I can vividly recall the moment I discovered the band Was (Not Was). It was 1988 when I read a review of their new album ‘What Up Dog’ in Smash Hits. The reviewer, Sue Dando, gave the album 9/10 and commented that the the songs ‘What Up Dog’ and ‘Hello Dad I am In Jail’ were “completely demented and unlike anything ever experienced before”. I do suspect that the reviewer was either Mark Ellen or David Hepworth from the podcast I now listen to called A Word In Your Ear. But what a review. How could I resist? On the strength of this article I bought the album the very next day during my lunch break from Hadrian House by visiting our legendary village record store, Peter’s Records, and in doing so I discovered my favourite band of all time. Forget The Beatles or The Beach Boys; for me these fellas are the real deal!
Was (Not Was) tick all of my musical boxes. They write the most infectious tunes with the darkest of lyrics. The musicianship in the band is exceptional. The main vocalists Sweet Pea Atkinson and Sir Harry Bowens are the perfect frontmen. Don Fagenson (Aka Was) is a masterful producer and one halff of the songwriting team. David Weiss (Aka Was) is the fictional brother of Don and the true brains behind the outfit with the most brilliant observational skills that helped create this manic world of misfits and provide a unique social commentary of a very broken USA. I will delve more into David’s genius in a moment.
From that point on I explored the back catalogue of this band.I was stunned by the quality. I actually got to see Was (Not Was) perform live at Gateshead Stadium on 13th June 1992 where I witnessed trumpet player Rayse Biggs playing two trumpets at the same time. The band were the greatest thing I have ever seen on a stage: full stop! To watch the energy that Atkinson and Bowens put into each song is breathtaking. They never stopped dancing and seemed to enjoy every note they delivered. It was due to Sweet Pea that I wore a hat in my performances in 1988 in clubs and pubs around Teesside. The early stages of my band saw us performing Anything Can Happen around the pubs and clubs of North East England. Not that this was a huge hit that the audience was familiar with. The only reason we did it was that it was a great song and we played it well.
David Weiss uses words to create a cynical exploration of the USA. At the time he was struggling with Ronald Reagan’s Presidency with lines line “Showbiz beginners making global decisions”. The broken America where innocent people can have a life extinguished with a gun (Maria Navarro). The wonderful characters in ‘Out Come The Freaks that inspired the various characters that I created in Murder In The Rain and The Moon Club.
Over the last year I have listened to a superb Podcast called 80sography by the fantastic interviewer Mark Pawlowski. Mark has interviewed all of the 80’s producers that I have admired growing up. His easy going style has drawn solid gold from each one of them. I was delighted to hear him drop a David Was interview last week and I was not disappointed.
The genius behind all of these songs that I have loved has proved himself to be possibly the most articulate and intelligent man on the planet. In the podcast David has discussed, in detail, the inspiration behind every song. The interview spans ten hours of friendly banter with Mark and David leaving me feel like a kid in a sweetshop listening to it. I’ve often wondered what David would think of America in the Trump era. The answer of the wit and humour of this orator did not disappoint me.
My online journal is mainly an exploration of all that is good about songwriting, David Weiss must be applauded. His philosophy on the songwriting could create a masterclass on the subject. Us songwriters tend to have some autobiographical elements to our songs. Real life experiences make amazing songs. David has explained the stories behind ‘When Zaz Turned Blue’ and how he was able to attract ‘the velvet fog’ Mel Tormé to sing the song. A schoolboy incident where someone did a wrestle hold on a smaller kid and turned his lips blue became a way for David Was to incorporate all of his childhood friends into one character. Some had gone to fight in Vietnam and he was able to pour them all into the character Zaz.
I loved the comment he made that, you can sometimes discuss somebody in a song and keep it so veiled that they don’t realise you are writing about them. He did just this in How The Heart Behaves. These interviews have made me love his writing even more and find that deeper appreciation for them. Being a crafted journalist, Weiss is an expert at taking news stories and framing them in the art of the song. Through this unique lens he can illuminate the darker sides of USA culture and deliver powerful messages within the force coming from these songs. Whilst wrapped in sweet melodies and delivered by Sweet Pea and Sir Harry, Was (Not Was) is the perfect vehicle to present real arty music on the most tasty of plates. One White Crow provides an alternative world where everything is reversed. I Blew Up The United States presents a fantastic anti war message as do many of his other songs. What Mark Pawlowski has captured on his podcast is David Weiss chatting openly about his music, his writing and his politics. Mark was kind enough to share the full unedited recording with me and it is a joy to listen to the small chat. This ferociously intelligent man is so incredibly down to earth and, thanks to the detail he has given, I am now able to explore his articles written for various publications over recent years. David Weiss (Was) is a truly compelling character with a much deeper range than some other artists and songwriters that I have come to admire over my lifetime. His writing is something else! This gentleman sits at the very top of the pile. A true genius.
David also produced records for Bob Dylan, Ricky Lee Jones, Roy Orbison and K.D.Lang. He has written songs with Elvis Costello as well as his fictional brother Don.
Don Was is now the CEO of the famous Jazz Label Blue Note Records. He has won six Grammy Awards for productions on Bonnie Raitt, The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. In 1995 he made a documentary about another hero of mine Brian Wilson called ‘I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times’. Hearing Sweet Pea Atkinson and Sir Harry Bowens lushly harmonising The Beach Boy vocal parts behind Brian Wilson was a musical marriage made in heaven for me.
Back in 2020 I was devastated to hear the sad news that Sweet Pea Atkinson had passed away. It was during the Civid 19 lockdown period and, as a tribute to him, I recorded a version of ‘Where Did Your Heart Go’ in my lockdown sessions.
This is a song that many don’t realise was a Was Not Was song as it was released by George Michael as Wham’s last ever single. This beautiful song has a stunning melody and lyrics that make it anything other than a conventional love song. I am truly honoured that Mark Pawlowski has asked to use this version in the third episode of 80sography David Was Interview. Sir Harry Bowens sent me a lovely message back in 2020 when I first recorded it. It is a beautiful thing to mix with your hero’s even on this superficial level.
Thank you Was (Not Was). You have taught me to look at the deeper side of life and not take things too seriously.
Brilliant mate