Trivia (4) British comedian best known for the giant papier mache head cast that he wore while performing. [3][4], Sievey grew up in Ashton-on-Mersey, Sale, Cheshire (2.5 miles from Timperley). Paula once recalled: We had loads of money. I still lovedhim, but was so fed-up with him., They remained a close family, but it was clear that Chris needed the support of Paula and thechildren to keep him grounded. ", "So," I said. We crisscrossed Leeds and Bury and Sheffield and Liverpool playing the same venues over and over again. Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story. But after the man behind the mask died penniless eight years ago, Chris Sieveys strange alter-ego has become more famous than ever something the tragic star predicted would happen. His wife, Paula, answered the door and told me to go to the spare bedroom. [60][61], It was announced in April 2019 that GCHQ had cracked the hidden codes and messages that Sievey had left around the borders of his Frank Sidebottom books and recordings.[62]. Biography Stirling was born in Manchester in 1980 as Stirling John Sievey. I heard muffled voices. So my grandson Billysaid: Im going to dig a hole on the beach and bury Pop in the sand and he might grow back.. Chris, who died aged 54 from cancer in June 2010, would keep the mask on off stage and, if someone called him Chris with the head on, he would not respond until they said Frank. There were 50,000 people in the crowd. Undeterred, he predated the DIY punk ethic by starting his own label, Razz, in 1974 and releasing singles and EPs with the Freshies from 1978 onwards. "Would a pound a week suffice, m'lud?" But it was at a fancy dress party the couple went to that the idea of Frank was born. After this, Frank began to make semi-regular guest appearances on the final season of ITV programme and No. I found Chris in a dressing room at the back, Frank's head in a bin bag at his feet. Being Frank is also a very human tale of the lives he touched: interviews with Chris's former wife, children, friends, fans and bandmates including journalist Jon Ronson and broadcaster Mark. Audience Score Fewer than 50 Ratings. A week after I returned, I saw Frank Sidebottom's name trending on Twitter. [2], Sievey, under the guise of Sidebottom, made regular appearances on North West television throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, even becoming a reporter for Granada Reports. Afterwards, Caroline decided to keep Mrs Merton going. He'd previously self released two EPs as Frank in 1985, titled 'Frank's Summer Special' as well as an early version of 'Firm Favorites'. Certainly his wife and children weren't as important. Frontman of new wave band The Freshies, he restlessly experimented with new ideas, including self-produced videos. "But I don't know any of your songs," I said. His greatest creation, the mysterious Frank Sidebottom, became a star - a manic, insane, mercurial star who obscured his own creator. [49][50], Sievey was diagnosed with cancer in May 2010,[51] and died at Wythenshawe Hospital on 21 June 2010 at the age of 54 after collapsing at his home in Hale, Greater Manchester. [43] Guests included Caroline Aherne, Phil Cornwell, Midge Ure, Gerry Anderson, the Farm, Pop Will Eat Itself, Oceanic and Keith Chegwin. Franks Fantastic Shed Show introduced Caroline Aherne to the world, with her playing the nosey, grey-haired Mrs Merton a character Chris claimed he had invented. Two old ladies they got in from the street were the witnesses. A man has been cleared of causing the death of the son of Frank Sidebottom creator Chris Sievey by careless driving. Sievey fell into an alcoholic spiral, losing his wife and family and piling up tax debt, and he gave up on Frank, too. They were in the same venues we used to play, then in smaller venues, and then eventually there were no shows at all. "The moment the head is placed the change occurs. Chris and Paula married at a registry office during their lunch hour and went back to workafterwards. He currently manages the Pixies. . It could be a fable instead of a biopic a tribute to people like Frank who were just too fantastically strange to make it in the mainstream. A single decision that starts everything lumbering down the wrong path, speeding up, careering wildly, before lurching to a terrible stop in a place where nobody is interested in hearing your songs any more. As we played I watched it all the band assiduously emulating the tinny pre-programmed sounds of a cheap, children's keyboard, the enraptured audience, and Frank, the eerie cartoon-character frontman, his facial expression immobile, his singing voice a high-pitched nasal twang. Stream The Freshies - My Tape's Gone - Rough'n'Ready - Chris Sievey by Being Frank documentary on desktop and mobile. She won a Bafta. Never, reply his family in unison, with Paula continuing: He never got bitter about anything likethat. We hired a people-carrier instead of a Transit van and set off to our first venue. The papier-mch headed Frank hit the heights of fame during the 'Madchester' music period. Middles likens Chris to transgender people, trapped in the wrong body. Sievey as Frank Sidebottom at the Bull and Gate, Retirement of Frank, stop-motion work and failed solo ventures (19952004), Chris Sievey - Being Frank Liner Notes - Steve Sullivan, 2019 7A Records, Last edited on 18 February 2023, at 11:00, Frank: The True Story that Inspired the Movie, "Chris Sievey: The man behind the papier-mch mask of Frank Sidebottom Obituaries, News", "frank's firm favourities | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company", "oh blimey it's christmas | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company", "BBC Frank Sidebottom creator Chris Sievey was "a genius", "Revolution No. Find out more, The latest offers and discount codes from popular brands on Telegraph Voucher Codes, A still from Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story, Chris Sievey hiding his face, with 'Little Frank', When are the Oscars? TV Appearance, debut of Frank Sidebottom. I thought I saw a flash of something under there, some contraption attached to his face. A poignant reminder of one of Chris Sievey's (AKA Frank Sidebottom) finest moments. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. His book captures perfectly that "rarest of journeys" when an onlooker got to see the man born Chris Sievey turn into Frank. The big reveal never happened, as he died from cancer in2010, aged 54, leaving no money to pay for a funeral. Despite this, one year later, he was offered a full time place in the band, which he accepted. A pauper's funeral? Frank Sidebottom statue moves closer, Michael Fassbender and Domhnall Gleeson team up for music comedy Frank. [2], In 1969, when he was 14, Sievey began writing and recording his own music,[5] and by the age of 15 was playing in local bands. He also appeared alongside the Factory Records boss Anthony Wilson on Channel 4's Remote Control. Sievey himself grew up in Ashton-on-Mersey, five miles from Timperley. [54] After it was reported that Sievey had died virtually penniless and was facing a pauper's funeral provided by state grants,[55] a grassroots movement on various social networking websites raised 6,500 in a matter of hours. Do you have any tips?". [25], This same year Frank was included on the charity album Sgt. He also made five appearances on Iain Lee's programme on London's LBC as well as on numerous community radio stations such as Forever Manchester. He also appeared at "Late" at Tate Britain on 3 August 2007. The 63-year-old, from Clunton Avenue, Daubhill, was with his wife on the way home from an evening out when the collision occurred. Why was he wearing the head when there was nobody there to see it except for his own band? Did he never take it off? That's OK for a while but it tended to piss people off because they never knew where they stood.". And meanwhile we were crisscrossing Manchester and Bury and Leeds and Sheffield and Liverpool in our Transit van. "How did you lose so much weight?" [18], At the same time as touring, Frank would become a semi-regular cast member on the two final seasons of the ITV children's programme No. He used to tell me that it was just fans.. Chris formed the Frank Sidebottom Oh Blimey Big Band in 1983. Chris never actually said to me: "You're fired." (1992), No 73 (1982) and TX (1985). He couldnt stop himself, hed stay up all night on these projects. You just need wife who doesnt mind cleaning jobs she adds with a big laugh. He was an inspired creation, a nasal-voiced pop star from the Cheshire seat of Timperley, releasing records in praise of his home village and oompah-muzak covers of old classics. "Chris wants to have a rehearsal," Mike told me one day. Military historian to sell home-made Second World War plane after his wife told him to get rid of it. In the three hours since the phone call I'd learned a little about Frank Sidebottom how he wore a big, fake head and there was much speculation about his real identity. [7] Sievey subsequently recorded several demos, which he sent to record companies, receiving many rejection letters which he later compiled into a book. Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story, 2018. Last month, Sievey announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer. But he didn't. Before I knew it we were onstage. However, the TV was repossessed, and the family ended up cooking burgers over aBunsen burner after the electricity was turned off when the bill wasnt paid. The 54-year-old was pronounced dead at Wythenshawe Hospital, a spokeswoman. I'd watch him furtively as the lights made his cartoon face glow yellow and then black and then yellow again. I wondered why Chris had decided to kill off Frank. Photograph: Linda Nylind, Frank Sidebottom: the true story of the man behind the mask, Frank Sidebottom creator Chris Sievey dies aged 54, Frank Sidebottom's gone. Camouflage first appeared on Sievey's 1982 'Denigration Now' VHS and cassette. The following year, Sievey guest starred on the sixth season of British television series No 73, after which he, portraying Frank, would become a regular cast member for its final two seasons. Starring Chris Sievey, Martin Sievey, Paula Sievey, Jon Ronson, Ross Noble, Johnny Vegas and Bernard Kelly. A tender and funny new documentary, Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story, exploreshis talent and the ambivalent relationship Chris had with the wide-eyed alter ego that brought himfame and fortune both of which he then proceeded to fritter away. I cleared my throat. Regular routines would see him with cardboard puppet Little Frank or dressed in a Manchester City kit calling out, Guess whos been on Match Of The Day?, with the audience shouting back, You have, in your big shorts. He received an overall score of 22 points from judges James Nesbitt and Glenda Gilson, putting him in first place for all the series' acts so far. . Product details Package Dimensions : 6.81 x 5.31 x 0.63 inches; 2.47 Ounces Media Format : Blu-ray Actors : Frank Sidebottom Subtitles: : English Suddenly everyone around us was becoming famous. There are master copies on cassette in circulation though (albeit, very few). It was a typically playful offering, entirely in keeping with Sievey's wilful sense of the absurd. But he did leave a league of fans, whoclubbed together to crowdfund a send-off, with enough money left for a memorial concert. In the van, Chris smiled wistfully. English musician and comedian Chris Sievey in character as his comic alter-ego, Frank Sidebottom, and holding his puppet sidekick, Little Frank, 1988. This new lineup was a source of tension between the members, with Richard Jones and Jon Ronson taking a near instant disliking for each other. He inspired the 2014 film Frank, which starred Oscar-nominee Michael Fassbender, a bronze statue of the character has been erected in Chriss home town of Timperley in Greater Manchester and there is even a painting of him in the National Portrait Gallery in London. His mother was apparently unaware of her son's popularity. Ashers youngest son Freddie is eight, and he pops in and out of his grandmas living room as we alltalk. Chriss ex-wife Paula who he wooed by pushing into a canal said in Micks book: I was so naive because girls would often ring up and ask for him. Her Off "Neighbours"), Split 7-inch FlexiDisc with the Hitchcocks, This page was last edited on 18 February 2023, at 11:00. He came back to the phone. This guywith long hair, red knee-length boots and a mad suede jacket walked in, and everyone was goingWho is this?," she remembers. Coreless Stretch Film; Pre-Stretch Film; Hand Roll; Machine Roll; Jumbo Roll; Industrial Plastic Division. Sidebottom's Radio Timperley show, recorded in his shed, became a cult fixture on Manchester's Piccadilly Radio, helping launch the career of Caroline Aherne's Mrs Merton. Sidebottom's former Oh Blimey Big Band members include Mark Radcliffe and Jon Ronson,[12] and his driver was Chris Evans.[10]. He brought him back in 2006 on Manchester regional TV station Channel M. However the onset of cancer just before Christmas 2009 ripped apart what had been a warmly received comeback. series 1 episode 1 STV for TVS 1992 (edited) - YouTube", "Frank Sidebottom memorial song: Christmas Is Really Fantastic", "Tribute to Frank Sidebottom, the comic who broke the mould", "Victoria Wood honoured at Chortle Awards", "Frank Sidebottom statue unveiling at precisely 11.37am", "Frank Sidebottom dies after collapsing at home", "Frank Sidebottom comic faces pauper's funeral", "Frank Sidebottom's creator saved from pauper's funeral", "Frank Sidebottom's creator Chris Sievey's funeral held", "Frank Sidebottom farewell party packs Manchester arena", "BBC In pics: Frank's Fantastic Farewell", "Things to do in Manchester this weekend: March 1 to 3", "Frank Sidebottom exhibition opens today in Manchester Central Library - and a new film next week", "GCHQ cracks Frank Sidebottom's secret codes", "Frank Sidebottom: the true story of the man behind the mask", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chris_Sievey&oldid=1140092399. "Have you been in showbusiness for long?" "So Frank's playing tonight and our keyboard player can't make it and so we're going to have to cancel unless you know any keyboard players," said a frantic voice. By Ian Wolf 29 April 2019. Chris Sievey was a musician, songwriter, artist, comedian, filmmaker, performance artist and wayward genius who created an alter ego that he grew to resent. Like all of his demos, the songs failed to land a record deal so Chris set up his own label called Razz in 1974. Richard was not the only proper musician Chris brought in. I picked it up. [48] A publicly funded statue of Frank by Colin Spofforth was unveiled on 20 October 2013 at 11:37 in Timperley village,[47] the timing a reference to one of the character's catchphrases. [37] In late 2009 and early 2010 he supported John Cooper Clarke on a UK tour. About Chris Sievey is a member of the following lists: 1990s British television series, English male singers and English comedians. [2] Unable to get a deal, he set up his own Razz label in 1974. Chris Sievey, who played Frank Sidebottom, is to feature in a biopic in 2014. In 1983, with the band on hiatus, Sievey went solo. Sidebottom was fully inhabited by Sievey. She somehow got her own TV show, The Mrs Merton Show. They became The Stone Roses. The mood was pumped. The private service was attended by more than 200 members of his family, friends and former colleagues. But and Chris and I shuffled awkwardly around the question what would the film actually be about? Within an hour 554 people had donated 6,950.03. In 1989, Sievey re-arranged the Oh Blimey Band, introducing Richard Jones from the recently broken up local band the Desert Wolves on bass guitar, along with a new guitarist and saxophonist. Former girlfriend Michelle, 56, told The Sun: I think he would just laugh about him being more famous now. 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