I've written this Space Ritual

March 3, 2010 11:20 AM

Nik Turner was always hawking wasn't he? And he always had the most melodious wind.

BBC documentary on Hawkwind: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Possibly NSFW, depending on how your employer feels about a nude dancing woman.

posted by sleepy pete (18 comments total)

I liked that documentary. From what I understand, Dave Brock pulled all his interviews when he found out they were also interviewing Nik Turner, with whom he has a longstanding legal and personal beef. That put them in a tight spot given that he's been the only constant member of Hawkwind, but I think the BBC got the much better end of the deal by building the doc around the ex-members.
posted by anazgnos at 11:25 AM on March 3, 2010

Excellent, thanks!
posted by carter at 11:31 AM on March 3, 2010

Nik Turner's punk band, Inner City Unit were extremely silly, but very entertaining.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 11:42 AM on March 3, 2010

Hey, wait! This is the most melodious wind!

I'm sorry. I couldn't resist. As you were.
posted by Skot at 11:58 AM on March 3, 2010

I just took a ride on a silver machine!
posted by malocchio at 12:00 PM on March 3, 2010

Thanks for this. I've only known Hawkwind as that other band Lemmy used to be in.
posted by cazoo at 12:08 PM on March 3, 2010

Great post!

I've met Dave Brock and actually was trying to run a Hawkwind cover band this year... but the other members weren't as interested as I was.

I've often felt that their material deserves to be covered more than it is. For example, "Spirit of the Age" is a song I often cover and always gets a huge reaction from the audience.

There are really three eras of Hawkwind (I'm saying this not having seen the doco). There's the early psychedelic era of "Space Ritual"; there's the space punk era of "Quark, Strangeness and Charm" (which was the first Hawkwind album I ever got, as a cut out in an Ottawa record store); and then the harder rock period of "Church of Hawkwind".

The last show of theirs I saw was in Brooklyn. It was both amazing and sad; amazing because they played particularly well, sad because there were so few people there. The next time they play, if there is one, I'm going to drag everyone I know...
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 12:18 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

Was always partial to Hurry On Sundown.
posted by Abiezer at 12:21 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

in 1993 i saw Nik Turner's Space Ritual immanentize THE eschaton at the Limelight in NYC.

HERE IS AN INTERVIEW WITH THAT LINEUP PRINTED IN THE LA FANZINE FLIPSIDE[PDF]

Helios Creed and Nik Turner... having a laugh.
posted by Hammond Rye at 12:22 PM on March 3, 2010

I know he was only an occasional member but I've always thought of Hawkwind as Michael Moorcock's band.
posted by scalefree at 12:37 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

Michael Moorcock's real band is Deep Fix. I picked up the original album a couple of years ago, and it's pretty bad... it had some sentimental interest for me because I'd heard about it for 30 years but I listened to it twice and dropped it from my rotation. They seem to have a new one out, I'm quite curious.

Note that I am rather a Michael Moorcock fan, I've probably read pretty well everything he wrote at one time or another, and I also do love the Hawkwind Moorcock songs... I just don't really like Deep Fix.

ALSO: there was a truly entertaining book featuring Hawkwind, named Time of the Hawklords. I wouldn't call it great literature, but at the same time it's a good read and I've been vaguely looking for a new copy when I go into second hand stores (I have one somewhere in my storage area but...) It's very goofy - they discover that Hawkwind music is the only thing that fights the Death Generator, so they go around with pistols that shoot rock music at their enemies.
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 12:48 PM on March 3, 2010

Ah! One of my favorite bands. I had all of their albums (on vinyl) with the cool fold out cover art and extras. All imports bought for ridiculous prices at Colony Records in NYC.

They were left at an ex-girlfriend's house when I moved out (was dumped) and she kept them. Her new boyfriend probably used them as frisbees.

Now I am sad.
posted by Splunge at 12:52 PM on March 3, 2010

Still have the book though. Somewhere.

::sigh::
posted by Splunge at 12:54 PM on March 3, 2010

We took the Wrong Step Years Ago
and
You Shouldn't do That.
posted by adamvasco at 1:17 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

I hated Hawkwind. They used to play everywhere, all the time for about 60p a ticket back in the day. Dave Brock was OK though. I once asked him for a match at a Hawkwind gig, and he gave me a big piece of hash because it was in his matchbox.

I suppose I was about 15 or 16 at the time, which would get him crucified today but that was how rock stars used to roll in those days.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 1:51 PM on March 3, 2010

Nik Turner can do no wrong, since he played in my local a couple of years ago, playing cosmic versions of jazz standards at high volume, with a young band of cider fuelled hippies. He sold CDrs out of a duffel bag at the bar for a fiver a shot. Nice guy.
posted by ceiriog at 6:00 PM on March 3, 2010

Now I want a pistol that shoots rock music at my enemies.
posted by irisclara at 10:11 PM on March 3, 2010

Nik Turner was a strange guy. Saw his jazz band (Nik Turner's Fantastic All-Stars?) playing at Glastonbury in the mid 90s. All wearing tuxes, playing jazz standards. Badly.

His punk band Inner City Unit were the business though, particularly liked their ode to Thatcher "Blue Rinse Haggard Robot", and the poetic "Cars Eat With Auto Face".
posted by bifter at 1:24 AM on March 4, 2010