Andy Partridge | |
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 Partridge in Toronto's Music Hall, February 1980 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Sir John Johns, Sandy Sandwich |
| Born | Andrew John Partridge (1953-11-11)11 November 1953 (age 72) |
| Origin | Swindon,Wiltshire, England |
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| Years active | 1969–present |
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| Website | ape |
Andrew John Partridge (born 11 November 1953) is an English guitarist, singer-songwriter and record producer best known for co-founding the bandXTC. He andColin Moulding each acted as a songwriter and frontman for XTC, with Partridge writing and singing about two-thirds of the group's material. While XTC were a formative Britishnew wave group, Partridge's songwriting drew heavily from 1960s pop andpsychedelia and his style gradually shifted to more traditional pop, often withpastoral themes. The band's only UK top 10 hit, "Senses Working Overtime", was written by Partridge.
Partridge is sometimes regarded as the "godfather" of the 1990sBritpop movement.[1] Since the 1980s, he has worked, written with or produced for many other recording artists, including collaborative albums withPeter Blegvad,Harold Budd andRobyn Hitchcock. From 2002 to 2006, Partridge's APE House record label released several volumes of hisdemos and songs as part of theFuzzy Warbles series. Beyond music, he is also an illustrator,toy soldier hobbyist and designer ofboard games.
Andrew John Partridge was born 11 November 1953 atMtarfa Royal Navy Hospital inMtarfa,Malta to English parents.[2] He grew up on Penhillcouncil estate inSwindon,Wiltshire.[3] Partridge was an only child. His father John was a navy signalman, and his mother Vera a shop assistant in a retail chemists. When Partridge entered adolescence, it was discovered that his father was having an extramarital affair, and his mother consequently had a nervous breakdown, leading to her being institutionalised. She "verbally disowned" Andy once he started growing his hair long.[2][4]
As a teenager, Partridge was a fan of contemporary pop groups likethe Beatles, but was intimidated by the process of learning guitar. Whenthe Monkees grew popular, he became interested in joining a music group. He recalled watching local guitaristDave Gregory performingJimi Hendrix-style songs at churches and youth clubs: "Sort ofacid-skiffle. I thought, 'Ah, one day I'll play guitar!' But I didn't think I would be in the same band as this kid on the stage."[5] He was particularly fond ofpsychedelic records such asPink Floyd's "See Emily Play" (1967),Tomorrow's "My White Bicycle" (1967), andthe Moles' "We Are the Moles" (1968).[6] The first records he ever bought were the Beatles'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) and the Monkees'self-titled debut (1966).[7]
Partridge eventually obtained a guitar, taught himself how to play it with no formal training, and immediately took to writing songs.[5] He submitted a caricature of MonkeeMicky Dolenz toMonkees Monthly's Draw a Monkee competition and won, using the £10 prize to buy aGrundig tape recorder.[8] At the age of 15, he wrote his first song, titled "Please Help Me", and while in Swindon College attracted the nickname "Rocky" for his early guitar mastery of the Beatles' "Rocky Raccoon".[9] Partridge eventually dropped out of school and formed the first of several "loud and horrid" rock bands with the purpose of meeting girls.[10]
By the early 1970s, his music tastes had accordingly transitioned "from the Monkees to having a big binge on this Euro-avant-garde stuff. I got really in deep."[5] One of his first bands was called "Stiff Beach", formed in August 1970.[11] In early 1972, Partridge's constantly evolving group settled into a four-piece called "Star Park".[2] By then, he had found a job at a record shop[4] and was engrossed with bands such asthe Stooges, theNew York Dolls,Alice Cooper, andPink Fairies.[5]
In late 1972, Partridge's Star Park was joined by bassistColin Moulding and drummerTerry Chambers. The band became known as XTC in 1975 and signed toVirgin Records in 1977. Partridge wrote the majority of XTC's songs, was the band's frontman and de facto leader, and in Moulding's view, typically acted as an "executive producer" for their albums.[12] His early XTC songs were marked by his distinct singing style, something he jokingly described as a "walrus" or "seal bark", but otherwise an amalgamation ofBuddy Holly's "hiccup",Elvis Presley's vibrato, and "the howled mannerisms ofSteve Harley."[13] He later dismissed most of his initial output as premature songs "built around this electric wordplay stuff".[14]
While XTC were a formativepunk group, Partridge's music drew heavily fromBritish Invasion songwriters, and his style gradually shifted to more traditionalpop, often withpastoral themes.[15] Music criticJohn Harris said that Partridge exemplified "a very English genre: rock music uprooted from the glamour and dazzle of the city, and recast as the soundtrack to life in suburbs, small towns, and the kind of places – like Swindon – that may be more sizeable, but are still held up as bywords for broken hopes and limited horizons."[16] He cited Partridge's 1981 song "Respectable Street" as one of the "most evocative items" in his catalog.[16]
In 1982, as XTC were about to headline a tour of the United States in support ofEnglish Settlement, they permanently withdrew from concert touring after Partridge suffered an onstage nervous breakdown and remained a studio-only band from then on.[9] For a period afterward, it was rumoured among fans and industry insiders that the group had stopped performing because Partridge had died, and some American bands put on XTC tribute shows in his remembrance.[17] The group ran into more problems once it was discovered that poor management led to them incurring hundreds of thousands in unpaidvalue-added taxes. Partridge said that he was eventually left with "about £300 in the bank, which is really heavy when you've got a family and everyone thinks you're 'Mr Rich and Famous'."[18]
In December 1984, Partridge formedthe Dukes of Stratosphear, aneo-psychedelic XTC offshoot that he envisioned as a pastiche of "your favourite bands from 1967".[19] They recorded the mini-album25 O'Clock (1985) and the LPPsonic Psunspot (1987), both of which outsold XTC's concurrent studio albums (The Big Express andSkylarking) in the UK.[18] Around this time, Partridge also established himself as a producer of other artists. However, Virgin Records refused to allow XTC to act as their own producers, which sometimes caused tensions between Partridge and whoever was assigned to produce the band.[20] According to Partridge, he generally got along with the band's producers, except forTodd Rundgren onSkylarking andGus Dudgeon on 1992'sNonsuch.[21]
In the 1990s, Partridge was regarded as "godfather" to the nascentBritpop movement due to his earlier work with XTC.[1] They released several more albums on Virgin and two more on their own label,Idea Records, before going on hiatus in 2006. In July 2008, Partridge wrote in theSwindon Advertiser that XTC had dissolved "for reasons too personal and varied to go into here, but we had a good run as they say and produced some real good work."[22]
Partridge has stated that his favourite XTC album wasNonsuch (1992), and considered "Rook" and "Wrapped in Grey" from that album, along with "Easter Theatre" fromApple Venus Volume 1 (1999), to be the "perfect songs" of his career.[23] For many years, he also regarded "Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her" fromThe Big Express as his finest song.[24]
Since XTC's breakup, Partridge has acted as curator to the band's legacy, overseeing reissues and remasters, and maintaining a web presence.[25] The official XTCTwitter account @xtcfans (now defunct) was originally managed by writer Todd Bernhardt, but Partridge later "sort of took it over, because [he] thought it was weird that there was another person in the way."[26] In 2016, Partridge and Bernhardt released a book,Complicated Game: Inside the Songs of XTC, that contains discussions between the two about 29 XTC songs, one Partridge solo track, and an overview of his approach to songwriting. It was published by Jawbone Press.[26]
Since the 1980s, Partridge has worked, written with, or produced many other musicians and bands, includingPeter Blegvad,the Lilac Time, the Nines,Miles Kane,David Yazbek,Voice of the Beehive,the Woodentops,the Wallflowers,Perennial Divide, the Raiders, andCharlotte Hatherley.[27]
In 1980, Partridge and producerJohn Leckie released a collection of XTCdub remixes on Virgin Records calledTake Away / The Lure of Salvage, credited to "Mr. Partridge". Even though no other XTC member was involved with the album's production, he does not consider it a solo effort.[28][29] Virgin Records rejected his request to issue it under the XTC banner as it would have counted toward their record contract.[30] In Japan, the record was hailed as a work of "electronic genius" and outsold all other XTC albums.[31]
Also in 1980, Partridge contributed guitar toRyuichi Sakamoto's albumB-2 Unit[32] and lead vocals and guitar to the track "Margaret Freeman" fromThe Residents'Commercial Album, on which he was credited as "Sandy Sandwich".[33]
Partridge's first job producing another artist was Peter Blegvad's 1983 albumThe Naked Shakespeare.[9] He said that his services were requested partly because Blegvad had heard a rumour that he had died in 1982.[17]
In 1992, Partridge produced unreleased recordings forBlur's albumModern Life Is Rubbish (1993). He was replaced byStephen Street at the insistence of their record label,Food. According to Partridge, he was not paid for the expenses and received his session payment only.[34][35] Three of the tracks he produced were later released on the 2012 box setBlur 21.[36]
In 1993, Partridge recorded and produced an album withMartin Newell,The Greatest Living Englishman. When released in Japan, it was credited as a duo album. The album was well received by critics and ultimately became the most acclaimed of Newell's career.[37] Partridge also wrote four songs forDisney's version ofJames and the Giant Peach (1996), but was replaced byRandy Newman due to creative differences between directorHenry Selick and Disney regarding the choice of soundtrack composer and the fact that Disney wanted to own the copyright to the songs for perpetuity.[38]
Partridge took on less work as a music producer after the 1990s. He stated in a 2007 interview: "I got asked regularly to produce people, but I said no to everybody; after a while, people just stopped asking. I got sick of the social-worker aspect of it. I found it had very little to do with music ... I also think it's kind of odd that everyone wants to sound like 1979 again."[39]
From 2002 to 2006, Partridge released demos of his songs under his own name as part of theFuzzy Warbles album series on his APE House record label. Eight volumes ofFuzzy Warbles were made available, as well asThe Official Fuzzy Warbles Collector's Album, which includes a bonus ninth discHinges. Partridge said that the impetus for the project was the proliferation of bootleggers who were selling low-quality copies of the material.[20] He added that theFuzzy Warbles set earned him more money than XTC's back catalog on Virgin.[40]
In 2007, Partridge released music as part of a trio known as Monstrance, along withBarry Andrews (an early member of XTC) on keyboards, and Martyn Barker on drums. The group has released an album of the same name, as well as a download-only EP known asFine Wires Humming a New Song. That same year, he collaborated once again with Andrews on theShriekback albumGlory Bumps.[citation needed]
In 2010, Partridge released a limited edition CD of music inspired by science fiction illustratorRichard M. Powers' art titledPowers.[41] In 2012, he contributed eight co-written songs toMike Keneally's albumWing Beat Fantastic.[42] In 2016, he wrote "You Bring the Summer" for the Monkees' reunion albumGood Times!; the 2018 follow-up,Christmas Party, included his "Unwrap You at Christmas".[43] He became involved with the reunion project through the band's manager, a former journalist who sought to repay Partridge for an interview conducted decades earlier.[citation needed]
In 2019, Partridge andRobyn Hitchcock completed the 13-years-in-the-making[44] EPPlanet England.[45] In September, it was reported that the project would later be followed with a full-length LP of songs inspired bythe Beatles.[46] As of 2020, Partridge was working on recording versions of "hundreds of songs" that he originally wrote for other artists over the years. He said he would release them as "a series of records tentatively titledMy Failed Songwriting Career".[47]
On 23 July 2021, Partridge released Volume 1 of 'My Failed Songwriting Career' through Burning Shed Records. Tracks included on the EP were 'Ghost Train', 'Great Day', 'Maid Of Stars' and 'The Mating Dance'.[48] In October 2022, he released 'My Failed Christmas Career', a collection of seasonal songs written for other artists.[49] That same month, Partridge gave a rare interview in which he stated he has retired from writing new music.[49] In June 2023, Partridge emerged to release a four-song EP with The 3 Clubmen (Partridge, Jen Olive, and Stu Rowe). A project in the works since 2010, Partridge has stated that a future 3 Clubmen release is planned.[50]
Many of the XTC record sleeves were designed by Partridge[4] and at one point he considered a career as a graphic illustrator.[13] He remembered having an intense interest incomic books and the cover illustrations of science fiction novels as a child, particularly those drawn byRichard M. Powers.[52] Until the late 1970s, he owned a large American comic book collection that he had to sell off due to a mouse infestation at his home.[5] Some of his songs are based on characters fromDC Comics, namelySgt. Rock for "Sgt. Rock (Is Going to Help Me)" fromBlack Sea,Supergirl for "That's Really Super, Supergirl" fromSkylarking andBrainiac for "Brainiac's Daughter" fromPsonic Psunspot.[53]
Beyond music, Partridge is an avid collector, sculptor, and painter of toy soldiers, an "obsession" he credits to his mother throwing away his toys as a child.[39] In a 1990 interview, he estimated owning thousands of figures since he started collecting them in 1979, and he reported having recently contributedWorld War I-era designs to an unspecified "firm that makes these war game figures in North England".[5] He has also designedboard games, such as one called "Dam and Blast".[7]
During the mid-1980s, Partridge was a regular performer onBBC Radio 1. He has had acting roles, including a character named "Agony Andy", aspoof aunt on theJanice Long show, and he was a regular panelist onRoundtable.[54][better source needed] In 1987, he filmed a pilot for anITV children's quiz show,Matchmakers.[13] In 2004, he contributed the theme song to theFox television seriesWonderfalls.[4]
Partridge was married to Marianne Wyborn from 1979 to 1994.[55][49] Together, they had two children: Holly and Harry. Harry is an independent web animator who created the comedic shortSaturday Morning Watchmen (2009), and later,Dr. Bees,Starbarians andTrilby Dogtooth.[56] After his divorce, Partridge entered into a long-term relationship with American singer Erica Wexler. Partridge has attributed the subject matter of XTC songs including "Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her" and "Another Satellite" to aspects of their ongoing relationship. Partridge had met Wexler in the early 1980s; they began dating shortly after she split from artistRoy Lichtenstein in 1994, and she has lived with him in Swindon since then.[49][57][58]
The subject matter of Partridge's songs frequently touch upon politics, religion, his hometown of Swindon, social class, factory work, insects, comic book characters, seafaring, war, and ancient rituals.[13] Partridge did not become interested in politics until the1979 United Kingdom general election, in which he voted forMargaret Thatcher'sConservative Party "purely because she was a woman. I was that naive. Now I'm veryleft."[8] He also identifies as anatheist.[59]
On the back of theApple Venus Volume 1 (1999) record sleeve is a version of theWiccan Rede: "Do what you will but harm none." While stating that he only had "a smattering of knowledge" onWicca, he described himself as "interested in the pre-Christian appreciation of the land and the spirit of things,spirits in animate things and inanimate things" in a contemporary interview.[60] XTC's 1986 song "Dear God", written by Partridge, was seen as controversial at the time for its anti-religious message; Partridge stated that the song failed to represent his true feelings on religion, as human belief is "such avast subject".[61] Although an atheist, he believes thatheaven andhell exist metaphorically.[59] Another of his songs, "Season Cycle" (1986), included the couplet "Everybody says, Join our religion, get to heaven / I say, no thanks, why bless my soul, I'm already there!"[62] Explaining the lyric "do what you want to do / just don't hurt nobody" from his 1989 song "Garden of Earthly Delights", he said: "I'm sure .. what heaven is, really ... is not hurting anyone."[59]
Partridge experiences auditorysynesthesia, which he uses in his songwriting process.[63] In later interviews, he stated he believes himself to be on theautistic spectrum,[64][65] saying in a 2022 interview withThe Guardian: "I think I'm on the spectrum, yes, but it's all helped me and I wouldn't have it any other way." He has also hadobsessive–compulsive disorder since childhood.[49] At the age of 12, he was professionally diagnosed withADHD (known at the time as simply "hyperactivity") and prescribedValium. He later formed a dependency on the drug that was exacerbated by the pressures of his music career. After disposing of the drug in 1981, he experienced severe withdrawal effects that led to XTC's withdrawal from touring.[20]
In 1992, Partridge had an ear infection that left him temporarily deaf,[9] and in 2006, during one of the sessions forMonstrance, some of his hearing was destroyed following a studio mishap which caused him to develop severetinnitus.[66] He later stated that he had "contemplated suicide, just to stop [the tinnitus]."[8]
As stated by Partridge, artists who have influenced him include:
Artists who have specifically cited Partridge as an influence include:
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{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)I wanted to listen to these people who weren't just about technique but more about textures. People like Johnny Marr, John McGeoch and Andy Partridge. People who used good chords ...
Andy Partridge is one of my favorite songwriters of all time. What I love about Andy's music is that every song he writes has a very strong concept or idea behind it.
