IT COMES WHEN IT COMES:
A Little History of Big Untidy
Early 80s: Strange Fruit fanzine – written, edited, copied, folded and stapled by Barry O´Brien in Tilehurst. Promising “tomfoolery and self-indulgence”, this was a major inspiration for the Big Untidy fanzine in the 90s.
1985: Songs From An Untidy Bedroom gig at Chalfont St Giles Memorial Hall, July 20th. A cast of thousands (including The Optimists, Jason Smart and Steve Mead) join Clive Product on the chorus of the newly written song, Songs From An Untidy Bedroom, which rounds off the evening. Stage lighting mysteriously removed “for cleaning” on day of gig. All artists appearing were asked to bring along lights from home!
1986: Clive Product´s third LP Songs From An Untidy Bedroom recorded in Seer Green in the spring, released on Barry O`Brien´s Upstart Records in September. Sleeve lists everyone (including Barry) who sang along on the “big Untidy chorus” of the title track. One person who didn´t make it in time for the session was fellow singer-songwriter Steve Mead – hence “Where´s Steve Mead?” on the sleeve. The chorus is reprised at the end of Jason And The Unsung Songs, a song about Jason Smart (who also joined in the “big Untidy chorus” of the title track). Some of his more recent recordings can be heard on the Big Untidy website.
1987: Billy Bragg plays title track of Songs from An Untidy Bedroom on Radio One while standing in for John Peel (September 3rd).
1988: Clive Product - Everyone Sees What I See 7” single (Big Untidy BUCP1) released in January. The Care Assistant LP (Big Untidy BUCP2) released in March. There Goes The Floor Again 7” single (Big Untidy BUCP3) released in May.
1989: Songs From An Untidy Bedroom included on Clive Product´s Financial Suicide LP (Utility Records), released in March.
1994-1999: Big Untidy fanzine runs for 14 issues. First issue appeared in January 1994. Started by Clive in Berlin as a mag mainly to promote his own gigs. By the second issue the plan had changed slightly and a wider net was cast! Barry regularly contributed articles and reviews. From the introduction to issue 1: “Way back at the beginning of the 80s Barry used to send me his own home-produced zine Strange Fruit, an inspired alternative to the usual rags. It was a melting pot full of ideas with each cover boasting the irresistible legend “tomfoolery and self-indulgence”. If ever there was an example to follow when putting a fanzine together, for me, it would have to be Strange Fruit”. Another inspiration was Grae J Wall´s Love Club mag which appeared in the early 90s. Interviews with favourite Untidy artists included Kevin Coyne, Zal Cleminson (Sensational Alex Harvey Band), Jackie Leven, Chris Butler, El Vez, Robyn Hitchcock (who also drew the cover to issue eleven), Dr Feelgood, Placebo and TV Smith. Barry took over as editor for issues 12-14. Big Untidy had no fixed date of publication, hence the “it comes when it comes” tag!
1996-1998: Publication of spin-off fanzine I-Spy Untidy in Berlin. Runs for seven issues.
1999: Further interviews with Kevin Coyne lead to the publication of a book, Beautiful Extremes: Conversations with Kevin Coyne. New edition expected late 2007.
2006: www.biguntidy.com launched in November. “Untidy is as untidy does” – Barry.
2007: myspace.com/biguntidy launched in April.
Some of our friends' websites
cliveproduct.com
kevincoynepage.tk
9-pmrecords.de
trashville.co.uk
lovelyrecovery.com
kioski.de
