i knew buffalo bill

jeremy gluck nikki sudden epic soundtracks

rowland s howard

jeffrey lee pierce


Forever stained, yet eternally unstained

It was a long, long time ago when I first met Jeremy Gluck. He and his band the Barracudas seemed to spend every Saturday afternoon traversing Portobello Road, desperately looking for the surf or the big wave. I remember they looked so young and adorable back then. Times change, eh! It never occured to me that we'd record together. Swell Maps and the Barracudas did occasionally gig together though. Maybe our fate was sealed from that moment.

Jeremy's recollections of our first recording session are more-or-less correct. I do, however, still have two 1/4" reel to reels in my possession of the Kusworth, Sudden & Tyla (from Dogs D'Amour) session. I remember we recorded, for some reason known only to Jeremy in a completely frozen and freezing warehouse somewhere in Brixton. One of the more unlovely parts of old Albion. Better was to come next time. A two track demo session done at the beautiful Kings Road house of our ever-gorgeous friend Lizard (aka Max Edie) which are also stored somewhere in my tape archives. Waiting for the long-promised box-set, no doubt.

Anyway, we eventually ended up in Dave Pegg's Woodworm Studio in Barford St. Michael. An old Baptist Chapel, perfectly idylic surroundings for recording. 'We' being Rowland, Epic, Jeremy, Andy Bean and myself. Recording the tracks for "I Knew Buffalo Bill" inbetween sessions for my "Dead Men Tell No Tales" solo album and the joint Nikki / Rowland "Kiss You Kidnapped Charabanc". One strange memory from that time is that my father also told me that he liked 'Gallery Wharf', I remember that. It used to be very rare for him to actually comment on one of my songs. I shouldn't have given the track away. I should have at least made a mix with my guide vocal track on it. But, I still have a copy on cassette.

Time rolls on, apparently the master-tapes got lost somewhere along the road. Most important of all, though, the music still sounds good. Rowland I haven't seen since he returned to his homeland of Australia a good few years ago. Epic died last November. Andy Bean remains a good friend. Jeremy, likewise, although our meetings become more and more seldom with the passing of the years. Jonathan Hodgson remains alive and well and living in London. He was once one of the Cult Figures, now he makes videos. Jeffrey Lee Pierce I never got on with at all. (Lead singer syndrome, ask Nick Cave, Michael Stipe or Simon Bonney for further clarification!) I ended up playing a gig with Mr 'Lucky' Joe Drake on a boat on the Mississippi out of New Orleans just a month ago. Strange how things come to pass. Tony Cohen became immortalised as JC in Phil Shöenfelt's book "Junkie Love" but Tony was immortal from the day I first met him.

This I remember. I should have forgotten so much but never really do. Forever stained yet constantly unstained. Jeremy and I have plans to record together again. Ten years or more have rolled by since we last entered a studio together. But, what is ten years between friends? Too long, or not long enough? The trail leads on until the
sunset and the sunset is many years away.


Nikki Sudden - Berlin, Germany, May 28th, 1998.

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