The band was Tim Christodoulou and Mick Toldi on guitars, John Christoforou (later Johnny Christo) on bass, Metin Kamil on vocals and me on drums. It was a really rocking band as well as great fun and bloody hard work. Crowds were worked up into a real frenzy.
In the end I wasn't mad enough for them. It was a crazy mix, one Turk, two
Greeks and a Hungarian. When I was auditioned they were so loud I had to thrash
the kit as hard as I could with the butts of the sticks and even then I could
barely hear myself. I think they were impressed though.
We had our day in a studio - I think it was
for the 'Pye' label. All those type of labels still existed then, Decca, Philips
etc. I think it was to get a publishing advance. We had a manager, wide boy from
Fulham name of Howard (same as
me!) but I never heard the result as I left shortly after recording these demos
and I wouldn't know how to find them even if they still exist
When I finally left the Bazoomis, they
carried on with another drummer for a while, don't know who. Part of the problem
was I was living out of town so it was quite a strain travelling a lot. I
carried on with some mates from Dorking playing R'n'B and Ska, then joined a
Glam Rock band called 'Girl' who were marginally famous in that they were on
TOTP and had a record deal.
I had moved to North Kensington by then and gone solo. Did a single on a Belgian
label (very trendy at the time) and sessions in Mekon studio in Brixton with
'Hugh Ashton' from The Skunks. He'd gone electronic with his band 'Hard Corps',
had a deal with 'Mute'.
I then formed a band called 'Sneezes in China' with 'Mark Beer', couldn't get
signed, ended up working in a drum store, getting very much into world music.
Then I joined an Anglo-African band called 'The Primitive Society', supporting
bands like 'King Trigger', 'Rip Rig and Panic', 'Here and Now'.
Then I got a steady job working for my dad and played in a folky bluesy trio
'The Poor Relations'. Then I settled down and started a family in 1987 and after
a 2 year break joined 'The Crazy Hearts' run by 'Tony Engel' of 'Topic Records'.
Then I joined a samba school and became a percussionist and made an album with
'Fresh Tracks' in 1998.
©Detour Records