The last time Dave and I were at Powell's, we past you going up some stairs. I was going to say Hi, but we were on our way out, and you looked busy. I wish I'd stopped you anyway.
Appreciate this Roy! I met Dave backstage at a show I happened to be playing, and immediately gushed about how all the D.C. punks a few years older than me had gone to see Buzzcocks in 1980 or so and watched them be blown off the stage by the opener--none other than Go4.
I saw G04 a few times in the late 70s/ early '80s and they were always a dynamic live act. Dave Allen's work with Shriekbak was also more than something, Sorry for your loss and thanks for this tribute.
Gang of Four worked on so many levels. I remember being a teenager looking at the ‘Entertainment!’ LP artwork and thinking, “You can do THAT on an album cover?!?!” Fast forward to last week and the slightly older guy behind the counter at the veggie store is reading my ‘Entertainment!’ tee (I could tell by the way he turned his head to follow the text). He was so upset by it, after he rang me up, he left his station to go into the back room to cool down for a bit.
Jon King’s lyrics and the late Andy Gill’s anti-guitar antics rightfully get a lot of attention. But it was Dave Allen’s & Hugo Burnham’s unique rhythmic combo steeped in dub reggae & George Clintonesque groove that was bedrock of the bank. Simply put, Dave & Huge put the funk into punk.
Andy and Dave are irreplaceable beyond their roles in GO4. I daresay Ted Leo and my longtime friend Gail Greenwood are up to the task for The Long Goodbye Tour. In Boston we were treated to Gail’s Belly bandmate, Tanya Donnelly, guest on backing vocals. The high point for me was Mission of Burma guitarist Roger Miller joining in on a fiery “What We All Want”:
That was fun to read. I loved Gang of Four too, and was nervous meeting Dave at a Powell's event a few years back. But he was a lovely guy.
The last time Dave and I were at Powell's, we past you going up some stairs. I was going to say Hi, but we were on our way out, and you looked busy. I wish I'd stopped you anyway.
Appreciate this Roy! I met Dave backstage at a show I happened to be playing, and immediately gushed about how all the D.C. punks a few years older than me had gone to see Buzzcocks in 1980 or so and watched them be blown off the stage by the opener--none other than Go4.
I saw G04 a few times in the late 70s/ early '80s and they were always a dynamic live act. Dave Allen's work with Shriekbak was also more than something, Sorry for your loss and thanks for this tribute.
Gang of Four worked on so many levels. I remember being a teenager looking at the ‘Entertainment!’ LP artwork and thinking, “You can do THAT on an album cover?!?!” Fast forward to last week and the slightly older guy behind the counter at the veggie store is reading my ‘Entertainment!’ tee (I could tell by the way he turned his head to follow the text). He was so upset by it, after he rang me up, he left his station to go into the back room to cool down for a bit.
Jon King’s lyrics and the late Andy Gill’s anti-guitar antics rightfully get a lot of attention. But it was Dave Allen’s & Hugo Burnham’s unique rhythmic combo steeped in dub reggae & George Clintonesque groove that was bedrock of the bank. Simply put, Dave & Huge put the funk into punk.
Andy and Dave are irreplaceable beyond their roles in GO4. I daresay Ted Leo and my longtime friend Gail Greenwood are up to the task for The Long Goodbye Tour. In Boston we were treated to Gail’s Belly bandmate, Tanya Donnelly, guest on backing vocals. The high point for me was Mission of Burma guitarist Roger Miller joining in on a fiery “What We All Want”:
https://youtu.be/mJU1zqDM7fo?si=56DbeFxb4Jlc1Jx0