Back in the early 1970s I used to regularly go to Abbey Road studio where Roy Harper was recording all those wonderful albums. It was there that I met Richard Strange – or Kid Strange as he was then. He was quite a character and we got on great. He had this band that he’s put together in 1973/4 called the Doctors of Madness. They were a perfect fusion of ProtoPunk, New York and everything else. There was madness and genius about them.
When I moved up North we lost contact. But I got to see the Doctors of Madness perform at Bridlington and they ripped the place apart.
Richard went on to cause mayhem elsewhere with his own nightclub, bizarre exploits and solo projects. He is a unique and extraordinary creative man.
We got back in contact and I managed to get him to do a gig in Hull. I am so looking forward to seeing him and find out what he is up to. This is a rare opportunity to see something exceptional. He is a one off. There is nobody like Richard Strange.
RICHARD STRANGE
All enquiries: 0771 049 0658 richard@richardstrange.com
Photo- Chris Walters
“If you have never heard the Doctors of Madness, you should. Musically they are the Velvet Underground, New York Dolls with shades of glam, hippie, prog and punk all rolled into one, yet are still totally original.
Vastly underrated, they should have been huge. Pure genius”
Vic Reeves (Comedian and Artist)
The Doctors of Madness are “the missing link between David Bowie and The Sex Pistols” –(The Guardian May 2017). Exploding onto the music scene in 1975 with their theatrical, William Burroughs-inspired Sci-fi nightmare, they were misunderstood by many, but those who knew understood the importance of the band’s dangerous, uncompromising approach to lyrics, to music and to performance. Among the many fans of the band were acts as diverse as The Damned, Vic Reeves, Joy Division, Joe Elliott of Def Leppard, Spiritualized, Julian Cope, The Adverts, The Skids and Simple Minds. The Sex Pistols supported them, so did The Jam. They were the first to combine the avant-garde approach of The Velvet Underground with a distinctly European aesthetic. The blue hair, exotic stage-names, the lyrical themes of urban decay, political propaganda, mind control and madness were all taken up by the punk bands who followed in their wake. The Doctors of Madness were trailblazers, pioneers, adventurers…pushing the boundaries of rock music and theatre to see how far it would go before it bust. What happened after them was due, in no small part, to what they achieved in three short years.
They may not have been Jesus Christ, but they were, arguably, John The Baptist!!!
Now, forty years later, they are back…with a 3xCD boxed set of their entire catalogue,
plus exclusive, never-before-heard bonus tracks, released May 8th on Cherry Red Records,
plus live dates to follow in the UK, Europe and Japan.
In the period since the last Doctors of Madness gig in 1978, Richard has written a memoir, collaborated on a cantata with Gavin Bryars, made films with Tim Burton, Martin Scorsese, Harmony Korine and Jack Nicholson, toured the world in a Russian version of Hamlet with Jimmy Nesbitt his grave-digging co-star, played Glastonbury, sung baritone in the British premiere of Frank Zappa’s 200 Motels at the Royal Festival Hall, executed John Cleese in nine different ways for a Norwegian chocolate commercial, directed a multi-media evening celebrating the life and work of William Burroughs, won Best Art Film Prize at the Portobello Film Festival last year, had his own live talk show, opened a Cabaret club, played a butler on a long running German TV show, worked with Tom Waits and Marianne Faithfull on the William Burroughs/Robert Wilson stage play The Black Rider, curated events for the Tate Gallery, sung Walt Disney songs with Jarvis Cocker and become a teacher and grandfather.
What they have said about Richard Kid Strange and The Doctors of Madness
“The Doctors of Madness were the best! Blue hair, sequinned eyelids, a guitar that spelled out “KID”, space-age vaudeville that tipped this 16-year old kid over the edge! One of the most original songwriters & performers of my generation.”
Joe Elliott (Def Leppard)
“18 years after first meeting him, just thinking about Richard still reduces me to a state of near hysteria…and terror. He restores one’s faith in the ability of the human spirit to soar.”
James Nesbitt (Actor)
“Absolute GENIUS. As reunions go, for me this eclipses the Velvet Underground in 1993”.
Atilla The Stockbroker
“In my Version of Rock History, Richard “Kid” Strange looms a lot larger than Pete Townsend”
Paul Morley (Journalist and Broadcaster)
“When Ziggy shagged all of Amon Duul 2 at the Berlin premiere of “A Clockwork Orange”, their divine progeny was undoubtedly Richard “Kid” Strange and The Doctors of Madness.’
Julian Cope (The Teardrop Explodes)
“The Doctors of Madness- now THERE was a band!”
Jim Kerr (Simple Minds)
“If you have never heard the Doctors of Madness, you should. Musically they are the Velvet Underground, New York Dolls with shades of glam, hippie, prog and punk all rolled into one, yet are still totally original. Vastly underrated, they should have been huge. Pure genius”
Vic Reeves (Comedian and Artist)
“A fantastic read. Wit and truth writ large.”
Peter Curran, BBC London Live (!!!)
“A fascinating and very amusing read”.
Ned Sherrin BBC Radio 4 Loose Ends
“An extraordinary memoir of an extraordinary life”
Jools Holland, BBC TV Later With Jools Holland
“A good read. Wonderfully funny and well written
George Melly (musician and writer)
“The best autobiography I have read in a long while”
James Whale, Talk Radio
Links
Richard Strange on Jools Holland
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08pvvll
Richard Strange on Robert Elms
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p051ngl3
Richard Strange on Soho Radio
https://www.mixcloud.com/sohoradio/the-sunday-sync-21052017/
Richard Strange on Resonance FM
https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/bad-punk-5th-may-2017/
Gonzo weekly Interview
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-233.html
The Guardian feature
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/may/19/doctors-of-madness-punk
Goldmine review
All About The Rock
http://allabouttherock.co.uk/doctors-madness-perfect-past-complete-doctors-madness/
Soundblab – Review:
https://soundblab.com/reviews/albums/17870-doctors-of-madness-perfect-past#.WRBeV_3rlh8.facebook
Louder Than War – Review:
http://louderthanwar.com/doctors-of-madness-perfect-past-album-review/
Eyeplug.net – Review:
http://www.eyeplug.net/magazine/perfect-past-the-complete-doctors-of-madness/
It’s Psych Baby – Interview http://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2017/04/doctors-of-madness-interview-with.html
The Afterword – Review
http://theafterword.co.uk/the-doctors-of-madness-past-perfect-3-cds-complete/
Discussions Magazine – Interview http://www.discussionsmagazine.com/2017/04/doctors-of-madness-exclusive-q-with.html
Discogs
https://www.discogs.com/Doctors-Of-Madness-Late-Night-Movies-All-Night-Brainstorms/master/187935
Gonzo Weekly Lexington gig review
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-236.html
Perfect Sounds forever Interview
http://www.furious.com/perfect/doctorsofmadness.html
Morning Star Lexington gig review
https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-7afb-Crap-posters,-old-school-punks-and-GNCTU#.WTlchxPytHQ
Gonzo Magazine Album review
http://www.gonzoweekly.com/pdf/Gonzo241.pdf
Musique Machine – Review
https://www.musiquemachine.com/reviews/reviews_template.php?id=6325
Pop Matters 20 Questions
http://www.popmatters.com/feature/20-questions-doctors-of-madness-richard-strange/
Art Newspaper
https://www.a-n.co.uk/news/haroon-mirza-its-like-being-on-a-world-tour
Reblogged this on Opher's World and commented:
Three weeks to go!! Kardomah94 Hull!!
Get your tickets for this one off event!
https://www.hullboxoffice.com/