Jean Jacques Burnel 'Strangler In The Light'

 

First and foremost, well done to Coarsegood books for producing such a well presented book. Being something of a bookish type I do appreciate good presentation and this publication has that in abundance. But as they say, 'You can't judge a book by its cover'. Indeed not and this was an initial concern of mine. A long career in the rock 'n' roll business can play havoc with one's powers of recall, something to do with all of the late nights I think! I'll be honest here in that I feared that Mr B's memories of critical creative times for the band i.e. around the time of 'The Raven' and 'Gospel' albums would be somewhat hazy on account of those late nights, but happily this was not so.

I like the fact that the book is structured in terms of themes rather than having a chronological presentation, this breaks up what is ultimately a very well known story for a great many readers. Early in the book, JJ elaborates on his sense of being different. It cannot have have been easy growing up with French heritage 10 years or so after the Second World War. My family have first hand experience of this. My wife is half German and half Latvian. Born in '65 and raised in Coventry, 25 years after Goebbels boasted of the city being 'Coventrated'. The fact that my in-laws dressed her up in a Heidi outfit didn't really help matters. Roll the calendar forward some 30 years and we find ourselves sitting in the Junior School headmasters office as he apologised for the nazi taunts that our kids had been subjected to in the playground. Kids are very cruel, so just like the narrator in Johnny Cash's 'A Boy Named Sue', our JJ had to learn to give it out.

'And he said, "Son, this world is rough

And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough

I knew I wouldn't be there to help you along

So I give you that name, and I said goodbye

And I knew you'd have to get tough or die

It's that name that helped to make you strong"'

And it seems that there were parallels with Mr Burnel Snr and Sue's old man.... both were good in a fight as indeed was Grand-père Burnel too! Forget the Biffa Bacon family of Newcastle, enter the Biffa Burnels of Normandy!

Some chapters filled in gaps in my knowledge, for example a more detailed exploration of JJ's life long commitment to martial arts and the strength (mental) and discipline it has given him over the last five decades. For the bikers out there he spends time on his passion for motorbikes, no so interesting for me, unsteady as I am on a push bike. However, his involvement with Shidokan and bikes are two elements that alongside music maketh the man, so the detail needs to be in there.

What I did particularly enjoy were the conversations covering his like in music outside of The Stranglers. From 'Euroman Cometh' through to the Gankutsuou soundtrack material, there is a diversity there that shows that creatively, he is much more than a hooligan bass player! A particular favourite of mine is 'Un Jour Partfait', which perhaps I have Hugh and his waning interest in the 'other' band to thank for as JJ had to seek other creative avenues for his musical creativity. Interesting that this French only release was not well received in the Mother country. Also of interest is the time he spent supporting, promoting and producing young European bands, Taxi Girl and Polyphonic Size in particular (see the previous post where Taxi Girl's 'Seppuku' demos are shared).

Perhaps one area that has not been the subject of quite so much Stranglers' lore concerns the relationships and dynamics of the band over its near 50 year existence. This part of the book is saved for the last chapter entitled 'Membership'. Obviously, Hugh's departure is right out there in front. The fact that these two surviving original Stranglers only interact by sniping periodically in press interviews continues to sadden me. But, these two men have 140 years plus life experience between them so if the issue hasn't been resolved by now I guess it never will be. I suppose that elements of those personality  traits that made them difficult and defiant individuals when the band started out still come into play 33 years after Hugh walked away.

The story of Paul's time with the band pretty much correlates with my view of Hugh's replacement. An affable and able vocalist but one who was never really Stranglers' material. After 16 years in the fold, Paul's commitment seems to have evaporated at a time when the band had been at their lowest career ebb (at the time of Paul's departure, half of 'Norfolk Coast', the return to form album, was done, so whether the band fully knew it or not, recovery was just around the corner). Of course I was not party to what went on, but I can well imagine that with Baz Warne now in the band (in place of Paul's ally John Ellis) and JJ's and Baz's developing musical partnership, Paul Robert's felt increasingly marginalised and jumped. As for John Ellis, well it is enough to say that I doubt whether he will be reading the book any time soon. 

But what of Jet and Dave? JJ talks of a couple of rows that he had with Jet towards the end of the big man's tenure on the drum stool. JJ lost it a couple of times when Jet messed up or played too slow. I think I saw one of these outbursts at a soundcheck in Dunfermline.

When JJ talks of Dave it is clear that there was a very special bond between the two men, also apparent when the former performs 'And If You Should See Dave'. I did not realise that his health problems were as serious as they were. I knew that he had COPD and that his love of a drink occasionally made for some interesting and quirky keyboard moments. I was also aware that he had been told to reign it in before gigs and that did make a difference, but I did not know the difficulties that he was in (and of course why should I!). Either way, for many, including me, he was the sound of The Stranglers, the piece of the puzzle that set them apart and afforded them the great success that they enjoyed.

So then, a great book that offers something new even to the most knowledgeable members of the fan base. Thank you JJ!