Boom! One half of the Clockwork Orange massive rolls up his sleeves for Area and beyond
Interview : Dan Prince
Hey Danny and welcome back to DMCWORLD. So the next installment of the Clockwork comeback kings takes place on Saturday September 7th with your ‘Summer in the City of Love’ party at Area – but before we get stuck into that, let’s rewind to that glorious evening of March 23rd when your night finally resurfaced again to incredible scenes in London. The nerves beforehand must have been sky high, surely though once the party had sold out you were a little more calm about things?
“I took time out of working to be honest Dan, about 6 months in all to ensure everything – and I mean everything was spot on. There were 31 tables of 10-25 people, 5 rooms, 33 DJs, production, lighting etc. etc. and I needed that time to make it 110% perfect. Every day I done my own nut in ensuring the social networking was rigorously tracked and answered, I also done everyone else’s nuts in with posts, comments etc. – I must have totted up tens of thousands, but hey, it sure beats walking the cold streets of Elephant and Castle mid winter like the old days. I never stopped mentally analysing everything until I left the club at 4.30am at the end of the party.”
What were some of the things that you’d forgotten about running parties that reared their heads again that night that you’re glad you don’t have to deal with any more…?
“The odd strange DJ dealings and that was about it really…the rest was an absolute joy. The glorious thing with getting back into doing the odd special party is it makes you feel young again, brings a buzz into your life, excitement, the union of old faces, brings all the old glories back to the surface…even though they never really left.”
Who were some of the stars of the night DJ wise?
“Phew, where do I start? Tall Paul, Seb Fontaine, Jeremy Healy, Andy Manston, Jon Uyllesses…and of course Danny Clockwork and Keithy Mac.”
Check the DJ sets here : https://soundcloud.com/clockworkorange-2
Tune of the night?
“Considering every old tune including funk, disco, Subliminal 98 stuff, old skool and classics were played, there where hundreds and it would be so hard to say. John Kelly said it was most probably “the best party I’ve ever played at” – that was some comment from a man like John Kelly. The crowd where singing back the big tunes and that is such a buzz, cutting out Alison Limerick and the crowds singing back “where love lives, where love lives…”
What did your brother make of his bruv’s showcase event?
“My little bro was 7 when I started, 15 when I finished so he never made a true Clockwork party. He arrived smiling, left beaming and quoted…”BRO that was the bollocks.”
Now be honest with us, where did you go when the last record played and people were drifting off to after parties…?
“As I said, I left at 4.30am and I headed back to the hotel. I was up at 5am the day of the party, never stopped all day and before the party I was flat out. I jumped in the bath with a sandwich in my hand whilst on the telephone whilst my missus was scrubbing my back! As you are aware Dan, Gouldy is 100% clean and sober 10 years next August and it’s hard work being on the natural tip. Funny though, I had three, yes three Pro Plus and about 10 cans of Pepsi and the sugar is enough for me nowadays. I sat in my room at 5.30am after the party with views of Big Ben…the sun was just starting to appear, I had a tuna baguette and fries from room service and had the biggest proud smile ever.”
What was your own personal highlight of the night?
“Walking into the main room at about 10.30pm. It was packed and the atmosphere went straight through you and made you shiver with excitement.”
So party number two coming up in September, what was your idea with the thinking of the line up this time round, some people appearing who didn’t make it on first time round, some treasured people missing…
“Gotta keep it summer style and fresh for as long as it lasts, nobody wants the same old boring line ups…so it’s…
Graeme Park (1st ever Clockwork appearance)
John Kelly
Jon Pleased Wimmin
Danielle Davoli
Danny Rampling
Trevor Fung
Paul Trouble Anderson
Scott Mac
Keith Mac
Andy Manston
Linden C
…plus all the Clockwork residents.”
Promo video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkvg1ghbQ6Y&feature=c4-overview&list=UU1UrTPX7YWPuyGqiLxqmZxg
One of the things that everyone was saying about the party back in March was that the music was spot on. Have you given any of your DJs any guidelines for their sets at the next party, have you asked for a sprinkling of club classics for instance?
“It’s all about the old skool and transporting the orange army back in time, there’s no new stuff as we ain’t new people!!!! Clockwork never asks people what to play, that’s the beauty, play what you want as long as it’s old…nothing after the Millennium.”
Yourself and partner Andy Manston were spotted in Ibiza recently, Andy was seen in Es Paradis but there are now rumours abound that you may be looking at other places in Ibiza for 2014. The new look Eden, the sparkling Ocean Beach Club and workers favourite Zoo have certainly given you something to think about…?
“There’s an abundance of opportunities, but deep down no matter what the SAN AN feelings are, there is only one home for Clockwork from 94-99 (I don’t count 2000 and 2001) and that’s Paradis, it’s time to put that gaff back on the white isle map, even if for only one night.”
The halcyon days of Clockwork at Paradis in the 90s can never be touched. For a number of years you were the maddest party on the island. A lot of people in the club industry are guilty of looking back to events from years back and think they can resurrect those parties. Hard Times are now back in the game, Wobble, The Rhumba Club and Time Flies have started to throw the dice again. What makes you confident you can appeal to the new wave of clubbers filling Ibiza in this decade who won’t have heard of the mighty Clockwork?
“If the youngsters come then they can get an experience of the proper good old days, if they don’t, well hey, it’s not about reinventing Clockwork…it’s totally about the old days. Those that were there when Ibiza was Balearic, when you let people in for nothing, promoters helped each other out, friendship and the glorious music that reigned supreme, tunes that when dropped the whole gaff goes mental. ARE THERE CLASSICS BEING PRODUCED ANYMORE?????????”
I was leafing through some old press cuttings of Clockwork and found the news piece on CNN from August 2000 when you were talking about the situation where the lowlife Spanish guy had trademarked yours, Moneypenny’s and GodsKitchen’s brand names for trading in Ibiza; “I respect what he has done for the sheer cunning of it” you remarked back then. What are your thoughts on that experience 13 years later…?
“Man, I was at my maddest at that time, all I wanted was cocaine, E’s, loads of booze and anything I could get my hands on including sweet pretty young things. And when this happens it was like a pin prick in a paddling pool, it slowly starts to deflate around you and what with that and the all the other madness going on in the year 2000, well Dan, it smashed me to pieces. I remember coming home to England and my mum said she could see a crack through the middle of me like I was broken. Losing Clockwork like that was like losing my baby. Looking back now it’s laughable. You know the worst thing of all, every Clockwork piece of editorial, sponsorship, flyer, newspaper cuttings, write ups etc. was in an album. It was sent to the lawyers in Spain to fight the case that Clockwork was ours…and then the Spanish lawyers go and lose it. Every amazing thing I had from Clockwork vanished. All gone.”
What’s the latest with Gouldy’s Gardens – your company is doing well, has Alan Titchmarsh got anything to worry about?
“Ain’t he ugly, like an elf!!!! I only do work I enjoy, different stuff, if it’s block paving or crazy paving I don’t bother as everyone does that. Like Clockwork, you gotta stand out. I have just finished a sleepers front drive (first in the country) and a stained glass summer house roof made of love hearts from old church windows. Both customers loved it.”
Be truthful now, have you been employed by any customers to landscape or transform their garden who years ago were punters on your Clockwork dancefloors?
“My first customer was an old Clockworkian in Epping and comes to the parties now again, so is a customer I have now in Chigwell and I also worked in Cheshunt for Sarah Day who is an oldish Clockworkian in February. Funny, I was working in Brentwood last week, the sun was a blazing and this bloke slows down while I’m talking to my customers before they go to work at 8am. His car pulls up with the windows down and shouts “see you in September Gouldy you legend”…embarrassing but brilliant.”
Will this be Clockwork’s final party before Ibiza or are you bringing us another London party before the big summer season 2014?
“This is a small summer soiree in September, then a few months chill fm before the 21st Anniversary on March 22nd, yet again, the line up is 90% different with some big old names on the bill as well as old friends of Clockwork.”
And finally Danny, looking back to the party in March, was the famous Manston gurn out in full effect again?
“I can personally state that although he tried, the claw and rabbit in the headlights appeared once more Dan.”
Clockwork Orange presents Summer in the City of Love @ Area, London on Saturday September 7th…
