Chris Goodwin exclusive interview 21.5.15

Hi Chris, how are you?

Hello Matthew, tonight im gonna be Chris Goodwin, all good in the hood.

Tell us abit about your upbringing?

Music was everywhere in our house growing up. My Dad was (is) a great singer and loved sinatra, my Mum was (is) into Shirley Bassey and the carpenters. My 3 sisters (no brothers) were massive fans of Bolan, Bowie then later punk and my youngest sister Gill is a Paul Weller obsessive!! Lol

So i couldn’t have asked for a better grounding than listening to these artists booming out of every room ,so you could see from an early stage i wasnt gonna take up stamp collecting ……….saying that i did a good racket with the green shield stamp books………(older viewers only)

How did you get into drumming?

The first time i picked up two of my mums fat knitting needles and started whacking f@ck out of a cushion (percussion) i knew 2 things.

1: I was gonna be a drummer & 2: I’ve just found out im allergic to dust ….

In the school holidays me and a couple of mates used to work at the working mens club to earn a few free shandies, there was a concert room and a stage with a drum kit and an organ, the landlord was a top fella and we used to go in the games room playing snooker and playing the band kits, then when he nipped to the bookies i was off like a shot on that drum kit, it felt fantastic, it was a slingerland sparkley thing and it didnt make me come out in hives so that was the moment…..ill get a drum kit………well ill ask me mum for one.

What was your first bands you were in?

The first gig i played with was a band called Wheatsones Bridge, we played a load of sixties covers and got a residency at the famous Miners arms Oldham every Saturday, we were in the big time ha ha!!

I played with a lot of bands along the way all of which ive absolutely loved, one band in particular Asia Fields were a ramshackle bunch led by the fantastic Graham Maley who i think is a brilliant songwriter and singer i played with The Jerks for a while who were ahead of their time and a brief spell with the Inspiral Carpets and an early version of The Stone Roses whom you may not have heard of……..oh yes and of course the fantastic Steve Diggle out of the Buzzcocks.

Why did you leave The Roses?

You wanna know about the roses thing dont you ?…………..you wanna know why i left the stone roses dont you ?……..i know people say to me , are you gutted that you left the roses etc???…and i always say one thing …..yes!!! I’m not bitter though……….im Utd……

Fast forward to THE HIGH. How did you meet the other members of the band?

How did we meet ??…well myself, Simon Davies and Andy Couzens were working with steve diggle and split and formed THE HIGH…..

I knew john from his fantastic band Turning Blue and the rest is history.

Any interesting stories you can tell us of your time in THE HIGH?

We had some amazing times working with some cool people none more mind blowing than Martin Hannett.

One particular martin moment which stands out was, we were recording up and down in Strawberry Studios and i was playing the kit and he was umming and arring, shaking his head, coming in and out of the control room and im saying…’whats up martin?’…’im not getting the right colour’ …..’eh ?’…i said….’its not right something is not right with the overheads’ said Martin……

Now martin always used two overhead mics as ambient sound only he uses a cigarette butt in between the two mics…..like a sandwich…….

Martin then decides to go to the pub whilst i’m told to keep pounding away on the kit and not to stop……

2 hours later martin stumbles through the studio, ‘hang on a minuite hang on a min’………he then pulls out the ciggie butt, inspects it, then says ‘….ahh, thought so !!’…..im like ‘what ???(sweating me nads off )’…….’this is a Embassy Regal cig’……..I’m like yea???’………’I only use Camel cigs!!!!…….lets record !!!’……………

So I loved my time with THE HIGH, we wrote some timeless songs which i still think sound relevant and cool today which is why i think the new look version of THE HIGH today will smash the Academy this week

What do you get up to these days Chris?

My time these days is taken up working on our busy family catering, we supply business’s were im managing our prepared vegatable site in rural west lancs …………

Do you still play the drums?

I still play the drums but only as a hobby in my music room at home, i was asked kindly to rejoin THE HIGH but its not for me at this time ………after years of not being in touch with the former members of THE HIGH its been really nice getting back in touch with them and I hope to finally have that long lost pint with them …………good luck for Gigantic x