SeptembAAAARRR 2004 – it's International Talk Like a Pirate Day again!
(August 2004 is here...)

"RemembAAAARRR, RemembAAAARRR the 19th SeptembAAAARRR!"

ITLAPD is catching on all over the world and PARROT – Pirate Anoraks Revere Real Offshore Terminology – is proud to present a new 2-page addition to our previous supplement, to assist Radio London viewers in getting as much silliness as possible out of the occasion.

A large number of ex-offshore radio pirates, all experts on Marine Offences, be appearin' in our special Radio London ILAPD Supplement, on behalf of Radio Caroline North and South, City, Essex, London, 270, Scotland and RNI. We even have renegades from the land-bound Radio Luxembourg! Also appearing is the Gillard Award-nominated Pirate BBC Essex team. (see story below).

Pirates 'as got to 'ave their own Fab Forty, so we've given 'em one, and seein' as 'ow ye'll be wantin' to look yer best on the big day, we 'as hot tips on what to wear when talkin' like a pirate.

Honoraaaary Anaaaarrraks, Mark 'Cap'n Slappy' Summers and John 'Ol' Chumbucket' Baur the instigators o' International Talk Like A Pirate Day are gettin' busier and busier with public appearances, cutlass demonstrations an' book signin's. Maybe one day they'll make it across the briny to the UK.

Pegleg, parrot, telescope, cutlass, seagull – and a nice frilly blouse! Ye could want fer nothin' more!

 

Fab Forty Stars celebrate the 'Strat's' 50th
Digital station BBC 6 Music is broadcasting on Friday, Sept 24th 1900 – 2000, from Wembley Arena, where the world's guitar greats are gathering to celebrate the 50th birthday of the Fender Stratocaster. Many Fab Forty Strat fans will be participating, including Hank Marvin, Dave Gilmour and Knees Club member, Jeff Beck. The programme is repeated Saturday 25th at 0900, and is also available via the BBC Player, (select 6 Music in the Player itself).

Meanwhile, singer Tom Robinson, who presents a weeknight show on the station, has urged 6 Music broadcasters to honour International Talk Like a Pirate Day, sending them links to our PARROT supplement to assist them in doing so. Radio London has, therefore, suggested that the station is renamed 'BBC Sixteen Men On a Dead Man's Chest Music'.
Twiggy's Back – Disgracefully as Ever
Roger 'Twiggy' Day is not only appearing in our PARROT supplement, but until further notice, he will be on Caroline 1000 – 1400 Weds, Thurs and Friday, with his usual mix of 40 years' worth of quality music. On Fridays, he's got an hour of soul, 1200 – 1300 ,followed by Solid Sixties from 1300 – 1400.

Those in the South of England you can also hear him (perhaps behaving slightly less disgracefully) on the weekday evening show for the next two weeks starting Monday 20th. This goes out on BBC Radio Kent, Southern Counties, Oxford, Berkshire and Solent, 1900 – 2200. As usual listeners' e-mails, texts and calls are much appreciated.

Radio Sutch Raving Loony RSL, 2005

Paul Billingham tells us he is proposing a Radio Sutch RSL for next autumn. He has obtained permission to broadcast from the Red Sands Fort complex (left) by Project Redsands and is looking for enthusiastic folk to join him. Paul says:

"We would welcome aboard anyone who has an interest in early offshore broadcasting whether they can man turntables, fuel a generator, rig an arial or are interested in any way. We want this broadcast to be a tribute to David Sutch, as well as a lot of fun for the listeners and those involved in making it work.

We will be discussing this event at the Official Monster Raving Loony Party conference which is being held on the 1st to the 3rd of October at the Dog and Partridge pub at Yately Hampshire. I am a fairly new recruit to elections and the Monster Raving Loony party, having only stood in the local elections last June.

Any interested parties can reach me at melaniespar@aol.com, or phone me on 07766164976."

Carl (right) with Martin.
(Photo courtesy of Martin Kinch)

Carl Wayne 1943 - 2004
Carl, who died on August 31st, had been suffering from cancer, but had not allowed his illness to prevent him from continuing to work. Carl joined the Hollies as lead singer in 2000, and was performing with them on their European tour only weeks prior to his demise.

Carl (born Colin Tooley) had been in the music business since forming a skiffle group called The G-Men in the late Fifties. His next band, Carl Wayne and the Vikings, recorded several singles in the early Sixties, without success. It was when he formed the Move with Roy Wood, Ace Kefford, Trevor Burton and Bev Bevan, that the hits started coming. The Move's two 1967 Fab Forty successes 'Night of Fear' and 'I Can Hear the Grass Grow', both peaked at number 3 and went Top Ten in the national charts.

Our friend Martin Kinch, has always been a great admirer of Carl and his music. Martin says:

Me and Carl have kept in touch over the last 20-odd years, and his death has hit me quite hard. I started out as a fan but we ended up as friends – though obviously, at times like this you feel for his family and close friends.

A transcript of an interview that Martin conducted with Carl for Stoke Mandeville Hospital Radio is here.

The official Carl Wayne website has announced that a charity concert is to be organised as a tribute.

Park Life for Otway

John Otway is pictured here at Park Life, a really free concert in his home town of Aylesbury, where he gained a whole new generation of fans and Security had to step in to save axman Richard Holgarth from an over-excited mob!

More photos from Park Life can be found in a new page of his own Otway Section.

Otway demonstrates his own interpretation of the term 'Down Under'. Seymour (left of photo) is quite used to this, the security guy is unimpressed and the lady at the front is ecstatic about it!

 
'Where They Go, We Go'
Saturday, September 11th sees the Radio 4 Archive Hour, 2000 - 2100 BST, 'Where They Go, We Go', devoted to the 60-year history of British Forces Broadcasting Services. BFBS has been the launch pad for the careers of many a broadcaster, offshore and otherwise. Household names include the programme's presenter, Michael Aspel and Big L's Earl Richmond and Keith Skues were both 'wet behind the ears' at the forces' station before they became Wets for real. Ex-Wets who currently broadcast on BFBS include Nick Bailey, Phil Jay and Dave Windsor.
The Archive Hour is also available via the 'Listen Again' Internet facility.

Ian's thoughts on Analogue Airspace
A story in Ian MacRae's on-line newsletter The Radio Wave #31 ,'Party Goers Jump Ship', tells how WQBK in Latham, New York hosts a three-hour weekly Booze Cruise on the Hudson river, with live music. But things got out of hand when the police had to be called after some guests decided to jump overboard, and charges are expected to be filed.

This is a far cry from the Sunset Cruise recently enjoyed by a bunch of pirates in Vancouver – although the captain did have to shout at a couple of renegades who climbed up somewhere they were not supposed to have been! However, the captain turned out to be of British origin and an offshore radio listener. He was appeased when his passengers apologised and explained who they were.

(Right) quite well-behaved cruisers, Graham Webb, Gord Cruse, Tony Prince and Mick Luvzit
'The early days of Caroline'
In this month's Scrapbook Bob le-Roi has pictures from the early days of Caroline, including some never-before published photographs, and a new book recalling the original pirates is available, called 'Beat Wave'.

A Right Royal Ding-Dong! (or should that be 'ding-ding'?)
Thursday, September 16th will mark an historic occasion for offshore radio. Caroline's North Sea aristocrats, Tony Prince and Emperor Rosko will be locked in a friendly battle, during their first appearance together since 1966! The Oceana nightclub in Clarence Street, Kingston-upon-Thames, is to be the battlefield for this historic clash between 20.00 and 02.30am.

"Admission is a mere £4.00" says Tony, "As we wanted everything to be the same as the 60s!"

In the red corner:
Caroline North's Tony Prince

In the blue corner:
the south ship's Emperor Rosko

Can the Royal Ruler beat the Emperor to win the Sixties DJ crown?

"This is a night for those who were there and those who want to taste an authentic Sixties gig. There won't be room for a Royal Ruler once the Emperor pulls out the tunes!" claims Rosko.

"We promise a night to remember with the music we can never forget! I'm doing this gig to show Fatboy Slim and Paul Oakenfold how it should be done," counters Tony.
Bumper Update for the Hall
 No quiet Bank Holiday weekend for Jonathan at The Pirate Radio Hall of Fame! The September update has organiser Steve Young's personal report and photos from the First North American Offshore Reunion, which compliment the Hall's two pages of Vancouver photos supplied by Kenny Tosh. On the Big L front, Willy Walker celebrates his birthday in the UK and Tony Blackburn celebrates forty years behind the mike. David Sinclair shares pictures from his time on Radio 390 and Mick Luvzit, his on-board wedding photos from 1966. To bring things up to date, there are photos taken by a couple of Sixties pirates who visited the Caroline RSL in Tilbury.
Deja vu: Hendrix returns to the Marquee
 The Marquee club, which was host to so many famous faces in the Sixties, is to relaunch in September from a new venue in Leicester Square, with a Jimi Hendrix exhibition. Fans will be able to enjoy a 'psychedelic experience' as they browse 500 items of memorabilia, including a collection of the maestro's guitars and stage costumes, and watch previously unseen concert footage.

We can be pretty certain, however, that there's no footage of the 1966 Hendrix appearance at the Radio London Boxing Day 'Family Afternoon' at Billy Walker's Upper Cut Club!

In 1988, the Marquee Club left its old Wardour Street site, which was the venue for the Radio London Club afternoons in the Sixties.
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