THE STORY... Gary met Richard and Gareth in 1991 whilst attempting to teach them history - even once making the proverbial school movie! Richard went off to do creative writing at Bangor University, Wales, and met Laura at a night club in Ringwood, Hants - difficult but not impossible! Gary knicked Richard's name as a character in his novel 'Don't Fall In Love Too Quickly'. Aware of his former (tor)mentor's work Rich contacted Gary in late 2005 about the prospect of collaborating on a comedy project, and after several meetings - sometimes not even in pubs it was so professional - the trio began writing - together and separately - for 'Project X' , soon joined by Gareth. Hey - you think that's complicated Laura was Richard's girlfriend in real life - and by an amazing coincidence it turned out Richard was also dating Laura - so much so they got engaged in July 2008 and married a year later on 28th Aug 2009! Gareth plays guitar, does a range of European accents, and was delegated to produce the group logo. At first it was a bit up in the air... but then it worked out beautifully (except for Gary who is now too old to appear in MTV videos, where he is replaced by a stunt double).
We all chip in ideas, but the one wot wrote it usually drives! How technology changes in thirty years, eh? When Gary started in 'The Drunkards' he was using a cassette recorder and writing out copies by hand - now it's all e-mail and digital mastering! 'There's life in the old dog yet', says Richard, 'before, that is, we work him to death and steal the rights to his life's work during a senior moment'. Gareth, being a modern guy, usually does his bit of the music straight onto PC - he has a box that makes his guitar sound like a piano. Laura tells them when its wrong.
Our radio play 'Paint An Elephant' didn't win the 2006 Christchurch Writing Festival but we got an honourable mention, and it's available on our first CD. We've written and recorded material for ' The Weekend Breakfast Show' on 'Hope FM' (see 'Gary's Comedy Page' for listings) and have also appeared on their Wednesday night arts show 'Livewire Live', performing live and larking around. Another plan is to one day post FREE downloadable material onto a new group website -'cos 'MySpace' won't let us on theirs!! Plans are also afoot for a new 'best of' CD to promtote the group as commercial writers for other people - Mitchell and Webb (no relation) have already knicked some ideas off the sample CD we gave them!!!
See 'For Sale' for details of our current 'product'. Our sampler CD has been withdrawn and is now a collectors item! Exclusive tracks are now available on the charity compilation CD 'Unavailable Elsewhere' - see 'For Sale' .
We're on an extended break at the moment.
Richard is currently working on a play for BBC, a novel, a sci-fi TV script, and a screenplay with James Duckett as well as doing a commercial scriptwriting course. Gareth is currently recording a solo music CD and snowboarding. Possibly at the same time. For Gary's solo stuff see his 'Home Page' . 'Behind every great man...' Laura is currently organising Richard, being a domestic goddess for 'Avon', and is also expecting their first baby! Gary and Richard are both members of the Southbourne Tabletop and Boardgamers Club (STaB) (website www.sttab.co.uk ) .
RADIO BROADCAST, 26/03/2008, Bournemouth
('Hope FM' studio).
PERSONNEL: Gary, Richard, Laura, Gareth.
ITEMS RECORDED: Off-air and official recordings of 'Livewire Live' broadcast (c.60:00 total).
Including broadcasts of tracks:
Need A Loan (Beeped Version) / Johnny Cash Shopping / Evil Cats / Film Trailer /
Scaramanga Goes To The Estate Agents / American Bond / Back To My Place
NOTES: Live chat show banter and playing tracks from albums old and new
RECORDING SESSION, 25/3/2008, Bournemouth (Gareth's Penthouse). PERSONNEL: Gareth. ITEMS RECORDED: Back To My Place (1:11) / Need A Loan (Beeped Version) (0:54) / Slough, Part Two (2:19) / Domestic Goddess (1:56) NOTES: More work for new CD prior to live 'Hope' broadcast.
RECORDING SESSION, 24/3/2008, Bournemouth (Gareth's Penthouse). PERSONNEL: Gareth. ITEMS RECORDED: Call Line (0:49) / Evil Cats (1:36) / Contempt (0:31) / Issues (1:28) / Film Trailer (0:33) / Divorce (0:26) / Domestic Goddess (Demo) / Need A Loan (0:54) / Need A Loan (Beeped Demo) NOTES: Work for new CD prior to live 'Hope' broadcast.
RECORDING SESSION, 20/2/2008, Bournemouth (Gary's House). PERSONNEL: Gary. ITEMS RECORDED: Working Class Hero (3:45) / Peacekeepers (2:58) NOTES: While working on another project Gary came across Gareth's (unissued) version of this Lennon song from pre-Project X 2006. He also finally finished 'Peacekeepers'.
RECORDING SESSION, 10/2/2008, Bournemouth (Gary's House). PERSONNEL: Gary. ITEMS RECORDED: The Lost Lenin Tapes (Martin George Edit) (2:41) NOTES: Pending Gareth finishing 12th Jan's recordings a stop-gap remix to meet output commitments.
RECORDING SESSION, 12/1/2008, Bournemouth (Gareth's Penthouse). PERSONNEL: Gary, Richard, Laura, Gareth. ITEMS RECORDED: Slough, Part Two (Vocal Tracks) / Issues / Film Trailer / Domestic Goddess / Evil Cats / Contempt / Call Line / Divorce / Back To My Place / Need A Loan? NOTES: A short focused session to do lots of fairly well, 'short' ones that left Gareth with some editing to do on his Mac. 'Evil Cats' written by Rich that morning. Laura didn't eat pizza. Gary got a parking ticket!!!
RECORDING SESSION, 8/1/2008, Bournemouth (Gareth's Penthouse). PERSONNEL: Gareth. ITEMS RECORDED: Slough, Part Two (Instrumental) NOTES: Gareth's records the instrumental backing to Gary's lyrics that expand on Sir John Betjamin's famous poem!
RECORDING SESSION, 15/12/2007, Ringwood (Richard and Laura's house). PERSONNEL: Gary, Richard, Laura, Gareth, Angus the Terrier. ITEMS RECORDED: Grandad's Christmas (2:43) NOTES: A BIG summit meeting to discuss the new CD. The one sketch recorded was written that very morning by Gary for 'Hope FM's' 'The Weekend Breakfast Show' festive output.
RECORDING SESSION, 7/10/2007, Bournemouth (Gareth's Penthouse). PERSONNEL: Gareth, Richard. ITEMS RECORDED: Phone A Friend (3:14) / Tony's Comeback Night (2:42) / The Scantily Clad Chef (1:45) / Magic For Radio (4:41) NOTES: No time wasted at Gareth's 'Tony's' , requiring instrumentation, committed to tape. No - no digital! - no tapes involved!!!
RECORDING SESSION, 23/9/2007, Bournemouth (Gary's House). PERSONNEL: Gary. ITEMS RECORDED: Teen Expert (Compilation) (4:45) NOTES: As with 'Cornwall' a compilation, made during the mastering session.
RECORDING SESSION, 22/9/2007, Ringwood (Richard and Laura's house), Bournemouth (Gary's House). PERSONNEL: Gary, Richard, Laura, Gareth, Angus the Terrier. ITEMS RECORDED: Football Hooligan Instructional CD (2:22) / Bond (1:49) / Teen Expert, Pt 1 (2:36) / Teen Expert, Pt 2 (1:18) / Teen Expert, Pt 3 (0:46) / Grandad's Holiday (2:02) NOTES: Another BIG session of new material for 'Hope FM's' 'The Weekend Breakfast Show'. FX's again added by Gary when he got back.
RECORDING SESSION, 14/8/2007, Bournemouth (Gareth's penthouse). PERSONNEL: Gareth. ITEMS RECORDED: Redundancy (Beeped Version) (2:57) NOTES: Gareth finishes! He'd have done it yesterday if Gary had told him properly what they wanted in the first place!
RECORDING SESSION, 13/8/2007, Bournemouth (Gareth's penthouse). PERSONNEL: Gareth. ITEMS RECORDED: Redundancy (Beeped Version) NOTES: Work on a 'clean' version for 'Hope' re-broadcast.
RECORDING SESSION, 11/8/2007, Bournemouth (Gary's house). PERSONNEL: Gary. ITEMS RECORDED: Cornwall Here We Come (Compilation) (5:26) NOTES: Gary compiles all five together as an alternate method of broadcast for 'Hope FM' .
RECORDING SESSION, 10/8/2007, Bournemouth (Gareth's penthouse). PERSONNEL: Gareth. ITEMS RECORDED: Cornwall Here We Come, Pt 1 (1:18) / Cornwall Here We Come, Pt 2 (0:56) / Cornwall Here We Come, Pt 3 (0:58) / Cornwall Here We Come, Pt 4 (0:53) / Cornwall Here We Come, Pt 5 (1:11) NOTES: Gareth finishes this in time to meet a 'Hope FM'; submission deadline.
RECORDING SESSION, 20/5/2007, Ringwood (Richard and Laura's house), Bournemouth (Gary's House). PERSONNEL: Gary, Richard, Laura, Gareth, Angus the Terrier. ITEMS RECORDED: Grandad's Sunday (3:41) / Crufts (3:03) / Pitch (1:11) / Mistaken Identity (2:11) NOTES: A BIG session of new material for 'Hope FM's' 'The Weekend Breakfast Show'; sound effects added by Gaz the elder to complete the sketch later. In 'Crufts' Gary plays Angus!!!!!!
RECORDING SESSION, 19/5/2007, Bournemouth (Gareth's penthouse). PERSONNEL: Gareth. ITEMS RECORDED: American Bond (2:31) NOTES: Sound effects added to complete the sketch.
RECORDING SESSION, 10/10/2006, Bournemouth (Gary's house). PERSONNEL: Gary. ITEMS RECORDED: California Boys (0:40) NOTES: Edit of 'Gary Random' as punctuation for the new CD (but not used in the event).
RECORDING SESSION, 9/10/2006, Bournemouth (Gareth's penthouse). PERSONNEL: Gary, Richard, Gareth. ITEMS RECORDED: Patent Office (4:05) / Where's Gandalf? 1 (0:19) / Where's Gandalf? 2 (0:35) / Where's Gandalf? 3 (0:31) / American Bond / Cornwall Here We Come (Pts 1 to 5) NOTES: ...they recorded Laura's 'Patent Office while she was dog-sitting. After Gaz (the elder) left Gaz (the younger) and Richard got to recording some improv tracks - the last two of which they only told the bibliographically retentive one about seven months later!!!
RECORDING SESSION, 8/10/2006, Bournemouth (Gareth's penthouse). PERSONNEL: Gareth. ITEMS RECORDED: Mutally Assured Seduction (4:04) NOTES: Mayo goes for a remake - after which the group met up to decide the track listing for 'It Smells...' only one thing out of place! So, the next day...
RECORDING SESSION, 29/9/2006, Bournemouth (Gareth's penthouse). PERSONNEL: Gary, Richard, Laura, Gareth. ITEMS RECORDED: Paint An Elephant (Song) (1:36) / Paint An Elephant (Play) (22:00) / Mutally Assured Seduction (Alternate Vocal Inserts) NOTES: Over the previous week Gareth mixed and mastered these two recordings, which everyone then Ok'd. Rich and Loz very excited about their new car and puppy - and the two Gaz' drunk whisky late into the night!
RECORDING SESSION, 22/9/2006, Bournemouth (Gareth's penthouse). PERSONNEL: Gary, Richard, Laura, Gareth. ITEMS RECORDED: Paint An Elephant (Song) / Paint An Elephant (Play) NOTES: Following his strategy of 'aggressive recording' we recorded our new radio play on Gareth's snazzy PC (which leaves him with a huge editing job) but we got it done and dusted in an evening (the software is 'easier' to edit and more forgiving than Gary's analogue 4-track). This is a complex recording and Gaz the Younger had already recorded inserts and the song in the week before. 'The first session in 30 years where I haven't had to twiddle nobs', said Gaz the Elder. 'We're getting a puppy', said Rich and Laura.
RECORDING SESSION, 17/9/2006, Bournemouth (Gary's house). PERSONNEL: Gary, Deanna Mitchell. ITEMS RECORDED: Beware Of The Daughter (Demo) (2:24) / Peacekeepers (2:30) / Gary Random NOTES: Gary masters his original and unissued last century recordings of a song and sketch as 'demos' to be developed by the group. (Original recording date 2+5/4/1997 and 26/4/1997 respectively). Around this time his daughter Dee recorded him arsing around, which worked so well it was copied for future use in something. Maybe.
RECORDING SESSION, 26/8/2006, Bournemouth (Gareth's penthouse). PERSONNEL: Gary, Richard, Laura, Gareth. ITEMS RECORDED: Mutually Assured Seduction (Main Body) / Mutally Assured Seduction (Vocal Inserts) / Alf's Ghost (Aborted Re-Make) / Redundancy (2:57) NOTES: We did a lot of writing too. Then we went down the pub, plotted and planned, and had out piccy taken. By this date Gareth had done the muso bit on 'MAS'.
RECORDING SESSION, 15/4/2006, Bournemouth (Gary's house). PERSONNEL: Gary. ITEMS RECORDED: Scaramanga Goes To The Estate Agents (3:50) NOTES: A 'sting' sound effect added in order to successfully master. The first of the 'Bond' sketches!
RECORDING SESSION, 14/4/2006, Bournemouth (Gareth's penthouse / Gary's house). PERSONNEL: Gary, Richard, Laura, Gareth. ITEMS RECORDED: Alf's Ghost (3:05) / Sharpe's Pride And Prejudice (3:21) / Patent Office (Original) (4.22) / Scaramanga Goes To The Estate Agents / Beer Careful (4:03) NOTES: A long session at Gareth's new pad. We ate pizza! 'Sharpe' left unfinished, Gary finishing a 'close-mic' (possibly demo) version back at his afterwards! We changed the name of 'Beer' from 'Date Rape' because it sounds nicer!
RECORDING SESSION, 19/3/2006, Ringwood (Gareth's parents place). PERSONNEL: Gareth. ITEMS RECORDED: Johnny Cash Shopping (2:34) NOTES: Everyone else absent this time - a comic song from Gareth, 'The Man In Black' shops at tescos!
RECORDING SESSION, 18/3/2006, Blandford (Richard and Laura's old place). PERSONNEL: Gary, Richard, Laura. ITEMS RECORDED: Oscars (3:08) / The Tour Guide (3:59) / Politics, Baby (2:38) / The Heavens Above Show (4:53) NOTES: Gareth absent again - texted apologies! We spent six hours on this 'sesh', sustained by Laura's coffee and bacon sarnies.
RECORDING SESSION, 12/3/2006, Blandford (Richard and Laura's old place). PERSONNEL: Gary, Richard, Laura. ITEMS RECORDED: Mr Jizz (0:46) / The Kulture Show (5:55) NOTES: Gareth unable to make the session due to being badly injured in a skiing accident. Apparently he got home late the previous night and had to sleep!
RECORDING SESSION, 26/2/2006, Bournemouth (Gary's house). PERSONNEL: Gary. ITEMS RECORDED: The Lost Lenin Tapes ('Free As A Prole') / The Lost Lenin Tapes (4:29) NOTES: Gary masters his original and unissued last century recordings of the sketch - and it's song insert - as 'demos' to be developed by the group. Or not. (Original recording date 6/4/1997).
RECORDING SESSION, 18/2/2006, Bournemouth (Gary's house). PERSONNEL: Gary, Richard, Laura. ITEMS RECORDED: Girls Night In (4:15) / Girls Night In 2 (4:25) NOTES: Gareth away moving house! Two paired episodes of day-time magazine presented by Dianna Dogg, the first written by Laura, the second by Gary.
RECORDING SESSION, 28/1/2006, Bournemouth (Gary's house). PERSONNEL: Gary, Richard, Laura, Gareth. ITEMS RECORDED: Stylo France (6:20) NOTES: Richard's paraody of language instruction tapes where it all goes horribly wrong on an exchange visit to La Rochelle...
RECORDING SESSION, 14/1/2006, Bournemouth (Gary's house). PERSONNEL: Gary, Richard, Laura. ITEMS RECORDED: Accident Insurance (Take 1) / Accident Insurance (Take 2) (0:50) NOTES: A short mock advert on which Gary showed Rich and Laura how the equipment rarely does what you want it to!
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