August 26 - Happy 72nd birthday to Jet Black

Jet Black played drums with The Stranglers.
His first name is Brian Duffy.
The Stranglers were a little older than most bands I saw. The bass player had that scary stratt noise that felt like someone was twanging your rib cage. And I don't mean tickling. I think I remember hearing that the singer had been to prison. It took me a few pass bys to actually stop in and see them close up. I don't know what I was thinking. It wasn't like they were the only criminals we knew. And after all, it was well known that the Sex Pistols had nicked David Bowie's gear... Maybe I heard something of a childcatcher in Cornwalls' growly voice.
Had I known the drummer owned 4 ice cream vans and an off-licence in Guildford, called 'The Jackpot' and also owned one of the earliest home brewing equipment companies, at the time of a vogue in home brewing (thank you wikipedia), I would have said, "oh well then..." and strolled right on in.

Mr. Black met Hugh Cornwell after reading an advertisement in the Melody Maker and joined The Stranglers in 1974.

Mr. Black was 72 last week. Happy returns of the day to him.

Here's some good footage of a bright sunny day out in Battersea Park in 1978. I can't say I was there either. Anyway, there's a bit of everything. A zoom in on our birthday boy at the drum kit; Mr Cornwall's guitar solo (pardon, Yes, a guitar solo. The seventies weren't over yet); some pogo-ing in the audience, Mr Brunel takes his bass for a walk and there's a good leap; and a bit of a pre-Glastonbury sing a long.

If you wondered what happened to them - well, they managed to stay out of jail and appear on The Other Stage at Glastonbury this year. (see below the Battersea clip)

NOTE: the crowd arrives in silence in the Battersea youtube clip ... hang in there... it's worth it to see Jean Jacques Brunel's trousers and how many people in the crowd hadn't got their punk hair cut.





Note: The Glastonbury Stranglers are NOT the original Stranglers. Hugh Cornwall has hair.