DEVIL'S ISLAND featuring Clarence Oddbody
Welcome to this weeks edition of Devil's Island! Every week we maroon a band or artist on the island and see what they get up to, how they cope with being all alone on a small island in the middle of the ocean. It's not your average desert island and we'll see just how each person copes with the extreme conditions.
This week when we arrived at Devil's Island we find Clarence Oddbody singer/guitarist Paul Claxton sat on the beach. The island is far from the bands home, so how did he end up here and how did he cope with life on Devil's Island?
Find out now...
Welcome to The Razors'e Edge and our somewhat lovely, warm desert island. Don't worry about it's name I'm sure it's not as bad as that would suggest.
You're marooned here on this island, but before you ended up shipwrecked you chose one album that you couldn't live without. Which album did you each chose and why?
Hands down The White Album by The Beatles.
I think I was 11 and I had just started playing guitar. It just blew my mind all the different styles. The Beatles were like… "We’re The Beatles and we are doing what the hell we like."
Also my copy was my Dad’s and it’s in Mono and you ain’t lived till you have heard the white album in mono. We hope they have a record player and power on the island?
Just behind that palm tree is a shack for each of you to stay in, with enough space for you to put up a poster on the wall of one album cover. What album cover do you each chose?
The Hounds of Love by Kate Bush.
I had a huge fly poster of the album cover as a kid on my bedroom wall. I wish I still had it now. She is one of my favourite singers of all time.
There's also a bar on this here island. But alas each of you only get to choose one drink for the entirety of your stay. What's your tipple of choice?
Tea… and Yorkshire Tea.
My Nan used to call it Railway tea. I have it really strong a large Poe of a cup with 4 sugars. I can not function without Tea, am Northern!
Your suitcases were lost when your ship sank, but you each managed to salvage one item of band merch. What’s the merch and for what band?
Maybe our Clarence F**king Oddbody t-shirt because the would double up as hats and to cover your neck from the Sun.
You’re sat on the island thinking “I’m stuck here on this island with my bandmates for eternity”… who would you rather have been shipwrecked with?
I think Tom Hank would have a good experience of being Shipwrecked after being in Cast Away as long as he still had Wilson the ball.
But I would love a bunch of old musicians like : Billie Hoilday, Frank Sinatra, Elvis , Roy Orbison , Freddie Mercury and Dusty Springfield but I reckon they might end up killing and eating me. Because I would drive them mad asking them questions 24 hours a day. I would be a proper fan boy.
There's a walkman in your pocket, on the tape inside is the recording of the one live show that stands out for you. It could be any show, from any band, anywhere in the world. What show is on that walkman?
According to my family legend, back in the early 60’s (I think 1960) my Dad recorded The Silver Beatles on an old Grundig reel to reel tape machine. It was at Blair Hall in Liverpool and he unplugged the fire exit sign at the back of the hall to record the evening. He said it was the rawest The Beatles ever sounded also at the time they were a 5 piece, just back from Hamburg with Stu Sutcliffe on bass and Pete Best on Drums
Just imagine how important that tape would have been to musical history.
Unfortunately my Dad accidentally taped over it in 1962. He always kept it safe but taped over the whole concert with Telstar by The Tornado’s which was on the radio and left the tape running!
When ever my Dad hear’s Telstar his eyes start to twitch!
You're getting desperate, you decide the only course of action is to put a message in a bottle and hope someone finds it. Your message could be to any member of any band, but should be the most suitable for a rescue attempt. Who is it?
I really should address to The Police! But I don’t really know if Sting would be up for the rescue operation. Maybe back in his hey day?
I always thought James Brown would run a tight ship. He could have his own James Brown Funk and Rescue Boat. His band would be playing all the time and you would hear that Funk/Soul riding over the waves. I could imagine James having a tannoy up in the bridge.
“Let me get up and do my thing….
And rescue people…..Papa’s got a brand new boat.
“It’s a man’s sea……”
I’m sure the band would double up as the crew of the boat as well. But I reckon once you were rescued you who have to earn your keep on the Funk Boat till you got to shore. I definitely couldn’t play in James band, he would be fining me left, right and centre for making mistakes.
You've been stuck here for a while and food supplies are running low. There's only one thing for it... which fellow band member gets sacrificed to help the others survive?
I would sacrifice myself, as l’m the oldest. Also am a strict vegetarian, but a very unhealthy one. I have a very sweet tooth. I have so much sugar pumping round my body, so I reckon I might be quite a sweet meat. Maybe I would go well as a kebab with tropical fruits. They could use my hair as a nice hat in the cold evenings.
Finally, when the ship sank you each managed to save one person from the wreckage. That person is the one musician that has influenced your career the most, shaped your way of thinking and your outlook on life. Who did you save?
Darren ‘ Wiz ‘ Brown. He was the lead singer/guitarist and song writer of the indie Punk band Mega City Four.
When I start to sing and write lyrics they we’re a huge influence on me (they still are). I was in and out of bands from 11 till 15 as a bass player and lead guitarist. I was always being let down by so called singers, so I thought it’s easier if I just sing. I remember one night turning on the radio to listen to John Peel back in 1990 and hearing their new song Finish. It was a light bulb moment hearing the tune and melody but the lyrics stood out to me as well-
Taken from the song Finish by Mega City Four
I was born with nothing
and now I've even less
the only things I'll leave behind
are pain and bitterness.
Those lines that really stood out to me. I got to see and meet them a few times in the early 90’s. And there second album “Who Cares Wins”, it is a masterpiece. They were together from 1986 till 1996
Sadly Wiz died in 2006 he had just finished a American tour with his new band Ipanema He was giggling right up until the end. Also he was a very humble person.
Thanks for your time. We hope you get back to dry land before you're next due out on tour!
Thanks for having us…it was a nice break on Devil’s Island. But the Wi Fi was awful.
