One of the most distinguished guests during my radio shows in City International (Greece) was Nikki Sudden. The Berlin-based British musician talked about his career, his shows in Greece, his encounter with David Bowie and played some of his most characteristic songs.
Nikki was an impressive individual. Well-dressed and well-mannered, not in the least snobbish as some lesser than him musicians often are, a genuine rock n roller who fought for his art. He gifted me two of his albums, “The Last Bandit” and “Treasure Island” (the latter with an autograph in the booklet). When I learned about his death it was difficult to believe that the cause was drugs. The alcohol scenario (as I was told by a journalist of City International) sounded more likely because he didn’t seem like an addicted person to me. They say that he had a heart failure while asleep and never woke up.
“Hallo everybody, this is Mike the Black Sheep and another radio show “Sound and Vision” starts. Today is the 13th of November and special guest is the British singer/songwriter Nikki Sudden. Nikki, you are very welcome to this show. Let’s start with a few information regarding your plans and tours in Greece?
N.S: “Me, Anastis Van Hustler and Stefan Schwerdtfeger play together in different bars in Greece. We are a trio band but we don’t play together. We gave a gig yesterday in Veria and then we will perform in the “Abmassador Hotel” (Thessaloniki) and the live bar “Inside”.
“Nikki, tell us more about you. How did you start your career in music”
N.S: “I was born in London and I started playing guitar around 1971. I started my career with my brother setting up a band, the Swell Maps and we released 4 singles and 2 albums. The band broke up a few years later. Then I made two albums ”Waiting On Egypt” and “The Bible Belt”. At 1983 I started to play with Dave Kusworth a guitarist from Birmingham and we formed the Jacobites. We made two albums “Jacobites” and “Robespierre’s Velvet Basement” which climbed to the No. 1 in the German Independent Chart. This band lasted up to 1986 and then reunited at 1993 .Over the following years we released three albums, “Howling Good Times”, “Old Scarlett” and “God Save Us Poor Sinners”. In around 1990 I met in Georgia State (USA) Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Bill Berry from R.E.M. and we ended up making the album, “The Jewel Thief” later reissued as “Liquor, Guns & Ammo”. I made several projects with the Chamber Strings and The Rosehips in Chicago where I started working my seventh solo album “Seven Lives Later”. It featured musicians from “The Jet Boys”, “The True Spirit”, “The Fatal Shore”, “Band of Outsiders”, “Once Upon A Time”, “The Flaming Stars”, “Sonic Youth”, “Voodoo Witch”, and the “Jacobites”. With the band, “The Last Bandits” (bassist John Barry, and drummer Stephane Doucerain) I recorded my ninth solo release, “Treasure Island”, in England during July / August, 2002. Special guests include Ian McLagan (Small Faces, Faces), Mick Taylor (Rolling Stones), Anthony Thistlethwaite (Waterboys), Dave Kusworth (Jacobites) and Darrell Bath (Dogs D?Amour / Crybabys). Treasure Island will be released in spring 2004.?
“That’s very interesting Nikki, thank you very much. Tell us more, what are your basic influences”
N.S: “I like David Bowie. Albums like “Ziggy Stardust”, “Aladdin Sane”… “I love Diamond Dogs”! I like also “Lou Reed”, “The Rolling Stones…?
“I like David Bowie as well, Have you met him in your life”?
N.S: “…When I was working in a record shop in Notting Hill (London), I was holding the sales stuff position where suddenly Bowie appeared and asked me “Do you have something good for me to buy from the new albums”? They told me: “Give David whatever he wants”! I said yes, this is something very nice and he bought it. This was one of my own albums!?
“This is very interesting Nikki. Now, we have to change. I have another question which I would like you to answer based on your musical point of view. How do you review the music today”?
N.S: “I don’t like the most of the stuff that come out today. There is so much bad music out in the market. There are so many musicians who have absolutely nothing to say. It is only for commercial reasons. My opinion is our job is very hard. Being a musician is not easy to survive. Sometimes I have not even money to pay my bills and rents. But what I really believe is that if you want to play music only for money you shouldn’t play at all”
“What is your advice for the young musicians, and those who wish to pursue a career in music”?
N,S:“…Follow your heart. Do not listen to anyone who says music doesn’t give you money. You have to risk for your dreams because if you hesitate, that means your dreams are not worthy”
“Do you prefer to work based on a main concept or do you have a free inspiration”?
N.S: I sometimes find it useful to work based on a concept (Treasure Island is something like that) sometimes no. It really depends of what you have in mind. If you think that a concept works better then do it. Otherwise you have to work independently.?
“Nikki, Do you like Greece”?
N.S: “Yes I do like Greece, I like the weather, the sun, I like the girls but I cannot find the food I prefer. I am vegetarian. My main food here is patatopites. (It is a Greek pie based on potatoes)?‘
Nikki Sudden, passed away on the 26 of March 2006 just a few months before his support appearance with the Rolling Stones. The following video is a live at NYC’s Cake Shop on Mar 24 2006, just 40 hours or so before his death Nikki Sudden – Death Is Hanging Over Me!!!
Nikki Sudden Autograph
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Nikki Sudden Autograph
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Nikki Sudden interview (City International 106,1 fm, Greece)
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November 26th, 2009 at 8:59 am
Wow….
You are a lucky person.
July 6th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Exactly, this is what Nikki said…
May 6th, 2009 at 3:45 am
…”Stand up for what you believe in-even if it means standing alone.”
~DREAM BIG~