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TRANSCRIPTS TAKEN FROM THE BOOK.
The following are extracts taken from the book from Nils Stevenson's personal diaries.
1976
3-4 September:
Fly to Paris to play the opening night of a new disco called Le Chalet du Lac (a most inappropriate venue). Billy Idol, Siouxsie, Steve Severin, and another Bromley boy, Simon Barker, come over in Billy’s van. Vivienne and Jordan, journalists Caroline Coon and John Ingham, who are pushing the Pistols in Sounds and MNE, turn up as well. A massive crowd congregates outside the club. Police arrive, and the situation rapidly turns into mayhem as it gets dark. Inside there’s plenty of aggro directed at Siouxsie, whose swastika and pert bare breasts provoke a furore from French patriots. I have to hide her away backstage. The Pistols’ performance itself is greeted with bewilderment.
21 September:
Siouxsie and the Banshees take to the stage at the 100 Club Punk Festival for their first-ever performance. Siouxsie who can’t sing, Steve Severin who can’t play bass, Marco Pirroni who can play guitar and Sid Vicious who can’t play drums, make a wonderful racket for about fifteen minutes, as Siouxsie shouts lyrics from the “Lord’s Prayer”, “Twist and Shout”, “Knocking On Heaven’s Door”, and “Deutschland, Deutschland Uber Alles”, while Marco pulls out a catalogue of familiar riffs. It reminds me of Yoko Ono’s album “Fly”. Everyone hates them. I want to manage them. Bernard won’t let the Banshees use The Clash’s equipment because of Sid and Siouxsie’s swastikas. This incenses who berates Bernard from the stage, calling him a “tight old Jew”. Subway Sect perform a very subdued set, but Malcolm thinks they are a better bet then Siouxsie.
8 October:
I’ve been lumped in with the Bromley Contingent by the press, though I’ve never been near Bromley. That’s not quite true – we went to Berlin’s fetish party – bit of an orgy. Siouxsie’s having a thing with Severin, but Cookie steamed in anyway. Steve got hold of Tracy, and I met a ted girl. Glen and Celia were outraged and left.
9 October:
At Louise’s, the dyke club in Soho, the music is all disco, like George McCray, Dr Alimontado’s “Cocaine” and Huge Corporation. Every night ends with Maurice Chevalier’s “Every Little Breeze Seems To Whisper Louise”. After signing to EMI, we truck down to Louise’s to celebrate. Fucking pissed off that there’s no provision for me in the management contract. Malcolm gives me an ultimatum – I can stay on as a roadie or he will pay me off after the Anarchy in the UK tour: 300.00 pounds. I don’t want to leave the group, but I’ll sneak Siouxsie and guitarist Peter Fenton, into the Pistols’ studio to rehearse while we’re away on the tour.
4 December:
The Anarchy in the UK tour is the road to nowhere. All but three gigs out of nineteen scheduled are cancelled after the Grundy incident. Nevertheless we’re travelling around the country stirring up publicity with three other groups who are not being allowed to play. The damned travel separately and stay in different hotels. But the tour has given me the opportunity to smuggle Siouxsie and her new Banshees into the Pistols’ studio while we are away.
13 December:
Except for Siouxsie and Severin, who are rehearsing in Denmark street, most of the Pistol’s entourage turn up from time to time at various stages of the tour.
22 December:
End of tour. Broke and cold. To make matters worse, Malcolm hits the roof when he finds out Siouxsie has been using the studio.
1977
5 January:
Siouxsie et al come to the airport to meet the Pistols on their return from Amsterdam.
25 January:
Track give me a retainer to keep them informed about unsigned groups on the punk scene, and pay for the flat I’m sharing with the Heartbreakers and rehearsals with for Siouxsie And The Banshees.
24 February:
The banshees play their first gig at the red deer, Croydon, supporting the heartbreakers. The group’s line-p is Siouxsie, naturally, Peter Fenton on guitar, Kenny Morris drums and Steve Severin bass.
20 October:
You don’t need to contrive stunts to antagonise the authorities. Siouxsie, Banshees drummer Kenny Morris and Pablo la Britain of 999 are arrested while waiting for a cab after supporting the Heartbreakers at the Rainbow, charged with obstruction, thrown in jail and fined the following morning. Siouxsie’s brief implies that the police sergeant who testified against Siouxsie and Kenny has it in for us, and that we should keep well away from Finsbury Park. The fascist regime.
14 November:
Siouxsie co-headlines the Music Machine with Richard hell of the original spiky haircut and distressed clothing. Some little bastard in the audience headbuts me and runs away. He can’t be more than fifteen. It fucking hurts though. Spend much of the evening trying to find him, but no avail. I don’t know how Siouxsie copes with playing to these arseholes, screaming to see her tits, grabbing her legs and gobbing at her. I get immense pleasure when she raps one of the wankers with a mike stand or kicks someone on the head who’s too amorous, though they probably like it.
23 December:
Gatecrash the Polydor records at the Valbonne where Siouxsie worked as a waitress until the Grundy incident, after which momentous entertainment she was sacked. Get completely pissed and badger A&R men Alan Black and Chris Parru into meeting with me re the Banshees.
1978
9 June:
Finally sign the Banshees to Polydor.
1 July:
Recording at Olympic Studios. After three days, realise that it’s the drummer not the room that produces the Led Zep sound, knock it on the head, and enrol Steve Lillywhite to co-produce Siouxsie and the Banshees first single “Hong Kong Garden”. Must buy Kenny a drum kit.
23 July:
Patch it up with John Curd who’s promoting the Banshees at the Roundhouse.
13 September:
“Hong Kong Garden” Number 7 in the charts and Siouxsie has split up with Severin. Yes! Seize my chance and move in on her. Don’t want anyone to know, as it could cause friction and jealousy within the group.
28 October:
My secret meetings with Siouxsie are adding a perverse excitement to our affair.
1979
5 February:
Polydor decide to come down on bootleggers, using us for a trial run at some small hustler, not that I ever gave a toss about other people making a few bob out of the Banshees. But a mate of the bootlegger takes offence and, after plying me and Siouxsie with champange at the Oxford street club he runs. He gets a bunch of his cronies to give me a beating. Now we need bodyguards. From now on people are going to pay.
7 May:
Producing Banshees’ second album “Join hands” with Marc Bolan’s former engineer Mike Stavrou. McKay and Morris are behaving like dickheads.
7 September:
In Aberdeen, Morris and Mckay spilt before the second date of our first major national tour – all our money is tied up in it. Ask cook, who I’m living with, and Jones to join the Banshees. Jonesy is up for it, but Cook isn’t. Robert Smith from our support group The Cure agrees to play one set with The Cure, then one with the Banshees. Cancel four gigs, persuade Budgie to leave The Slits, and the tour is off again.
9 October:
If it weren’t for his huge alcohol intake, Robert Smith would be a perfect replacement for McKay, but he won’t leave The Cure.
10 October:
Go out for dinner with Iggy, who tries to impress Siouxsie by singing and dancing in the street, and shovelling up food with his hands.
20 December:
Blondie are like a 60’s pop band, and yet even they are hailed as a punk band. What does it all mean> Nevertheless, go to the Blondie X Mass party at Notre Dame Hall and bump into Kenny Morris there. Naturally it all ends in tears. Siouxsie throws the first punch and then I steam in.
