Still Breathing
Page 1
To our mum and dad, June and Arthur Donnelly,
and our grandma, Julia Frances Calderbank (Tillot)
If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton,
you may as well make it dance
– George Bernard Shaw
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Firstly, big thanks to all those who gave up their time to be interviewed or supply written testimonies – it means a lot to us.
Colin O’Toole conducted preliminary interviews with us, Tracey, Arthur and June Donnelly. He also interviewed Eric Barker, Harry Franco, Jeff Oughton, Graham Massey and Jack Dunkirk.
Becky Seward is responsible for the material gathered from Max Beesley, Howard Marks, Adrian Hunter, Peter Hook, Graeme Park, Kenny McGoff, Matthew Comer, Scott Kershaw, Tom Stubbs, Colin O’Toole, Oliver Wilson, Plan B, Darren Partington, Andy Carol, Bez, Eddie Prendergast, Cass Pennant, James Barton, Mike Pickering, Damien Hirst, Clint Boon, Jimi Goodwin, Matt Greenhalgh, Miles Kane, Pete Doherty, Chase & Status, Ian Brown, Jon McClure, David Bianchi, Deadmau5, Shaun Ryder, Mani, Stephen Graham, James Barnes, Keith Allen, Alan Erasmus, Scully, Carl Barat, Leo Stanley, Andy Rutherford, Gordon Mason, Ben Grove, Mike Moran, John the Duck, Juliet Denison, Bernard Sumner, Gordon Smart, Pat Carroll, Tom Meighan, Dean Skarratt, Karl Nielson and Stuart & Mark Knight.
Thanks to Sue Dean and Tracey Donnelly for their assistance in the organising of the imagery for this book, to the photographers – Matthew Comer, Scott Kershaw, Daniel Dempsey, Todd Graft, Kevin Donnelly, Chris Kirkham, Marie Monaghan, Jim Whitworth, Annette Watkinson, Brian Anderson, Grant Fear, and Lisa Harrison Sherlock – and the artists Matt and Pat Carroll and Sarah Hardacre. For kindly supplying photos, thanks to Sparrow, John Faulkner, Anne and Jimmy, Brenda and Barry, Jackie and Janet Yates and Graeme Brown. Thanks also to solicitor Paul Dyson, and the two Michelles at Bailey Walsh, David Sefton, Mark Haddon PR, Mike at Mojofuel, Steve Black, the Barton family, Ash Taylor, George and Steve Demetrious, Campbell Brown at Black & White, Neil D. Murray QC and Kevin Pocklington at Jenny Brown Associates.
Author and journalist Simon Spence has balls of steel. We couldn’t believe he had the neck to take our book on. The many hours we spent together were always a pleasure.
Special thanks to our family: in particular Tracey Donnelly – we couldn’t have done it without you – and our mum and dad (for putting up with us). The future: Carlie, Daryll, Paris, Milo, Leon, Lola and Dylan.
Finally, may they rest in peace: Stephen James Yates, Anthony Cox, Tina Baguely, Christian Joyce, John Molloy, Ged Docherty, John Sullivan, Jack Grey, Michael Pollit, Julian Bradshaw, Tony Wilson, Rob Gretton, Colin Roffey, Tony Barton, John Yates, Granddad Jack, Jamie Calderbank, Paul Young, Aunty Sylvia, Aunty Rita, Aunty Jean and Uncle Alan.
CONTENTS
Praise
Title
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Preface
Prologue
1 Expect the Unexpected
2 Benchill Boys
3 Swag
4 Dancing Gangsters
5 Blags To Riches (Madchester)
6 Dodgin’ the Rain ’n’ Bullets
7 F*cked Up
8 It’s Comin’ On Top
9 War is Over
10 Gone Fishing
11 Too Much Rock ’n’ Roll
12 Fast Track 100
13 Here We Go Again
Afterword
Index
Copyright
FOREWORD
by Oliver Wilson
I can’t say I knew Anthony and Chris as a child, but I was certainly aware of them. My dad told me about them and I grew up considering them to be part of the extended family. Along with my dad, you had perhaps two dozen other key people who made Manchester ‘Madchester’. Chris and Anthony were in at the ground floor on everything, and there was always a feeling of respect between the people who were – a quiet knowing that you did something important and made things happen.
My first memory of meeting Anthony and Chris properly was in my teens. I was driving through town with my dad and this Range Rover was cruising in front of us. It said ‘Gio Goi’ on the licence plate. There was a beeping of horns and we pulled over on Liverpool Road near the Museum of Science and Industry. My dad got out the car, so did Anthony and Chris, and they met in between for banter. I remember it being like bumping into dearly loved relatives that we’d not seen in ages. There was clear deep love and respect between the three. I think that’s because, in lack of any contractual business agreements between my father and anyone during the ’80s and ’90s, the family who worked together in Manchester had to rely on a bond: a gentleman’s handshake perhaps or a heartfelt agreement that they were there to do the same thing, that they were on the same level, brothers in arms. I saw this bond in the way they were together that day on Liverpool Road.
That bond got passed on to me. Anthony and Chris have been extremely supportive of me in all my endeavors and continue to look out for me and help me in whatever way I need. Not just Chris and Anthony, but Tracey and Arthur and June too. Like I say, it’s a Manchester thing. You don’t need to know someone intimately, but there is a common spiritual bond between people of the same mindset and orientation.
Now there is a very special thing about certain people from Manchester. Anthony. Chris. Alfonso. Pickering. Brown. Ryder. They all have it. And no one from any other city has it. The underdog who wins against all odds, backs against the wall – that’s how we do better than anyone else. What I say is what’s right, what I think is what’s right – a true self-confidence. Give us nothing and we’ll build an empire out of it. We made the impossible possible and laughed while we did it. That is why Chris and Anthony, and the other people I mentioned, did so much from nothing. They found their own building blocks – themselves. The crucial point, however, is that none of these qualities are used with any kind of arrogance or in a way that is derogatory towards anyone else. There is no posturing that comes with any of these qualities and as such they are entirely honorable. The point is that none of it is said, or even thought. It just is. There is no arrogance … there is no self-affirmation required. There is no bullshit. You see the essence of life is doing.
So this special thing is something unspoken. That is why it is so incredibly powerful. It exists only unsaid in the moment, which gives it a spiritual luminance. It gives the people who possess it a strong, warm glow. Anthony and Chris are a living embodiment of this very rare, mystical, spiritual Mancunian quality.
Oliver Wilson,
son of the founder of Factory Records
and The Hacienda, Anthony H. Wilson (RIP)
PREFACE
Damien Hirst, artist: I met the Donnellys at Glastonbury years ago when they were always hanging out with uncompromising madmen like Bez and Keith Allen. Their story is fucking insane but just goes to show what you can do if you aim high and don’t compromise – with a heart of gold and balls of steel, coming from nothing doesn’t mean you can’t become something mega!
Ian Brown, The Stone Roses: The first time I met Anthony and Chris was at Genevieves in Manchester after Spike Island. We went back there for an after-show and I ended up drinking a bottle of Wild Turkey with Anthony, supplied by Matthew Cummins, Gareth Evans’ brother-in-law and co-manager of the Roses. At one point Anthony told me if I needed anything at all to come and see him, whether it was ‘a bag of weed, a Kalashnikov or a tank’. ‘Russian or American?’ I asked. ‘I will get you a Martian if you want, pal’ was the answer. Still making me chuckle twenty-five years on. Looking 4ward to the book. All the Georgie Best. ianBROWN 1LOVE PAL X
Bernard Sumner, New Order
: I love Chris and Anthony. They were always good for a laugh and a party. I can’t repeat what we got up to at The Box – Peter Gabriel’s home and studio. It was an old converted watermill. Still makes me laugh thinking about when they tried to push their bus out of the mud and it couldn’t get over the bridge to the house. Great memories.
Max Beesley, actor: The first time I met Anthony and Chris was at the G-MEX Centre. I was on stage sound checking for a Take That gig when two lads came strolling down the isle, shouting, ‘Beesley, we’ve got some gear for you and the band to wear for tonight’s gig.’ It was Chris and Anthony. I couldn’t believe the balls on them. They marched through security whilst we were doing a private rehearsal and basically dictated what the musicians were going to wear that night. I think they may have mentioned getting the Take That lads in it too, but that was going a bit far! They turned out to be good mates for many, many years. My dad knew their dad and somehow we were all interrelated through history and friendships amongst the elder fellas. That was at the beginning of my music days as a session musician, so I would meet up with them and pick up loads of gear to wear on Top of the Pops or any other music shows I was doing at the time with Jamiroqui, The Brand New Heavies, Paul Weller … whoever. If the lads were fireworks Anthony would be an Air Bomb and Chris a rocket. Both of them have got fire in their bellies, both are career-driven and very smart. They’ve both got a spark! They are charismatic and good lads that are very, very loyal to their friends – something that hardly exists anymore.
Howard Marks, Mr Nice: As a criminal myself, I would say Anthony and Christopher’s history definitely helped them in a variety of ways. Criminals are generally anti-establishment (excellent for cool street cred) and have ethics that extend beyond signing contracts and the like. We tend to have self-made laws (no rip-offs, no grassing, helping those less fortunate than ourselves, standing by our colleagues, etc.), tenaciously abide by them and have hope and faith that we shall always do so.
Graeme Park, DJ: They were always in and around The Hacienda. We used to have a lot of after parties and they were always there, two of the faces that were always in the thick of it. Manchester now is an amazing metropolis and a fantastic place to live and work, but in the late ’80s it was a really grim place, very grey. The combination of Acid House, The Hacienda, Factory Records and that distinct Manc attitude of sticking two fingers up to everyone created this amazing scene. The Donnellys were right at the heart of it all with their attitude: ‘Why don’t we just make some clothes and go and rave.’ They embodied the whole ‘do it yourself, let’s get on with it’ attitude of that time.
Chase & Status (Saul and Will): The ‘Blind Faith’ video was hands down our favourite video we’ve done, and the filming of it was just as fun as it looked. It really felt like we had gone back to 1991, the vibe of the warehouse, the ravers and the clothes. It captured the nostalgia we’re always searching for. The video touched a lot of people, young and old, and is very special to us. I hope we can do something as exciting again together in the future.
Graham Massey, 808 State: That entire ‘Madchester’ scene was about merchandising and the T-shirts was really where you made a lot of money – if you could keep control of it. The Donnelly brothers were known bootleggers – they were right on the edge of the darkness. There was something kind of uncomfortably over the line about them. They were completely fearless.
Darren Partington, 808 State/Big Unit: From ’88 ’til the present day tearin’ it up front centre the Donnellys goin’ all the way and built on pure passion tearin’ the arse out of high street fashion brotherly love taken to the extreme Acid House one love yer were livin’ the dream.
Tom Meighan, Kasabian: I met Anthony and Chris a few years back now in Leicester. There always seems to be an angle with them, whatever they are doing. I mean, look at this book – how the fuck do they pull it off? Fair play to them – they seem to get where water can’t.
Jimi Goodwin, Doves: I first met Anthony and Chris in ’87 or ’88 when I was grafting T-shirts around Europe. Some of my fondest memories are of playing pool and smoking weed in The Firbank pub with the lads. Also, they put on the best party I’ve ever, ever been to at their family farm. Must have been the summer of 1989. By nine o’clock in the morning, anyone still there had retreated outside to gather their shattered minds. I was walking round the garden in a daze and there was still music playing … I popped my head around the barn door. There were only two people in there, still dancing, still communing with the spirit, facing each other wild-eyed … Anthony and Chris.
Deadmau5 (Joel Zimmerman): When I was working on Your Own Clothing with Chris and Anthony it was a give and take situation. They helped me out massively with ‘I Remember’. They help me and I help them – it’s simple.
Tom Stubbs, Sunday Times Style: I went to meet them in Manchester. It was like a cross between a really picturesque scene of wholesome rural middle England and a little bit of south central LA. They came out to meet us on the forecourt – there was a lot of sportswear, baseball caps … a firm, basically. I think I fell out of the car in front of them all and that was that really – so much for being the flash London bloke. As ever, their hospitality was amazing. It was genuine warmth and you can get lost in that very quickly. The party went on for days. If you’re into your clobber you sort of head to toe everybody to work out what they’re about, and it was easy to tell that they knew their stuff. They were immersed in men’s street style and they had pedigree. Anthony and Chris just shoot from the hip and do what they feel. Because they started where they did, they’ve got stylistic integrity. They’re the real thing. They won’t be swayed, no PR or strategy meeting’s going to change them. Anthony has a visceral approach, an eye for clobber and how things should be perceived. Chris is your philosophising Manc, the combination works and ‘it is what it is,’ to quote the boys.
Clint Boon, Inspiral Carpets, XFM: Anthony and Chris Donnelly in many ways are typical of a large section of recent Mancunians. A working-class generation who, inspired by the spirit of punk rock, went on to do things themselves, in their own way, on their terms. Sometimes just for the crack, more often to survive. To have a life. Make no compromise. Take no prisoners. Some fell by the wayside. Some didn’t see their dreams come true. Others, like Tony Wilson, Tom Bloxham, the Gallaghers, architect Ian Simpson – and indeed the Donnelly brothers – took that punk spirit and the spirit of this amazing city and ran with it. They donned those Mancunian wings and flew above everyone. Sometimes, in Anthony and Chris’s case, even flying above the law itself.
Scott Kershaw, photographer: I showed them some pictures, then a week later I was on tour with Babyshambles. I had to go back to my mother’s afterwards to recover. The pictures I ended up shooting were really successful and really got me noticed. I also nearly died at one point. We’d finished a shoot in Ibiza and I went on a bit of a bender in Amnesia. I ended up falling through a corrugated iron roof of a hotel in San Antonio and landing in a Spanish family’s washroom. That’s definitely one of my nine lives gone. Nothing has been like Chris and Anthony before or after. Nobody works like those two.
Cass Pennant, Casuals, author/filmmaker: Whenever our eyes meet not a lot needs to be said. It’s one of those ‘Yes, Mr Pennant, we’ve got a CV too, except what you thought you knew about us you don’t and whatever you heard you heard wrong,’ because until now they have never told and that’s this book’s unexpected twist.
Ben Drew, aka Plan B: It was when we were launching the Strickland Banks album back in 2010. It was the first live gig we’d done and we’d hired out the Cafe De Paris in Soho. We were filming the gig and we wanted the crowd to be dressed correctly, we didn’t really want people turning up with hoods but we knew we couldn’t really control that. Anthony and Chris got involved, and as people were coming through the door Chris was giving out polo shirts and other items of clothing for everyone to wear. It was compulsory that people would try and dress in that old-school Northern Soul way, and the clo
thes they had at the time really leant itself well to that. We managed to get the whole crowd looking like it was from a bygone era. It was exactly what we needed. From that we really struck up a relationship. I was just into their stuff and it seemed perfect. If you find a brand you actually like and they want to work with you it’s always going to be a good fit.
Matthew Comer, photographer: I was shooting Wu-Tang Clan and I saw Anthony and Chris outside in this massive car. Anthony said, ‘Oi, have you got any good photos of them wearing our brand?’ Wu-Tang and the Donnellys seemed like a good fit. Most fashion houses will set up a proper, full-on shoot and arrange all the models to come down. These guys are just like, ‘Right, we’ve got some T-shirts, let’s take pictures of them now.’ Everything’s rapid. I’m going to have to quote one of the most Mancunian phrases and it definitely sums them up … mad for it.
David Bianchi, band manager – Carl Barat, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Libertines and more: No trip to Manchester for a gig is complete without a post-show knees-up with Anthony and Chris and the boys. They seem to know my clients before I do!
Dominique Vidalon, Reuters: It’s been a rollercoaster ride for the Donnelly brothers. I met Anthony and Chris at the time of the Pete Doherty/Gio-Goi collaboration and we bonded over our common love of rock ’n’ roll.
Miles Kane: I’ve got great memories of all my nights out with them crazy fuckers. I met Anthony and Chris when I was in The Rascals. I came off stage and somehow ended up with them in my dressing room getting right on it. Every time I see them it’s always a laugh. At the Benicàssim festival 2012 they were with the Roses and it was mayhem, carried on for about three days, but you know how it is … what happens in Spain stays in Spain.
Eddie Prendergast, fashion icon, Present: Back in the ’70s there used to be a travel documentary called Whicker’s World presented by a bloke called Alan Whicker. He was the original jetsetter; he used to go around the world to all these exotic locations. No matter where he was, his reporting style was always very droll and nonchalant. One of his most famous lines was, ‘I’m here in the West Indies where things are slightly different, where good is bad, and bad is the best you can be.’ Now let me tell you a story. Years ago I was in Manchester setting up some agents for the north of England and I was talking to a friend of mine who knew Chris and Anthony very, very well. He was telling me a story where he and Chris had gone to a church function earlier in the month (not his usual environment) and afterwards they were stood around talking to the vicar, who was bemoaning the fact that the roof was collapsing and the church was falling apart. He was thousands of pounds short of being able to save the church. Several days later, the vicar rang my friend to inform him that someone had anonymously donated the funds to fix the roof. Where good is bad, and bad is the best you can be.