SIMON DRAKE

“I was just 12 when my father died, leaving a wife and five children. He was cremated the same month that I bought Fire by The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown; Arthur was about to change me forever as I saw him on Top Of The Pops cavorting about in a flaming helmet. I thought, ‘I want to do that.’

My brother was older and into John Peel so I’d hear great things such as or ’s . He stayed in music school in London while Mum took the rest of us to Nelson, New Zealand. There was a big population of young people there. Neil Young and ruled; was everywhere, a terrific album. I fell out of school’ and Audience’s . There was also more Arthur Brown with the amazing album , based around war and destruction and Arthur being born during an air raid. These albums were not conducive to having a merry time on drugs, they’re very dark and weird – but I loved them, and Zappa reminded me of a version of Arthur.