Suggs - Talks about Tours, Fans, 2Tone, Live Gigs Seen, TOTPs & more - Radio Broadcast 01/06/2023

didn't do it there our opening track called shut up got up to  number seven in 1981 one of the 31 top 40 hits   this quintessential British band have had in their  magnificent career their music was so important to   me and to so many others as a teenager growing  up because when a mad song came on at the youth   club disco or wherever we happened to be that  was legitimate permission to go nuts they have   always and still are led by the original Nutty  boy he's The Cheeky chappy front man of Madness   with the golden pipes hi you sugs what mate a  it's brilliant to have you on the show thank   you so much for taking the time especially as I  know this is mental Festival season uh about to   kick off for you and also big news are you're  announcing this massive tour coming up uh in   no in November how did that all come together  I mean you know obviously everyone you know we   were doing nothing during the lockdown we just  sort of got about 5 million gigs backed up we're   supposed to have done in the last three years but  um the great news is that people still want to see   this share of old farts you know I mean I can't  believe it um some reason or other people like   Madness and um and I like it you know I've never  appreciated it more in my life you know playing   music in front of an audience especially having  had that sort of two or three years off yeah   really do appreciate it yeah and people are so  up for it and do you do you sort of see when you   when you when your audiences obviously you've got  you know people like myself who you know similar   age to you grew up with you and everything but  also you're going to have their kids and maybe   even their kids are you exactly I'll make a joke  sometimes I say I see these little kids down in   the front I said your mom made you come to see  this you know you be home watching ninja turtle   um no but I mean that's the sort of upside and  downside of the internet you know the kids can   watch you you know like when we were young you  had to go out and go to aop and buy a record you   know it's very hard to get into a band yeah now  of course they can just look up on on on online   and and and see you straight away and they  like us they it's very fabulous yeah young   people for sure well listen um let's tell people  sort of um well in advance where they where and   how they can get tickets it's the saor V 2023  tour you're kicking off in abdine on the 30th   of no November quite quite a few dates right 13  dates you know ultimately Madness Che people up   and it's the best thing in the world to be doing  a tour at Christmas time you know because people   that's when they really want to have a laugh and  let their air down and and that's what we're all   about so yeah so it kicks off and ab I don't  know the exact dates but thank you very much   for suggesting a sequence to it of all I shall be  there till the knees give up no it's just great   you know I mean we haven't worked for a couple of  years and really what you do you know as an artist   Like Me is it's playing live you know seeing an  audience you just can't beat it you know seeing   the Joy on people's faces each one of our songs  adds a different story to a different person's   life whether it was their first girlfriend  or whatever whatever whatever yeah and so you   know as we go through the set you know whether  it's bagy trousers as my girl and then you get   towards the end like our house and then it must  be love we always in with that better than seeing   a lot of fat B BLS or clim while we play Must Be  Love I never thought I'd miss you half as nothing more number four in 1981 it must be love the  gorgeous Sound of Madness uh okay Suggs let's   go wafting back through the Mists of time  to get a bit of a handle on your earliest   musical influences generally speaking my first  question tends to be if you remember the first   record you ever bought with your own pocket  money no because I stole it oh Imagine by John   Lenny imagine no possession so of course I had  to have that away that was in there so are you   just just half inching it cuz you're a few Bob  or was that was that a political stance you were   taking that you weren't going to buy into this  consumerist Society you know what I mean it's   AB you I mean that's what I'm saying that's the  great dichotomy of what Madness are are we thev   or are we just doing it for the people I mean  in them days you know they was foolish enough   to leave the record in the sleeve then you just  kneel down and stick it in the big pocket of your   kby and Away you went well whilst I can't condone  the uh illegal activities a pretty great first   record to to have in your collection that's for  sure as you got older then as you were getting   a little bit older what about the first live  gig that you went to of note do you remember   somebody that we would know yeah yeah bunked  in again power to the people it was the who   at Charlton football ground oh I think it was  1974 I can't remember exactly I was about 12   or 13 and me and a load of me mates went down  and we bunked in climbed over the wall it was   Alex Harvey was the first band on which was like  just such a revelation I mean man Alex Harvey and   that was such a s of Revelation I remember  Ian jury saying you know comic malevolence   and that really resonated with us because we  weren't horrible but we weren't nice neither   and just having a bit of fun while being a little  bit you know on the other side of the coin yeah   the war wasn't that high around Chon football G  so we putting irons over the W and bouncers on   the other side were like hitting it with spanners  and iron bars finally we got through a bit where   they W this is it give us a down realized  I was in the urinal I head first oh my God but so all these Fells right and you're too  young and know wearing blue and white striped   shirts which was what Alex Harvey used to wear  the QPR um right football kit and they went and   B steamed anyway these are with us you and  nap off and we got into the crowd and um and   I that I do remember was the who yeah come  on they did that Baro R yeah but it was the   first laser show in the world and literally  it was like one green beam was bouncing off   some sort of um car um what you call them  you know like glitter ball and I remember   whatever you do do not get the laser beam in  you and this hit me was climbing up the Sten   I'm going to get a third eye man another  dimension anyway but that barbar O'Reilly   you listen to that that is something else  anyway that was Mr first gig yeah that was it Baba O'Reilly from 1971 The Who l at  Charlton football club in 1974 when sugs   and his mates climbed over the wall to witness  it his very first gig and we will be back with   more hilarity from the leading man of Madness sugs  next welcome back to the evening show with Jackie   brambles where it's just you me and our special  guest sugs cozying on in for what is turning out   to bee a most entertaining great conversation  as well as a meander through some of his most   meaningful musical memories now just before the  break we played a track by The Who because they   were the very first band that you saw live sugs  at the legendary Charlton FC gig no less so I   know you were only what 12 or 13 when you when  you watched them perform so do you think that   I mean you obviously that was it was it was just  an adventure getting there but do you think that   anything in your brain at that point flipped and  you thought that's what I want to do I want to be   on the stage no not at that point not at that  point that is is a bit later on I ended up at   the Roxy club which was the big Punk Club in  Cen Garden when I was a little bit maybe 15 or   something right and then it was the opposite I  seen this man called eer who were about 14 all   falling about on the floor I thought it's the  complete opposite what I've seen like you know   they're all on a pedestal these rock star yeah  now all of a sudden it's kids just like me and   you don't actually have to be fantastic to be  in a band and that's that that's that was the   turning point for me oh and and as you were sort  of coming up then I with Madness it took a while   didn't it to sort of get the lineup in place as  we knew it took a while sort of some comings and   goings and stuff yeah but once you once you were  on your way and you felt like right this is it we   are the band and we and we're going for it yeah um  who would be some of the contemporaries around you   at that point before you broke through before you  hit the big time when you were sort of trying to   make it through who would have been to the left  and right of you well that's a very interesting   question because you know everything so fast  you know it's like month to month things were   changing I mean when we started out it was like  um P Rock which was sort of 76 around that time   yeah and then um then Punk came along which was a  very different thing cuz Pub Rock he's so you know   you get like really pompus rock and roll bands  and then you got Ian J and and and the children   in the iros was a band that we were into right  and and and um that was in jury's first band who   were very eclectic their first album handsome  had a huge impact on us Dev School my wife was   in a bank called de school who were absolutely  tremendous but then they were like 76 then 77 pain   comes along and all the theatricality goes out the  window all of a sudden it's you all got to be in   like jeans rolls in and and and four piece bands  and and and suddenly the whole but then we come   out 78 and then suddenly it was all right again  to be it then there was a specials a selector de   been like manners you know suddenly there was  a scene we even imagine blew up you know Bean yeah actually we had Pauline black from the  selector on the show last month and she was   just sort of saying it was it was really great  fun you know it was very very collegial in that   sort of two-tone World um all going on each  other's tours and things yeah mate so you   know I'm like 17 18 we meet at Roundhouse in  cden town to go on the two-tone tour with the   specials to select the beat and then eventually  out Runners and we were like kids and it's like   you know what I mean it was a revelation and we  were just lucky to have been in that firmament   because it was you know nobody could see it  coming suddenly twone was I remember joery   dammer who started tone as keyboard player from  the specials yeah and they played the hope and   Anor where we used to hang around a p and is and  he turned out all his mates went Jesus just like   us and after the gig he had nowhere to stay so  he stayed my mom's flat and we small hours he   said to me so I want to start a record Lo where I  want to make an English Motown I said Jerry ain't   that a smidge optimistic you just played the 35  people in the pub basement but two weeks later   he went I've done it D it he was amazing yeah so  we made the prints of this recording you know we   barely got the booer we was working in you know  and then it all just happened like that like a rocket a message to you Rudy from the specials  got to number 10 in 1979 so SGS tell us a little   bit more then about the official start of Tutone  they started their office above a a Dr Martin shop   in Camden that's where twoo meal St yeah we knew  that I think our single was something like number   30 and you had to find out on a Tuesday whether  you're going to get on top of the pops or not   and so we're all there there one phone you know  you're waiting for it to ring right and it rings   n Go yeah you're on you're on you're on top of  the box fantastic put the phone down then it rang   back oh no sorry secret affair have overtaken  you in the charts and they're flying back from   Scot a and helicopter anyway the following week  we went up to 16 and then being on top of the   pops was you know I mean I can't remember 14  million people used to watch toet pop so you   I know you were genuinely going at the charts and  suddenly there we were on top of the PO I remember   we our van broke down just off of the West way  and we had to push it no the last two miles to   the the television Center that's unbelievable we  got banned off the top of the pop four times and   I won't go into the detail well give us a bit  of detail you don't have to give us Grim detail   but why would you we' been North badly behaved  because I remember the girl a poor girl who was a   promo for step records at the time said to me tug  most bands give their right arms to be on top of   the pops and I said look we just aren't right arm  giving people and I go into the details but it it   it was just like that yeah it was just like like  Lee our saxophone player had a T-shirt and said I   need the BBC and he took that off and the next  one said like a hole in the head and it's like   all right off off you go the next time I can't  remember it was P people the one of them were   in the list and list only held seven people so  who's going to not want to get in the LIF with   PS people so we all got in and it plummeted  into the basement and we were stuck there 4 hours you've got to make a film of this and  one of the band's brother was in prison and   he put a thing on his T-shirt saying hello  prisoner number 4422 444 and we got banned   again but the trouble was we kept having it  and we were like more interesting and and   a lot of other stuff that was in the charts  at the time so they had to keep having this   back here we all always been theatrical  people so that's you know how it work you   know top of the pops was of course was  B pants on M you know we were pants a mon House of Fun got to number one in 1982  for madness and we will be back with their   front man their leader sugs we'll be back with  us for more great conversation that's coming up   next welcome back to the great conversation on  the evening show with Jackie brambles and our   very special guest is the front man of Madness  for over 45 years the one and only sugs is with   us I think as you said as well everyone was so  original and so different from one another but   Al together you know I mean and like whether you  liked it or not you know Billy Idol you know and   specials and then Texas Midnight Runners all the  Bobble acts and just was every day something very   interesting Talking Heads it just was fascinating  man ABA I mean people have this sort of this this   this Rosy image that you know backstage at top  of the pops or or a gig or something like that   you know you're all jamming and strumming guitars  together did you ever get the chance to hang out   and collaborate even casually with any of those  sort of contemporaries not really I mean talk   with the pops only thing I clearly remember is  seeing um Cliff Richard having his makeup put   on it took about an hour off yeah that's he was  number one when on you the first time you went   on with the prince thank you very much the main  thing was that the two-tone tour when we went got   on this coach with the specials the selector  beat and all that that was it I mean because   I want you don't really cross paths with your  contemporaries because you're working you know   you're on the road and you very rarely cross  paths and I suppose you're very self-contained   as are you you know there's enough of you isn't  there that um there certainly was there certainly   was enough of us right well listen let's take  a break for some music and I rarely do this   actually inflicting my own will on our great  conversation but just because Madness had so   many hits that I loved and is a band that's so  close to my heart uh I don't want myself selfishly   or our listeners to miss out so I'm going to  play my favorite track of yours I don't know   why this hits me as hard as it does and always  has I think it's your vocal on the track and the   arrangement and the production really highlight  that you're more than a bunch of nutty boys   having a great time you really are artists this  is my favorite Madness track this is one better day one better day from Madness hard to pick  a favorite Madness track but if forced to that   would be it for me from 1984 and when you sort  of look back now SS obviously everybody you know   every band I ever talk to on here has had ups and  downs you know change of lineup reunions fallouts   it's like a you know a a musical dysfunctional  family most bands yes but you know it's massive   congratulations and kudos to everybody who's  still out there selling tickets and you know   in demand all these years on 40 odd years on um  you know to what do you attribute that that the   fact that you guys have sort of made it this far  that we're still alive that helps it's a big help   you know our mom used to say you know I woke up  above ground no I I every time I go on stage I   look around and I look at my band and I look  around and there they are they're still here   yeah yeah yeah I mean you know we knew each other  since we were kids and tolerance is the thing you   know we we put up I seen so many people you know  fall out go to court and now not being more but   a lot of my contemporaries are dead you know and  and so I just really appreciate that people still   dig what we're doing and we're still able to do  it you know that's it that's it I tell you what   I love about the bands is is that you have managed  to sort of do you know your Dar stuff your baggy   trousers your lovely Your Love Songs there's a  bit of a political you know social commentary   Edge going on but it's all been done in such  a classy way well thank you very much now it's   it's true now someone's ared me like my favorite  song is embarrassment you know and it's just a pop song but actually it was about Leo saxone play's  sister had a baby with a black guy and and and   and the family castigated her for it and I'm  talking about you know way back when this s   yeah used to go on you know racism and and we  weren't like political with a big pee we were   just sort of trying to say what was going on at  the same time we did you know gray day you know   so so in amongst all this sort of jocularity  there was some seriousness and there still is   you know but we're not you know ultimately I feel  like people you know ain't got a lot they they've   spent a few quid and we're going to entertain them  but but it doesn't mean that we're stupid I mean   we might be dared but we're not stupid and who  do you personally as you know out with the band   who who have you sort of personally revered as an  artist over over the years is there a particular   one David B David B you know I met him a couple  of times and um ah he really was a tremendous   character and what he did over the whole of his  career you know like never starts you know but   funny enough my mate it's a friend of mine called  Chris olivan used to have a club called the wag   wag Club in Soo and um yeah David B used to come  up the fire escape at the back have a pint of beer   in a [ __ ] just cuz he could just like relax for  a second rather than being David B you know yeah   but but but that you know he created this thing  that was very mystical and and and and intriguing   but it was him you know what I mean under that  he was actually a very nice and funny person David bie had a hit with loving the alien just  after Madness hit big with one better day I love   that Boe track and our special guest tonight for  our great conversation sugs is a huge Bowie fan   all right final question before I let you go uh  we ask this to everybody it's a it's um it can be   a tough one it's not we watch your favorite song  that' be idiotic but it is a particular song um   that you find yourself revisiting often because  you know for sure it's going to get you into the   mood that you want to get into whether that's  to be inspired or calmed down or energized or   get a bit Melancholy about what song is your  goto tune I would like to London Calling by   the class yeah they were fantastic and I seen  them quite a lot when I was a kid and what was   double great about them they went sort of reggy  which we were too you know and then they they   they kind of Amalgamated those two things Punk and  reggae and that such an inspiration to to us all yet London Calling The Clash our final track  tonight as chosen by our very special guest   sugs from Madness a quick reminder their  Summer Festival circuit tour starts June   8th in canuk you can check out their website  for details of where and when they're going   to be appearing throughout the next couple of  months uh then they are back out on tour again   just before Christmas for their say Love  Tour well listen what a treat for me to   have a have a chat with you I'm definitely  going to come and see I I live in Scotland   so I'll be coming to see the Glasgow  show that's for sure lovely I'll see   you there come and say hello I will do sugs  all right mate you take care all right mate   thank you bye-bye that sugs what a fantastic  great conversation that was my thanks to him m