Hey Now! I rock!!!!!! VincE! http://www.bbc.co.uk/youngguns/madness/extra_interviews.shtml EXTRA, EXTRA - bits you won't see on the telly.... Mike Barson was one of the founding members of Madness. In this extra footage he talks about getting the band going, his influences and what he did to make it work. Mike says the part he enjoyed the most was getting Madness started, "coming up from down under" and officially blowing The Pretenders off stage at one gig. Mike always had the confidence that Madness would make it, they were good, they were unique and they were under 65. They had to convince people that a bunch of white guys could play reggae and Mike was really inspired by Elvis Costello's Watching the Detectives, music that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. After the punk era came New Wave, music became accessible to all, you didn't have to be a brilliant musician. In fact, Mike turned a saxophone player away for being too good. Madness was about variety and spontaneity. Mike quickly changed his tune, and with his help the rest of the band soon mastered their instruments - including Chris. Watch an extended interview with Mike Barson (5'20") Suggs How did Suggs and the others feel when Mike Barson decided to leave Madness? How and why did the band carry on? Suggs talks frankly about Mike's leaving and the effect it had on him and the rest of the band. Suggs admits that although sad, subconciously, Mike leaving the band was quite a relief for him. Madness had lost its sparkle and he was enjoying it less and less, he hoped that Mike's departure would signal a break for the band. Some of the other members felt bitter and thought this would spell the end for Madness. Communication within the band had broken down and rather than saying that it was time to call it quits the remaining members continued along the Madness treadmill. The continuous touring and album releases became boring, they tried to spice up the band by adding more members. But it was a futile attempt at keeping the band alive - the fun had gone. But Suggs remained positive, believing that when things go wrong it can lead you in a direction you wouldn't normally take. The loss of opportunities through Mike's departure, such as a scheduled TV programme, drove Suggs on hoping that it would force a change - with hindsight he believes that the band should have split up at that point. They didn't though, they stumbled on and remained successful. Suggs remembers the moment he'd had enough and that it was the end of Madness. In desperation to regain his life and individuality Suggs decided to call time on Madness, it was 1986 and he was 25 years old. Watch the whole Suggs interview. ===== � Madness in great ones must not unwathc�d go� (Hamlet Act III Scene 1/195) ICQ 46099201 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send instant messages & get email alerts with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com/ - ______________________________________________________________ Visit the Total Madness Mailing List website for: latest news, madmeet info, list charter, games, and more ... http://members.xoom.com/totalmadmail/ Contact the TMML Moderators at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] and in the message body put: unsubscribe total-madness
