Graham Reid | | 3 min read
British one-man band and slightlydelic musician Chris Wade goes about his musical business under the name Dodson and Fogg, which is a lovely English moniker.
He first came to Elsewhere's attention via a compilation through The Active Listener, and after we posted a favourable review of that he got in touch and sent on his most recent album After the Fall which ended up in our Favourite Five Recent CDs for a few weeks after (and he recently provided us with a link to where he has streamed it for free, see below)
Wade makes music which, as we observed, seems simultaneously grounded in the late Sixties (the folk-pop/Incredible String Band end of the spectrum) yet also sounds contemporary and timeless.
So we were commending him to you, and thought we should send him the Famous Elsewhere Questionnaire. So we did and . . . he's funny too!
The first piece of music which really affected you was . . .
My first really favourite song was Nirvana Heart Shaped Box. I taped it off the top 40 countdown back in, well, must have been 1993 I think. I was 8.
Your first (possibly embarrassing) role models in music were . . .
Kurt Cobain firstly, loved his music as a kid and then I moved on to Black Sabbath, Tony Iommi in particular.
Lennon or Jagger, Ramones or Nirvana, Madonna or Gaga, Jacko or Jay-Z?
Lennon by far! One of our greats. Nirvana over the Ramones. Madonna over Gaga, she proved she could keep doing decent music for well over a decade whereas in my opinion Gaga is just repeating herself a bit. Jacko for sure, and not sure who Jay Z actually is but I’m sure he’s a grade A chappy. Why aren’t Milli Vanilli included here? Shame on you sir…
If music was denied you, your other career choice would be . . .
Writing, which is kind of my side job already. Other than that, caring for animals, in particular cats.
The three songs (yours, or by others) you would love everyone to hear are . . .
You’re An Island, To the Sea and Mystery. Those are the three Dodson and Fogg songs I think I like best.
By others, my three current favourite tracks seem to be Old Man by Neil Young, Hello Goodbye by The Beatles and Hurricane by Bob Dylan
Any interesting, valuable or just plain strange musical memorabilia at home?
I love my original Magical Mystery Tour double EP. My dad bought it when it came out and gave it to me a few years ago. I’ve got a Stranglers carrier bag as well, weirdly enough.
The best book on music or musicians you have read is . . .
Neil Young’s autobiography is great because it puts a new slant on the rock star autobiography. You’re not given the same old “we played here, took this drug, slept with these groupies and then went on a plane and did the same thing blah blah” drivel. It’s a quite eccentric book that’s basically like listening to Neil go on about his hobbies and the odd memory that comes into his head. Kind of like talking to your dad, someone you just like listening to.
If you could get on stage with anyone it would be . . . (And you would play?)
Neil Young predictably enough. I’d wanna play Rockin’ in the Free World and have him go on for 20 minutes repeating the chorus until everyone exploded!
The three films you'd insist anybody
watch because they might understand you better are . . .
Big Lebowski, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and O Lucky Man
The last CD or vinyl album you bought was . . . (And your most recent downloads include . . .)
CD Neil Young – Letter Home. Yes I am in a Neil Young phase….
The last vinyl was a stack of Tom Petty 7 inch singles my dad bought me.
One song, royalties for life, never have to work again. The song by anyone, yourself included, which wouldn't embarrass you in that case would be . . .
Wouldn’t ever want to stop working my good man, but I hope one day to record the perfect song.
The poster, album cover or piece of art could you live with on your bedroom forever would be . . .
Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter by Incredible String Band.
You are allowed just one tattoo, and it is of . . .
Can’t have tattoos because of my Haemophilia, because I’d get internal bleeding, but if I were to have one it would be the little fella from Different Strokes
David Bowie sang, “Five years, that's
all we've got . . .” You would spend them where, doing . . .?
Hanging about with my family, that’s my daughter and fiancĂ©, going for drives and walking through countryside. Pretty much like now.
Maybe I should be more imaginative. OK, playing darts with Michael Keaton in Wales.
And finally, in the nature of press conferences in Japan, “Can you tell me please why this is your best album ever?”
Because I really want people to buy this, so I can get that sports car I’ve been after.
.
post a comment