Tim Goulding -Dr. Strangely Strange Interview
Tell me about growing up in Dubin. What was your childhood like growing up? When did you first begin to fall in love with music? I understand you're also a painter and poet. Was music relevant around your household growing up? Do you have any siblings?
I grew up in the Dargle Valley 15 miles South of Dublin in Co Wicklow. We lived in a very large house on the banks of the Dargle River surrounded by beautiful woodland gardens and a glen that extended two miles west. It was a paradise no less. I knew every rock and stone of the river and plant in the garden. In due course I was sent to private boarding schools in England, Ludgrove school in Berkshire and Winchester College in Hampshire. From the age of 7! So, in many ways I was an outsider in Ireland and England. Being Anglo-Irish I was only at home on the mailboat as is said I came from a wealthy family with parents who loved each other and thus cannot write the classic Irish novel about an unhappy childhood. My father was a Renaissance man who excelled in many fields; gardening, architecture, cabinet making, sports (captain of Oxford football team and Irish squash champion and played cricket for Ireland), Businessman, writer, artist. Art collector and wit. My mother was a humanitarian and founded a famous clinic for physically disabled people. The home was a meeting place for many high-flyers in the community both arts world and business. Bob Hope, Errol Flyn, James Cagney, Louis Armstrong, Henry Moore and many others. My father was a major promoter and collector of Irish and international art I loved music from the get-go and learned piano and ‘cello at both schools. Only listened to classical music till the age of 16 (a late developer) But from roughly 16 I became obsessed with painting and won the Winchester College Art Prize. My career has been as a painter which I still pursue. I have 2 brothers. Ham a retired Aer Lingus pilot and now farmer and Lingard a retired headmaster, author and one time Professional racing driver. We are the best of friends.
What would you and your friends do for fun growing up? Who were some of our earliest influences in your more formative years? When and where did you see your very first concert and when did you realize you wanted to spend your life making music?
My early years were spent in nature and playing in the gardens with friends, all the usual activity. Bikes etc My first concert was in the Albert Hall in London early 50s. Grieg’s 1st piano concerto played by London Symphony Orchestra led by Sir Adrian Bolt and soloist Maura Lympany From teenage years I wanted to be poet (reading much of the Japanese Zen poets and of course Samuel Beckett) I wanted to be a musician and then of course a painter. As I often say, they all come from the same creative source. But after 4 years in the band, I finally made the decision to be a painter being better at that than music If I was to live a second life it would be as a musician.
Did you participate in any groups prior to Dr. SS? How did you initially meet your bandmates and what was the chemistry like between everyone? When did you guys first get together to jam? When and where did the band make their live performance debut and what was that experience like?
Dr Strangely Strange was my first band. I owned a harmonium and my friends Ivan Pawle and Tim Booth needed a third member for their fledgling band. They were both at Trinity College Dublin and I hung out with many students, but never went to third level myself, wanting to pursue painting solo without college influence. I hung out with like minded alternative types in Dublin exploring consciousness, drug experiences and the arts. Exciting times. We were a very small group of people in those Dublin days. Our home ‘The orphanage’ was a central meeting place for musicians and artists I can’t remember the first concert, but we started out by playing in pub venues often accompanied by poets. Later we played major Dublin venues after returning from English tours: The National Stadium, Liberty Hall, Trinity College Dublin. University College Cork and festivals around Ireland. We were and are the best friends for the last 55 years.
Tell me about writing and recording the band’s debut LP “Kip Of The Serenes” in ‘60. How did the deal with Island come about? When and where did recording begin and would you mind giving some background to some of the songs that are featured on the album? What did you guys ultimately want to express and explore with this work?
This could lead to reams of paper! We were friends with THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND from Scotland who were a major band in those days. They used to visit us in Ireland and introduced us to their producer Joe Boyd He signed us to Island records. I think he saw us as the Incredible String Band light. We lived in his house in London when recording. He was never there being a workaholic. All-nighters in studios and events Joe recorded us at Sound Techniques in Chelsea where he also recorded the String Band, Fairport Convention, Nick Drake and many many others. He basically asked us to huddle around a mic and play as if a like gig. It was very undirected. Kip of the Serenes was like a set list of the live band with some direction from Joe and the wonderful engineer John Wood. There is a film being made about Sound Techniques As to the import of the songs I could write a treatise but the lyrics are in the book FITTING PIECES TO THE JIGSAW. They basically explore the events and insights of three young Irishmen let loose on the world.
That following year in ‘70 you guys released your legendary Vertigo album “Heavy Petting”. What was most important to you guys when setting out to write and record this album? What did you guys want to do differently with this material compared to the previous record? How did the deal with Vertigo occur?
We were touring in the UK quite extensively and we realised we wanted a more robust sound so recruited a drummer, Neil Hopwood. Then in the studio we were offered the services of Dave Mattocks, the Fairport drummer who was revelation. Joe made the deal with Vertigo presenting us a Prog rock whereas we were more like a psychedelic lounge band. In some ways we were trying to be a bit more mainstream and play bigger venues What happened to the band since then. I left the band in 1971 and the Irish folk musicians Terry and gay Woods joined for some brief tours, but it didn’t gel. We reformed in 1980 and Joe Thoma the fiddler player extraordinaire joined us and is an integral part of our sound ever since. We did some recording with Gary Moore for Tim Booth’s animated film ULYS. Also, some gigs. We sporadically played small gigs over the years but we were all involved in our working lives. Tim Booth was a film director and Iván ran a launderette and worked in health food business. His wife Mary runs a very popular organic wine business. We all live in Cork and Kerry now. But in 1997 we met in Sulan studio in Kerry and spent a month recording our third album ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE. By far my favourite album. Gary Moore re-joined us on a few tracks which was delightful as he played with us in the sixties Since then, we have preformed in UK and Ireland sporadically. A great gig in London in the 12 Bar club 2007 where Joe Boyd came. Then several London gigs including 2011 at Camden Jazz Café playing the whole of Heavy Petting. Then 2018 Adrian launched his book and we played at Café OTO in London, a sell out and 2 sell out gigs in Dublin.
Is there anything else you would like to further share with the readers?
We are currently rehearsing for 2 gigs here before recording an EP for American label THINK LIKE A KEY in the autumn. At that point 2 of us will be 80 and One will be 78! Art lives.
