Her brother, Patrick Aherne, 56, said: Chris was a larger than life character even without the papier-mch head. Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. The following year, Sievey guest starred on the sixth season of British television series No 73, after which he, portraying Frank, would become a regular cast member for its final two seasons. If I looked closely would there be some kind of facial clue? He choreographed it so I would begin the show. They were in the same venues we used to play, then in smaller venues, and then eventually there were no shows at all. CustardGB From shop CustardGB. Chris remained a crew member until the show's sixth season, but continued to work on the series' specials until 2005. The only complaint he ever had was that he had so many ideas that hed talk to people about,and a couple of months down the line somebody else would have done it, and hed go: That was myidea.. He was an inspired creation, a nasal-voiced pop star from the Cheshire seat of Timperley, releasing records in praise of his home village and oompah-muzak covers of old classics. [25], This same year Frank was included on the charity album Sgt. I am writing this 26 years later. Frank starred in his own exhibition of drawings, animation and cardboard at London's Chelsea Space Gallery next to Tate Britain between 4 July and 4 August 2007. Release Date: 27 Mar 2019. Chris and Heidi Powell. 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. [45] The show only went on for one season. Instantly recognisable, his keyboard ditties and larger-than-life personality were a hit on the . The real mystery of the man beneath the mask - the restlessly innovative, incessantly creative writer, musician and performer Chris Sievey - is finally revealed in this painstaking, fascinating, years-in-the-making documentary from filmmaker Steve Sullivan, Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story. What did that involve? Specifically, Chris wondered, would Chris be in it? This act of extensively touring the country would develop Frank's status. The audacious beginnings of a pop career got under way in 1971, when the 15-year-old Chris and his brother Martin hitchhiked to London to stage a sit-in at the Beatles' Apple HQ. Their van driver was Chris Evans. Before I knew it we were onstage. Chris portrayed himself as untroubled. View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2019 Vinyl release of "Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story" on Discogs. Side One Camouflage (4:24) Off Key Siren (2:45) Warning To Women (3:56) I Am The Walrus (3:53) Side Two Amoco Cadiz (2:03) Hey (2:15) Return To Thunder City (2:02) On A Bender (3:43) Under Water (3:57) 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. And there I was, in the passenger seat of a Transit van flying down the M6 in the middle of the night, squeezed between the door and Frank Sidebottom. [citation needed] Frank appeared briefly as a Manchester United fan in an advert for the FIFA 10 video game in 2009. Billy recently recalled: What I remember about Chris was he was a really fun guy. Harrison Sievey's loved ones now say they will try and 'piece their lives. 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. "Have you been in showbusiness for long?" But then, in the mid-2000s, he devised a five-year plan for bringing the. I can barely believe it, Frank: watch Michael Fassbender in the world exclusive trailer for the comedy inspired by Frank Sidebottom - video, SXSW 2014 review: Frank into the head of a pop comedy maverick, Panic on the streets of Timperley! This new lineup was a source of tension between the members, with Richard Jones and Jon Ronson taking a near instant disliking for each other. Play over 320 million tracks for free on SoundCloud. The music journalist Mick Middles recently sent me his not-yet-published biography Frank Sidebottom: Out of His Head. 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. But he didn't. Biography Stirling was born in Manchester in 1980 as Stirling John Sievey. As the careers of his former bandmates and co-stars grew, his began to decline. 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. Radio 1, and in particular Mike Read gave the Freshies a lot of airplay, especially the MCA release. Never, reply his family in unison, with Paula continuing: He never got bitter about anything likethat. It was consequently baffling for me to become aware of a growing sense of discontent in the van. The man on the phone said I should meet them at the soundcheck at 5pm. He was chaotic. "I play keyboards," I said. Ithought he was hilarious; I couldnt wait to get to work as we worked on opposite sides of the samebench and every so often Id get this screwed-up piece of paper thrown over to me and it would saysomething really funny. (1992), No 73 (1982) and TX (1985). Coreless Stretch Film; Pre-Stretch Film; Hand Roll; Machine Roll; Jumbo Roll; Industrial Plastic Division. Within an hour 554 people had donated 6,950.03. On the show, as well playing Frank, Sievey would also portray Mr. Fantastico, removed after the first season, and Life with the Amoebas. Camouflage first appeared on Sievey's 1982 'Denigration Now' VHS and cassette. Sievey himself grew up in Ashton-on-Mersey, five miles from Timperley. It was very poorly attended. [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. The exhibition covered both Frank Sidebottom as well as Sievey's other creative endeavours. Among his bandmates were Martin Jackson, later of Magazine, and the future Cult guitarist Billy Duffy. [49][50], Sievey was diagnosed with cancer in May 2010,[51] and died at Wythenshawe Hospital on 21 June 2010 at the age of 54 after collapsing at his home in Hale, Greater Manchester. Franks Fantastic Shed Show introduced Caroline Aherne to the world, with her playing the nosey, grey-haired Mrs Merton a character Chris claimed he had invented. Harry Sievey was one of two cyclists involved in a collision with a Vauxhall Corsa in Mauldeth Road, Withington, on Sunday. I had to be the sensible one. [16] It was likely the failure of his third Zonophone EP, Sci-Fi, that caused him to be dropped by the label. 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. The donations never stopped. For other inquiries, Contact Us. This album introduced the character Mrs Merton, portrayed by Caroline Aherne. [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]. Life went back to normal. But he was worried that however the film might depict Chris, any reality would surely damage Frank. Talking to his ex-wife Paula and children Stirling, 40, and Asher, 39 (their younger brother Harry - also a talented musician, like his father - was killed in a road accident in 2017 aged 24),. Sometimes, on the way back from some gig, I'd become aware that we were taking a detour to some house somewhere with some women we somehow met along the way. A Timperley village councillor, Neil Taylor, started his own fund-raising campaign for a memorial statue Frank cast in bronze. The show's promoter, Harvey Goldsmith, was glaring at him from the wings. I heard muffled voices. . They became big names in a way that Frank/Chris never did. Two huge eyes were staring at me, painted onto a great, imposing fake head, lips slightly parted as if mildly surprised. [32] After the first two seasons, Sievey left the show. His second Zonophone EP, 'Oh Blimey, It's Christmas' charted slightly higher than the first, at number 87, before dropping off again. And towards the end of the crowd-funded film, which was a hit at last years South By Southwest Festival in Texas, we see Frank singing: I hope when Im dead Ill be fantastically famous.. I said. However, the TV was repossessed, and the family ended up cooking burgers over aBunsen burner after the electricity was turned off when the bill wasnt paid. In 2003, he became a writer on Fimbles, and then, in 2004, on the British revival of the Swiss stop motion programme Pingu. They eventually convinced the engineers to let them record a session. [10] In the documentary Being Frank, Martin Sievey (Chris's brother) states this was made using plaster of Paris.[11]. This documentary about one the most peculiar of musicians is best described in the words of his most famous creation: "Absolutely fantastic!". It was not love at first sight. A covering letter supposedly read: "Dear X, I'm thinking of getting into showbusiness. . Sometimes the show also included lectures. I'd like to say that during the years since Richard the bass player took an instant dislike to me a dislike that only intensified during the months that followed before the band imploded, and climaxed in him yelling that he'd like to break my "keyboard-playing fingers" he went on to have a disappointing life. I found Chris in a dressing room at the back, Frank's head in a bin bag at his feet. "Guess Who's Been on Match of the Day" entered the charts at No. He also made five appearances on Iain Lee's programme on London's LBC as well as on numerous community radio stations such as Forever Manchester. Chris Sievey. Chris filled me in on the past 10 years. He is survived by his children Stirling, Asher and Harrison from his marriage to Paula, which ended in divorce, and by his brother Martin. Chris wanted to give the band a more professional sound, and booked a 30 date tour, the longest the band had ever undertook. Being Frank is also a very human tale of the lives he touched: interviews with Chris's former wife, children, friends, fans and bandmates including journalist Jon Ronson and broadcaster Mark. Contrasting with the alternative comedians of the time, Frank Sidebottom's comedy was family-friendly, if a little bizarre for some. The big reveal never happened, as he died from cancer in2010, aged 54, leaving no money to pay for a funeral. I had to be the sensible one, but it was still a very difficultdecision to leave Chris. "I'm Richard," he said. He gave me a sheepish smile, as if to say he was sorry that I had to endure all the weirdness of the past few minutes but it was out of his hands. [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. Manchester punk group The Freshies, 7th January 1979. 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 had loads of cleaning jobs and cafjobs, and when I came home, hed be painting and making stuff out of cardboard and the wholehouse would be covered in glue and paint. Nigel Carr reviews the release for Louder Than War. Sievey fell into an alcoholic spiral, losing his wife and family and piling up tax debt, and he gave up on Frank, too. The synth brass tone the most stirring of all the Casio tones. Frank took one look at his watch: "Ten seconds.". Stream The Freshies - My Tape's Gone - Rough'n'Ready - Chris Sievey by Being Frank documentary on desktop and mobile. Jon Ronson, who played in his band, and has co-written a film inspired by the character starring Michael Fassbender, remembers Frank's creator Chris Sievey as being even more eccentric than his papier-mache alter ego, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Chris Sievey as Frank Sidebottom in 1992. I think he was a bit gutted that he didnt get the credit forcreating that character someone else had played Mrs Merton before on one of the shows, saysStirling. [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. "From the Desert Wolves.". 2023 date, start time and how to watch, From the stripper to the slap: the worst moments in Oscars history, Pedro Pascal is the best actor on TV even behind a mask, Whats on TV tonight: Django, Abbott Elementary, The Mandalorian and more, Anne Reid on her Daniel Craig sex scene: I was very scared. Aherne continued to use the character as a comic persona, leading to her own TV show, launching the comedians TV career. Chris had been asking friends to perform cameos between the songs on his records. Our driver, Chris Evans, left us to try and make it in radio. The record peaked at No 54. I'd walk on stage, alone, into a spotlight, and play a powerful C with my left forefinger. Tomatometer 26 Reviews. His wife, Paula, answered the door and told me to go to the spare bedroom. We were just friends. Chris Sievey as Frank Sidebottom in 1992. Nothing makes a young man feel more alive and on an adventure than speeding down a motorway at 2am next to a man wearing a big fake head. Former girlfriend Michelle, 56, told The Sun: I think he would just laugh about him being more famous now. In 1989, Sievey re-arranged the Oh Blimey Band, introducing Richard Jones from the recently broken up local band the Desert Wolves on bass guitar, along with a new guitarist and saxophonist. TheFreshies and the music was what he enjoyed doing most.. Contents Chris Sievey More Red Indian Music Chris sievey camouflage sinclair zx81 pop video Early life and career 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. Chris wondered, would Chris be in it a Vauxhall Corsa in Mauldeth,! 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