Under Construction
Timeline – The Media career of Stephen N.Briggs
The 80s
1988 – At the age of 9 I am helping Dad with the local hospital radio – it seemed amazing to a small kid to think your voice is going out to hundreds of people, at the click of a button!
One morning I am woken up by the sound that defined a generation – The Beatles cover of “rock n roll music” - I am immediately hooked on rock n roll. Almost immediately I am raiding Dads collection of LPs and discovering Little Richard, Gene Vincent, and lo and behold, Chuck Berry. I am like millions of kids, absolutely hooked! Thing was, I was brought up well, surreal. The house hadnt been modfied since Dad was a teenager – we had a black n white TV and videos, washing machines and computers were something we didnt bother with. The neighbours were elderly, I was brought up in a timewarp stuck in the 1950s.
Zip onto the early 90s:
Alan “Fluff” Freeman's “Satarday Rock show”, (before they butchered it) introduces me to heavy rock, around the same time as I'm lent a copy of “appetite for destruction” and then theres the little gig called Rock in Rio – I'm an impressionable 13 year old and Judas Priest arrive in a volley of pyrotechnics, with Rob Halford on a Harley – maybe a coincidence that I wanted one for my 14th Birthday! The fact that Guns 'n' Roses are on the same bill pretty much seals it for me and the switch from Jazz and R'n B to heavy rock is overnight much to the bewilderment of the neighbours for the next 6 years!
1994 – Start my journalism career. With my help of my folks, I go front page with my 1st ever article, just weeks after winning a competition with the 1st picture I ever took – which to this day I have never really liked.
Demand for pictures takes off and I am soon having as many pictures published as most of the older journalists – bear in mind I'm still at school, aged 15.
1996 - 1st job as a club photographer, for an obnoxious little spiv who tells me in his opinion I will never make a professional. My pictures sell aprox 500-600 copies a week while he pays me £3.00ph – I then rig my team sheets and come out with £140pw as opposed to £80 – Mr Dobson my employer boasting “I dont need to learn how to read and write”.
1997 - Dad retires and I end up taking over from him as work increases and I'm shocked to find £500 in my bank – my savings from the summer, after several holidays! I rapidly discover I can do anything I want if I work for it – I'm lucky enough to be capable. At college tutors pick up on my enthusiasm and Ray Fenwick tells me “your a natural. Stick at it” - Ray is a veteran and highly respected musician who has played with Ian Gillan and Steve Winwood, and I really enjoyed his tuition...
I finally get onto media studies after a 2 year delay and get my hands on what I really wanted to do all along – make movies. I get a GCSE in photography, but by now I'm captivated by moving images and the next 2 years see me shooting, editing and even making short animations. I win best location for “The Endurance” a pretty bad movie which depsite its £20 budget featured a real helicopter on an RAF base! Plus I win best documentry (with Paul Forinton) for our Ghost Documentry, at the college film awards. I'm fired after quoting Marxism to my employer, and of course sales plummet to a point that he closes the shop.
1999 – shoved up to Hull, the art college is a dumping ground for those who are talented but not rich enough to get into better Universities. I am one point short to get into Lincoln – the tutors tell me that they are taking in a rich Arabs son with just 12 points at A-Level (I have 39) “he wont stick it, he'll be gone by Christmas”.
2000 – 2001 – utterly bored I indulge myself in independent cinema and become detested by my tutors – Tutor “but Ken Russels films are awful” - Me: “I know thats why his fans love him” - Tutor: Well they dont make money” Me: so what?” - little wonder I lose interest in commercial film making in favour of the underground and while people flock to see tripe like Deep Blue Sea I'm lapping up the local art cinema watching 20's German vampire movies. But then along comes my old love, rock n roll...
What came first, the juke box or the band night at the Hogs head? I wanted to be in a band. I wanted to manage a band. I just wanted music quicker than I could get it. Rapidly lapping up the Blues I discover BB King, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf – and a new era begins for me.
2001 - Expelled from Art college, I then travel and decide what I want to do next. Then I start reading the NME and realise just how easy it is to get into the music scene. Well, at the lower level. Find a band, get in with them and find out what they want, then tour with em. Wish it was that simple...
2002 - ... trouble is I'm an old school rock n roller and Nu Metal is totally in. I find “The Melt” who listen to what I do, but their manager hasnt a clue. Then I meet a guy who is as alien to my culture as a Maori - Dave the Punk Drummer and I decide to check out Legally Blind at the Marine. Within hours I am converted to modern music and decide to not waste my time with The Melt who rapidly fall apart. From then on its gigs, gigs gigs and an impressive track record. In the meantime I establish the Skegness Film Society and gradually buy the equipment we need – for others to make indie movies, for me to make music videos...
... through the society I meet Jim “Scotch” Edwards a veteran rocker and learn the language of the rock scene.
2003 – I get my own column in the local paper reviewing and writing about local bands. Sadly our watering hole, The Shades closes, and the music scene falls apart – or so I thought. Underground – literally, I discover the Mosh pit, and am blown away at the Skaters band night under the Marine – a cold damp basement and loads of rough sweaty music, it was fabulous. I shoot all of the pictures and Video for Charlie dont surf which in turn is sent to Australia as my 1st music video. I work briefly with Killer Stack, a progressive band, who at the time puzzled me a – the idea of hating playing live and not wanting to be on TV seemed bizzare then!
2004 – I meet Paula Aphale, who to this day mentors, tutors and guides me on just about everything I need to know. I am then snapped up by a talent scout and get a job in Entertainment at a local caberet bar. This is a total jump up, I am working with professionals for the 1st time and spend the summer doing everything from Compering and using a mixing desk, looking after the theatre on the managers day off, to sweeping the dressing rooms and unfortunately working with the Glitter band – what a bunch of egotistical old twerps.
Tom “Tufty” Gordon, a Jazz musician and veteran is captivated by me as soon as I walk in - “in 30 years I have never seen a lad so inteligent and dedicated as you” - (quite a few guys there just wanted a piece of me! ) I then watch Tufty negotiate, and see how managers work, and think “that looks a decent job”. I then end up looking after the club in the afternoons – I have the run of the place, VIP suite the lot! 2 years before I had been raking out chicken sheds!
End of season I end up laid off and Tufty retires so I cant get my job back. Self employment beckons...
... after sharing studio space with a band called Orwells Vision I find out they are a reincarntion of Legally Blind – just better. To this day they allways will be the most exciting, raw, dangerous band I have ever seen and I drove myself into the ground promoting them. Sadly it all fell apart after I cut my teeth shooting a film about them and doing some awsome photography – the cause of so much upset and the band split.
2005 – wow. That summer. Orwells merge into ASBO and Dave the Drummer becomes an amazing friend for the next 10 months. The Asbo just go from strength to strength – I do the promotion for their 1st gig and record it, and we double the door takings. Subsequently we spend the summer partying and getting ready to tour.
April 1st: Sees the 1st ever band night at The Library, where over the next 6 months I make more friends than I ever will again.
August: I meet Jonny Noden and am utterly captivated by him, he has everything, the looks, the attitude, the style, everything I idolised as a teenager. Within hours I'm managing Bloodshot who still dont have a drummer, and I guide the band from a couple of mates in a shed, into a fully working profesional unit, while striving to keep the intimacy of the music. I secure them really well paid gigs and things look rosy until they bring in a drummer from a self indulgent metal band, (who I had seen and regarded as soulless) who 1: thinks the ameteur circuit IS the industry and 2: is Waynes best mate, who I have walked out on. By now Snowball is a fixture on the scene,. With a reputation to envy – everyone is stunned to find hes just my alter ego!
I am getting on really well with Kurt Lees, the ASBO bassist. The videos start to feature Kurt more than anyone else – hes hilarious and ASBO never realised his true potential. He has a gift for writing funny lyrics about serious issues and “Ronald Mc Donald” becomes the bands 1st single. Wayne was furious at my bonding with Kurt and subsequently Kurt has become the best thing that could have happened to me – my soul mate, friend and entertainer.
November - The ASBO fall apart in a swamp of drugs, rows and tantrums. I have already walked out on them and am in Paris, and get home to be accused of just about everything.
No WAY! The club is gone. Waynes cocked up – he's upset the owners and the club is gone for ever – we think! I meet Stacey Lazenby, who I had never heard anything good said about – it turns out shes got a heart of Gold and shes a Tomboy – I have allways got on with them! We team up and along with Little Daz a new promotions team is born...
2006
January – a lousy start sees me fired from Bloodshot (now called Social Directive) after trying to smash in Waynes door and body with a mace. All my so called friends abandon me, including Dave. I take a break to decide whether music is the right choice for me – it lasts 2 days. The Phobias ask me to manage them, the only thing stopping me has been time.
Febuary - I get chatting to Mark, the clubs owner and it turns out Wayne has lied to everyone – Band nights are welcome and the club isnt history – but he is. Susequently Snowball becomes host of the local club nights from the very man who described me as “having no talent”! DVD released “goodbye” ironically highlighting the demise of the club!
The Beach reopens under the team of me Stacey and Daz, and despite being out of season the club attracts a huge crowd by word of mouth. Most people ask if I know about the event. Yes” I reply “I'm running it”.
29th Febuary I am earmarked as producer for The Phobias 1st album...
Website updated, I start to claw my way back. I watch Overshadow play and things look promising with them. Watch this space!