Chris Sievey

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sievey as Frank Sidebottom
Sievey as Frank Sidebottom
Chart positions
Explanation of the data
Singles
Frank's Firm Favorites EP (as Frank Sidebottom)
  UK 97 08/31/1985 (1 week)
Oh Blimey It's Christmas (as Frank Sidebottom)
  UK 87 December 28, 1985 (1 week)
Guess Who's Been on Match of the Day (as Frank Sidebottom)
  UK 66 07/17/2010 (1 week)

Christopher Mark Sievey (born August 25, 1955 in Ashton-on-Mersey , Sale , † June 21, 2010 in Wythenshawe , Manchester ) was an English musician and comedian. In the 1970s he was the front man of The Freshies and since the early 1980s he has played the role of Frank Sidebottom .

Sievey appeared regularly on British television in the late 1980s and early 1990s in disguise as Frank Sidebottom and even worked as a reporter for the Granada Reports . He later appeared on the TV show Frank Sidebottom's Proper Telly Show in B / W for Manchester local station Channel M.

The Freshies

The Freshies was a punk band that existed from 1978 to 1982. Sievey was active there as a singer. At times the line-up included drummer Martin Jackson (later with Magazine and Swing Out Sister ) and Billy Duffy ( The Cult ). Sievey disbanded the group when he achieved success with his alter ego Frank Sidebottom.

Frank Sidebottom

The character Frank Sidebottom can be recognized by his large, spherical head in the style of the early comics by Max Fleischer . It was originally made of paper mache and was later made from fiberglass . Frank mostly wore a 1950s style suit.

He was portrayed as an aspiring pop star from the small village of Timperley , near Altrincham , Cheshire . His character was marked by an exuberant optimism. He was very enthusiastic and seemed very forgetful of his own failure. Although he was around 35 years old, he still lived with his mother, whom he kept commenting on. His mother, however, was not aware of Frank Sidebottom's popularity. He sometimes had a partner, a hand puppet called "Little Frank" who looked exactly like him except for the size.

On the radio, the comic strip character Mrs. Merton was Frank's oldest partner. Together they appeared on the radio show " Radio Timperley ". Sidebottom's earlier "Oh Blimey Big Band" included Mark Radcliffe and Jon Ronson , among others . Its driver was the presenter Chris Evans.

history

Frank Sidebottom appeared for the first time in 1984 on a promo single for the computer game The Biz, invented by Chris Sievey, for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum . Frank Sidebottom was originally conceived as a fan of Sievey's group The Freshies, but the character's popularity ensured that Sievey embarked on a second career as a comedian. A few albums were released dealing with Frank Sidebottom. Many of these were moved by Marc Riley's In Tape , Manchester-based label .

The character reached his cult status in the late 1980s / early 1990s, as Sievey toured extensively with his program and performed mostly in larger cities like St Helens . The appearances varied, in addition to classic stand-up comedy , raffles were organized and / or the audience was involved. In contrast to the rather black-humored representatives in the comic area, Sievey's appearances were a bit bizarre, but always family-friendly.

Frank Sidebottom also received his own comic series in Oink! . The character was probably best known in the north-west of England, as he was counted on the Madchester scene and was seen on regional television Granada Television of the ITV . Frank Sidebottom's Fantastic Shed Show was also on ITV . The show was funded by Yorkshire Television and aired on various local ITV channels in the UK. Dave Behrens was the producer and director. Guests included Adamski , Midge Ure , The Farm , Gerry Anderson and Pop Will Eat Itself .

He also appeared for Channel 4 , for example in a UK version of the game show Remote Control hosted by Anthony H. Wilson . He also appeared on Television South (ITV) children's program.

In addition to television, Sievey appeared on the radio as Frank Sidebottom, including for Manchester's Piccadilly Radio and for BBC Radios 1 and 5 , sometimes accompanied by the moderation duo "Mark and Lard".

Sievey also sang the Beatles song Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! on the Beatles tribute album Sgt. Pepper Knew My Father , which also featured bands like Michelle Shocked , The Christians , Sonic Youth , Billy Bragg , The Fall and Wet Wet Wet . The proceeds from the album went to charity. With another Beatles cover version , he is on Revolution No.9, a similar tribute album, the proceeds of which went to humanitarian causes in Cambodia .

In the 1990s, Chris Sievey's popularity waned. He seldom appeared on television and his live appearances became less and less. An appearance at Manchester's Club Indigo Vs Manic Street Mania in December 2005 should mark his comeback.

In 2006 Sievey appeared on Manchester's local TV station Channel M. His new show Frank Sidebottom's Proper Telly Show in B / W featured both cartoon episodes and guest stars. The first broadcast was always in black and white , while the repeats were broadcast in color. It was also used as a " test image ". Sievey also appeared five times for Iain Lee's radio program on LBC and had numerous appearances on other local stations.

Sievey had an exhibition of his paintings, animations and cardboard boxes from July to August 2007 near Tate Britain , where he performed on August 3rd. He appeared in a Christmas special for the Scottish BBC .

In 2009 and 2010 he was in the opening act for John Cooper Clarke . One of his last appearances was for the FIFA 10 video game promotion , where he played a Shildon FC fan.

death

In May 2010, Chris Sievey was diagnosed with cancer. He died on June 21, 2010 at Wythenshawe Hospital after collapsing at home. At the time he was 54 years old. Shortly afterwards it was announced that Sievey died poor and was to be given a poor burial. Former friends, but also fans started a campaign on Facebook and Twitter , which eventually over 20,000 pounds brought to allow a decent burial. In the course of this campaign, the single Guess Who's Been on Match Of Today reached number 66 in the British charts.

Sievey's funeral followed on July 2, 2010. About 200 people attended the official funeral service. In addition to the family, former companions were also invited. A celebration with 5,000 fans was held at the Castlefield Arena in Manchester on July 8, 2010 to honor Sievey's memory. Badly Drawn Boy and members of Frank's Oh Blimey Big Band performed, among others .

filming

The feature film " Frank " (IRL / GB 2014) is loosely based on Chris Sievey's memoirs.

Individual evidence

  1. a b Chart sources: UK
  2. ^ Rob Hughes: Chris Sievey obituary | Culture. The Guardian, accessed July 1, 2010 .
  3. a b Jon Ronson: Oh blimey! . In: The Guardian , May 31, 2006. 
  4. ScrawnandLard.co.uk . ScrawnandLard.co.uk. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  5. Amazon.co.uk . Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  6. ^ Mike Brown meets Frank Sidebottom . Seaside FM 105.3. Archived from the original on June 28, 2010. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved June 22, 2010. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.seasideradio.co.uk
  7. www.student.brad.ac.uk/alradtke/fsfss.html ( Memento from May 6, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) in the Internet Archive
  8. ^ Frank Sidebottom. ComedyCV.co.uk, archived from the original on April 22, 2009 ; Retrieved May 20, 2009 .
  9. BBC - Frank Sidebottom creator Chris Sievey was "a genius" . BBC News. June 21, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  10. TheMet.biz . TheMet.biz. September 20, 2006. Archived from the original on May 6, 2008. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 20, 2009. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.themet.biz
  11. ScrawnandLard.co.uk . ScrawnandLard.co.uk. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  12. Alexis Petridis: Guardian.co.uk . Blogs.guardian.co.uk. June 1, 2007. Archived from the original on June 3, 2007. Retrieved on May 20, 2009.
  13. Amazon.co.uk . Astore.amazon.co.uk. September 20, 2004. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  14. ^ Revolution No. 9: A Tribute to The Beatles in Aid of Cambodia . rateyourmusic. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  15. ChelseaSpace.org . ChelseaSpace.org. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  16. Tate.org.uk. Tate.org.uk, August 3, 2007, archived from the original on May 6, 2008 ; Retrieved May 20, 2009 .
  17. Frank's got cancer . Chortle. May 13, 2010. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  18. BBC notice of Sievey's death , BBC News. Retrieved June 22, 2010. 
  19. ^ Frank Sidebottom dies after collapsing at home . Manchester Evening News. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  20. Frank Sidebottom's creator Chris Sievey's funeral hero. BBC News , July 2, 2010, accessed July 12, 2010 .
  21. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/10486010.stm
  22. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/10565028.stm
  23. http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/manchester/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8803000/8803884.stm
  24. ^ Frank Sidebottom: the true story of the man behind the mask. The Guardian , January 12, 2014, accessed April 3, 2020 .

Web links