2021 interview of Professor Sir John Strang songwriter of "The Masterpeace" and Head of Addiction department at the King's College of London.
When and where were you born ?
I was born in 1950 in Melbourne, Australia. My parents were from the UK but they had moved to Australia in the late 1940s. They returned to the UK in 1951, when I was just over a year old, and so I have no childhood memories of life in Australia. My childhood and adolescence were in the UK – in the West Country, in the Bristol and Somerset area.
Did you grow up in musical family ?
My family was not particularly musical, although my mother did play piano and encouraged me to have piano lessons. These gave me a basic knowledge about music, but it didn't equipped me with anything creative and it didn't inspire me. As far as I can remember, my parents interested in music was mainly around classical music or music from the shows. There wasn't much music played in the house – it just didn't feature very much.
What was the decisive moment when you realize you need to buy and learn how to play a guitar ? How old were you ?
It wasn't until I was 14 or 15, when I bought my first guitar from a friend (a classical Spanish guitar), that I became more passionate about music and creativity. I had already started creative writing, with some early attempts at poetry, but only with slight interest (and no interest from anyone else!). However I became fanatically interested in learning the guitar and exploring different styles of music, and this became a major fascination and led to the material that became the LP.
You were in your early teens when the Beatles exploded ? Were you a fan ? Or did you like other bands or style of music ?
Yes, the Beatles burst onto the scene when I was about 13, and I was hugely influenced by the diverse bands and artists who contributed to the whole 1960s phenomenon. And, at about the same time, I discovered the new interpretations of folk music by the emerging generation of artists who were reinterpreting traditional songs and also producing new songs – and this was profoundly influential on me.
Or did you take full time in your early teens the love of folk based music (through Dylan - and his protests songs - Donovan, Jansch, Renbourn or ISB) ?
After early discovery of artists like Pete Seeger, with political and social protest alongside folk tunes, I then discovered Bob Dylan and also others from the new generation of young protesting folk singers, or maybe they were social commentators - so including Joan Baez and subsequently Donovan as well as other UK influences in the folk scene such as John Mayall as well as John Renbourn and Bert Jansch. As I moved into the mid and late 60s, other artists from the rock scene will have influenced me, as well as more experimental bands such as the Incredible String Band – but let's remind ourselves that a similar journey was being travelled at that time by teenagers across the world and also by the new singers and bands who were themselves going through transformative experiences. However, more than any other influence, it was Bob Dylan whose song-writing abilities stunned me, influenced my thinking, my interests and my aspirations at the time – and who has continued, from that day until now, to surprise, to interest, and to intrigue me.
Did you decide in the beginning to be only a solo guitar player or did you tried first to play in bands ? If yes, what were their names and style ?
Did you play live with them, or even record songs ?
To be honest, my development as a guitarist/musician and also as a songwriter as always been primarily a solo activity. Of course there were times when the opportunity arose to play with others, and that would often be socially and musically attractive – but I think that my main interest has always been around the creativity of the song-writing (or perhaps of reinterpretation of the songs of others). However there were certainly some partnerships that I valued, such as working on songs with Martin when we would adapt and expand on preliminary material for songs. Even though I would occasionally play live in folk clubs, this was not something that I particularly sought out. So my development of songs was mostly a solitary activity, although obviously influenced by the people closest to me and by the concerns of the day. However there were occasions when I would perform in public – and indeed the photograph on the front cover of the LP was from just one such occasion which was a folk concert at my school.
Did you took guitar lessons ? If yes from whom ? friends, teachers ?
No, I didn't take guitar lessons. As I have mentioned, I already had some moderate knowledge about musical notation, although most of my learning occurred after I found the guitar – and I particularly remember being attracted to the chord-based orientation of song structures. These are such a major feature of how most of us learn and play the guitar, and they are actually the fundamental basis of other styles of music – but strangely this was not the way in which classical teaching of the piano (or other instruments) occurred at that time.
Did you decide early on to compose your own songs ? Do you remember the first song you wrote, and what it was about ?
It's strange. I don't remember the first song I wrote. In fact I don't remember a time from before I was actively into song-writing. But I think I must have already been playing guitar for a year or so before I started writing songs (or at least that's how I recall it now). Looking back at my early songs, I can see that they represent the range of interests that I would have had at the time – love interests, concerns about nuclear warfare, nonsense verse, and also an emerging interest in social issues and a wish to make the world a better place. It’s also interesting to look at some of these songs which I wrote as a teenager and to compare them with songs (unpublished) which I've written over the subsequent years. Some of the themes are different, but there are also clear lines of continuity.
Why did you decide to record the Masterpeace album in 1968 ? Because you wanted some demo to sell to labels and have a real professional contract to become a professional musician ?
Or maybe someone (Ranulph Glanville himself) wanted to record you and you went with it ?
We decided to make the record for the same reasons that a painter decides to paint a canvas, or a sculptor decides to hammer at the stone – we wanted to document and capture the creative product that was happening. I don't remember exactly how the decision was made to create the record (and sadly of the people who might remember are no longer around). But it certainly included coincidence of events, serendipitous opportunity, and kindness and generosity from others. Martin was an influential undervalued catalyst to my development of songs, and this encouraged me to be very productive over this period. Ranulph was an art teacher at school who was considerably older than us (or so he seemed at the time, although he was actually only four years older than us – but he seemed so worldly experienced and certainly had a wider knowledge of progressive music and technology). And he was kind enough to support us not only with the recordings but also with the contacts in the music business with produce the limited print run for us.
How did you meet Mr Glanville ? Where was the album recorded ? How long did it took to record ?
Ranulph Glanville was working as a young teacher at our school, including as an art teacher (which is how I met him). He expressed interest in our song-writing and offered to help capture our songs on tape – and indeed it became clear that he had impressive recording equipment as part of his own interest in progressive music. We recorded the songs (perhaps all of them, or perhaps it was just some of them) over the course of a few days when Martin and I visited Ranulph in the cottage where he lived in Dorset. Some of the recorded tracks were straightforward capture of songs which were already finished, whereas others were material still in their formative stage (and where comment or input from Ranulph might be influential).
Who were Valentine Lewis Lloyd and Martin Farquharson? Friends ? Or some people you met just before recording ? Adding those two musicians was your idea from the beginning or an idea from Mr Glanville ?
Martin was a friend of mine at school – a friendship which had become strong as we began to play guitar together. At the time, and subsequently for several years, we were considerably influenced by the interplay of styles and skills shown in the music which Bert Jansch and John Renbourn were playing (subsequently to morph into the recordings by Pentangle). My guitar-playing improved considerably over this period, partly from outside influences and partly from direct influence from Martin who had a technically different style from me, and was probably a more competent and versatile player. My contact with Val was much slighter, as is probably evident from the songs on the album, and were much more around perhaps presenting some of the songs with a deliberately female lead vocal or whether there were ways of presenting the songs with harmonies etc.
If we listen to this album you were really aware of bigger issue from the world for a 17 years old ? Were did it come from ? From you parents or family ? Or was it a solo construction through reading and meeting friends at school ?
This is an interesting question. It is certainly a correct observation, the songs will indeed have been written when I was age 16 or 17. So the songs range from tracks which capture some of the idealism the peace and love the 60's, whilst others express the sense of desperate concern about the potential for self-destruction through nuclear warfare, alongside other songs which touch on issues such as drug use and social concerns such as social isolation and dislocation. I guess, looking back analytically at these early writings, I can see evidence of the issues which continued to be of importance to me as I became an adult, and probably influenced my choice of career – to study medicine and to work as a doctor specialising in the area of treating addiction problems.
The idea of playing, for example "I am the crab", in several pieces dispatched on the album was an idea fully formed before recording or did it came as the recording went along ?
I'm glad you asked this. It's unusual, isn't it, to have several versions of the same song on the same album. But each version is, of course, very different – and, beyond the simplicity of the song, it is being relationship between the three versions which is meant to trigger reflection. The first version is simple and pure and harmonic and perhaps captures the hopes and aspirations the generation; the second version is becoming more disturbed and includes passing drug reference to drug use and also alludes to altered mental state; and the last version is explicitly disturbing – both conceptually and acoustically distorted and perhaps indicating concern about persistence mental disturbance.
What did you think then of Glanville's work on the record ? Now with more than fifty years of hindsight, do you still think the same ?
Ranulph was interesting and influential and brought in knowledge of contemporary music and composers. If you don't explore, then you don't find new territories. If you don't experiment, then you don't find new techniques. The juxtapositioning of feedback and other sound effects clashes with the simplicity of the pure acoustic tracks – but that was perhaps the reason for having gone with the flow of Ranulph's influence so as to provoke shock and consideration. Looking back on it across half a century, I can see that the techniques were simple compared with what is possible today, but they were bold and creative at the time and, despite the passage of time, I think that many of them still work.
How many records were pressed ? How did you sold them ? To friends and family only ? or did you played live behind it (alone or with valentine and Martin ?) ?
Our reason for producing the record was for there to be just that – a record. I'm fairly sure that the print run was for 100, although the label who have released this reissue think that it must have been less (either 50 or even 25). I'm fairly sure it was not the latter, as I can probably remember at least 25 of the recipients. So the print run was probably either 100 or 50. I do remember collecting them from north-west London and carrying them back to the room where I was living (in south London) and they were extraordinarily heavy! We sold them privately to people who were already interested in our music. I kept a few myself – fortunately, as one of these was the source material the remastering which the new record label as done so skilfully.
Did you continue to write and play with Martin right away after Masterpeace for the Shame & Stigma project ? Or did this project needed some maturation from both of you ?
After recording Masterpeace, Martin and I moved in different directions (geographically) – I moved to London to begin studies as a medical student, whilst Martin moved to Bournemouth to study photography. Nevertheless we stayed in close contact musically and continued to develop our joint playing style. We would meet up for weekends and Martin had developed a modest set-up of recording equipment for acoustic recordings – a bedroom-based recording studio! We recorded a number of songs which have now, all bar one, been completely lost. We would also occasionally meet with another friend who had, after leaving school, moved into working as a sound engineer at the BBC and who had, in his home, good quality recording equipment. This was from a few years after Masterpeace and these recordings of songs from 1971 to 1975 include some which form a collection of songs about the onset of mental illness and the associated shame and stigma and the challenge of navigating recovery (these recording form the basis of the ‘Shame and Stigma' album which the record label has restored and digitised and which I am currently curating – and which we hope to release later this year).
Why writing about mental illness ? Was it before or during you decide being a medical student ?
I too wonder whether there is some connection here. I don’t know. My interest in studying medicine was certainly motivated by a wish to address some of the problems and suffering in the world, but I don't think I had any particular intention to move into psychiatry or addictions or to conduct research into mental illness. Or maybe I did – maybe there was something that that I have forgotten. That's certainly possible as there were some potential influences on my thinking at that time, since my closest friend through my late adolescence (separate from the music friendship network) was the son of a psychiatrist – and so perhaps I would have lost some of the fear of the unknown and seemingly unknowable that underlies some of the reluctance to explore mental illness and to become involved in provision of treatment. Who knows? And you are right, the content of these songs from my late teens would suggest an emerging awareness and interest.
How was recorded Shame & Stigma ? Alone with Martin ? Why not Ranulph Glanville ?
After recording 'Masterpeace' (which coincided with moving away to university), I completely lost contact with Ranulph. So while recording the new songs would be captured initially by Martin himself with his bedroom set-up of recording equipment (almost all of which is now sadly lost), and then there are the recordings made by our friend Robin (some of which we have recovered successfully and will contribute to 'Shame and Stigma').
Why wasn't it pressed into a vinyl record or acetate like Masterpeace ?
There was originally an intention to create a vinyl version of 'Shame and Stigma', but life got in the way. That’s what happens. As John Lennon said: ‘Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans’. Our life journeys moved along different lines, in different directions, and it just never happened – at least not until now.
After this project, and during your studies to become a doctor, did you continue writing songs ? Or even recorded them ?
Yes, I have continued to write songs through to today. Current songs I am working on include ‘Gimme the vaccine’ about my excitement and relief at the arrival of the COVID vaccine, and also ‘Can’t believe I saved a life’ about the experience of saving a friend’s life after a heroin overdose (this connects to a project I have been leading about teaching emergency resuscitation skills to drug users and their families). I don’t write new material at the same hectic pace as when I was writing ‘Masterpeace’, but I always have a song that I am working on in the background, even if more slowly (and sometimes never materialising). Some of the songs are personal but also public (such as ‘The forking (‘tween the old road and the new)’ about the points in life when we need to make small decision which are actually life-changing and life-defining - such as my realisation that I needed to concentrate on my studies as a medical student instead of concentrating on writing music in the years not long after recording ‘Masterpeace’. Other songs are more deeply personal, even if also relevant to others (such as after the death of my daughter Jasmine who was killed in an accident when she was only 6 years old - the exploration of senseless loss and irreversible change and remorse are probably universal experiences even if the specifics are unique). And another type of song is deliberately consciousness-stretching as part of trying to understand the world a different perspective (such as songs about being a partner in an abusive relationship, or being black and unheard in America, or being in recovery from mental illness and yet still shunned by society; or, more positively, about imminent parenthood). These songs are all part of me, in some way, but I would like to think that they are also potentially part of anyone else to whom they might have meaning. At a personal level, these songs matter to me as they are part of who I am – and yet I have hesitated throughout my adult life about placing them in the public domain. Now that ‘Masterpeace' has been re-released, maybe that will be the stimulus for me to make some of the other songs publicly available – or maybe it won't. Time will tell!
What made you work on addiction treatments ?
Moving into work in addictions treatment was one of those periods of my life where it just immediately felt right. After qualifying as a doctor, I began specialising in psychiatry and found it exciting to be working in an area which recognised the connection between individual and society and between body and mind. Looking back, I can see that I had some particular interest in the addictions field (for example, I did some addiction projects as a student and as a junior doctor), but I certainly didn't have a clearly formed plan to move into this area. The truth is – I didn't have a clearly-formed plan at all! However, when I started working in addiction treatments, it just felt right – it was like taking a coat off the rack and putting it on and immediately feeling how comfortable it was and how well it fitted me personally. I'm not sure if I ever made an actual decision to stay in the addictions field: it's probably the case that, just like many of the people I see with addiction problems, the intensity of the relationship just crept up on me undetected and then, one day, I just realised that a powerful relationship and commitment had developed.
When Masterpeace was available, what did your parents thought about it ? Did they encourage you to continue writing songs ? Or were they worried about your future ?
What a strange question to you to ask. And it's even more strange that I'm not sure that I've ever asked this question of myself! I'm not sure that I ever asked them to give me their opinion, and I don't remember them ever volunteering an opinion – that does sound strange, doesn't it? In fact, even though they were obviously aware that I had produced the record, I'm not sure that they had even actually listened to it (as I mentioned above, they did not have a particular interest in music, and I'm sure that the type of songs would have seemed strange to them). Thinking about it further, I know that they were pleased to see me training as a doctor and I'm sure that they were concerned that my interest in music might scupper my medical career – and so perhaps they consciously or subconsciously avoided communicating any opinion about the record (since either approval or disapproval might potentially have reinforced my interest).
Did they heard ‘Shame & Stigma’ too ?
No. I don’t think I would have spoken about it with them (and probably it wouldn’t have interested them). And I would only occasionally return to the family home, and so there was little likelihood of the topic coming up spontaneously. They would be interested in how my medical training was going, but I don’t think they would have been interested in my song-writing. In general, I got on well with my parents and my siblings, but I also had a need to establish my own independence. This was also, of course, an era long before social media – and so the frequency of my contact with my parents, from my early adult years onwards, would actually be quite light. I don't think I ever spoke to my parents about the new songs about mental illness and stigma. In fact the whole area of mental illness and stigma was one that was difficult for many families to discuss, and I imagine they would found it strange to contemplate the idea the songs might be written to explore such a topic.
How come Seelie Court came to you in the first place ? Were you surprised ? have you already been contacted before by other record collector ?
I had previously been identified by a couple of other record collectors as probably the same 'John Strang' as the artist on ‘Masterpeace' (and at least one of these record collectors had identified me after contacting Ranulph). A friend had also shown me that the original LP would occasionally appear for sale on ebay and sometimes attract an extraordinary price (more than the original entire print-run!). However it was Seelie Court who ‘found’ me. My understanding is that they came across my work profile on the Internet, put two and two together, and then wrote to me to ask whether I was the same 'John Strang' as the artist on ‘Masterpeace'. I was initially unsure whether I wanted to be 'discovered', but I agreed to meet with them and I had decided that I would be very much influenced why the impressions I formed of their integrity and commitment to the music itself (and obviously I formed the opinion that they were good people to work with). Their interest in my subsequent work was also another crunch decision point – did I welcome this? Or did I resent it? Or perhaps both? And, if so, in what proportions, and it might then be ways of reconciling these two positions?
What do you plan now that both albums are seeing the light of day again, and with a bigger pressing number ? Do you plan or taking the guitar again and compose ? Or play live (even if it is difficult these days with COVID) ?
Oh wow! That’s a really big question! I probably do plan to bring some of the songs out into the light of day, and the intention to release an album exploring mental illness and the struggles within society ('Shame and Stigma') is following just this discussion and decision-making with the record label. I will certainly continue composing and creating songs. But I have no plans to play live concerts – I'm not opposed to it, but it just doesn't particularly interest me to do so. In fact I would be more interested to see others take some of the songs and create their own interpretations of them – that would be much more interesting.
What your actual family think of this ? If you have children, do they like your songs as a teenager ?
Here again, another really big question! I have two adult sons, and they have grown up in a household full of guitars, keyboards and the like (and in a home with much more encouragement of the artistic side of life). My adolescent LP has always been known, and often the subject of gentle teasing (by my wife as well as my sons) which has kept me rooted in the real world. They all have an extraordinarily broad knowledge and appreciation of different musical styles, and they have also been very supportive to me over this very recent re-connection with ‘The Masterpeace' and with my own inevitable anxieties and insecurity about placing more songs in the public domain. It's strange that these insecurities only diminish slightly with age - as an adolescent, it would never occurred to me that an older generation might still have uncertainties and insecurities!
Finally, thanks for the conversation. I have enjoyed it much more than I expected – and, who knows, parts of our conversation might one day surface in a future song!
PS : Sadly Martin Farquharson & Ranulph Glanville respectively died in 2013 and 2014.
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