A compilation to celebrate the release of the brand-new book – To Ease My Troubled Mind: The Authorised Unauthorised History of Billy Childish written by Ted Kessler.

When the idea for the book was mooted Billy wanted to put a succinct double album compilation together to summarise his 47 years of making music. This is the result.

My name is William Ivy Loveday, aka Steve Hamper, aka Guy Hamper, aka Jack Ketch, aka Billy Childish. I was born on the Medway, Kent, where I still live. I left school in 1976 when I was 16. Because I have no qualifications I was turned down by art school so went to work in Chatham dockyard as an apprentice stonemason. I later managed to get onto a painting course at St. Martin’s School of Art on the basis of my paintings. Me, Bruce, big Russ, and little Russ formed The Pop Rivets in 1977 and made our first recordings. Our inspiration was punk rock, TV21 and The Swinging Blue Jeans.

I learned to play guitar then in 1979 I worked for four weeks at Oakwood Mental Hospital as a ward porter, then me, Mick and Bertie formed The Milkshakes. Our inspiration was Link Wray, the Beatles Live at the Star Club LP, the track ‘Gotta Get the First Plane Home’ by The Kinks and our hatred of new romanticism. Then I was expelled from St. Martin’s School of Art for writing what was described as “the worst type of toilet wall humour.” I beat my father up on his release from prison for drug smuggling. We never paid ourselves in The Milkshakes and put all the money back into making our own records. I kept the money in a bank account under the name of Kurt Schwitters. I lived on the dole for 12 years.

In 1985 we formed Thee Mighty Caesars. Our inspiration was Bo Diddley and The Troggs. I became a member of Greenpeace. In 1989 me and Bruce formed Thee Headcoats. Our inspiration being Son House and Downliners Sect. In 1999 me, Wolf and Johnny Barker formed The Buff Medways. Our inspiration was Jimi Hendrix in Beatle boots and The Who before Roger Daltry started wearing his nan’s curtains. Around 2008 me and Julie formed The Musicians of the British Empire. That morphed into CTMF. That blurred into The Chatham Singers. Our inspiration was based on us. Next up it was time for me and Neil to form The Spartan Dreggs, inspired by Homer and A. E. Housman. Other groups arose and fell - making sure no one knew who we were or why. In 2019 The William Loveday Intention emerged - the inspiration being Hollis Brown and the Mississippi Sheiks. Guy Hamper showed up once again, joined by Jamie on Hammond. Some of these group remain; many have departed for distant shores with sharp hidden rocks.

Mainly I paint and write poetry and novels. Along with the music I play nothing I do has ever been particularly fashionable but that is rather the point. Even in 1977 we enjoyed saying no. Then, when punk turned into new romanticism, we descended backwards into early rock ‘n’ roll and the blues. In The Milkshakes we were told that we released too many LPs and were committing commercial suicide, so we released four different LPs on one day.

Every now and then someone famous comes along and a small crumb rolls across the table and splashes into our tepid soup. Other times nobodies emulate us and prove to be only better. I love pop, but not pop stars. I am only interested in sound and colour and being small scale. I don’t hide behind volume and off stage mixing. I don’t need to play a show because I prefer to sit and have a cup of tea. My work belongs low, close to the ground, to instinct and the elemental. I believe in homemade music, homemade art and homemade cooking. I want to bring back the tram and the horse. Music has been a rewarding hobby over the years. I have met and worked with many good friends, and God saved me from fame.

 

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