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Eddy Says
Eddy Says: The first and the last – Martin Rushent, we salute you
By Eddy Temple-Morris | Published on Monday 6 June 2011
What was the first record you ever bought? It’s a question that’s always asked, often thought about, by anyone like us, for whom music is a part of life as important as food and water.
The first two albums I owned don’t count. I didn’t buy them, my mum did, from one of those spinning carousels by the checkout at The Hereford Freezer Centre (a 1970s version of Iceland). ‘Great Movie Themes’ and ‘Elvis Live In Las Vegas’. Both had a profound effect on me, especially ‘Great Movie Themes’.
But the actual first album I bought with my own pocket money was ‘Rattus Norvegicus’ by The Stranglers. In those days we devoured every fact on the sleeves of every piece of vinyl we bought. It was only minutes before I was aware the album was produced by Martin Rushent. It was my first year at secondary school.
In the following years, that name cropped up again and again, he was a production tour de force. My final year of education was mostly spent smoking in the bushes and drawing, developing photos or painting in the Malvern College art centre, with my little paint spattered ghetto blaster constantly pumping out the tunes of the day. In that last twelve months the most important album in my life was ‘Dare’ by The Human League. Another Martin Rushent album, and without any question, one of the most important British records, certainly of that generation, but I’d say EVER.
Fast forward to decades later, a few years ago at The DJ Mag Best Of British Awards, where I was broadcasting ‘The Remix’ live from the club where the after-show was taking place. I’d just played one of my favourite records at the time, one of the best demos I’ve ever played in all my years, by Mr Fogg. The tune was called ‘Stung’, but beyond that I didn’t know anything about this record. I remember saying on air: “I can’t tell you anything about this but I’ll find out and get back to you hopefully…”
Turns out I’d do a bit more than that. About 20 minutes later an old, grey, beardy guy who looked a bit like a tramp sidled up to me.
“Oi, I hear you’ve been playing a record I made…”
“Oh yeah? What’s it called?”
“Stung”
“Bloody hell! Really?! You’re Mr Fogg? Pleased to meet you!” I said, slightly surprised that a man who looked homeless could have made such a fantastic and modern sounding record.
“No”, he said, slightly grumpily. “I’m not Mr Fogg. He’s someone I met in my local pub, I just helped him make the record, ta for playing it”.
I told him it was one of the best demos I’d ever played, and sounded perfect in every way. He cheered up slightly. Then I asked the mystery tramp to stay in touch as he was clearly making tunes I love. He shuffled off in the direction of the crowd and I got on with the live broadcast, delighted that I’d shed a bit of light on this incredible demo.
A few minutes later my then girlfriend came bouncing up to me, wide eyes with excitement, and gasped: “Eddy, I’ve just met my total hero, the man that produced ‘DARE’!”
“What? You met Martin Rushent? No way! Where is he?”
She pointed down the corridor, towards a familiar looking young man talking to the mystery tramp. Aside from the fact that he was far too young to have produced any of the albums Martin Rushent was best known for, I recognised the guy she was pointing at as James from Does It Offend You, Yeah? Then it clicked, she was actually pointing at the mystery tramp. This man was Martin Rushent. I’d just talked to one of the greatest producers in British music and I had no idea it was him!
The plot thickened. It turned out that the real name of James Does It Offend You, Yeah?, who I’d met ages before, was James Rushent. Martin was his dad. Wow. No wonder his records sound so good. The apple never falls far from the tree, does it?
I got to shake hands with Martin again last August at the biblical Prodigy show ‘Warrior Dance’ at Milton Keynes Bowl, where both myself and DIOYY were in support of the greatest Brit electronic band.
This is not an obituary; I couldn’t do a man that brilliant justice. It’s just a random memory or two and a doff of the cap. It’s a hand on the heart and a bow westward, towards Berkshire, in and around Reading. That’s the city that forms the thread between The Cooper Temple Clause, Mr Fogg, Does It Offend You, Yeah? Dan Le Sac, Midimidis, loads of bands and people I love and or respect hugely.
How utterly brilliant that this man produced the first record that I ever bought, and his astonishing talent and longevity was embodied by the fact he produced one of the last great demos I played, some 30 years later.
Martin Rushent died this weekend, but in a way, Martin Rushent is immortal. My thoughts go out to his family and friends and to all the artists who worked with him.
X eddy
