Sievey was an undoubted success as Frank, but arguably never reached the showbiz heights of hiscontemporaries. They became The Stone Roses. This is an edited extract from Frank: The True Story that Inspired the Movie. He had previously been a writer for the satirical comic Oink!, a milder 80s rival to Viz. So I quit college and moved to Manchester. I'd like to say that during the years since Richard the bass player took an instant dislike to me a dislike that only intensified during the months that followed before the band imploded, and climaxed in him yelling that he'd like to break my "keyboard-playing fingers" he went on to have a disappointing life. Chris and the band, whilst disgruntled by the success of a character created for Frank now detached from Frank, did not resent it, with drummer Mike Doherty saying that while she had taken the characters name, she had crafted her own thing out of it.[21]. He also made five appearances on Iain Lee's programme on London's LBC as well as on numerous community radio stations such as Forever Manchester. Find out more, The latest offers and discount codes from popular brands on Telegraph Voucher Codes, A still from Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story, Chris Sievey hiding his face, with 'Little Frank', When are the Oscars? Paula once recalled: We had loads of money. [42] Reg is one of the few examples of Chris playing a character on television not related to Frank Sidebottom. Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story tells the twisted tale of a split personality, exploring the extraordinary secret life of a songwriter, artist, comedian and wayward genius. Sievey as Frank Sidebottom at the Bull and Gate, Retirement of Frank, stop-motion work and failed solo ventures (19952004), Chris Sievey - Being Frank Liner Notes - Steve Sullivan, 2019 7A Records, Last edited on 18 February 2023, at 11:00, Frank: The True Story that Inspired the Movie, "Chris Sievey: The man behind the papier-mch mask of Frank Sidebottom Obituaries, News", "frank's firm favourities | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company", "oh blimey it's christmas | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company", "BBC Frank Sidebottom creator Chris Sievey was "a genius", "Revolution No. Sievey returned to television as Frank in 2006, hosting Frank Sidebottom's Proper Telly Show on the Manchester station Channel M. Most recently he had been touring with the punk poet John Cooper Clarke. Even though the pop-tinged punk rockers never became household names, they had their fair share of female fans. Frank Sidebottom was possibly the strangest pop star in history. It is directed by Steve Sullivan, and was funded through a successful Kickstarter campaign. The Biz also introduced the character that Sievey would become famous for, initially devised as a one-off promotional gimmick. There is always a moment failure begins. [38] His last personal appearance was at the Salutation pub, Higher Chatham Street, Manchester on 11 June 2010 when he launched his World Cup single, "Three Shirts on the Line". My next-door neighbour Mani had a band. Why was he wearing the head when there was nobody there to see it except for his own band? The band's biggest-selling 45 was I'm in Love With the Girl On the Manchester Virgin Megastore Checkout Desk retitled I'm in Love With the Girl On a Certain Manchester Megastore Checkout Desk, after complaints from the Virgin boss Richard Branson which reached No 54 in February 1981. [54] After it was reported that Sievey had died virtually penniless and was facing a pauper's funeral provided by state grants,[55] a grassroots movement on various social networking websites raised 6,500 in a matter of hours. [16] It was likely the failure of his third Zonophone EP, Sci-Fi, that caused him to be dropped by the label. Those were my happiest times when Chris would mysteriously decide to just carry on being Frank. Frank took one look at his watch: "Ten seconds.". It is the story of two men . Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story. With a swimmers clip over his nose, Franks songs included Timperley 969 1909 (which was Chriss home telephone number), Born In Timperley (to the tune of Born In The USA) and his own version of Kylie Minogues I Should Be So Lucky, where he rhymed Tizer with synthesiser. Young Sievey, born in 1955, grew up in the Greater Manchester area of England, loved the Beatles (nothing surprising there), was . Whereas, say, Caroline Aherne had a single vision and could just pursue that, Chris might have a fantastic idea, and then, just as the point where it might actually get somewhere, he would spin off onto something completely different. He liked the idea of the head, not the boobs.. She somehow got her own TV show, The Mrs Merton Show. I still lovedhim, but was so fed-up with him., They remained a close family, but it was clear that Chris needed the support of Paula and thechildren to keep him grounded. It was not love at first sight. Never, reply his family in unison, with Paula continuing: He never got bitter about anything likethat. The arrival of a decent pay cheque allowed him to indulge his worst habits. During this time, Sievey began working on a solo album entitled Life in 74 Minutes, which he later abandoned. [citation needed], Frank's last professional appearance was at the Pyramid Arts Centre, Warrington on 4 June 2010. Sometimes, on the way back from some gig, I'd become aware that we were taking a detour to some house somewhere with some women we somehow met along the way. Before I knew it we were onstage. His backing band, dubbed 'The Oh Blimey Band' consisted of Mike Doherty on drums, Rick Sarko on guitar (both formerly of the Freshies), Patrick Gallagher on bass, and later, Jon Ronson on keyboards. Biography Stirling was born in Manchester in 1980 as Stirling John Sievey. I asked. Singer Chris Sievey went on to a career in comedy as Frank Sidebottom. The Frank Sidebottom character first appeared on an untitled 1984 EP by Chris Sievey & the Freshies, in a spoken-word track wherein Frank talks to Chris. A biography of Chris Sievey was written by Manchester author Mick Middles,[64] and was published in November 2014.[65]. But the man underneath the hot, uncomfortable fibreglass head was Chris Sievey, a musician, artist and comedian from Manchester. In his huge papier-mch mask, Chris Sievey was an unlikely star, enjoying cocaine and booze but without it, he ended up bitter and bankrupt. And thatwas when I realised I was in love with this person, she says. Talking to his ex-wife Paula and children Stirling, 40, and Asher, 39 (their younger brother Harry - also a talented musician, like his father - was killed in a road accident in 2017 aged 24),. [6] In 1971, he hitch-hiked to London with his brother, staging a sit-in at the Apple Records HQ, demanding to see one of The Beatles. I scrutinised their faces. Chris Sievey - Camouflage - YouTube 0:00 / 3:39 Chris Sievey - Camouflage The Micro Museum 403 subscribers Subscribe 953 views 2 years ago Back in 1983 the artist Chris Sievey recorded. While a total dearth of anxiety was a fantastically enviable character trait in real life, how could we write a film about a man who just didn't care when everything went wrong and in fact found disaster funny? They also have their own children, who appear to be very much chips off their grandfathers comedyblock. A poignant reminder of one of Chris Sievey's (AKA Frank Sidebottom) finest moments. A pauper's funeral? I completely believe that Chris was born as two people." Chris Sievey, who has died aged 54 after suffering from cancer, achieved the kind of success as Frank Sidebottom that often eluded him under his own name. Chris Sievey passed away in 2010 and left behind not just memories of some brilliant, silly, smart, daft, wonderful performances as Frank, but an attic full of notebooks, records, tapes, art and home movies. Chris had written his first LP by this stage, "The Johnny Radar Story", which, for various legal and contractual complications, was never released on vinyl. He sent me photographs of its journey from the foundry in the Czech Republic to its final resting place outside Johnson's the dry cleaners in Timperley. As I prepare to go to it, I remember something Chris once said to me. This guywith long hair, red knee-length boots and a mad suede jacket walked in, and everyone was goingWho is this?," she remembers. Our driver, Chris Evans, left us to try and make it in radio. "It's been so long. "Will you put Chris on?". [43] Guests included Caroline Aherne, Phil Cornwell, Midge Ure, Gerry Anderson, the Farm, Pop Will Eat Itself, Oceanic and Keith Chegwin. He received an overall score of 22 points from judges James Nesbitt and Glenda Gilson, putting him in first place for all the series' acts so far. Comedy character Mrs Merton started out as Frank's sidekick on his radio show Radio Timperley, and the similarity of the characters is evident, exuding a sense of great ambition which belies a domestic lifestyle in the North of England. Hundreds of online tributes have been paid to the 24-year-old musician.. He couldnt stop himself, hed stay up all night on these projects. "How did you lose so much weight?" Chris would be Frank for such long periods the clip had deformed him slightly, flattened his nose out of shape. And stopped. Camouflage is an single / programme by Chris Sievey released in 1983. He stands off to the side and at the bottom of the back cover photo. Former Extreme Weight Loss trainers and hosts Chris Powell and wife Heidi have . Military historian to sell home-made Second World War plane after his wife told him to get rid of it. In February of 1982, Sievey abandoned the quartet lineup of the Freshies, and reformed it as a duo with Barbara O'Donovan. Did he never take it off? Sievey's life was a fantastical, subversive piece of performance art. Frank Sidebottom made Sievey a star, but did that weighty head stifle the talents of the real Chrisunderneath? Things became so bad that Paula took their three kids to live in a hostel following their eviction for not paying the rent. Sievey would be carried over to the show's short-lived spin-off, 7T3, portraying Frank in two early episodes and a character called Reg in the latter half of the series. do koalas have poisonous claws. Frank Sidebottom statue moves closer, Frank review engrossing, tender breakdown of the Frank Sidebottom enigma, Michael Fassbender and Domhnall Gleeson team up for music comedy Frank, Frank star Domhnall Gleeson and co-writer Jon Ronson: 'We're not very forgiving of transgressions any more' video interview, SXSW 2014 review: Frank into the head of a pop comedy maverick, Frank Sidebottom 'He'd have died to be inthe charts'. [2] "Frank," I said. As Frank Sidebottom's popularity dipped in the mid-90s, Sievey began working as assistant to the art director at the Altrincham-based company Hot Animation, on the children's TV shows Pingu and Bob the Builder. In accordance with Chris Sievey's own wishes before his untimely death, we pledge to preserve his legacy by producing high-quality, authentic 'official' merchandise that is made with love, integrity and attention to detail. [32] After the first two seasons, Sievey left the show. They released 2 further cassettes, "Manchester Plays the Freshies" and "London Plays the Freshies", these were both essentially radio interviews with local and national DJs and concert recordings from each city. Fictionalising his years in Sidebottom's Oh Blimey Big Band for 2014's beguiling non-biopic Frank, Jon Ronson chose to make his hero an outsider musician in the vein of Daniel Johnson and the Shaggs.Those artists are, in many ways, more abrasive than Frank Sidebottom, whose chintzy Casio keyboard beats would never have passed muster on a Captain . Being Frank is also a very human tale of the lives he touched: interviews with Chris's former wife, children, friends, fans and bandmates including journalist Jon Ronson and broadcaster Mark. 9.[28]. It was late one night, and we were in the van, reminiscing about a show we'd played a few weeks earlier at JB's nightclub in Dudley. Sidebottom's Radio Timperley show, recorded in his shed, became a cult fixture on Manchester's Piccadilly Radio, helping launch the career of Caroline Aherne's Mrs Merton. Directed by Steve Sullivan. After that night the greatest of my life a year passed. His mind fizzed with non-stop creativityand, inspired by The Beatles, he wanted to be a pop star. As the 1990s reached their midpoint, the Frank character began to make fewer public appearances before seemingly being retired. [2] Unable to get a deal, he set up his own Razz label in 1974. Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story. Now documentary Being Frank talks to those who knew Chris best to shed light on his troubled life. Sidebottom's former Oh Blimey Big Band members include Mark Radcliffe and Jon Ronson,[12] and his driver was Chris Evans.[10]. "Guess Who's Been on Match of the Day" entered the charts at No. And now our Frank film directed by Lenny Abrahamson and starring Michael Fassbender, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Domhnall Gleeson, is going to be premiered at the Sundance film festival. Jon Ronson, who worked with Sievey, published Frank: The True Story that Inspired the Movie in 2014, a memoir of his time in the Frank Sidebottom Oh Blimey Big Band. [7] Sievey subsequently recorded several demos, which he sent to record companies, receiving many rejection letters which he later compiled into a book. Frank appeared as a test card shown late at night on Channel M, where he and Little Frank ramble on and sing songs whilst framed in a parody of the classic Test Card F. On 6 March 2007, in an episode of the Podge and Rodge Show on Ireland's RT Two, he appeared in their 'Sham-Rock' talent section, performing a medley of songs by The Smiths. The film documents Sievey's entire life, including his band The Freshies and his creation of the Frank Sidebottom character, and features interviews with many of Chris Sievey's family and colleagues with exclusive access to Chris' own personal archive of home movies, diaries, notebooks, props and costumes.[63]. I said. This documentary about one the most peculiar of musicians is best described in the words of his most famous creation: "Absolutely fantastic!". I am writing this 26 years later. Undeterred, he predated the DIY punk ethic by starting his own label, Razz, in 1974 and releasing singles and EPs with the Freshies from 1978 onwards. They had regional success in the Manchester area with "My Tape's Gone", "No Money" / "Oh Girl" and "Yellow Spot". A tender and funny new documentary, Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story, exploreshis talent and the ambivalent relationship Chris had with the wide-eyed alter ego that brought himfame and fortune both of which he then proceeded to fritter away. But Chris wasn't ordinary. I opened the bedroom door. The duo version of the Freshies released one single, "Fasten Your Seat Belts". I found Chris in a dressing room at the back, Frank's head in a bin bag at his feet. [24] During the band introductions at the end of the show, Ronson noted a negative reaction to his presence, but found that his microphone had been almost completely muted, leaving him completely unheard by the audience. Franks Fantastic Shed Show introduced Caroline Aherne to the world, with her playing the nosey, grey-haired Mrs Merton a character Chris claimed he had invented. Chris and Paula married at a registry office during their lunch hour and went back to workafterwards. He resurrected Frank in 2006, with a five-yearplan which was supposed to culminate with Chris publically removing Franks head and revealinghimself as the power behind Sidebottom. Chris didnt care about money, she says. I can barely believe it, Frank: watch Michael Fassbender in the world exclusive trailer for the comedy inspired by Frank Sidebottom - video, SXSW 2014 review: Frank into the head of a pop comedy maverick, Panic on the streets of Timperley! In this spirit he had asked his brother-in-law's friend Caroline Aherne to voice the part of Frank's neighbour, Mrs Merton. A MAN has been cleared of causing the death of Harrison Sievey, the son of Frank Sidebottom creator Chris Sievey. Sievey's life was a fantastical, subversive piece of performance art. The following year he released a solo release, "Camouflage", with the A-side a song, and the B-side being computer programming. The appeal closed on Monday 28 June with a final balance of 21,631.55 from 1,632 donations. He had a nice, ordinary face. Paula revealed: He made me a pair of papier-mch boobs and head for a party. But it wasnt until he made himself a huge papier mache head for a fancy dress party that Sieveyscareer really took off. Chris returned to Manchester to a court summons. I thought I saw a flash of something under there, some contraption attached to his face. On the day of his court appearance the judge told him it was a very serious matter and had he considered a payment plan? Immediately after creating the character, Sievey would record an in-character cover 'Material Boy', and send it to several major labels with the note ''I'm thinking of getting into showbiz. Nigel Carr reviews the release for Louder Than War. "Why would Chris want to rehearse?" Although drawing from Ronson's memoir, the story is set in contemporary Ireland and America, and the Frank character combines elements of Sievey with Daniel Johnston and Captain Beefheart. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Chris never actually said to me: "You're fired." Chris hung up Frank'shead in the late 1990s, by which time he was drinking too much, dealing witha large unpaid tax bill and struggling to find direction. Side One Camouflage (4:24) Off Key Siren (2:45) Warning To Women (3:56) I Am The Walrus (3:53) Side Two Amoco Cadiz (2:03) Hey (2:15) Return To Thunder City (2:02) On A Bender (3:43) Under Water (3:57) By 2000 he was earning 35m in a year, making him Britain's highest-paid entertainer. ", "So," I said. . [26][27] He later recorded "Flying" for another Beatles tribute album, Revolution No. Chris had been asking friends to perform cameos between the songs on his records. The only complaint he ever had was that he had so many ideas that hed talk to people about,and a couple of months down the line somebody else would have done it, and hed go: That was myidea.. This was initially made from papier-mch, but later of fibreglass. 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