Caught by the Reaper – Jackie Leven

Mick Houghton, who in 1978 was responsible for Doll by Doll in the press department of Warner Bros and in 1994 again worked as Leven's press man, remembers on the day after the death. The first meeting in spring 1978 with Leven and Jo Shaw, both visibly on LSD, the concert at the tiny Rock Garden before a handful of onlookers and interviews with the music press (Hugh Fielder of Sounds; Shaw walked out of an interview in a fish-and-chip shop in Burton upon Trent without a word) paint a picture of a band that intimidated its audience rather than merely threatening it, as punk did. Houghton describes the concept: making the suffering of the soul public, benefit concerts for R. D. Laing's Philadelphia Association instead of Rock Against Racism, flyers and Artaud pictures, plus the aborted NME cover story with Nick Kent. After the debut Remember his involvement ended; in 1994 he worked again with the now gentler Leven on two albums. At the end comes the Dylan story (alleged train journey Berlin–Saint Petersburg in 1988, song after “One Too Many Mornings”), which Houghton never believed. Overall tone: affectionately ironic, Leven as a lovable rogue.