A lot of what happened to me is because of him and us just bumping into each other. I didn’t dwell on Feelgood after we split but doing the interviews for the film and book I had to talk about Lee and it made me realize how much he meant to me and how close we were. It’s the same looking back at Lee Brilleaux. I really want to slap that guy around the head for stressing about pointless things, it’s like looking at someone else. I’d get really uptight and worried at the time about things that didn’t matter at all and there are whole pages about these things, but there are other things that only get a couple of words that would go on to turn my whole life around. I kept a diary every day from 1972-74 and looking at it now it’s just crazy. Wilko: Sometimes I find myself jumping back in my mind to being 21 again and I turn into that guy and it’s like the years haven’t happened. Louder Than War: Do you still feel in touch with the young Wilko? I’m really pleased with how the book turned out, it’s different from a rock and roll memoir. But, I suppose the film, the box set and book all coming so quickly has led to me looking back a lot more than I’ve ever done. I’d really like to be able to go back and give myself a clip round the ear for being so stupid really. I felt really hard done to at the time, but looking back now I just feel a twinge of pity for this poor fool sitting there and waiting to be sacked without realizing it. The others were clearly trying to get me out but they cleverly waited until all my songs and guitar parts were recorded and in the can before they did the deed. Looking back now I can see clearly what was happening and I think ”Ëyou silly twit’. We’d got to Number 1 in the Album Charts with the live album, ”ËStupidity’, and I didn’t know which way the band would go after that, but I felt responsible for us and writing new stuff. What came back to me was what a worrying time it was for me. Listening to them for the first time in years was very strange I can tell you, it was like suddenly being back there. I was looking for old Feelgood tapes that I hadn’t heard in years. I’ve never really dwelt on those days and this is the first time I’ve really had to think about it. Feelgood called ”ËOil City Confidential’ a couple of years ago and recently EMI have put together a Dr Feelgood Box Set (All Through The City). Wilko: Well, Julian Temple made a film about Dr. Louder Than War: Did you find the process of reflection difficult at times? Mostly Zoe would find something, nudge me and I’d start jabbering away, but so much of what I say seems inconsequential in writing, you can’t imitate characters as you would if you were telling a story but Zoe deserves all the credit for making it into a life story beyond just music and it has this sort of ”Ëscrapbook’ effect now that means you can just open it and dive into different parts of it. She deserves the credit for how it’s turned out as we originally wanted a sort of story of my life in rock and roll but I’ve got loads of stuff around and she would look through all these things and then interview me and try to transcribe my ramblings into something. We initially wanted something extra to T- shirts to sell at gigs and Zoe Howe, the wife of my drummer, was given the task of putting things together. Did you plan it to come out like this, or did it evolve during the writing process? Louder Than War: ”ËLooking Back at Me’ has an amazing impact, both visually and in the subject matter. It was another wet and miserable June afternoon when I spoke to Wilko, but he was quickly able to brighten my day. Anyone who has been fortunate enough to see Wilko live would understand why he is held in such esteem as he and his band of Norman Watt-Roy and Dylan Howe, both ex-Blockheads, are simply one of the best live acts on the circuit. In addition to learning about Wilko’s love of art, astronomy, poetry, science fiction and a range of other subjects, ”ËLooking Back at Me’ shows the huge respect that others in the music business such as Robert Plant, Alison Moyet, JJ Burnel, Keith Levene and Whispering Bob Harris have for Wilko and his influence. Wilko also proved to be a powerful song writer and, after his departure from Dr Feelgood in 1977, continued as a solo artist to prove himself as one of Britain’s leading R and B performers. Wilko Johnson quickly attracted great attention, not just because of the energy and originality of his stage performance, but also due to his signature guitar style that combined rhythm and lead styles and influenced many aspiring guitar heroes. Emerging from Canvey Island in the early 1970’s, Dr Feelgood made a massive impact and influenced many of the Punk generation including Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Jam, Blondie and The Ramones.
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