Questions for Judy Dyble (March 2004)

[MAJ]

During March 2004
Judy Dyble
talked awhile with us.

Discussions between Judy and board members
were very interesting with lots of questions about
her time with Fairport, Trader Horn etc., about
autoharps, and of course greyhounds.

[jude]

Hi Judy,
On an FC family tree some time ago, I noticed you were involved with Giles, Giles & Fripp - or was it an early version of King Crimson? - anyway, what was it like working with Mr Fripp?  and did you sing or record any of the early Crimson songs (e.g. I talk to the wind, moonchild)?
Incidentally, Maartin Allcock is covering Moonchild on his next album.
Regards,  Paul

Hello Paul
Yes, indeed I was. it was pre-King Crimson. Ian Macdonald and myself got together with Giles Giles and Fripp to see what would come of it. Robert was exhilarating to work with. He stretched my vocal range enormously (it's shrunk back now!) trying out different songs. We made some recordings of GGF  and Ian/Pete Sinfield songs in the back room of their flat in Kilburn. Peter Giles had set it up as a studio using carpet underfelt over a framework as a vocal booth. (It was very hot and itchy). The version of I Talk to the Wind was released on 'The Young Persons Guide to King Crimson' and the others have been released last year  on 'Metaphormosis' (limited edition vinyl) and 'The Brondesbury Tapes'. Both releases are a 'snapshot' of where they had been and where they were going. I left them shortly afterwards and they mutated into King Crimson. (It's amazing where I've been by accident!)

Judy,
Thanks for your answer.  Now I'll have to track down the Brondesbury tapes... I still have my vinyl (mono!) copy of "The Cheerful Insanity of GG&F".  Marvellous!
Paul

My pleasure, Paul. That there 'Cheerful Insanity 'is truly weird isn't it?
Judy

[jude]

Dear Judy
it'amazing how many good young talents were around at that time! anyway, my question is another one: did Trader Horne play live sometime? And, if you did, which was the audience reaction? I think that Trader Horne record features many pretty good song.
Nice to meet you here
Best,  Paolo

Hello Paolo,

You're right and thank goodness there are just as many today.   Trader Horne played live many times.Most of them seemed consist of zigzagging up and down the country - one day Aberdeen , the next, Luton......
We played the Albert Hall (me wearing a long dress that got trapped in the swing doors and was in danger of disintegrating while being totally entangled by the lead of my electric autoharp- Ah those were the days...!) and then places like the Temple in Wardour St. That was a very creepy place by day but at night -well it was all happening there man .......(or so they said)

The audiences were very kind to us and seemed to enjoy what we played.  I don't think they knew quite what to expect really!

Judy

[jude]

Hi Jude. Are there any gigs that really stand out in your memory (either as a performer, or even a punter)?
Cheers, Carey

Hello Judy,  Do you go to Cropredy every year?
Amethyst

Crikey! 2 questions at once eh?  I'll answer Amethyst's first if that's okay.
 
Yes I do normally manage to get there.  I think my late husband and I came across it by accident in 1980 and then I was asked to sing in 1981 and 1982.  Although I didn't sing again until 1997 (was I that bad?!!!), we continued to drag the children along almost every year up to the present day.  Actually we didn't have to drag them, they really enjoyed it and still do.  Daughter Stephanie managed to get lost every year up until she was about 10. (I think she just enjoyed sitting in the St.John's Ambulance)


Well Ces, There have been quite a few memorable gigs.  The first ine has to be the first ever gig before either Martin or I joined, at the church hall in Golders Green. Brian the Wire and I had made a silent hand-clapping machine to encourage audience applause. Which wasn't at all necessary, I have to say.
Another was my first gig with them.. on a boat on the Thames..someones birthday party. Brilliant gig except the boat started sinking halfway through....
Playing at the Speakeasy Club with Jimi Hendrix sitting in....(very loud) the Saville Theatre with Pink Floyd....and especially the1997 and 2002 Cropredys with the waves of friendliness coming from the audience.......

Playing at the Albert Hall with Trader Horne.....It's all a bit of a blur really if any more pop into my head I'll add them on later replies. I have a sort of time delay on memories.

Hi Jude. Wow!! Hendrix, Floyd & sinking ships!!   ..Brilliant...but tell us more 'bout the "silent hand-clapping machine'!    
Carey

More memories have surfaced: (to the sounds of Tiggy's stomach gurgling loudly in the back ground)

Arriving at Geneva Airport after doing the 'Bouton Rouge' TV thing in Paris the day before,en route to play at the Montreux Golden Rose Awards. We were a bit surprised to find a brass band on the tarmac and a lot of people dressed in Edwardian/Victorian clothes. We then discovered we'd arrived at the same moment as the Sherlock Holmes Appreciation Society going to re-enact the death of Moriarty at the Rohrbach Falls. So that was odd!

With Jackie McAuley, doing a thing for Grampian TV and being fogbound at Aberdeen Airport. While waiting we sat outside with Cat Stevens (also on the show) while he played songs from his new album 'Tea for the Tillerman) with us inventing harmonies with the fog swirling round.... That was magical.

My last gig with Fairport- a huge stadium just outside Rome with Ten Years After and others.(can't remember who else). The stadium was so vast the echo of my voice came back seconds after I'd sung, so it was like singing harmonies.

After the gig I flung down the harp and flounced out in a really dramatic exit- then had to flounce back again 'cause I didn't have my air ticket home........


Jude

(Gordon Bennett, Tig, have you swallowed a train or something? Let's slide down the wormhole to the bar and see if Otts has got anything to sort you out....maybe some of Richard's chips......)

[jude]

Hi Judy
Sadly not too up on your work, though I'm doing my best to remedy the situation (whilst simultaneously serving you Irish coffee in the arms... what a weird situation to be in )

Anyway, a couple of questions:
- What is an autoharp?   
- If you were asked to perform, occasionally, such as Croppers, would you do so?
- What were the highlights of working with Fairport
- Was there ever any crossover between the Judy and Sandy periods of Fairport? I know there was a gap, but did she perform whilst you were officially Fairport or vice versa?
Cheers
James Denny (aka Sir Otto Cleese)

Right then James (or may I call you Otty)

The Autoharp. It looks like a zither that has 32 strings(all of which have vicious ends which take delight in slashing ones hands to bits). Across the strings are a number of bars with dampers on which stop the strings which are not in the relevant chord(if you get my drift). it is tuned chromatically mostly and is a real pain to tune.But it has an amazing sound which makes up for tuning it. My accoustic harps have 12 bars, my electric (mono) one has 21 bars as did the stereo one I used with Fairport (sadly I think that was destroyed in the crash).  I used to have a great beast of a harp that had about 42 bars which I used to play on stage but it used to weigh about a ton and now lives in my sister's attic.

I have played at Croppers in 1981,1982 1997 and 2002 and will always play when asked, but as I don't perform otherwise it's always very scary and nerves do get the better of me...(so I go for the sympathy vote....)

Highlights with Fpt. Well, so many, because it was the first time for all of us at the time each gig was usually something we'd never done before and therefore memorable.  Mostly it was just great fun and I just seem to remember giggling most of the time.

No Sandy and I didn't overlap at all, in fact I only really met her once at her flat when we drank mead and swapped jokes. I was humbled by her talent.

[jude]

Ces...

Brian the Wire(Wyvill) lived next door to Ashley and was at school with Richard He wasalways messing around inventing things so I suggested we made a silent hand-clapping machine. Which was a box with two sticks coming out of it with paper hands on the ends which clapped but never met. The whole thing was probably powered by a small electric motor which made more noise than the hands. It was a very silly thing indeed. But then Richard sent Simon a fried egg in an envelope as a birthday card once. (It may have been the other way round) and that was even sillier......

You must be yolk-ing?    
Sounds good fun, Jude! Did you ever read Kinglsey Abbott's "Fairportfolio' BTW? And if so, what did you think of it?
Cheers, Carey

Yes of course. Kingsley's an old friend (in fact married to Brian the Wire's sister).
I loved Fairportfolio.  It was a very accurate report of the olden days!  I ring him when I've forgotten stuff and he usually knows the answers.

[jude]

I saw Fairport the first time way back in mid '68 but cannot recall if you were still with the band or Sandy had joined... it was that very weird gig where FC played at Parliament Hill Fields with Jefferson Airplane... totally peed with rain... skinheads tried to break up the fun but the drowned and the sodden were already heading off... was that you or Sandy?   And I still have a copy of the Ribbon Bow 45rpm!!!   Must see if I can get you to sign it the next Cropredy you attend!

By the way it's really good of you to answer all these questions!  Many thanks Judy!
Jack O Diamonds

Hallo Jack O'D

That would have been Sandy I'm pretty sure. I don't think I ever played on the same bill as Jefferson A.
Thinking about it, it sounds like a real pain of a gig.I'm quite glad I wasn't there!!
I'll be happy to sign things if people don't mind lugging them along to Cropredy!

Jude

[jude]

I just say that's a pleasure to read you, Judy - if you came across Italy in vacation please don't forget autoharp, my hammer dulcimer is eager to meet her (is an autoharp a girl?).
I enjoy indeed, then: another question: which way did "your" Fairport choose - and did find - the song to record and perform?
Thanks in advance, Paolo

Hi Paolo

My autoharp's very old and grumpy these days!
Amongst the friends of the band were several people,Richard Lewis and Kingsley to name but two, who were very keen album collectors especially American Imports.  Many a time was spent listening to these and trying to play them.  Richard & Mimi Farina, Eric Anderson, Love etc. Actually there was a hugely eclectic mix of personal tastes involved and we listened to just everything and anything, and if someone said what does that sound like played on a mandolin or autoharp, or whatever, we just tried it.  If it sounded good we used it.  Then when Joe Boyd got involved of course he had access to unreleased demos like Joni Mitchell or Dylan so we'd try them out too.  Jazz concerts, blues, traditional folk, American folk - there were so many pubs with little clubs attached to them.  One night it would be a folk club and two days later it would be a blues'n'soul club.  Same place, same audiences.  So it was really a vast rich seam of musical treasures which we dipped into.  Anyway that was in my 'era'. It altered and evolved later.

and if someone said what does that sound like played on a mandolin or autoharp, or whatever, we just tried it.  If it sounded good we used it.

Similar to me with Kellie (my melodeon). I play a lot of Eagles stuff.
Otts

[jude]

Are your Greyhounds into Fairport/Trader Horne/etc.?  How did you get into looking after greyhounds...?
Otts

The greyhounds will happily fall asleep to any music.  My previous two, Pharoah and Kymo, would follow my daughter to the piano and lie at her feet for hours while she played. They also liked going to church to pick her up after choir practice where they'd plonk themselves down on the cold marble floor and wouldn't get up until the singing stopped.
I didn't have any opinion on greyhounds at all until 8 years ago.  We'd always had little dogs (lhasa apsos) and then a little black mongrel. When she died my daughter and I went to a local animal sanctuary to find another little black thing and there were too many to choose from.  As it was raining we said 'let's go and shelter by the greyhounds 'cos we won't want one of them' and instantly fell deeply in love with two of them. Pharoah a huge golden boy and Kymo a blue girl.  We took Pharoah home thinking 'what have we done?'  But he was so quiet and gentle that a few months later after I'd sung at Cropredy we went back and got Kymo, and thus began my besottedness with greyhounds.  As a breed they are massively badly treated in many countries - check out the 'greyhounds in need' website - but they do make wonderful pets.
They need 20 minutes walk per day and they spend 23 out of 24 hours asleep (on the couch preferably), Because they are sight hounds they won't see a cat or a rabbit unless it moves, but anything running past them brings out the chase instinct and sadly they are more likely to catch than most other breeds.  When running off the lead I always muzzle them - just in case.
Pharoah and Kymo are both gone now and I have Tiggy instead.  I like to have the older dogs (7 years+), I know I don't have them for long, 12 years is average for ex-racers and 14 for non racers. I must stop burbling now!!

Jude

[jude]

Hi Judy, what music do you listen to these days?
Cheers, Otts

Actually very little. I'm not sure why. 'Veronique Sanson' because of a discussion about whether songs sung in French  'flow' as well as in other languages. The jury is out on that one.

Simon left me with a huge collection of vinyl and CDs and its quite hard to make a decision about what to listen to.  So generally I decide on nothing at all.  Other than that, I've been listening to demos by Astrolasia in order to add vocals (in a panic I might add, because Marc came up to record them and I hadn't written any words).  It's amazing what one can do to a deadline.

[jude]

Hi Jude, just wondering are there any songs by other artists you would like to cover? And, is there any of your own material you would ever fancy re-doing: in a different style/tempo etc.
Cheers, Carey

PS - Many thanks for all the answers you have given so far - really interesting/good fun


Thankyou for your comments. I'm really enjoying doing this. On re-reading my last answer I've decided that it all sounds a bit tragic really!! Hee hee.

The thing is, I have been out of singing for so many years that I don't really listen to anything with a view to singing it myself nor of re-working any old stuff. To be perfectly honest my entire career seems to me to have been accidental - being in a certain place with certain people at certain times and what has come out of those occasions has mostly worked very well.  And it's been fun to do.
This may sound a bit big-headed -(its not meant to be)- but I seem to have been a sort of catalyst for the people I've worked with to go on to do better things. I may cross that last bit out. No I won't, but I'd better stop before I get befuddled...........

Jude

[jude]

You may have answered somewhere already but humour me... are you going to be at Cropredy this year? I realise you will not be playing (although the "Old Fairport" set that Friday night a couple of years ago was the by far the BEST set in years... and I mean years!) but just wondered.
Jack O Diamonds

Yes I will hopefully be lurking around the field somewhere (providing I'm given a ticket or two - takes me ages to pluck up courage to ask for any!). If you see me please say hello and who you are.  For instance, unless Amethyst appears as a large crystal I shan't know who she is.
I really enjoyed being back on stage with the originals, it was almost like the years between hadn't happened and we were all 18 again.

[jude]

For me one of the highlights of Croppers 2002 was to see you sing on "Time Will Show the Wiser" down at the Mill warm ups. I always thought that was a stand out track on the first album and should have been a hit single. Was it ever considered as a single at the time?
Tony

I don't remember TWSTW being considered as a single although it was probably the most 'poppy' song we did. It does seem to have a different 'feel' to the rest of the album.
I don't think we really considered the singles charts at that time, certainly I didn't anyway (I can't remember thinking about anything seriously at that time it was all too amazing for words).
You'd probably need to ask Ashley that sort of thing (she said - passing the buck....)

[jude]

Hi, Judy - I'm really enjoying this session of talk awhile - thanks for giving us your time (and for introducing the description "wibbly")!
So - question(s) - do you have any regrets about giving up singing as a career?  You say - with justification - that you seem to have been a catalyst for people to go onto bigger things - are there any regrets that they didn't take you with them?   For instance, I think that King Crimson with you as lead vocalist could have been really interesting and who knows where that could have lead?  Dyble, Emerson and Palmer maybe .
Barry

Thank you Barry, I'm very happy to be doing this. It's stopping me having to think about selling my house and downsizing and clearing out cupboards.  So anything to delay thinking about that. The loft can wait!
Wibble is a good word isn't it, let's see if it can get in the OED!

I have no regrets about anything really.The singing career sort of gave me up rather than the other way round. I wasn't that keen on touring my head always seemed to end up full of cornflakes and cotton wool, and having a family meant I didn't want to be away. Simon started a tape duplication business so we ran that together all day, all year, and before I knew it the time had flown.  Life is full of 'what ifs' - if I'd stayed with GG&F and been part of King Crimson I'd probably be very deaf by now and I wouldn't have met other musicians or been half of Trader Horne or...... etc.  So who knows... Dyble, Emerson and Palmer!  Crikey the mind boggles.

[jude]

Hi again Judy...
On FC:FC Ian McDonald plays a Jew Harp... what's the difference and have you ever played one?
Otts

Jews Harp (or Jaws Harp) - It's not a harp at all.  It's a sort of metal thing that goes in your mouth and you twang it with your fingers. It's a form of torture, Ian's mouth was cut to ribbons after using it and I don't think he ever played it again.  And I never touched one thank you very much!!

I guess it would have to make a fairly decent sound to go through that kind of torture for    
Otts

Well it is certainly a distinctive sound. I've never heard of anyone who is a professional player!   ouch ouch ouch

[jude]

There was one single in the 70s that started with a jaws harp solo! Can't for the life of me remember what it was - possibly Medicine Head?  Thanks for all the time you've taken answering questions Judy.
Paul

I did a google for you, very little came up... have you ever considered setting yourself up a website?
Otts

Paul,
Medicine Head!!! Gosh there's a blast from the past. Remember the name but not anything about them. I shall look them up. Thanks for being kind.

Sir Otto,
I found all sorts of stuff I'd forgotten about when I googled me (Sorry, I couldn't think how else to phrase that!).
I wouldn't have the foggiest idea how to set up a website!!

If you're interested I can advise. 
Otts

If you can use Word, it doesn't take much to learn Front Page, and you can set up a web page with that. I can do the mechanics, but I have zero artistic ability.
Have a look at www.jeromes.org or http://homepage.ntlworld.com/paul.jerome/html/hlo.htm for examples. These were both knocked up very quickly, just to learn how to use the programme.
Paul

Thank you both for your help.

Jude

[jude]

Medicine Head's hit single was called "One and One is One".  Early on they recorded on John Peel's Dandelion label.  I saw them at the Reading festival in 1973.
Tony


John Peel.  A nice man. He helped me buy my electric autoharp when I had to leave the other one behind with Fpt.

Well remembered Tony. Any idea what the follow up single was?
Paul

That was "Rising Sun" - no 11 in 1973. I just found my copy of "The Best of Medicine Head".
Tony

[jude]

Hi Jude.
Great to see/hear you at Cropredy 2002.Any chance of you rejoining?
frogcrutches


Hello Mr Frogcrutches

Glad you enjoyed it!
No I shouldn't think there's any chance at all,  not with me anyway. The music's evolved from my day. (Grief that makes me sound ancient!)
I am trying to get to grips with being a psychedelic-ambient-techno person at the moment anyway

They do have quite a few guest female singers - lovely Vicky Clayton and Cathy Lesurf to name just two - so they would have plenty to choose from. They haven't had one for so long now I would think it's not on the cards, but then you never can tell what they're going to do next.

[jude]

Can you tell us more about the Psychedelic Ambient Techno thing please?
Cheers, Nick

O yeah, We need to know more, Paolo

okie dokie Paolo and Nick, here we go:

I was contacted by Marc Swordfish of Astralasia shortly after Cropredy 2002. He said he'd always liked my voice on the Trader Horne album and would I be willing to do some singing if he sent up some demos. Having made sure that he realised that my 18 year old voice was a bit different to my 5 year old voice, I agreed (this might be a hoot, I thought). The demos were completely different to anything I'd heard before, (remember that I haven't actually listened to very much since punk began and then I got left behind as it were) "Just sing what you feel " he said. So I did.

The rest of Astralasia consists of Simon House- violin (ex-David Bowie, 3rd ear band, High Tide and Hawkwind); Stevie B - sax, David Gates - Guitar (Salt Tank, Patient Saints) and Peter Pracownik - guitar (ex-Pink Fairies and fantasy artist extraordinaire!).

The only one I've met yet has been Marc, who appears with his lap-top and microphone - records my vocals, disappears away and sends me wonderful mixes by post.  I am so impressed by it all I can't tell you.
 
We have aanother couple of tracks to do, Peter is doing the sleeve artwork, and it should be ready for release later in the year. All we've got to do is think up a name. Anyway I think it's brilliant and totally different to anything I've done before.....

I'll post details on 'Announce' when it's ready 

Jude

Astralasia look like a psychedelic gourmet supergroup ... looking forward hearing from you and them.  Paolo

Just a small warning- it does have quite an electronic/techno slant that being what Astralasia do, so it might not be whats expected as a folk thing and therefore might not appeal to people but anyway we'll see.
Anyway I like it (defiant!)
Jude

In my experience mixing older stuff with dance beats can yield to some excellent results. Alan Stivell has been pretty successful in that area. He even had a hit in France a few years ago with a techno version of his perenial "Tri Matelots" - although as he wasn't involved in the remix he then threatened to take the guys who did it to court!
Frightening! Someone can actually turn up at your house and record your voice on a laptop. That's all you need! And I remember when 8 track was "that thar new fangled technology".   Tony

It's quite scary isn't it?  Especially when they post off a fully mixed track that sounds amazing!

Ooh it's all too clever for words!

Jude

[jude]

If my memory serves me correct I think it was 1982 when Mr Hutchings said to you something on the lines of "What song shall we sing Judy?" and you replied something like "how about the one we've been practising all week?" which I thought was a great line   Mind you the PA then proceeded to make life about as difficult as it could IIRC...
jimc

Oh yes- tee hee hee!  Well remembered Mr jimc (sorry - inadvertant rhyme there-must be Sir Otto's influence)
That was at Broughton Castle wasn't it?.  No it wasn't I just looked it up.  You are right, the P.A. was playing up somewhat. I don't remember if they had stage monitors in those days, but I do remember having terrible problems with feedback.  I think Simon asked that question and Peggy was playing bass, which was very loud that year and reverberated right through my bones!!!