"Can you play C, F and G?" [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. 73 successor Motormouth,[30] as well as numerous appearances on Channel 4, including the British version of the game show Remote Control which was presented by Tony Wilson, where each week he would pose "Frank's Fantastic Question" to the contestants. Caroline had the Mrs Merton idea.. Frank, usually dressed in a 1950s-style sharp suit, was portrayed as an aspiring pop star from the small village of Timperley, near Altrincham. I didnt have any choice we were being threatened with eviction, andthe gas and electricity were about to be cut off. I heard muffled voices. While many in England had wondered who was inside of the giant paper mache head of Frank Sidebottom, a cultural sensation during the '80s and '90s who might be best known now on American shores as an inspiration for the 2014 Michael Fassbender comedy "Frank," director Steve Sullivan was far more interested in what was going on inside of it after becoming familiar with Chris Sievey, the . Chris Sievey. It's a glorious achievement which celebrates Sievey's life with elan, and not just the bits he spent wearing a papier-mache head. Following its conclusion, Sievey became a regular cast member on the first two seasons of What's Up Doc?. Coreless Stretch Film; Pre-Stretch Film; Hand Roll; Machine Roll; Jumbo Roll; Industrial Plastic Division. But Chris wasn't ordinary. About Chris Sievey is a member of the following lists: 1990s British television series, English male singers and English comedians. When they moved out, Paula says he became a hoarder, and Asherremembers that her dad would write notes to himself on the wall of the house: No normal personcould live like that., How does she think her father felt about Frank Sidebottom, who Chris kept as a very separate entity(if anyone addressed him as Chris when he was wearing Franks head, he wouldnt reply)? Asher describes she and Stirling as having the responsibilities that Dad didnt have; steady jobs andmortgages that he didnt have to worry about, but I think were still easy-going and fun. She runsher own child-care business where she works with Paula, and Stirling and his wife are child-carers. Sievey himself grew up in Ashton-on-Mersey, five miles from Timperley. His wife and children try to join him, but are separated, and the children grow up amid suffering and oppression.David Levene. 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. Product details Package Dimensions : 7.48 x 5.35 x 0.55 inches; 2.12 Ounces Subtitles: : English Studio : Spirit Entertainment ASIN : B07PJ6TGQJ So my grandson Billysaid: Im going to dig a hole on the beach and bury Pop in the sand and he might grow back.. How are you?" Throughout the rest of the 1990s, Frank's television appearances would lessen, not attaching himself as a regular cast of anything, but making occasional appearances. Paula revealed: He made me a pair of papier-mch boobs and head for a party. Chris formed the Frank Sidebottom Oh Blimey Big Band in 1983. He later published them as a book. [57], On 8 July 2010, over 5,000 fans of Frank Sidebottom gathered for a party at the Castlefield Arena in Manchester to celebrate Sievey's life. Like when Frank was asked to support the boy band Bros at Wembley. [citation needed] Frank appeared briefly as a Manchester United fan in an advert for the FIFA 10 video game in 2009. A single decision that starts everything lumbering down the wrong path, speeding up, careering wildly, before lurching to a terrible stop in a place where nobody is interested in hearing your songs any more. A typical show would consist of surreal observations on life in Frank's shed, a cameo from glove puppet Little Frank and, more often than not, a tombola. I'd watch him furtively as the lights made his cartoon face glow yellow and then black and then yellow again. Chris had always said we could do what we wanted with the story. Then I became aware of another figure kneeling in the shadows, his back to me. 5 out of 5 stars (151) On the day of his court appearance the judge told him it was a very serious matter and had he considered a payment plan? Ronson was social secretary at the Polytechnic of Central London and knew Mike Doherty as an agent. On the show, as well playing Frank, Sievey would also portray Mr. Fantastico, removed after the first season, and Life with the Amoebas. 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. [8] The Freshies biggest UK hit was "I'm in Love with the Girl on the Manchester Virgin Megastore Checkout Desk", released initially on his own Razz label (RAZZ 10), it was reissued by the US giant MCA Records with a slightly different title ("I'm in Love with the Girl on a Certain Manchester Megastore Checkout Desk") as there were objections about using the Virgin brand name. "From the Desert Wolves.". [39], Following Sievey's death in June 2010, a social networking campaign was launched to gain Frank his first UK hit. But it was also a gentle spoof of the entertainment business itself. [25], This same year Frank was included on the charity album Sgt. With Frank I can pinpoint that moment exactly. [22][23], Jon Ronson first played with Frank's Oh Blimey Band in 1987, when their original keyboardist (Mark Radcliffe) was unable to make it to a gig at The Cricketers pub at Kennington Oval, London SE11. 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? What did that involve? The appeal closed on Monday 28 June with a final balance of 21,631.55 from 1,632 donations. [2][7] When they were asked to leave they insisted on recording something, and were booked into the studio after playing a song to head of A&R Tony King. Young Sievey, born in 1955, grew up in the Greater Manchester area of England, loved the Beatles (nothing surprising there), was . Sidebottom's former Oh Blimey Big Band members include Mark Radcliffe and Jon Ronson,[12] and his driver was Chris Evans.[10]. Ashers youngest son Freddie is eight, and he pops in and out of his grandmas living room as we alltalk. She became involved in Chriss artily insane schemes, which involved painting their faces blue ordressing as tramps to go into Manchester city centre. Chris Sievey, who has died at the age of 54, was the man behind comedy cult icon Frank Sidebottom. ", "So," I said. I am writing this 26 years later. . EMI were interested and offered him an interview. He hit the depths just when his act got his own ITV series Frank Sidebottoms Fantastic Shed Show in 1992. Photo: Lou Rocco/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images. I'd walk on stage, alone, into a spotlight, and play a powerful C with my left forefinger. He became a comedycult hero, especially around his home town of Manchester, being daft and singing out-of-tune songsin a nasal voice provided by the use of a swimmers nose clip. [ 1] The archive is now preserved forever in the Archives+ vault in Manchester, held under temperature-controlled conditions. Fame beckoned instead for former member Billy Duffy, who became lead guitarist in The Cult, and Lisa Stansfield, who had performed backing vocals on one of Chriss songs. After the "success" of "I'm in Love with the Girl on the Manchester Virgin Megastore Checkout Desk", the group released further singles, "Wrap Up the Rockets" and "I Can't Get 'Bouncing Babies' by the Teardrop Explodes", and although commercially successful in the Manchester area, they failed to make the national charts. You just need wife who doesnt mind cleaning jobs she adds with a big laugh. [32] After the first two seasons, Sievey left the show. I walked up, passing the bathroom and glanced in. The music journalist Mick Middles recently sent me his not-yet-published biography Frank Sidebottom: Out of His Head. A week after I returned, I saw Frank Sidebottom's name trending on Twitter. Aherne continued to use the character as a comic persona, leading to her own TV show, launching the comedians TV career. [3][4], Sievey grew up in Ashton-on-Mersey, Sale, Cheshire (2.5 miles from Timperley). The place was packed. [40] In December 2010, Frank Sidebottom's 1986 song "Christmas Is Really Fantastic" was re-released in an attempt to become the Christmas number one.[41]. The old band members had a certain avant-garde loucheness. Everybody said theydgive it six months, Paula laughs. Afterwards he migrated to What's Up Doc?,[30] where Sievey would not only portray Sidebottom, but also create the recurring segment Life with the Amoebas. But he was worried that however the film might depict Chris, any reality would surely damage Frank. Life went back to normal. Photograph: ITV/REX, Frank Sidebottom with Jon Ronson in Birmingham in the 1980s Photograph: Jon Ronson, Maggie Gyllenhall, Michael Fassbender and Domhnall Gleeson in Frank, Frank review a weird, wonderful movie that dances to a different beat, Panic on the streets of Timperley! Paula met Chris when they were both working in a factory. Starring Chris Sievey, Martin Sievey, Paula Sievey, Jon Ronson, Ross Noble, Johnny Vegas and Bernard Kelly. I asked. Christopher Mark Sievey (25 August 1955 21 June 2010) was an English musician, comedian and artist known for fronting the band the Freshies in the late 1970s and early 1980s and for his comic persona Frank Sidebottom from 1984 onwards. Frank Sidebottom was possibly the strangest pop star in history. Pepper Knew My Father, which featured other acts like Michelle Shocked, the Christians, Sonic Youth, Billy Bragg, Hue and Cry, the Fall and Wet Wet Wet. The record peaked at No 54. "I don't know," he said, looking pleased. On 8 July 2010, over 5,000 fans of Frank Sidebottom gathered for a party at the Castlefield Arena in Manchester to celebrate Sievey's life. And meanwhile we were crisscrossing Manchester and Bury and Leeds and Sheffield and Liverpool in our Transit van. During this time, Sievey began working on a solo album entitled Life in 74 Minutes, which he later abandoned. Sievey subsequently cut various demos, mailing them to record companies and receiving bushels of rejection slips. Fromthinking shed never fancy him, she literally fell for him when he inexplicably pushed her into a canal; after he pulled her out, they ended up kissing on the canal bank. The men turned. 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. This guywith long hair, red knee-length boots and a mad suede jacket walked in, and everyone was goingWho is this?," she remembers. This year marks the 10 th anniversary of the death of the talented Chris Sievey (the man behind the papier mch head of Frank Sidebottom).. Chris, who was only aged 54 when he died of cancer on June 21, 2010, created Frank - who became a cult figure in Manchester and beyond and turned Timperley into a magical town - that some people didn't think truly existed. 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. [26][27] He later recorded "Flying" for another Beatles tribute album, Revolution No. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Chris Sievey was a 'live in the moment' man, his friends said More than 200 people gathered to pay their respects to Chris Sievey - the creator of comedian Frank Sidebottom - at his. Harry Sievey was one of two cyclists involved in a collision with a Vauxhall Corsa in Mauldeth Road, Withington, on Sunday. Photograph: Linda Nylind, Frank Sidebottom: the true story of the man behind the mask, Frank Sidebottom creator Chris Sievey dies aged 54, Frank Sidebottom's gone. Sievey was a creative powerhouse, yet as with so many artists, he had extreme Peter Pan qualities. He became one of the world's most successful tour managers, looking after Woody Allen and the Spice Girls. Frank Sidebottom Talk To Frank Drug Parody Comedian Chris Sievey Unofficial Unisex 3/4 Sleeve Baseball Tee Available In 7 Colour Choices ad vertisement by CustardGB. It is understood entertainer Chris Sievey collapsed at his home in Hale, Greater Manchester, in the early hours. 66. As I walked in he started playing a tight soul-funk riff with seeming nonchalance, but I understood it to be an act of aggression. Among his bandmates were Martin Jackson, later of Magazine, and the future Cult guitarist Billy Duffy. "So Frank's playing tonight and our keyboard player can't make it and so we're going to have to cancel unless you know any keyboard players," said a frantic voice. Along his frequent television appearances, the Frank Sidebottom character also made appearances on radio, on stations such as Manchester's Piccadilly Radio and on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 5, alongside Mark and Lard. Do you have any tips?". Even though the pop-tinged punk rockers never became household names, they had their fair share of female fans. "I'm Richard," he said. The show was produced by Dave Behrens[44] for Yorkshire Television and was shown on ITV. When he had some, hed just give it away and it wouldall be gone in a day. Chris was totally out of control. As the 1990s reached their midpoint, the Frank character began to make fewer public appearances before seemingly being retired. In the van, Chris smiled wistfully. He loved the work but missed Frank and wanted to bring him back from retirement. In 2014, a feature-length documentary about the life and art of Chris Sievey, entitled Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story[11] was announced and was released in March 2019. Chris's ex-wife Paula who he wooed by pushing into a canal said in Mick's book: "I was so naive because girls would often ring up and ask for him. [2] The person that emerges from behind the mask via the documentary however is a wonderfully positive optimistic and . In 1983, with the band on hiatus, Sievey went solo. The following year he released a solo release, "Camouflage", with the A-side a song, and the B-side being computer programming. Chris would be Frank for such long periods the clip had deformed him slightly, flattened his nose out of shape. This album introduced the character Mrs Merton, portrayed by Caroline Aherne. It did not work but the sound engineers did agree to let Chris and his brother Martin record a few tracks. And in the space of that first song our classic Born in Timperley (to the tune of Springsteen's Born in the USA) the audience veered from fevered anticipation into hoping we were playing a weird joke on them into realising with regret that we were not. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, New documentary Being Frank sheds light on Chris Sievey's troubled life behind the mask, Chris Sievey died aged 54 from cancer in June 2010, Frank Sidebottom with Caroline Aherne as Mrs Merton in 1992, Frank pictured with Corrie's Barbara Knox, Chris Sievey's band The Freshies' closest attempt to chart success was reaching number 51 in 1981, Frank Sidebottom Oh Blimey Big Band's van driver was Chris Evans, Chris would keep his Frank Sidebottom on off stage and would not respond if someone called him 'Chris', Chris cheated on his wife with groupies who would ask to have sex with him while he wore Franks head, Chris Sievey started smoking cannabis at the age of 12 and was experimenting with LSD four years later, Chris brought back Frank in 2006 however the onset of cancer just before Christmas 2009 ripped apart what had been a warmly received comeback, BFI London Film Festival clip from the documentary Being Frank, the story of Chris Sievey, Harry, who died in a crash in 2017 at the age of 24, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Among the singles and extended EPs were Frank's Firm Favourites and The Magic of Freddie Mercury & Queen, for which Frank struck a cover pose in white vest and thick black moustache. [2], Sievey, under the guise of Sidebottom, made regular appearances on North West television throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, even becoming a reporter for Granada Reports. Chris remained a crew member until the show's sixth season, but continued to work on the series' specials until 2005. 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]. "Frank Sidebottom was possibly the strangest pop star in history. He just started doing loads of drugs, cocaine, drink. But as a talented artist, he got work on kids programme Bob The Builder at the start of the millennium. Do you have any pamphlets?" In the late 1990s he hung up the papier-mch head and soon found himself jobless and bankrupt. [2], In 1969, when he was 14, Sievey began writing and recording his own music,[5] and by the age of 15 was playing in local bands. When Sievey died in 2010, memories of Sidebottom could have swiftly . [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". If you rang and Frank answered you would have to ask him to go and get Chris. I had to be the sensible one. Chris portrayed himself as untroubled. Frank had faded into obscurity in the late 1990s, rarely appearing either on TV or making live appearances, but, a one-off performance at Manchester's Club Indigo Vs Manic Street Mania in December 2005 seemed to be the catalyst for a comeback. Vithal Visavadiya, 63, denies causing the death of Harrison. Chris Sievey, who played Frank Sidebottom, is to feature in a biopic in 2014. For other inquiries, Contact Us. When I got to the bar it was empty except for a few men fiddling with equipment. It would have suited his sense of absurdity, like Right, now I am gone you appreciate me?., His brother Martin, 66, who gigged with Chris, said: Hed be giggling now at all the fun and games after he has gone., Strictly star bags life-changing EastEnders role as part of new family, Baby's body found after huge search as cops quiz Constance Marten & lover, Bianca Gascoigne reveals very unusual name for her newborn daughter, I took pic of son, 18, before his first night out then the worst thing happened, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. I had to be the sensible one, but it was still a very difficultdecision to leave Chris. I found Chris in a dressing room at the back, Frank's head in a bin bag at his feet. His children were playing outside. In this spirit he had asked his brother-in-law's friend Caroline Aherne to voice the part of Frank's neighbour, Mrs Merton. He was wondering if I'd write something about my time in the band to help him with the comeback. 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. Home / Uncategorized / the real frankie murdoch biography. The premise was simple but hilariously effective an aspiring suburban pop star who still lived at home with his mum, and whose chirpy ambition only served to magnify an innate lack of talent. Performances were often varied from straightforward stand-up comedy and featured novelty components such as tombola, and crowd interaction. In 1977 Sievey formed the Freshies, with various other musicians involved including Martin Jackson, Billy Duffy and former Nosebleeds bassist Rick Sarko. Chris had been asking friends to perform cameos between the songs on his records. 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. One track from this, "Lazy Rising More Slowly, Where R.U, Oh 'Chele'", was released on the 2019 outtakes and rarities compilation Being Frank.[33]. Denigration Now is a mini-album by Chris Sievey, released immediately following the demise of The Freshies, sent to members of Sievey's mail-order club 'The Whispering Campaign'. Chris Sievey Paula Sievey, nee Dean Stirling John Sievey (born 1980) is the second child of Chris Sievey, creator of Frank Sidebottom, and his wife, Paula. [31] The popularity of these appearances lead to him getting his own show on the network, Frank Sidebottom's Fantastic Shed Show, which lasted one season in 1992. So I clicked another link: Stars lead tributes as Frank Sidebottom comic dies at 54Chris Sievey, famous as his alter ego Frank Sidebottom, was found collapsed at his home in Hale early yesterday. In 2006, Frank reappeared in Greater Manchester on local television channel Channel M. His new show, Frank Sidebottom's Proper Telly Show in B/W, featured celebrity guests and animation. Chris and Paula married at a registry office during their lunch hour and went back to workafterwards. . This was a huge stage for Frank his biggest ever, by about 49,500 people. I cleared my throat. It was really hard to keep things together. [48] A publicly funded statue of Frank by Colin Spofforth was unveiled on 20 October 2013 at 11:37 in Timperley village,[47] the timing a reference to one of the character's catchphrases. He had a nice, ordinary face. [8] In 1981, Sievey played on "Some Boys" by Going Red?, the band formed by former Jilted John star Graham Fellows. 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