist looks about 20 years older than whip thin impossiBert up front…
I soooo wanted to be Mick Ronson in the Spiders From Mars.
I still have a hankering to own a gold top Les Paul even though I’ve never found one I enjoyed playing.
Maybe you should have been looking for a stripped Les Paul Custom, rather than a goldtop, then 😉
Hi Nige
Maybe
The only Les Paul I was tempted by was a rather nice Faded Cherry one. Genuine Gibson. A snip at £800.
My Bacchus is nicer than any Gibson I’ve tried:
(Neither a stripped LPC like Ronno’s, nor a goldtop of course…)
Mmmmm nice. Heavy?
I don’t have any scales, @Twang, but lugging it into town and back in its HSC – a 40 min round trip – isn’t an exercise I plan to repeat too often.
Great question. With a lot of the bands I wanted to be in growing up, I couldn’t replace that band member even in my mind, because they are/were so distinctive. Bass player in Yes, rhythm guitarist in the Stones, you get the picture.
But for the ten years until 2017, I would have given anything to be the bass player in Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – and I reckon I could have done a bang-up job there. Then Tom died, and so did that particular dream.
I’m similar. I’d always imagine myself replacing ‘dispensable’ band members, or shying away from the limelight. I’d happily have been a member of Pulp.
I can’t play anything.
So I’d have a good chance of getting into the Incredible String Band circa 1968.
Or Principal Edwards Magic Theatre.
Provided you also can’t sing and you look awful, you could go a long way..
“I have no musical talent. However I do have a cheesecloth shirt and some finger cymbals”
“Hired!”
A mate and I used to mime/pretend to be The Sweet – he was Brian, I was Steve Priest. We gave up because I didn’t have a clue what to do…
I then moved on to wanting to be Bjorn Ulvaeus, for obvious reasons.
Latterly, I”ve hankered after being Neil Tennant – balding, erudite, mostly stationary.
Blank or lined?
Oh… stationary. Sorry.
Free. I just wanted to be Simon Kirke. I taught myself to play and he was/is the kind of drummer I love.
Nice one. Are you still playing?