Wednesday 3 March 2010

The blind leading the blind


Which Manc musician of yesteryear used to sign records with all the band members' names to make a few quid? The story goes that the person in question wandered into a record store many years ago and caught sight of one of these 'collectors items' up for sale for £200, and was soon signing everything in sight faster than you can say 'a licence to print money'.

FUC51 hears on the grapevine that there's an exhibition of 'recently unearthed memorabilia' of this band planned for later in the year. Could the two be related? Can you say 'pension plan'?

28 comments:

  1. There was a record shop we used to hang out in when I was studying in Leicester and I remember that a very gaunt looking Pete "Sonic Boom" Kember used to bring in stacks of pre-signed Spacemen3 releases. As his heroin addiction became more expensive the signed records started coming in more and more frequently. In the end they had to stop him when he and (presumably) his dealer began turning up in a Suzuki Carry Van and literally just started signing palettes and palettes of his own 12" records in the shop. Fuck the pension!

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  2. We've heard a similar tale about Pete where a record store guy said it was harder to get an unsigned copy than a signed one of a particular Spacemen album...

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  3. Would this be the same, or indeed similar story to the minor Manc musician of yesteryear who used to sign his deceased bandmates name on records to make a few bob?

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  4. £100 for that JLS poster

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  5. which minor manc musician is this rumoured to be then? spill it.

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  6. i'd watch your allegations there! the story in question and what actually happened was.....a fan came back stage at a new order gig and brought an ideal for living to be signed the three of us signed it then the kid asked, "where's ian? get him to sign it?" so i took said record to ian? duh ? and he signed it! years later i saw said record on a shop wall for 200quid i said to the owner who was very proud of his aquisition , "didnt you notice the date on the record was after ian died?" said owner buries head in hands.......i bet he still sold it tho? BUT I MUST WARN YOU THAT IF YOU CARRY ON CASTING THINLY VEILED ASPARAGUSES ABOUT ME SELLING AUTOGRAPHS! I WILL COME ROUND THERE AND PUNCH YOU IN THE NOSE! p.s your logo is a registered trademark clever dick! so change it! yours peter hook

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  7. Cheers for getting in touch Hooky.

    1. We never said it was you.

    2. Well done for trademarking a typeface from Microsoft word! Bill Gates must loathe you for that.

    3. Are you having fun with this new rivalry you've got with us? Consider us to be a replacement for Sumner or something.

    FUC51

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  8. There are so many musicians in Manchester that it would be hard to attribute this rumour to just one particular person.

    If you, Hooky, did not do this, then good for you.

    End of story.

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  9. My client requests you go Comic Sans

    Regards

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  10. Funnily enough...

    On seeing this, I thought it was about another band from the Madchester era. I was stood talking to the drummer from this band in a mutual pal's house, and the singer from the band was mentioned. The drummer went purple, and started ranting about strangling the singer etc etc. I calmed him down and asked what's going on. He Googled the band's name and 'memerobilia' and showed me loads of 'signed' merchandise, on sale from said singer. The drummer's 'signature' wasn't his, he signed my CD of their album to show me the difference, and he's fuming about it. This was only a few weeks ago. It wasn't anything to do with Hooky, or the Ian Curtis autograph story of legend. Don't really want to say any more than that, out of respect for our mutual friend. Shouldn't take too much investigation for anyone who's curious though. Take 5 and have a look around the internet :oP

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  11. Unless he becomes the leader of the free world or cures cancer I can't imagine the absence of Paul Walsh's signature would be anyone's idea of a deal breaker. Imagine (if you will) Antiques Roadshow in 2019 ... "aah, the exquisite 'Take 5' 12" - known within certain circles as a "FAC308'er", roughly late 20th century. Oh, and I see it's signed by all the band ... how truly marvellous ... Dermo, Timmy, Cliff .. but wait where's Paul's? - gadzooks a tragedy!! This piece would have fetched £25,000+ in auction had it borne the hand of the saviour of mankind. As it stands I'd flog it on eBay for 32p inc free postage".

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  12. For what it's worth, I agree with you. But you've missed the context of the message. The drummer was fuming because someone was making money on his faked autograph. This chap was also saying the other signatures were fake, but as I couldn't know this for sure it was unfair to accuse anyone of it. There's also the issue of the buying public being ripped off, by paying good money for a fake. The provenance of the item isn't the issue here dude.

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  13. Somehow I don't think too much money will be involved

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  14. ...and please tell me there isn't going to be an exhibition of frigging Northside memorabilia any time soon!? I mean how sad do you have to be?

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  15. Please please please can there be? It'd be fucking brilliant.
    I met one of them in Big Hands about 5 years ago, he was working in insurance.

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  16. Peter, your grammar is horrendous.

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  17. Thanks for your contribution. Alhough you've missed the point (again) it's still inspiring me to reply. I was only adding something relevant I knew about to the original post, I didn't wish to start a debate about the relative value of memorabilia with and without a drummer's autograph. And it also seemed like a good opportunity for you to have a sly pop at Northside too, nice one. Does it matter, if you buy something in good faith, if you pay £10 or £1000? And does it make it OK to rip off your fans as long as you're not asking too much for it? That's a bit simplistic, and how you can bat it back as unimportant because "it's only Northside" is beyond me. As for exhibitions, I know there's a JD exhibition coming up this year at the Silk Museum in Macclesfield. Not heard of any others...yet.

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  18. what, no Northside exhibition? *world implodes*

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  19. Haha, right, f*ck off now! You win...I give in. They weren't *that* bad! I've still got the CD in me car, thought they were great! S'pose we could organise an exhibition. I could start it...got a CD cover signed by the drummer...

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  20. Fuc 51 has just signed a Def Leppard LP on behalf of Northside, you could exhibit that if you like too.

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  21. what hilarious jousting...

    j the el...

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  22. I snogged Dermo in Dry Bar in 1991.
    I might exhibit my lips...

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  23. what are "THINLY VEILED ASPARAGUSES"? haha.

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  24. Dermo tried to cop off with me outside the Hacienda. When I turned him down he called me a lesbian.Charmed I'm sure.

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  25. ewww!

    They've gone even lower in my estimation.

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  26. Northside were shit and the come back a few years ago was even worse .. bury them along with all this factory shit ... forever ....

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  27. Hooky signed my 12" "Movement" at the book thing in Newcastle last year. He dated the signature. I wondered at the time why.

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  28. No wait I lie, sorry, it was Ceremony not Movement.

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