Bobby Gillespie
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Robert Gillespie (/ɡɪˈlɛspi/ ghil-ESP-ee; born 22 June 1961) is a Scottish musician, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the lead singer, founding member, primary lyricist, and sole continuous member of the alternative rock band Primal Scream.[1] He was the drummer for The Jesus and Mary Chain in the mid-1980s, leaving after the release of the band's debut album Psychocandy, and was once the bassist for The Wake.
In October 2021, Gillespie published his memoir Tenement Kid.[2]
Early life
Born in
Career
The Jesus and Mary Chain
Gillespie played drums for the band The Jesus and Mary Chain. Prior to The Jesus and Mary Chain, he worked as a roadie for Altered Images and played bass in The Wake. Gillespie was a friend of The Jesus and Mary Chain's bassist Douglas Hart, who asked Gillespie to join the band after their original drummer had left following the release of their debut single in 1984. Gillespie's style of drumming was minimal, with his drum kit consisting only of a snare and a floor tom, which he played standing up, an idea he borrowed from The Velvet Underground drummer Moe Tucker. Gillespie has also said that he played only two drums due to his own lack of ability as a drummer.
Gillespie played on the band's debut
Primal Scream, collaboration and autobiography
The band signed to Creation Records in 1985, and over the next year, they released a pair of singles. However, Primal Scream did not really take off until the middle of 1986, when Gillespie left the Jesus and Mary Chain and guitarists
As the 1980s drew to a close, Britain's underground music scene became dominated by the burgeoning
For their third album,
The fourth album,
In January 2010, Primal Scream started work on their new album, More Light, which was released in May 2013.
In March 2016, Chaosmosis was released, album containing well received songs such as "100% or Nothing", "Trippin' on Your Love".
In July 2021, he released Utopian Ashes, a duet album with Jehnny Beth; it was issued under the banner of both artists "Bobby Gillepsie and Jehnny Beth". Utopian Ashes was met with "generally positive reviews" with a rate of 80 out of 100 from music critics.[5] Two videos featuring the duo were shot to promote the singles "Chase it Down" and "Remember We Were Lovers" and uploaded on YouTube.
Gillespie's book, Tenement Kid, a memoir relating his childhood in 1960s Springburn Glasgow, the discovering of punk, then his realization as an artist, until the release of Screamadelica, was published in late 2021. The book was released to critical acclaim: the Scotsman wrote that "Gillespie’s autobiography is written with both passion and eloquence",[6] while the Irish Times wrote that Tenement Kid was "a thrilling read".[7] The Times reviewed it as an "elegantly written tale": Will Hodgkinson said that "the Primal Scream frontman writes movingly about his troubled youth".[8]
In 2023, Gillespie was a guest singer on the songs "This Is What It Is (To Be Free)", "Ghosted at Home" and "Country of the Blind" for the album Los Angeles by Lol Tolhurst, Budgie, and Jacknife Lee.[9]
Musicianship
Although Gillespie only sings and plays occasional percussion onstage with Primal Scream, throughout his career he has played a number of different instruments, most notably drums with The Jesus and Mary Chain and bass guitar with The Wake. On Primal Scream's 2013 album More Light, he is credited with a number of keyboard instruments along with drums and percussion, and he played synthesizer on one of The Wake's singles. Additionally, he is shown playing guitar briefly in the music video for "You Trip Me Up" by The Jesus and Mary Chain, and twelve-string guitar on Primal Scream's single "Gentle Tuesday", and, although able to play these instruments, did not play them on either recording. Gillespie is credited with guitar on the track "Gravitational Waves (Drifter's Song)", the b-side to the Record Store Day 2016 release Mantra for a State of Mind.[10]
Discography
Studio albums
- 2021 – Utopian Ashes (Bobby Gillespie and Jehnny Beth)
Personal life
Gillespie married stylist Katy England at St. Margaret's Church, Betley on 29 July 2006. It was attended by Kate Moss and village resident Doreen Angell sang in the choir. They have two children together, Wolf (born in 2001)[11] and Lux (born in 2004).[12]
Politics
Gillespie defaced a Make Poverty History poster signed by all the acts at the Glastonbury Festival in 2005.[13] Gillespie scribbled over this and wrote "Make Israel History."[14] Gillespie later said that he did this in support of Palestine, and when questioned on whether he was anti-Semitic, he responded "There's Israeli and Jewish people who support the Palestinian cause as well. We did a lot of work for the Hoping Foundation to raise money for children in the Palestinian refugee camps and the lady who got us involved is Bella Freud, Lucian Freud's daughter and Sigmund Freud's great granddaughter. They had to flee Austria to escape Nazi persecution, and she believes in the Palestinian cause. To say we're anti-Semitic is a smear, so you'd better watch what you're saying. Because you oppose one country's government's policies doesn't mean to say that you hate all the people from that country. I don't like Bush or Putin or Tony Blair, but I don't hate American, Russian or British people. Most people are just trying hard to get by."[14]
In 2012 he stated that he believed the British coalition government were reactionary quasi-fascists.[15] The statement was prompted by the use of Primal Scream's song "Rocks" at the Conservative Party Conference.[16]
In 2016, Gillespie, during a break due to a technical issue, said, "I'm no comedian but should I tell a joke?", before saying to the room: "What do you call a Conservative MP that's been stabbed to death? A beautiful fucking thing".[17]
In 2019, Gillespie called
In January 2021, Gillespie declared his support for the Scottish independence movement, saying that Scotland's exit from the UK was "inevitable", however he also said "I don't see myself as a nationalist, as that leads to Fascism".[19]
References
- ^ "BOBBY GILLESPIE GOES IN SEARCH OF HIS ULTIMATE CREATIVE HERO" GQ. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
- ISBN 9781474622066.
- ^ "Alba Money – Financial news and budgeting advice". Archived from the original on 25 September 2006. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ "Primal Scream . Webadelica". 26 July 2011. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ "'Utopian Ashes' by Bobby Gillepsie and Jehnny Beth, Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ Shepherd, Fiona (15 October 2021). "Book review: Tenement Kid, by Bobby Gillespie". Scotsman.com. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
- ^ Doyle, Martin (23 October 2021). "Tenement Kid by Bobby Gillespie: a thrilling read". Scotsman.com. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
- ^ Hodgkinson, Will (9 October 2021). Acid Freakouts and the Making of a Raver [Tenement Kid by Bobby Gillespie - book review]. p. 20.
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ignored (help) - ^ Trendell, Andrew (24 July 2023). "Lol Tolhurst, Budgie and Jacknife Lee talk new project Los Angeles". NME. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ "Primal Scream – Mantra For A State Of Mind". Discogs.com. 16 April 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ "Wolf Gillespie Model". SHOW studio. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ "Primal Scream . Webadelica". Theprimalscream.com. 15 April 2006. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
- ^ Mat Ward (11 May 2013). "Primal Scream are back hollering for the left". Green Left Weekly. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
- ^ a b "Primal Scream . Webadelica". Theprimalscream.com. 15 April 2006. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ^ "Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie: 'The coalition government are reactionary, quasi-fascists'". New Musical Express. 28 November 2012.
- ^ "Primal Scream 'totally disgusted' after Conservative Party use 'Rocks' during party conference". New Musical Express. 5 October 2011.
- ^ "Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie sparks fury after sick joke about a Tory MP being stabbed to death". The Herald. 9 December 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ "Eurovision: Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie calls Madonna a 'total prostitute' for performing at Israel event". The Independent. 19 May 2019.
- ^ McCall, Chris (1 February 2021). "Primal Scream star Bobby Gillespie declares support for Scottish independence". Daily Record. Retrieved 1 February 2021.