HMHB News Archive
July - December 2001
A couple of entries for HMHB in John Peel's Festive Fifty this year - Vatican Broadside at 16, and Bob Wilson - Anchorman at 13. Click here for the full list.
All in all, a triumph. An expensive gig to put on.film etc, but the crowds came. It was also news to find out about touts as well. I thought they were outside for the drum 'n bass night next door ;-)
Also, with reference to the filming on Friday, a big mention for Hayley Saull - it was her suggestion to do it and her job to recruit the crew and produce/direct it. She did a really good job as well if you ask me, and from what I've seen/heard of the video so far it's gone better than she expected and seeing as she did it for nothing except costs, I think she did superbly.
Finally, there's been a few rumours flying about that the Manchester gig was HMHB's swansong; rest assured that news of their demise is a bit premature, although there won't be any gigs for a while.
Now go and phone Geoff up and order yourself a HMHB woolly hat!
David Garston wrote the following letter in this Sunday's Observer's Sport Monthly magazine:
"Simon Garfield's otherwise excellent piece on Kendo Nagasaki does contain one
significant omission with regards the acknowledgement of Nagasaki's fame.
The final track, Everythings AOR, on Half Man Half Biscuit's 1990 album,
McIntyre Treadmore and Davitt contains the seminal line 'I can put a tennis
racket up against my face, and pretend that I am Kendo Nagasaki'. Fame
indeed."
Sharp-eyed Nigel Scott spotted the Jenny Eclair interrview in The Mail On Sunday's "Night and Day" magazine, in a feature called "It's Your Funeral". One paragraph deals with what she wants on her tombstone; she says it should include that "I was once mentioned in a song by a band called Half-Man, Half-Biscuit".
After one or two teething troubles, www.hmhb.co.uk should now be pointing at this site. Many thanks to Helen Johnson for setting this up.
Thanks to Viv for spotting the HMHB mention in Brian Moore's obituary.
Gary spotted this in Old Skool section of The Scope in the last ever issue of Muse site:
http://www.muse.ie/210700/thescope/oldskool.html
From this Saturday's Guardian Weekend supplement:
'Thank you for giving Nigel Blackwell of Half Man Half Biscuit the exposure he deserves (Taking The Biscuit, July 21). But, personally, the lyric from his archive that should have been included is this, to the tune of If I Were A Rich Man : "If I were a linesman/I would execute defenders who applauded my offsides." Pure genius.'
Ken Bagnall
Barnsley, South Yorkshire
Nigel is a bit unhappy with the reporting in last Saturday's Guardian article, and has issued the following statement (do I sound like a BBC news reporter, dad?):
Much More Than Just Me
"Could I possibly straighten something out regarding the Weekend Guardian 'interview' in which the writer stated that HMHB was just myself plus mates.
Not true whatsoever.
This perception is purely the journalist's and would certainly not have been gleaned from anything I stated in my written replies to the questions asked.
Neil, as people know has been here from the beginning - the pair of us formed the group. Carl and Ken have been in the band for years themselves and their contributions are highly appreciated.
We don't particularly write what they play. I couldn't begin to play what Ken does (I sometimes have to whistle to him what I perceive to be a difficult sounding guitar solo knowing that he'll lash it out in no time at all).
Carl is simply a great drummer and great bloke to know (controls the doors and that in town y'see).
No-one makes me laugh more than Ken. Apart from possibly Homer's mate Lenny.
For the record,without wishing to present some kind of wallchart, here's a few examples of why HMHB is certainly NOT just me:
Furthermore, strange as it may seem, we do actually attempt to be a quite well-rehearsed 'tight as fuck man' unit - on those occasions where we fail to be this we tend to flog ourselves with coarse foliage in the van on the way home.
We really enjoyed the London gig and are looking forward to Leeds next month.
Best Wishes,
Nigel.
Kevin Sampson's interview with Nigel from Saturday's Guardian (21/7) is here.
As mentioned in the article above, the current BP advert has a familiar sound to the voiceover...
Brian Reade wrote these words in Saturday's edition:
BOB SHOULD DROP ANCHOR
The great game may have taken a short Blackpool donkey ride but it hasn't stopped it's finest song-writing craftsmen from honing another classic. I'm talking Half Man Half Biscuit, the Birkenhead punk legends who brought us such gems as: All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit, Dead Men Don't Need Season Tickets; Dickie Davies Eyes; and their elegy to Tranmere: Friday Night And The Gates Are Low.
HMHB have released a new CD this week with a track called Bob Wilson - Anchorman. And here's the chorus:
'Lord I've tried the best I can,
I've asked everybody in Kazakhstan,
But I still don't understand, Bob Wilson - Anchorman.
I've been to Kent, Gwent and Senegal,
I've even been to look for Jim Rosenthal,
Found him on his knees at the Wailing Wall crying 'Bob Wilson - Anchorman?'"
A source close to the group says the song was inspired by this burning question "If everyone knows that Goalkeepers are mad, why give them a job on TV?" (funny, that's exactly what I wrote a week ago for this website a week ago - Gez.)
It's a fair point. He was a decent goalie with a groovy haircut, but how did he become Bob Wilson - Anchorman? I asked an ITV spokesman what he will be anchoring next when ITV have virtually every live game: "Bob will have an increased brief," he said. Will that include him anchoring live Premiership or Champions League in place of Des Lynam? "No," he said.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Bob Wilson - Anchorman (of late-night Champions League highlights) and musical legend.
A dude who swings so much ITV's commentary team may one day let him join
their sun-tanned, medallion-clad, soft-rock tribute band Ron Jovi."