The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Stanshall, Vivian
Copyright Muze UK Ltd. 1989 - 2002
b. Victor Anthony Stanshall, 21 March 1943, Shillingford, Oxfordshire,
England, d. 5 March 1995, England.
Stanshall's love of pre-war ephemera,
traditional jazz and an art school prankishness was instrumental in shaping
the original tenor of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. This satirical unit was
one of the most humorous and inventive groups to emerge from the 60s, but
fell foul of the eclectic pursuits of its divergent members. Stanshall's
first offering following the Bonzo's collapse was "Labio Dental Fricative",
a single credited to the Sean Head Showband, an impromptu unit which
included guitarist Eric Clapton. A second release, a brazenly
tongue-in-cheek rendition of Terry Stafford's "Suspicion", featured Vivian
Stanshall And His Gargantuan Chums, and was coupled to "Blind Date", the
singer's only recording with biG GRunt, the group he had formed with Roger
Ruskin Spear, Dennis Cowan and "Borneo" Fred Munt, three refugees from the
immediate Bonzo Dog circle. Each band member, bar Munt, appeared on Let's
Make Up And Be Friendly, the album the Bonzos belatedly completed to fulfil
contractual obligations. Despite a handful of excellent live appearances,
biG GRunt's undoubted potential withered to a premature end when Stanshall
entered hospital following a nervous breakdown.
Men Opening Umbrellas, Stanshall's debut album, was released in 1974.
Steve Winwood was one of the many musicians featured on the record,
inaugurating a working relationship which continued with the excellent
"Vacant Chair" on Winwood's solo debut 'Steve Winwood", and major lyrical
contributions to Arc Of A Diver, his 1980 release. Indeed, despite recording
a punk-inspired version of Cliff Richard's "The Young Ones", Stanshall
achieved notoriety for his contributions to other outside projects,
narrating a section of Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells and as a contributor to
the BBC Radio 4 programme, Start The Week. It was while deputizing for the
Radio 1 disc jockey John Peel that Stanshall developed his infamous
monologue, Rawlinson End. This formed the basis for the artist's 1978
release, Sir Henry At Rawlinson End, which later inspired a film of the same
title and starred Trevor Howard. Stanshall continued to tread his
idiosyncratic path throughout the 80s. An album of songs, Teddy Bears Don't
Knit was followed by another spoken-word release, Henry At Ndidis Kraal. In
1991, he continued the Rawlinson saga by staging at London's Bloomsbury
Theatre, Rawlinson Dogends, which included in the show's backing band former
Bonzo colleagues, Roger Ruskin-Spear and Rodney Slater. In the 90s Stanshall
carved out a separate career using his voice in advertising, making full use
of his luxurious, stately tones.
Until his tragic death, caused by a fire at his home, Stanshall was one of
England's most cherished eccentrics. At his memorial service which was
attended by a host of professional admirers, Steve Winwood sang an
impassioned "Arc Of A Diver" accompanied by his acoustic guitar. Neil Innes
made a moving speech which contained the poignant line: "Did he fear that
nobody would love him if he allowed himself to be ordinary?"
DISCOGRAPHY: Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead (Warners 1974)***, Sir Henry At
Rawlinson End (Charisma 1978)***, Teddy Boys Don't Knit (Charisma 1981)***,
Henry At Ndidi's Kraal (Demon 1984)**.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Ginger Geezer: The Life Of Vivian Stanshall, Lucian Randall &
Chris Welch.
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