KEVIN COYNE WARTS AND ALL 4

Kevin Coyne: Warts and all… – The Oral History – Pascal Regis

PART 4

'Knocking On Your Brain' (1996)

A step backwards, although 'Knocking On Your Brain' got a good press at the time, mainly thanks to the presence of Beefheart guitarist Gary Lucas, who co-wrote two titles, 'Wonderland' and 'English Rose'. The other musicians were top German session-players who jammed together, leaving Coyne free to improvise at will.
The results were mixed, and some terrible gaffes (the awful German reggae of 'Aching Heart') ruin a double CD where greater selectivity should perhaps have reduced it to a single disc.The fine autobiographical ballad 'Weirdo' is notable.

Kevin Coyne: "If I had to recommend anything in the mid-90s it's a double album called 'Knocking On Your Brain', which featured a very high class and well respected group of German musicians from bands you probably never heard of. The album worked out extremely well. It also featured Gary Lucas, Captain Beefheart's guitarist, who was on a couple of tracks and I've worked with periodically." (Record Collector, July2002)

Gary Lucas: "Kevin said: 'I'm aware I've been called the British Beefheart, and I love the Captains work. We had similar influences. We both listen to the same guys. People would say I was imitating him and I'd say 'No, we both liked Howlin’ Wolf and we both liked Muddy Waters'.' I think they do have similar backgrounds, and Kevin's got a touch of 'the madness'. But Kevin didn't seem really like a mean person. Beefheart could be extremely malicious if you got him in the wrong mood." (1997 interview, from 'Beautiful Extremes, Conversations with Kevin Coyne')

"Kevin Coyne was truly one of the unjustly unrecognized geniuses of music. On the tracks we did in 1996 for 'Knocking On Your Brain', I showed up to the studio in Dusseldorf with two intact instrumentals in my head which I thought would make great music for Kevin to sing to, ran them down to Kev and his sympathetic German band for the very first time in about five minutes. The band and I then recorded the tracks very quickly without overdubs – and then Kevin stepped up to the mic and totally extemporized the lyrics and melody. And he was stone brilliant. We stopped and started a few times for the first tune, 'Wonderland', which Kevin originally called 'Disneyland', singing 'I'm goin' to Disneyland' as the refrain, until I warned him we might be open to legal action for using the name Disneyland without permission (especially in the context of the lyric, where Disneyland represented… well, you'll just have to go dig up this album, won't you).

The second tune 'English Rose' flowed just like honey, and both of them I think are two of my best song collaborations, certainly ranking with 'Grace' and 'Mojo Pin' which I wrote with Jeff Buckley. Same collaborative methodology, with me giving the singer/partner a finished instrumental to complete – except Jeff would go off for sometimes months at a time and come back with lyrics and a melody to match my instrumentals – Kevin did it right on the spot. And Kevin was always never less than amazing; he had one of the sharpest fastest minds I have ever encountered in action outside Don Van Vliet [Captain Beefheart]. And a rich, theatrical voice that would melt your heart one second and then nail you to the wall as he shouted the blues. He admired Don's work […] Kevin and I recorded five more unreleased tracks in a studio in Nuremberg in 2000 when I stayed a few days with him and his lovely wife in the midst of a solo European tour. His paintings were really great too, the man also wrote funny and beautiful stories for Serpent's Tail Press you would do well to seek out. What a drag". (2004)

Kevin Coyne: "'Mr Pinko' is a sort of anti-Blair thing." (1997 interview, from 'Beautiful Extremes, Conversations with Kevin Coyne')

Gary Lucas: "I first heard Kevin in all his bluesy whimsical glory after I sent my parents on a mission in the spring of 1969 on one of their regular trips to London to bring back for me my boy Syd Barrett's first solo album 'The Madcap Laughs', and the clerk in the shop on Oxford Street pressed a copy of Siren's first album on them to also take home for their Anglophile son (he also talked them into bringing me back a copy of Black Sabbath's debut… guess which album I wound up treasuring… in fact, I think I'll burn the first Siren album into ITunes right now). Many years later I came to collaborate with Kevin after the booker in a club in Belgium I was playing solo casually mentioned that in his estimation he thought the two of us would be a good fit playing together; I jumped at the suggestion and took Kevin's phone number from him, called the man up, and we hit it off instantly… it is thus on such impulse that many of my best collaborations are born.

My favorite later album besides 'Knocking On Your Brain' is 'The Adventures of Crazy Frank'. (2004)

"According to Rolling Stone, 'Coyne can write great songs in his sleep.' Coyne says his song 'Peachtree Avenue' is about suburban life in Nuremberg: 'I consider myself to be a commentator on leafy avenues and suburbia at the weekends. People washing their cars on Sunday afternoons. I'm endlessly fascinated by this. I live amid it, really, it's a bit proletarian where I live.''' (International Herald Tribune, 2002)

'Kevin's Happy Home'

'Sugar Candy Taxi' (1999)

'My most honest record in years'

Robert Coyne had a free hand and co-wrote all the songs. His almost naive style sets the tone of a charming album, the most effective of all Kevin's '90s output.
Robert embellishes the production with some beautiful layered organ that lends a pleasing subtlety to the title track (a jokey incident involving Al Capone).
Besides some pleasant and effective boogie ('My Wife's Best Friend' and 'Happy Little Fat Man', which Kevin usually dedicated to himself on stage), the album also marked the return of barmy numbers ('Almost Flying', and 'Fly'), and solo ('Porcupine People').

Kevin Coyne: “Robert [Coyne] formerly played in his own band, Silver Chapter, with my other son, Eugene. Their current project is called Mean Vincent. They’ve got some British press. Rob’s writing comes more from a garage background. He likes Roky Erickson and the 13th Floor Elevators. He’s also keeping busy with his newest band, Venus Ray." (beermelodies.com, 2000)

"1999 was a year of change. My move from Rockport Records to Ruf Records proved quite traumatic. I left Rockport because of the limited distribution and lack of publicity for my material. It was hard but necessary. The frustration of making heartfelt records that no-one outside of Germany could buy almost led to my retirement from the scene. Ruf Records with its universal distribution changed all that. Applause for Mr Thomas Ruf! With the release of 'Sugar Candy Taxi', I am becoming truly international again." (Kevin's newsletter, December)

"To be honest, there is never any conflicts [with Robert Coyne]. We never fall out about anything. Never, since he was a baby - I can not remember having one argument with him! He is not the sort of guy arguing. He does what he does - I do what I do. He is just a very easy, very creative musician – it is a pleasure to work with him. I am very fortunate. If he was no good, he wouldn´t be here, I can tell you that!" (Jazz Dimensions, 2001)

"…rather raw, naked and back to basics. I resisted the attempts to decorate it and fuss about, and left it pretty well as it is." (BBC Radio, 1999)

"'Sugar Candy Taxi' is a song about sexist Al Capone and a girlfriend called Tina. It should sound sad and mysterious and full of longing. I hope it does.

'Porcupine People' is about my sometimes unbearable sensitivity. It's all done with humour though. To be as paranoid as I am is a joke.

'Highway of Dreams': A dainty morsel for my beloved Helmi. What more can I say?

'Happy Little Fat Man': This is a song about joy, happy hysteria, laughter. True love is the best thing around, who cares about being fat?

'The Garden Gate Song' contains observations about old age. I'm a little scared of it. What if I can't walk anymore? What if I need oiling like a rusty old gate?

'I'm into your game' is a song about telephone sex. Nothing more to say.

'My Wife's best Friend'. A generous dose of hot, throbbing fantasy. Something to do with sex slavery perhaps?

'Little White Arms'. My shortest song ever about a short, sensual beauty with lovely white arms.

'Rusting away' is another song about fading into old age. It's a cousin to 'The Garden Gate Song'. Falling apart and being unable to cope is a horror I hope to avoid. An old folks home down the road was the inspiration for this.

'Bird Brain'. A vicious attack on the empty headed, brutally ill-mannered types I sometimes encounter. I get fed up of being a minor public figure. I'm not a punch bag.

'Tiger Lillian'. A heartfelt song about an oriental woman from South London. Did she exist? Not telling.

'Fly' A song about the eternal urge to get away from everything. Eugene (my eldest son) performs well on this.

'Almost Dying' concerns itself with lost love, empty rooms, silent telephone, the English coastline. Breaking up is a cruel business.

'Normal Man'. A confused individual (myself) rants against the world. Am I going mad or am I 'normal'?

'It Hurts'. The pain buries itself at the back of the soul. Some things we never get over.

'Lancashire Song'. A tune about a long lost love for the English county of Lancashire. The memories linger once again. No regrets." (From Chris Plummer's late Coyne website)

'I like Al Capone, in a strange kind of way. He reminds me of a waiter I used to know. He was not Italian, he was Polish!" (Live jokes, 2001)

'The Garden Gate Song'

'Room Full of Fools' (2000)

A worthy successor to 'Sugar Candy Taxi', this album drives home the point. The title track is again an effective T. Rex-type boogie. Strange songs alternate with nice nostalgic ballads. A pleasingly similar flavour to its predecessor, 'Room Full of Fools' has Coyne in good form improvising in the studio again ('The Einstein Song', 'Whispering Desert').

Kevin Coyne: "This CD is for all of these people who might think I'm fading away into feeble old age. It's a set of songs for the passionate, the heartbroken and sometimes cynical. I had a lot of fun making it. My recording sessions in the U.S. (the first for me) were a triumph of fast food, fueled energy and lust for the improvisation. I tried to say what I had to say as honestly as possible.

Robert [Coyne], particularly, astounded me constantly with his feel for my kind of writing and singing. It's handy when ones son is a talented multi instrumentalist. Songs like 'Sugar Candy Taxi', 'Room full of Fools' and 'I'm Wild' bear witness to his abilities (particulary his rough edged powerhouse guitar style). Working with him was a delight.

This is something like (I've lost count) my fortieth album. When I started with Siren in 1968 I never imagined I'd still be turning them out thirty-two years later." (Ruf Recods press release for the album)

Jon Langford: ['Einstein Song']: "I thought it was a really profound song about a father's relationship with his son – he told me it was about the engineer in the studio." (Memorial Night, Chicago, 2005)

Kevin Coyne: “That song ['I Can’t Make It'] was done totally spontaneously. It’s a recollection of a seaside holiday” (beermelodies.com, 2000)

'God Watches'

'Life Is Almost Wonderful' (2002)

"Pass me the memories, I want to hear the laughter"

Why this one didn't win a four-star rating in all the rock (or folk) magazines and a place among the classics of 2002 is a mystery… except that a complete absence of distribution didn't exactly help. Also the CD was only sold – expensively – at concerts by the duo. If they had set out to be invisible they couldn't have planned it much better.
Coyne and Croker – who has played with Clapton and Knopfler – are two artists not bothered about record company deals, distribution and other practical matters. Never mind, the main thing is this marvellous acoustic album.

Although 'recorded by post' (Croker sent the basic guitar tracks and Kevin improvised the lyrics on top), the album is an amazing symbiosis, as if the two were on exactly the same wavelength. The promotional tour also confirmed this: it was a joy to see Croker guffawing at Kevin's rants.

There are too many great titles to detail here. 'Life Is Almost Wonderful' is a masterpiece where Coyne, with Croker's acoustic backing (some lavish guitar-harp included), conjures up wartime memories, the '50s of his childhood, catholic schools and other peculiar subjects such as the multicoloured eyes of parrots and the story of an English clerk trying to dig through his garden to Australia.

Brendan Croker: "In my opinion Kevin is the only English Blues singer ever. There are lots of people who dabble in the arts but very few artists… he is one of the few." (adastra-music.co.uk 2002)

Kevin Coyne: "It came about because I met Brendan Croker some years ago at a gig in Bradford, Yorkshire, at a venue called The Corn Exchange. Then, last year, I did a small tour of England and he arrived on the scene and said he would like to support me for free. I said, 'Well, go on and do half an hour to 40 minutes' and I liked him. From that we thought maybe we could take it further. He came to my place in Nuremberg for a week and we did some recording, tried a few things out. Then he sent me some tunes on CD, which I used in the studio and sang over. Then the stuff seemed to gel, spontaneous though pretty well all of it was. He was so enthused he went and put out a record, at least a limited edition. It's a good insight into the way I work now. Most of it is improvisation, rooted on a regular musical basis, but the lyrics are in the main improvised on the night, to suit the occasion and the mood. I like working like that." (Record Collector, July 2002)

Brendan Croker: "The idea of working with Kevin Coyne came to me when I was sat thinking about how most categories of excellence are open to debate. But then you ask yourself: 'Who is the greatest British blues performer?' There's no question – it's Kevin Coyne. Some people are artists by profession, but Coyne is creative on many levels, full-time, by nature. He's that very rare thing: the complete artist. He sees the world differently." (Independent.co.uk, 2002)

Kevin Coyne: "Playing and singing with Brendan was one of the more pleasurable things I've done in the past few years. Our appearance together on BBC's Andy Kershaw show received lots of positive feedback too. Andy's passion for what we do made everything go with the swing. There was much laughter around. More gigs with Brendan are being organised for October-November in Belgium, Holland and possibly France. A limited edition CD of our show, called 'Life is almost wonderful' is available at gigs and on this website." (Kevin's newsletter, June 2002)

"I don't think either of us have expectations of this CD going platinum. In fact, the first pressing of the album is a limited edition of 500 copies, to be sold only at the gigs, so if it did suddenly take off, we'd be in serious trouble. Come to think of it, that may well happen. That would be just my luck." (Independent.co.uk, 2002)

"My November duo shows in Belgium and Holland with Brendan Croker are proving to be a genuine success, with excellent attendances and a wonderfully warm response from everybody. It appears the mixtures of improvised lyrics and strong songs (with a dash of humour) really works. Expect more of the same in the new year." Kevin's newsletter, November 2002

'Whispers in the Night", live with Croker, 2002

'Carnival' (2002)

'Carnival' is in the same vein as 'Sugar Candy Taxi' and 'Room Full Of Fools' but the songs are perhaps a little less easy.

It marked the arrival of American Michael Lipton, a fine guitarist who played with Coyne on his U.S. tours (Kevin had only begun performing in the U.S. about ten years earlier, to polite indifference). Lipton would also appear on the next CD and here contributes 'Charlene', a fine ballad. Robert leads his dad in an improbable quasi-techno reprise of 'Rolling And Tumbling' that is quite effective.

"A Kevin Coyne dance album? Not quite, but Carnival has as many moments of upbeat joy as pained contemplation. Tired of being consigned to a pigeonhole for troubled eccentrics, the prolific novelist/artist/musician now resident in Germany lets loose on the Bobby Parker-alike 'Wobble' and gives his unique twist to the stabbing electro of 'Party Party Party'. Coyne's partnership with son Robert (co-producer/songwriter) continues to mine new territory. The spare, icy poetry of 'Missing You' masterfully contrasts with a seething rearrangement of Muddy Waters' 'Rolling And Tumbling'. Only a true original could breath new life into the latter, and Coyne still fits that bill." (Uncut, 2002)

"If you wanted you could say that 'Carnival' has a theme to it, and you wouldn't be far off because all of the songs relate to love in some way or another. Love with a capital L for the love of the life love; the love we try and maintain with friends; and the insecurity that love and need for love brings out in all of us.

The whole mixed bag is here in fifteen songs that range musically from hard rock blues of 'Stop Picking On Me', to the almost dance beats of 'Party, party, party' and almost every other form of blues, pop, and rock you can think of in between. As in his other discs, the music is the vehicle he uses to drive the emotions of the songs.

There are certain people whose voices can't help but to express the lives they've lived through up to that point in their lives. Kevin was on such a person, and whether he knew it or not, the sounds of his survival echoed like a ghost refrain behind his lyrics.

But of course, he still has fun with at the same time or proves that he's not immune to sentimentality completely. 'The Wobble' is just a funny little song where he tells a girlfriend who's shy about dancing that she just get up an wobble. She likes it so much that she wobbles everywhere she goes from then on and then the whole world wobbles because of her." (Leap in the Dark, 2002)

'One Day in Chicago' (2002)

"Like a young hunting dog, straining on his leash"

Invited in December 2002 to play a show in Chicago by his old friend Jon Langford (of Mekons fame), Coyne agrees to spend time in the studio with Langford musicians. In a frenzied session, Kevin rushes into an amazing and endless improvisation the musicians just have to follow. The bonus tracks recorded live at The Old Town School of Folk Music make of this 'One Day in Chicago' an excellent album, a proof how Coyne had lost nothing of his creativity and edge only two years before he died.

Jon Langford:"Advance tickets sales were so bad for the last Chicago show I had to beg, bribe and threaten people to turn up. Kevin was charming, rude and hilarious, vogueing for the crowd like some mad medieval friar while ad-libbing whole songs with masterful ease and precision. The crows was amazed (Kevin was amazing) and I got phone calls and e-mails for days from grateful friends I'd bullied into coming." (Mojo, January 2005)

"We went into the studio mainly to kind of rehearse [for the shows] an he had an idea that maybe we could record something – we didn't really have anything planned, I hadn't written anything and he hadn't written anything, and we went into the studio and he just kind of exploded. Before we even got the mikes set, before we could even get the drums up, Kevin was like a young hunting dog, straining on his leash. And he had to go in the studio and record – he did three songs before we even got to set the drums up. They were just in his head and they had to come out instantly." (Memorial Night, Chicago, 2005)

"I made a record with Kevin Coyne, who's a singer/songwriter from England, who I was enamored with from a young age. A notoriously difficult guy, someone that I was told would be horrible to meet. I was scared. When I met him, he was great. We got on, we had some fun, and made an album together; had a really nice time." (Interview with DE Rosso, 2011)

'Money like Water'

'Donut City' (2004)

The band on 'Donut City' was Coyne's last stage combo: Andreas Bluml, Harry Hirschmann and Werner Steinhauser, who also co-produces. They were joined on a few tracks by Robert Coyne, again contributing some of his slightly troubled, hypnotic pop tunes, and Michael Lipton, who closes out the album banging on his reverb unit.

Coyne unusually composed several songs on the piano, and he had a very personal playing method. To use the Beefheart analogy one last time, Kevin played piano as the good Captain used to play sax…

Musically, we run through all aspects of Coyne's talent: acoustic blues-rock, with the trademark basic strumming. 'No More Rain', a kind of country-pop ballad recalling the classic 'Marlene'. Then a swerve into pure delirium with the eerie 'I Hear Voices' or the pure madness of 'Come Back Home', a gospel prayer backed by fisted, distorted piano.

Not to forget 'Big Fat Bird', with the Coyne speciality of a background voice repeating a rhythmic phrase throughout the song, reminiscent of the unforgettable 'Mona Where's My Trousers'.

'Crocodile' works as a metaphor for his illness, while the superb 'Smile Right Back' is worthy of 'Beautiful Extremes'.

As on most of his albums, Coyne improvised both music and lyrics in the studio, so that the musicians recorded their parts after the vocals: a back to front world.

"'Donut City' is an album full of musical surprises, a mixture of melody, blues realism and rich humour with a fair sprinkling of love ballads. It was made over a period of twelve month and reflects the ups and downs of a difficult year. Kevin was diagnosed with lung fibrosis (an illness that creates severe breathing difficulties) over a year ago, a situation that made the artist even more determined to express himself freely.

Turpentine records is to be the vehicle for Coyne's musical ideas. 'Donut City' has all the qualities that made albums like 'Millionaires and Teddy Bears' and 'Marjorie Razorblade' such classics. The CD was produced in the Musication Studios, Nuremberg, Germany.

'Donut City' is dedicated to the individualist in all of us, to those that have grown tired of mass produced meaningless emotion. Stand out tracks are 'Locked out', which features some stirring Kevin Coyne piano, and the humorous slice of social comment 'Donut City'" (Label press release)

Kevin Coyne: "I wrote this when I was stuck out in New England about five years ago. There seemed to be nothing there except a Dunkin Donuts'. So that's where we spent two weeks, me and my dear wife, sitting amidst the donuts. I learned something about America there; I'm not sure what. […] Probably one of the pointless songs I've ever written. It really has no point to it at all." (Live in-beetween songs joke)

Helmi Coyne: "Kevin would go to the studio with Werner, in Werner's studio and they would just do it. Kevin's method of work was he never wrote anything down, just went to the studio and start. The people had to be ready or he would just grab the guitar and start.
He would actually never wanted to go to the studio. With Turpentine I had to force him or drag him into it and say "Now you have to go to the studio" .He never said "I want to go to the studio" so we always had to set up a time. Once he was there, he would just… unload all the things he had in his head." (interview with Pascal Regis, 29 Sep 2011)

Werner Steinhauser: "In the studio, it was almost like it was on stage. There was no routine or anything. Most of all was basically improvised. Sometimes, Kevin sat down at the keyboard or took the guitar, started to fiddle around a bit, and then he started to sing. It was kind of mystic from where his ideas were coming from. They seemed to appear suddenly and after a few minutes, either Kevin scrapped the idea or if he liked it, I pressed the recording button and we improvised together. Most of the songs came up like this and were recorded roughly. Here and there we added some overdubs. Sometimes we got together with other musicians and recorded in a band-situation, live. It was always like a jam session. Kevin set some cues and another song was finished. It was really incredible to work with him and I do think, that he was really a genius in this" (interview with Pascal Regis, Nov 2011)

'Underground' (2004)

"I´m not goin’ anywhere. I´m goin’ home. I hope I´m goin’ home"

As with any posthumous record, one wonders how the artist would have wanted the final product. Compared to the roughness of 'One Night in Chicago', there are here some pretty arrangements and backing vocals as well as some rather weak songs. Still, two songs will stand as Kevin Coyne's testament: 'Underground' and 'Baby Billy' will be remembered as beautiful and moving songs by an artist lucidly facing the idea of his death.

Helmi Coyne: "On the 20th December 2005, Kevin's new album "Underground" will be released. It's the result of recordings Kevin made on and off in that last year, between April and October 2004, and it's thanks to the joint effort of Kevin's band, friends and family that we've managed to get it out. I'm proud to say that renowned artist Ralph Steadman did the cover and, to coincide with the album's release, journalist Robert Chalmers wrote a fine article for the Independent." (Helmi's news letter, December 2005)

Mike Barnes:"The recording sessions for Underground were completed in Nuremberg two months before Kevin Coyne’s death in December 2004. By then advanced pulmonary fibrosis had left the singer wheelchair-bound and hooked up to an oxygen supply. Terrible circumstances to live with, let alone write and record an album. But this CD doesn’t give you a great talent in decline. Far from it. With 'Underground', Coyne has produced an album that isn’t merely good considering the circumstances, it’s a great collection of songs whichever way you choose to measure it. And the fact that he could – through his music – transcend his physical circumstances is extraordinary. His voice was still in great shape too, more so than anyone - his doctors included - could have reasonably expected. It’s difficult at times like this to avoid sounding trite or glib. Suffice it to say that we all want to leave our mark, but few musicians have given us a swansong as vital as this. […]

Down the years, the enthusiasm of musicians to sing about their offspring has often caused embarrassment among those not so intimately acquainted with the song’s subject. But the closing track on Underground, 'Baby Billy' – which Coyne addresses to his young grandson – is a beautiful letter-in-song from a man to a child barely old enough to be able to remember him, written in the recognition that as one cycle ends another begins. As always, Coyne tells it exactly like it is; the song’s strength is that it’s extraordinarily poignant, but comes without a trace of mawkishness. And it’s difficult – impossible, actually – to think of another artist who could have pulled that one off. " (2006)

Eugene Coyne: "I couldn't believe how much Billy [Eugene's son] looked like you. When you saw the photos, I know it made you happy. It's funny how you almost shyly sing 'Let's face it, you look a little like me'. In these pictures, he's the spit of you. 'Baby Billy' is a special song. I know it meant a lot to you. As he grows older, I'm sure it will mean the same to Billy. After all, it is 'just for you, nobody else'. In a way, it reminds me of 'Sunday Morning Surnrise', and how that song makes me feel… Park Court, when Rob and I wee kids…" (Liner notes to 'Underground')

Werner Steinhauser: "There was never a song list for the shows. Your reaction to the audience was always intuitive – you announced the songs spontaneously. You had an unerring instinct for what the show needed. Every concert was different. Sometimes, you turned around to me to say: 'Just play something'. So I started a playing any groove, the guitarist joined in and you started singing. We created a new song – spontaneously – unrepeatable. Like this, we produced most of the recordings for the CD we did together. Andreas [Blüml] came up with some harmony changes, I tried a groove, we played a few bars and, when you liked it, pressed the recording button (my drum kit was set up right to the mixing desk). There was never than one or two – maybe three – takes, and we mostly kept the first one, even if it wasn't perfect – the first take always had the best feeling and tension. (Liner notes to 'Underground')

Robert Coyne: "I've come to understand that what was normal to me – love, laughter, spontaneity and creativity, joy and pain, anger and a good deal of shouting, loud music, irreverence and enthusiasm, great seriousness and greater silliness, a particular pleasure in absurdity – is actually not normal at all. I was tremendously fortunate to grow up with these things, and your incredible capacity to appreciate life." (Liner notes to 'Underground')

Books

Kevin Coyne: "I may even get something published. I just need an editor who can get me arse off the ground. Just like the drawing and the painting. It's nice to get things out and show them to people. An exhibition of Coyne-on-the road drawings was held in Germany recently but past encounters with the 'ART WORLD' haven't exactly inspired." (Sounds, April 14, 1979)

"The best songs are really little stories, and little stories is what I'm really best at writing. I'm trying to create a genre with these losers. But rather amiable losers, in the main. And a bit bonkers. But are they bonkers, you know?" (1994 interview, from 'Beautiful Extremes, Conversations with Kevin Coyne')

['The Party Dress']: "Tiny miracles of compression […] An original, eccentric voice, particularly affecting when speaking through characters whose peculiarity has moved them to the margins of society, where they are ignored or despised as specters of our own worst fears of ourselves." (The Village Voice)

"A collection of short stories and illustrations that might well amount to the finest literary achievement yet by a rock singer … Sad, funny, horrific, sexy, compassionate and absurd." (Blitz)

"The characters in Kevin Coyne’s stories are bewildered by life’s little ironies, but strange, startling experiences and insights lift their lives out of the ordinary. He writes about so-called 'mad' people, about their visions, their spirituality, about the lonely twilight world they live in. Influenced both by the deadpan humour of Harold Pinter and Samuel Beckett and by the music-hall comedy of Al Read and Robb Wilton, Kevin Coyne combines the comic and the tragic in these subtle tales which leave a lasting, pleasurable afterglow, and in his pictures which illustrate this book."

Kevin Coyne: ['Show Business'] "A sense of the British musician's overriding sense of cynicism about everything rather creeps into that book on occasion. A lot of it comes from that time, mid-'70s touring and things said, in vans and in dressing rooms. It's still with a sense of humor, I hope. A lot of people seem to think it was done out of bitterness, which it certainly isn't. It's done with a sense of horror, really, at how these things – they're versions of things which really did happen. It was meant to amuse, but certain people didn't like it, maybe because they saw something of themselves in it, I don't know. I don't care either, really. All I know is that the musicians who've read it have laughed their heads off. I must be reaching somebody and doing the right thing." (Interview with Richie Unterberger, 1988)

"'Show Business' is a collection of stories about the real business of entertainment. Reality is a jungle full of phony agents, spoilt artistes and corrupt businessmen. Kevin Coyne portrays an array of hustlers, naifs and people who take themselves far too seriously. Coyne’s short stories are a window on a strange way of life. Show biz is tough, and the cynicism and weariness that emerge are hardly surprising. But there’s a touching naivety about these characters who hang on in there despite everything. Kevin Coyne knows show business intimately. His perception of it is insightful and funny."

Kevin Coyne: "It's hard not to be cynical. Over the years I often played with so called 'has beens' who play TV or summer festivals in Belgium or Latvia or somewhere, and all these old heroes appear again, singing their one hit. And it's very sad but sometimes very amusing too." (BBC Radio 4's Kaleidoscope, 1993)

['Elvis, Ich Und Die Anderen']: "It's just little snippets, short fantasy pieces about Elvis, turning him into a very normal guy. One of the stories that seem to make everybody laugh is that somebody who buys a pair of Elvis' old pajamas in a shop and takes them home and wears them in bed and the legs start moving and gyrating and he becomes, generally, sort of oversexed. His wife, who had long been ignored, approves." (Charleston Gazette, 2000)

"I love writing, my last three books have all come out in German, so they’ve not appeared here, I love it all, and its all part of me and I believe it all helps to keep me sane I think." (Classic Rock magazine, 2001)

"This is the loneliest business of all: the writing and painting are extremely lonely occupations. I spent all those years at Art School and Junior Art, all kind of academic and I never thought I'd actually sell pictures but I can sell quite a few now. But at the same time, I do think one of the reasons why I left it alone for fifteen years was because I could meet people this way and I didn't have to stand in a fucking, you know, lonely room, raking my brains. And writing's the same, it's an incredibly lonely occupation. Nobody applauds at the end or says 'Well done', then you're full of doubt and you might be living with somebody, a woman, who's not necessarily interested in what you're doing or some guy. It's very likely you turn to drinking. I did certainly." (Interview with Pascal Regis, February 2004)

"It's all hard work. I don't believe in the romantic side of the Arts. It's 5% inspiration, 95% graft." (Mary Costello show, 1990)

"Writing is a kind of a test for me. I'm not a person who writes very rapidly – like writing songs, that I can do very quickly, within a matter of minutes sometimes I've got something finished, but writing is a slow and difficult process. Normally I start with a first line and go along – like these book 'The Party Dress' or Show Business', I really relied on spontaneity and improvisation. Almost never knew what I was going to finish up with when I started. I like to work like that. I'm not a great planner." (VPRO,1999)

['That Old Suburban Angst']: "I've always had a dread of living in a neat and tidy house with tasteful wallpaper and a shortage of books. Suburbia is the place to find this. It's all compromise behind closed doors." (Interview by Frank Bangay, 2004, published in Mental Health magazine, Feb 2005)

Helmi Coyne: "Kevin's latest book 'That Old Suburban Angst' has just been published and is available from www.kevincoynebooks.com. The book is a collection of short stories, glimpses of humanity and life's goings on. Kevin never saw the finished product but I know he would have been as pleased with it as I am." (Helmi's newsletter, January 2005)

Tony Donaghey: "At that time, a friend was Kevin's semi official bootlegger - taping shows for sale at gigs - and I suggested to Kevin that I could do the same for the books - sold my LP collection to pay for it [the publishing of 'That Old Suburban Angst']. It was very strange getting phone calls from your hero and just chatting - even stranger when those conversations led to stories - ie at one point I asked if we should call it That Old Sausage Angst as he seemed obsessed with the things - next day or so a new story appears with some people washed on shore on top of a giant sausage." (2011)

Helmi Coyne: "I went to work every day so to make it easier, there was always a special Teddy bear letter left for me on the kitchen table, waiting. Because he was still asleep. That was just wonderful to go to the kitchen in the morning and there was always a letter for me waiting so that made my life very easy and it was a wonderful way to start the day. It was just a wonderful day every day, because whether it was raining or sunshine, I could rely on my post. He even complained sometimes, "Oh God, I can't think of anything!" Because it's quite a burden – if you've got an idea and if you start to do something then the other person expects it. Sometimes he woudl really threaten me and say "No! This is it now, I can't do it anymore". As the same time, he knew it made me so happy, and as a sign of love, he did it. In the beginning, it was just like a sketch but over the years they became very elaborate and inventing stories and characters, truly amazing. it just shows his creativity, brain and mind, to be so consistent." (interview with Pascal Regis, 29 Sep 2011 - The Teddy Bears drawings later evolved into a book and an exhibition)

Kevin Coyne: "I'm a little bit anti arty-art, art school art. I try not to be boring." (GLR Radio, 1995)

2^nd December 2004

"I'm not afraid to die. Actually, I'm quite looking forward to it"

(Interview by Robert Chalmers, 2004)

Kevin Coyne: "I haven't got the intention to call it quits. I am happy that I can still perform despite of my poor health. It is of course more difficult than before, but I will continue as long as I can. The biggest problem is oxygen. I continually have to have large oxygen bottles with me which is very inconvenient on tours. Journeys by plane are nearly impossible, as a lot of flight companies refuse to take the oxygen bottles on board. But my brave musicians help me as much as possible on tours, they have to act as nurses.

Oddly enough, this works very well. I recently performed in Belgium, England and East Germany. Tomorrow I will give a guest performance in Vienna. My voice sounds better than ever, maybe this is due to the artificial oxygen.

There is no choice but to accept my illness. Otherwise, you would be continually depressed or in a bad mood. I paint, write, sing as before and don't think much about the illness. I mainly regret that I cannot travel very much anymore, in particular to America. It is a novelty for me that I am continually dependant on the help of others, I don't really like that. But without my wife I would not be able to do anything. I am not a free person anymore." ('Am Ende ist der Mensch ganz allein', the last interview, Steffen Radlmaier, 1st December 2004)

Helmi Coyne: "He had had breathing problems before. He had stopped smoking a couple of years before but his being short-breathed got worse. He didn't go and see a doctor. He would complain but he thought maybe it's the weight or just getting old. But it was an on-going thing and I said "Look, let's go and see see a doctor" but Kevin and a doctor were something that did not go together. There was the doctor next door and whenever Kevin needed something he did a drawing of his illness and I had to take the drawing to the doctor, who was highly amused. And he would give him some medication. Or, when he went to see him, the doctor was much more interested in his carreer and music – the guy being a total music freak.
Anyway he was on the flight back from Chicago [in 2002] with Robert [Coyne] and we were supposed to meet up in London and spend the Christmas time there, but he was coughing non-stop on the flight. He got off the flight and was completly sick. First, we all thought he had caught a terrible lung infection. He was so weak that he could not walk or anything. When we came back from our Winter holidays, I sort of dragged him along to a lung specialist. When he did not do anything he was ok but as soon as he was moving along or doing the slightest kind of action – lifting something – he would start to have breathing problems. The lung specialist diagnosed straight away an illness called lung fibrosis.
In the beginning, he managed to live without oxygen, or just take oxygen whenever he felt he needed it. We both knew it was a progressive illness. Over the months and years, he just needed more oxygen." (interview with Pascal Regis, 29 Sep 2011)

Kevin Coyne: "Those of you attending the shows will probably note my reliance on a small oxygen tank and plastic pipe throughout. Recent advice from my doctors has led to this. Bravely puffing and panting through songs without extra air is now forbidden. I must preserve my health. This rotten lung fibrosis of mine demands I do what they say." (Coyne newsletter, October 2004)

"My ailment is quite serious, but not deadly. I'm now taking cortisone regularly which turns me into a grumpy old misfit. Nothing changes really." (August 2003 email to Nigel Burch)

"It's funny. I feel better when I sing."(Interview by Robert Chalmers, 2004)

Helmi Coyne: "He would really try no to take oxygen and always be very brave. In the very beginning, when it was diagnosed, we had to go and see the doctor every day because the only treatment was corstisone. To find the right diagnosis, they had to make tests every day; and Kevin would not take the oxygen when we came so the doctor was really angry with him and said "How dare you not to take oxygen? You're lucky that you are still alive!" because the oxygen level was so down. But he still carried on obviously. But then he needed the oxygen 24 hours a day." (interview with Pascal Regis, 29 Sep 2011)

"Werner Steinhauser became his longest standing partner. The band Kevin had at the very end of his life with Andreas Blüml and Werner and Harry Hirschmann, this was really the favorite band of all times and also they were extremly kind and nice guys. When Kevin was ill, they really looked after him when they were on tour. […] They loved to be with him. It was such a shame that they did not have more time to work with him because this was really the band he most enjoyed working with, highly professional and very kind and he was very impressed when Andreas came to replace Keili Keilhofer; he was such a perfect musician – I mean in a German way! – but he knew all the songs, his equipment was always in perfect condition and he was very versatile and could play anything. Also a great mind, very intelligent guy. These last guys were his top band. […] And I have to say I am very thankful to these guys becasue as soon as Kevin left the house, I knew he was in the best hands with them. And they looked after him." (interview with Pascal Regis, 29 Sep 2011)

Werner Steinhauser: "To be honest, looking back from the distance, I see it now, as if me (and may be the whole band) were not really aware about the seriousness of his disease. I think it was sort of extrusion, which was taking place in my brain. I didn´t want to see the sad truth, I guess. The last concerts, especially the very last one in Hamburg (the day before he died), Kevin was always rather exhausted, but not on stage. On stage, he still was incredible. After the shows, we used a wheel chair to get him to the hotel room. I think it was kind of a miracle that we had this day off after the Hamburg gig and the next concert in Vienna. For that reason we decided to stay over night at home in Nuremberg, because it was on the way to Vienna. So it was meant to him to die at home." (interview with Pascal Regis, Nov 2011)

Clive Product: "[Clive Product's song 'Pass Into The Night'] is about the last time I visited Kevin Coyne in Nuremberg (in 2004). He wasn't able to walk great distances so I spent much time pushing him around in a wheelchair. Despite the obvious sadness – and the fact he needed to be connected to an oxygen cylinder for 16 hours a day – we found ourselves laughing and talking in silly voices. We walked by the river, stopping off to eat cake at a local cafe, before going into town to do some CD shopping. Later, back at his flat, we sat in his room and he played me some of his favourite tracks (King Oliver, The Ramones, Talk Talk, some old doo-wop stuff, etc). 'Pass Into The Night' is a personal tribute to an old hero who became a dear friend." (Clive's website)

NEW LUNGS

Get in touch with little Marie

Tell her uncle Kevin needs new lungs and she has to pray for him

"As big as shopping bags?" she asks when the request comes through, "Good and strong?"

and the birds flutter from trees as she closes her eyes

celebrating the spirit that lives

making themselves into a choir

to announce a miracle.

(2004 Kevin Coyne poem)

Is there anything in life you regret doing?

Oh, far too many to mention here. (Thinks). Upsetting people…

Can I ask, are you frightened of dying?

No, I'm not really. I rather look forward to it, to be honest. (Laughs). No, I do! Sometimes I really like the idea. l'm really looking forward to what's on the other side, most of the time. Sometimes I think there's nothing there.

Do you believe in reincarnation?

Well, I don't know, really. When you look around you it's hard not to. I really don't know. Strange, mystical, odd things happen in one's life, and they happen when you least expect them. But I think it's good to build up a good basis of spirituality and live life with strength. I don't think any other way works.

Finally, when you get to heaven, what will you talk with God about?

Oh, I talk with him anyway. Absolutely! I'm not talking to myself when I say a prayer. (Laughs). I have conversations with God often. And l'm sure he listens 'cause things happen. Things come right
(1997 interview, from 'Beautiful Extremes, Conversations with Kevin Coyne')

Helmi Coyne: "He was standing in the room and he said, quite calmly:
'I think I am going to die now'. For a moment I thought it was one of his jokes. I put my arms around him.
He seemed to fall sleep again.
I was dozing. When I woke up he was smiling but his eyes were closed.
I didn't need to call a doctor. I knew."
(Interview by Robert Chalmers, 2004)

Jon Langford: "The phone rings in the mixing room at North branch Studio in Chicago and my wife breaks the news that Kevin died this morning. I talk to his wife Helmi in Nuremberg and she tells me he died at home in her arms. This, at least, is good news, as Kevin's been slogging around Europe with an oxygen tank and breathing tubes in tow for the last few months, playing blinding shows but living in constant terror of dropping dead in some hotel room, all alone. He was diagnosed with fibrosis soon after returning from the [2002] Chicago trip. It's a vicious disease that turns your lungs to concrete and places an unbearable strain on your heart. Kevin downplayed the seriousness of his condition and continued playing and recording, painting and writing 'til the end. He had a gig in Vienna the night he died and shows booked well into December." (Mojo, January 2005)

Gary Lucas: "Coming on the heels of his champion and friend John Peel (I first heard Kevin in the context of Siren, who recorded two amazing albums for Peel's label Dandelion) this is just unbelievable, a double tragedy for music. […] Kevin had been knocking on my brain." (2004)

Jeffrey Lewis: "Obviously Kevin's work is the sort of art that will continue to be passed from one person to the next, traveling true, without interference from the corporate side of the music industry." (2004)

Alec Bemis: "Maybe the only British musician who ever really had the blues." (The Chicago Reader, 1999)

"December 1st. It is the long trip to Vienna, and another gig tomorrow.
The usual anxieties prevail.
I do my best to ignore them, placing my faith in God and my outstanding band.
We are in a rich period of creativity. I mean to make the most of it.
The house is a morgue without Helmi.
She should be walking through the door any moment, lifting the spirit within me immediately with her captivating smile.
She is the love of my life."
(Last entry in Coyne's diary)

Bonus tracks

If you could play with any musician dead or alive, who would you choose?

I think it would have to be Charlie Parker, just to sing along with that remarkable saxophone playing, improvise as it were, or Thelonious Monk, I love Thelonious Monk too.

Is there a single incident in your career that you would tell your grandchildren about?

Maybe playing Paris Olympia or something, so big venue that I might have done in the past when they think all I do is play the Coach & Horses at somewhere or other, yes I would say playing Paris Olympia.

If you were castaway on a desert Island which five albums would leap into your hands?

Five albums, oh my goodness, very difficult, one would be Bill Black's Combo 'Don’t Be Cruel', a single by them, the other would be 'Parker’s Mood' by Charlie Parker which is one of the millions of tracks he did, and something by Captain Beefheart I think, 'Ode To Alex' off 'Bat Chain Puller'. There’s a thing about wind by the Fall, 'a lot or wind' or 'such a lot of wind', I can’t remember the title of it now, off the top of my head certainly something by the Fall anyway – and the fifth one, I think Foxy Brown actually, the Rap singer, anything by her, 'Hot Spot' I think is the one I like, I hope it doesn’t sound too pretentious to mention all this, I just like all types of stuff really.

The final question, what music would you have played at your funeral?

Probably ‘Lamp Trimmed And Burning’ by Fred McDowell, well its a sort of optimistic spiritual type of thing.

Extract from Classic Rock magazine, 2001

The Cast

Bangay, Frank: musician and poet. Did a couple of interview with Coyne. Also contributed to both Coyne Tribute CDs: 'The World is Full of Fools' (2005) and 'Whispers from the Offing' (2007).

'Beautiful Extremes, Conversations with Kevin Coyne', a book by Clive Product, 1999

Beavis, Ivan: old friend of Kevin.

Bennetts, Paul: Kevin Coyne scholar

Besset, Michel: promoter, organised some of the first France shows for Kevin.

Blüml, Andreas: guitarist with Coyne in 2003 and 2004. Appears on 'Donut City' and 'Underground'.

Brady, Ian and Hindley, Myra: The 'Moor Murderers', UK serial killers from the 60s. 'Babble' is loosely based on their lives.

Branson, Richard: founder of Virgin Records in the early 70s.

Breakwell, Ian: playwright, collaborated with Coyne on several projects.

Brown, Mick: Richard Branson' authorised biographer.

Bull, Steve: keyboard player with Coyne in the early 80s. Co-wrote half of the songs on 'Pøliticz'. Also appears on 'Pointing the Finger' and 'The Last Wall'.

Burch, Nigel: musician, friend of Kevin. Contributed to both Coyne Tribune CDs.

Chesnutt, Vic: American singer-songwriter. Mentionned "meeting Kevin Coyne" as one of the important moments in his life.

Chichester, John: first guitarist with Siren.

Clague, Dave: bass player and producer with Siren. Later put out four Siren outakes albums on his DJC label.

Cousins, Tony: bass player with Coyne in the early '70s. Played on 'Marjory Razorblade' and 'Blame it on the Night'.

Coyne, Arthur: Kevin's eldest brother; a jazz musician.

Coyne, Eugene: Eldest son of Kevin. Appears on 'Tough And Sweet' and 'Sugar Candy Taxi'. Wrote the liner notes for Kevin's reissue albums in 2009.

Coyne, Helmi: Kevin's second wife.

Coyne, Lesley: Kevin's first wife. Mother of Eugene and Robert.

Coyne, Nico: Kevin's third son.

Coyne, Robert: Kevin's second son. A musician, he played (guitar, bass, keyboards, drums) and co-wrote songs on 'Tough And Sweet', 'Sugar Candy Taxi', 'Room Full of Fools', 'Carnival', 'One Day In Chicago' and 'Donut City'.

Croker, Brendan: guitarist and singer, recorded 'Life is almost beautiful' with Coyne in 2002.

Cudworth, Nick: pianist and guitarist with Siren.

Donaghey, Tony: friend, fan and publisher of Coyne.

Draper, Simon: Virgin A&R who signed Kevin in 1973.

Ferguson, Robert: early friend.

Godding, Brian: ex Blossom Toes, guitarist with Coyne in the early 80s. Appears on 'Bursting Bubbles', 'Sanity Stomp' and 'Pointing the Finger'. His full of memories website can be found at www.lotsawatts.co.uk

Goettert, Achim: Jazz musician who staged two different live projects with Kevin in the '90s: 'Mansion of Dreams' (1993) and 'Opera for Syd' (1999), both live recordings issued on CD on his own label: www.act-art.de/coynegoettert

Griffiths, Trevor: playwright; collaborated with Coyne in 1979 on a BBC TV drama called 'Don't Make Waves' (unreleased on disc).

'Herz aus Feuer': a 1979 documentary film about Coyne by Claudia Strauven and Wolfgang Kraesze.

Hirschmann Harry: bass player on 'Donut City' and 'Underground'.

Hobbs, Nick: Concert promoter who booked Kevin Coyne in East Germany in July 1988.

Holzman Jac: President of Elektra Records; signed Siren for the U.S..

James, Alex: bass player with Blur. And a fan…

Kershaw, Andy: BBC DJ and long-time Coyne supporter.

Kirtley, Peter: guitarist with Coyne in the '80s. Appears on 'Politicz', 'The Last Wall' and 'Rough' .

Krause, Dagmar: singer with Henry Cow, Art Bears, Slapp Happy. Sang the female role in Coyne's 'Babble'.

Kusz, Fitzgerald: a German writer.

Lamb, Steve: played his fretless bass on 'Pointing The Finger', 'Songs From the Archives', 'The Last Wall', 'Rough' and 'Legless In Manilla'.

Langford, Jon: musician with The Mekons; recorded the album 'One Day In Chicago' in 2002 with Coyne.

Legget, Archie: bassist on on 'Matching Head And Feet'.

Lewis, Jeffrey: American singer-songwriter. Double billed with Coyne in Paris on Kevin's last France show in February 2004.

Lipton, Michael: guitarist on 'Carnival', 'Donut City' and 'Underground'.

Lloyd, Robert: singer with the mighty Nightingales. And a fan.

'Loladamusica': A documentary film about Coyne, from VPRO (Dutch T.V.), directed by Walter Stokman (2001)

Lucas, Gary: Guitarist. Played on Coyne's 'Knocking on your Brain'.

Lydon, John a.k.a. Johnny Rotten: singer with The Sex Pistols and PIL. Often named as being Coyne influenced because he once picked up a Coyne song in a radio show.

Meager, Tat: drummer with Siren.

Melton, Barry: guitarist with Country Joe and The Fish. Friend of Kevin in the 70s.

Money, Zoot: legendary pianist who began his carrer in the '60s (Eric Burdon's Animals among others). Played with Coyne for most of the 70s. Appears on 'Heartburn', 'On Air', 'In Living Black And White', 'Dynamite Daze' and 'Babble'. Also on the famous 'Rockpalast' 1979 TV show.

Martin Normington: sax player on 'Songs From the Archives'.

Martin Odstrcil: Nuremberg musician who played with Kevin as a duet in the early 80s.

Oldfield, Mike: signed to Virgin at the same time as Coyne. The label considered the idea of Coyne writing lyrics for his 'Tubular Bells'.

Oldham, Will: American singer-songwriter. A self-confessed fan of 'Babble', he performed the whole album live late 2010 with his Kevin Coyne Tribute Band, "The Babblers".

Paterson, Neale: an erudite fan.

Peel, John: BBC DJ; signed Siren on his Dandelion Records label; remained a Coyne fan and supporter to the end.

Penn, Tim: Pianist with Coyne in the early 70s. Appears on 'Matching Head And Feet'.

Phelan, Jim: Art Director with Cherry Red Records.

Pohrer, Friedl: played bass in Coyne's 'German' bands and guitar for the acoustic shows for most of the '90s; co-wrote with Coyne the songs for 'The Adventures of Crazy Frank'. Also played on 'Romance-Romance' and 'Wild Tiger Love'

Product, Clive: musician; author of 'Beautiful Extremes, conversations with Kevin Coyne' (1999), from which his interviews come.

Pukke, Hans: guitarist with Coyne in the early 'German' years. Played and co-wrote many songs on 'Stumbling Onto Paradise', 'Everybody's Naked', 'Romance-Romance', 'Wild Tiger Love', 'Burning Head' and 'Tough And Sweet'.

Randle, Simon: a contributor from Darby

Ruf, Thomas: President of Ruf Records, signed Coyne in the 90s.

Schillhabel; Uwe: a big fan.

Selwood, Clive: Director of Elektra UK, creator with John Peel of Dandelion label and, later, Strange Fruit Records. Coyne’s manager in the 70s.

Sheen, Dave: drummer with Coyne in the '80s. Appears on 'Pointing The Finger', ' Songs From the Archives', 'Rough' and 'Legless In Manilla'.

Smith, Gordon: guitarist with Coyne in the early Virgin years. Plays on 'Marjory Razorblade', 'Blame It On The Night' and 'Matching Head And Feet".

Spandler, Horst: Nuremberg musician who, along with his band Van Bluus, played for a short time with Coyne when he arrived in Germany.

Steinhart, Robert: bass player with Coyne in his early German years. Played on 'Stumbling Onto Paradise' and 'Everybody's Naked',

Steinhauser, Werner: drummer with Coyne from the early '90s to the end – actually the longest standing Coyne musician. Also co-producer of the last albums. Appears on 'The Adventures Of Crazy Frank', 'Room Full Of Fools', 'Carnival', 'Donut City' and 'Underground'.

Sting: singer and bass player with The Police.

Summers, Andy: guitarist with Kevin Coyne in the 70s; later joined The Police. Appears on 'Matching Head and Feet', 'Heartburn', 'On Air' and 'In Living Black and White'.

'The Unknown Famous': a 1997 documentary film about by Coyne by Diethard Küster.

Thomas, David: singer with Pere Ubu. Toured as a double bill with Coyne in 1999. Recorded with Pere Ubu in 2007 an amazing tribute version of Coyne's 'Turpentine' (see Pere Ubu's website).

Unterberger, Richie: Author of 'Unknown legends of rock'n'roll', 1988 feat. Coyne as one of the legends.

Vicious, Sid: bass player with the Sex Pistols and a victim of show business.

Ward, Bob: Coyne's manager, guitarist and producer during most of the 80s. Appears on 'Dynamite Daze', 'Millionaires and Teddy Bears', 'Babble', 'Bursting Bubbles', 'Sanity Stomp'.

Wickens, Paul: played keyboards with Coyne in the late 70s. Since then a Paul McCartney musician. Appears on 'Dynamite Daze', 'Millionaires and Teddy Bears' and 'Babble'.

Wilson, Dave: drummer on 'The Last Wall'.

Wilson, Snoo: playwright, collaborated with Coyne on the 'Don’t Make Waves' and 'England England' plays (both unreleased on disc).

Wyatt, Robert: musician; played drums on Coyne's 'Sanity Stomp' in 1980. The two musicians also appear on Michael Mantler's 'Silence' (1977).

Wood, Graham: agent for Siren.

Discography

Siren (1969)

Siren: Strange Locomotion (1971)

Siren: Rabbits(1970 - issued in 1994)

Siren: Let's Do It(1970 - issued in 1994)

Siren: The Club Rondo(1970 - issued in 1995)

Siren: Ruffstuff(1969 - issued in 2005)

The Dandelion Years 1969-1972 (3CD box)
Nobody dies in Dreamland (Home recordings from 1972 - issued in 2012)

Case History (1972)

Marjory Razorblade (1973)

Blame It On The Night (1974)

Matching Head And Feet (1975)

On Air (live-1975)

Heartburn (1976)

Let's Have A Party (compilation-1973/1976)

In Living Black And White (live-1976)

Beautiful Extremes 1974-1977 (compilation-1974/1977)

Beautiful Extremes Etcetera (compilation-1974/1978 - issued in 1983)

Dynamite Daze (1978)

Millionaires And Teddy Bears (1979)

1979 Live at WDR-Studio L Cologne [Rockpalast] (live DVD-1979 - issued in 2011)

Babble (w. Dagmar Krause) (1979)

Bursting Bubbles (1980)

Sanity Stomp (1980)

Pointing The Finger (1981)

Pøliticz (1982)

At The Last Wall (live DVD-1982 - issued in 2008)

Rough Kevin Coyne Live (live-1983)

Live Rough And More (live-1983 - issued in 1997)

Legless In Manilla (1984)

Stumbling Onto Paradise (1987)

Everybody's Naked (1988)

Romance-Romance (1990)

Peel Sessions (compilation-1973/1990 - issued in 1990)

Wild Tiger Love (1991)

Burning Head (limited edition,1992)

Tough And Sweet (1993)

Mansion of Dreams (live, w. The Achim Goettert Group, 1993)

Elvira-From The Archives (1979/1983 - issued in 1994)

Sign Of The Times (compilation-1973-1980 - issued in 1994)

The Adventures Of Crazy Frank (1995)

Knocking On Your Brain (1996)

Sugar Candy Taxi (1999)

Bittersweet Love Songs (compilation-1984/95 - issued in 1999)

Opera for Syd (live, w. The Achim Goettert Group feat. David Moss, 1999)

Room Full Of Fools (2000)

Life Is Almost Wonderful (w. Brendan Croker) (2002)

Carnival (2002)

One Day In Chicago (w. Jon Langford & The Pine Valley Cosmonauts) (2002 - issued in 2005)

Donut City (2004)

Underground (2004 - issued in 2006)

I want my Crown, The Anthology 1973-1980 (2010)

In 2010, 'Marjory Razorblade' was reissued with an extra cd full of bonus tracks.
Also reissued in 2010 as download only: 'Blame it on the Night', 'Matching Head and Feet', 'In Living Black & White', 'Dynamite Days'.
The Siren albums were reissued with bonus tracks in November 2012 by Turpentine Records and Cherry Red Records; 'Case History' in January 2013, same labels.

Tribute CDs: 'The World is Full of Fools' (2005, featuring fans tribute songs, free download) and 'Whispers from the Offing' (2007, charity album).

Internet Links

For more info on Kevin Coyne, check Pascal's Kevin Coyne Page http://kevincoynepage.tk including a full official AND non-official * discography but also films, books, lyrics, photos, press, guitar tabs and what-not.

*Seeing all this bootlegs recordings, Kevin once said: 'I feel like Bob Dylan!'

The official websites www.kevincoyne.de http://www.kevincoyne.co.uk/

The Official Facebook page

The Kevin Coyne Discussion Group www.kevincoyne.tk

Kevin Coyne books website www.kevincoynebooks.com

Two My Space pages: www.myspace.com/kevncoyne www.myspace.com/kevincoynebookscom

A blog with rare download: http://kevincoyne.blogspot.com

A Facebook page