The British singer Ed Tudor-Pole is a musician who had hits in the 1970s and 1980s with his band Tenpole Tudor, an actor, game-show host and punk raconteur who was once (briefly) a member of the Sex Pistols, replacing Johnny Rotten.
Ahead of gigs in Abu Dhabi and Dubai this weekend, the 60-year-old tells us about his strange, wonderful life.
I was in the real Sex Pistols for a while ...
I left drama school, I wasn’t doing much. The punk rock thing, I understood it immediately – I had a one-man show with a leather jacket and an aggressive attitude.
I saw an ad in Melody Maker looking for a "wild frontman" so I joined some band [The Visitors], they were all kind of middle-class kids who said "we're going to be better because we can all play quite well", so I sort of cut my teeth with them.
I was an interesting frontman but then they sacked me because the first review we got said “great band, shame about the bug-eyed cretin on vocals”.
We only did 12 gigs. A few weeks later one of the fans called me and said: “you know The Sex Pistols are auditioning for a new singer, you’ve got to go, man”.
Of course, I knew I’d get the job ...
I knew what I had, in terms of maniacal psycho aggression and it was a breeze. [Sex Pistols manager] Malcolm [McLaren] said "Welcome, I'd like you to write a song called Who Killed Bambi?" How did he know I could even write songs? That was a very respectful thing.
So I wrote the song, with a bit of help from [fashion designer] Vivienne Westwood on the words, and then made friends with the band.
I scared Sex Pistols’ bass guitarist Sid Vicious the first time I met him ...
I was singing [onstage] and he was left behind slightly. I looked around and he was about to kick me, but he backed off when he saw me – he was so alarmed. Because Eddie Tenpole in those days certainly was alarming. He had an air of violence about him. But we never had fighting at the gigs, because I’m a man of peace and love.
It was all a bit heavy and dark ...
The vibe around the Sex Pistols. Malcolm was a bit odd and Vivian was a bit odd, there was [drugs] in the air. I was always a little bit anxious – a cross of adrenalin and anxiety in equal measure.
Malcolm McClaren coined my stage name ...
My name is Edward Tudor-Pole, and on the way to audition for the Sex Pistols I thought: ‘What shall I call myself? We’ve got Eddie Cochran and Eddie and the Hot Rods, we don’t want another Eddie.’ So I said: ‘I’m Ten Tudor-Pole.’ But I didn’t like it. The next time I saw Malcolm I told him that. He said: ‘Well, I’ve changed it round to Tenpole Tudor.’ I said: ‘I don’t like that either.’ He said: ‘It’s too late – I’ve printed it on the record.’ That’s how I got called it – McClaren.
And then Sid Vicious died ...
And bang – that was it. But I had my foot in the door. Who Killed Bambi? was on the second Sex Pistols record [The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle] and I had a bit of money from the publishing, so I formed my own band. I was quite relieved. I didn't really want to be the second Johnny Rotten, but it was just too good not to go for it.
The whole acting thing was a serious mis-step ...
After I had a few hits in the early 1980s, suddenly I was offered acting work. I was a bit burnt out with the band and it seemed churlish to refuse. But that was a soul-destroying life; I don’t recommend acting to anybody. It’s reactive – you’re just some sad [sap] sitting by the phone, waiting for whatever work you get.
But I enjoyed hosting the 1990s UK game show The Crystal Maze immensely ...
Five weeks of intensive work, I was in every shot – I know what it was to be Arnold Schwarzenegger. It got a whole new generation into the gigs. That was kind of fun. I could write all my own words and design my own costumes, and I think I pulled it off – just about.
When we got dropped by the record label in 1982...
I didn't stop writing songs. Whenever we got some money we were back in the studio and after 25 years I realised I had a whole stack of recordings. I just chose all the best ones, had them remastered and released them and called it the third album [2009's Made it This Far] – with an apology for the 25-year wait.
I’ve been playing solo every weekend for the past 12 years....
My last band split up in 2000. I just got fed up – 25 years and you always have to play the same set. And the last line-up was pretty weak – I don’t want to slander anyone but essentially it was like dragging a boulder up a hill. So I just cut that rope and freed myself. And I thought I’d see how far I could take myself with six strings. And I did, and I am, and its frankly the most exciting thing I’ve done in my entire career. It beats everything hands down – and whether it’s recognised or not in the general public, I don’t really care.
rgarratt@thenational.ae
