Introducing Captain Stupidt!!!
Steve Bartel called himself Captain Stupidt in a tribute to Captain Sensible after he heard ‘Glad It’ All Over”. By chance he was instrumental in my getting to know Sensible and eventually playing in bands with him. Steve was another person I met at the Zap Club Platform Night along with Steve Zen Zen (see “Soft Fragrant Touch Of The Moon” on this BandCamp) and Ian Smith our illustrious compare, Vagabond King, Art Gangster (RIP)
I describe encountering Steve thus: “…I saw a gent with a bushy ginger beard, baseball cap and glasses and a Walkman in his ears (portable cassette player, precursor to iPhones) mount the stage. He has a strange but persuasive stage presence, a mix of authority and command and complete laid back untogetherness: with this he instantly got the audience attention. He has a soft nasal voice, a slight lisp and an occasional st..st..stutter, but that all added to the effect somehow. Here we had an outsider artist like Wild man Fischer (but less manic) or like Ivor Cutler (but less Scottish). He got the audience to hum a note and then started up “SunArise early in da morning…”; yes the Rolf Harris classic, before he became an insider artist that is…He sang: “When it rains the people get wet” and “So much crap on the news: the colour of Fergie’s sh..sh..shoes…”, genius! Of course Ian smith had to introduce the two Captains and they got on “Sensible meet Stupidt, Stupidt meet Sensible!”
Steve went round to Captain’s house on bath street to record with him. They made a song about Nigel Mansell, the racing driver and as Captain was working on “Revolution Now” he recorded Steve for a little track called simply “Vosene” released on that album…”Steve got to work with Captain before me!”
(Never mind Monty, your time will come!)
Steve later gave me a CD: “Stupidt-Oxymoron Best Bits” and most of this release consists of that CD. Firstly form the original session there is “Windy Day” and “3/4 Cup Of Tea” on which Captain Sensible plays a lovely guitar solo. Most of the rest of this was from a second session when both Steve and I went round to Captain’s to record.. I was very star-struck dumb that day! But never mind: the good Captain noticed I was pretty good on keyboards and would come in handy later on… !
There’s couple of poems included that I don’t appear on but I play keys (backing keys as Steve takes the lead. He couldn’t use black notes, only the white ones, producing some odd modes, but somehow it works…mostly!) The two last tracks were recorded at my parent’s house in Hove: I like that second version of “Riding Through The Desert” so it was worth including.
I think Steve has a very different take on life and deserves more exposure. Talking of which he recently took to waring stockings and a dress, keeping his bushy beard and thus looking like he belonged on the cover of the Mother’s “We’re Only In It For The Money” album cover. How the inhabitants of Lewes Road laughed when he cycled by!