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One at a time: CARL WAYNE Top Pops, April 5th 1969 Portrait Series |
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One at a time: CARL WAYNE Top Pops, April 5th 1969 Portrait Series |
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Carl Wayne, or "Charlie" as he is known to his friends, is one of the greatest showmen to emerge in recent years. Back in the time when the Move were automatically associated with violence, sex and all things that excite the young and repulse the old, Carl was the figurehead.
Many fans will remember him wielding an axe and sinking it into a television set with a loud explosion. He enjoyed this kind of thing because it stimulated interest in the group, which is what was required. As Rick said last week in this series: "There are so many acts around who are very talented but just aren't commercial."
Nobody can accuse The Move of not creating an image for themselves in those early days. I asked Carl if he ever regretted those wild days.
"No, I don't," he replies. "All the smashing served its purpose, although at times I think things went a little too far. We may use that stage act again if we go to America because it would be new over there. But, I don't think we will ever do that sort of thing in Britain again."
Although Carl is more subdued on stage now, his life away from the group is more hectic as ever. At the moment he is working on two books.
"One is called 'Jumble' and is made up of miscellaneous thoughts which are passing through my mind and I am putting down. It will be made up of stories, poems and sketches in no particular order - thus the title. "The other book is a novel about show business giving a realistic look at life in a group. This will not be an auto-biography, but it is going to tell the truth about life in a group, and not just show the glossy side. I won't finish it for at least three months, because I want to give it a lot of thought."
Did he feel that The Move's departure into cabaret was a significant thing?
"Well, the idea of playing one place for a whole week, instead of chasing all over the country, is appealing. But, don't get the idea that we are going to give up the ballroom scene. We obviously want to see our fans, and there is a chance of us doing a big package tour later in the year."
The Move have never fallen into the trap of working themselves into the ground. They have never gone for playing seven nights a week, and they believe that this is the main reason that they have been able to maintain a high standard at live performances. There has always been a delicate balance between live gigs and recording.