Hello Steve and thank you for joining us today, you're very much the down to earth guy with a quick wit, I know your jokes make the wombles chuckle. So I'd like to begin by asking you a little bit about your formative years. Has your cheeky sense of humour ever got you into trouble? or out of it?
I once picked up a street sign I found lying around, and a keen young constable stopped me and asked where I was going with it. I should have said ‘To the council damaged street sign repair centre, officer.’ Instead I told him I was taking it home, as I had a collection of over 300 stolen road signs in my bedroom. The evening went downhill from that point.
I’ve met the best and funniest people I know through music. I can’t think of a musician without a saving grace of some sort. Worst thing? I once had to remove dog poo from the stage in a pub before playing.
*Boff almost chokes on a slice of lime at hearing this, while a quick witted bar maid steps in and performs the Heimlich Maneuver; the offending piece of lime goes whizzing over Mrs Steve's left shoulder and lands in a pint of lager being drunk by an elderly gentlemen who looks distinctly similar to Worzel Gummidge* "Fore" shouts Steve before slinking back down into his chair, ahem anyway ...cause being in a band also involves getting into scrapes and nights out when performing, do you have any stories about any particularly memorable evenings out?
I can’t remember many of them to be honest. But then I was very, very drunk.
...and of cause you're also married, can you tell us about the first day you met your wife? Did you know straight away that she was the one and what did she make of you?
We met on a blind date and we were both ‘on the rebound’. For me it was love at first sight. Fourteen years on, I just asked her how she feels, and she’s still not sure whether she even likes me that much. Which is fair enough. I think she’s wise to keep her options open at this stage.
Indeed, and you're Biography here says you're a 'Role model, songwriter, birdwatcher, reader, guitarist, Anglophile, lifestyle guru (all prefixed by the word 'failed')' What's the worst job you've ever had?
Answering all these bloody questions. When’s it
going to end? Little House On The Prairie’s on in ten minutes. But seriously –
bollock catcher in a eunuch factory was pretty bad.
Coming now on to your current musical interests you're part of a songwriting partnership, how would you describe your music? and what are your musical influences/heroes?
My dad was a folk singer and songwriter. I was raised listening to folk music from people like Pete Seeger, Ewan McColl, Martin Carthy et al and I’m still partial to a good tune, and words with a strong message. I was also fascinated by the guitar from an early age and taught myself to play aged about 10. I’ve always written and performed my own songs, but recently I’ve also been writing in collaboration, a process I’ve really enjoyed. We’ve used Nashville based musicians to record via the internet, and we’re really pleased with the results, which are quite country influenced. Biggest single influence / hero was definitely David Bowie. Hunky Dory / Ziggy / Aladdin Sane era. Image, attitude, intelligence, and great tunes, words and arrangements. Mick Ronson was a genius. Bowie was also instrumental in leading my generation into discovering so many other musicians, artists, and writers.
As we've lost our thread somewhat I decide to try and ease back into the interview with an easy question. If you had to learn to play a new musical instrument, what would you choose and why?
I’d go for the comb and paper. Some of these guitars are ridiculously expensive.
Changing the subject now, I'd like to ask you a couple of lifestyle guru questions, As an older gentleman that's been cohabiting with the wombles for some years (Boff shares a bedroom with Wellington) do you think our co-dependency is healthy? and is it time for me to 'fly the nest'?
I don’t know about co-dependency. Co-op-dependency, on the other hand, is very familiar to me. I’m constantly having to pop up there for stuff we forgot to get delivered by Tesco. And whisky. Mainly whisky to be honest. The best time to fly the nest is when you’ve sprouted all your feathers.
B & Q does some very nice yellow industrial ear defenders. Very useful when you’re struggling to hear yourself think.
Well Steve we're almost done and it's been a pleasure having you join us today. I'd like to wrap up our interview by asking you one final question. You walk into a pub to find Bil Oddie and Paul Weller exchanging bird watching tips. What's the first thing you say or do?
Offer them some peanuts and say something childish about Great Tits
...and with that Mrs Steve is back with £250 quid and a big smile. They both thank me for a lovely afternoon in the sun and tell me their off to spend their winnings in style. I on the other hand am off to find the champion jokey and remind him about the dangers of riding horses without helmets, or for that matter joining horse races without at least letting me know. Steve can be found on Twitter cracking jokes and making merry. Also if you'd like to know more about the kind of music he makes, you can enjoy some choice examples here: https://soundcloud.com/moretonberringtonmusic
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