When I spoke to the members of cult Dundee band Danny Wilson for Jackie magazine back in 1987, it was easy.
All it involved was a drunken night in Fat Sams for the release of Mary’s Prayer, and a prayer of my own that my editor would sign the expenses.
Now, even though Gary Clark, Kit Clark and Ged Grimes are all based back in their native Dundee, getting them together is like herding cats.
It’s all Zooms and WhatsApps, a scattering of snatched conversations between projects for the three busy artists as they prepare for the release of upcoming CD retrospective, Complete Danny Wilson.
One thing that unites them is how looking back over their catalogue has invoked strong memories of a time that they couldn’t really make sense of while it was happening.
And they agree that there would be no Danny Wilson without Dundee.
Band’s beginnings at St Saviour’s High
Gary and Ged initially met at St Saviour’s High and through the influence of musically literate Paul Fitzpatrick, who died only recently, discovered the likes of Steely Dan.
At one point they took the well-trodden path to London but saw that the record companies were all looking north.
So they trod back up to reassess, regroup, and see that Gary’s young brother Kit had been treading his own path locally, with The Very Important Men.
He became a great fit for a trio of experimental multi-instrumentalists.
“We had cut our musical teeth,” says Ged, now bass player with Simple Minds and composer of games music.
“Coming back, with Kit from a different generation, he had his own Dundee experience that we could then tap into as well.”
Michael Marra ‘was a huge mentor’
Kit had been training as a sound engineer with Allan McGlone at Inner City Sound and in exchange for work the trio would get studio time .
There were introductions to other musicians like drummer Brian McDermott, again multi-instrumentalist Chris Marra and piano player Derek Thomson.
“We might have known Derek from Forbes music shop too,” adds Gary Clark, now in the midst of the West End production of Sing Street as well as a Nanny McPhee musical, and more.
“This was the time for introductions to so many people. Brian who owned the Tayside Bar, a place where we could rehearse.
“He also introduced us to Bob Flynn from the NME, who wrote a great review that led to record company interest. But Ged and I had been slogging away since we were 14 by that point, and Kit was no slouch either.
“Even before we left, Mick [Michael] Marra was a huge mentor to me. The fact that he heard a demo and sought me out blew my wee mind. I was such a fan.”
Is a Danny Wilson musical in the pipeline?
Putting together the new box set would normally involve going back to tunes that the trio hadn’t listened to in a long time.
But for Kit, who combines music with acting and production now, it’s been a different experience.
“I’ve been immersed in [the Danny Wilson back catalogue] for a while now,” he explains.
“I’m writing a musical with Danny Wilson songs. But unlike other musicals of its type, I won’t change the songs to fit the narrative, so I’ve been living with them as part of the whole process.”
The ‘raggedy Sinatras’ of Fat Sams
The affection that Danny Wilson is still held in, even with only two albums, lies in the timelessness of the music.
And the band’s strong ties with Dundee helped to inspire them all those years ago.
“I have a distinct memory of seeing The Associates on Top Of The Pops and then seeing Billy on Albert Street a few days later,” recalls Kit.
“It showed that it could be done.”
Fat Sams was a 1980s “salon” for musicians, writers, artists, and the Danny Wilson boys have fond memories of the venue’s popular cocktail bar.
“When you were at the bar and looked round, well, we were the raggedy Sinatras,” says Gary.
“But there were the goths and the pop cockatoos… all different, but with no homogenised scene there was freedom to do your own thing.”
There has never been a full stop on Danny Wilson and it’s true that this 5-disc release won’t satisfy the hunger for live events or vinyl releases, but for now it will be welcomed.
“When I listened back,” says Ged, “I just thought this was music that was made from the heart by three young guys that were in love with music.
“And that’s a decent legacy.”
Complete Danny Wilson is released on Cherry Red on February 28.
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