Gary Crowley

Name, where are you from?
Gary Crowley, North West London. I was brought up on the Lisson Green Estate and now live 10 minutes away in Maida Vale...so the apple hasn't fallen too far from the tree.

What do you do?
A DJ of no fixed hairstyle. Two shows on a Saturday on BBC Radio London and 'GC's Punk and New Wave Show' every Tuesday on Soho Radio

Describe your style in three words?
Punky Moddy Fan.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
That very first one is always going to be hard to beat, and for me, it was The Jam and The Boys at Battersea Town Hall, early summer in 1977. Both bands possessed an infectious, high-octane adrenaline which literally sent me home reeling that night thinking I want to be a part of this. 'The First Time' by The Boys still sounds as vital as it did that night. Nirvana at Belfast Kings Hall in the early '90s was a magical night too.

Which Subcultures have influenced you?
Punk and Mod for me. Prior to Punk exploding in '77, I was fascinated by all things Mod through my Aunt and Uncle who were original Mods from North West London. In fact, my ‘60s obsession got to the point where I would gear every school project around it so I could write about and all things Mod and youth culture! The book Generation X also had an enormous effect on me. So when I started reading about this new wave of bands coming through in late '76/early '77, I instantly knew that this was my time, my movement. And the band that encapsulated the energy of Punk (closely followed by The Clash) combined with the style of the 60s mods was the Jam as exemplified on their classic debut 'In The City'.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
It would be actor Montgomery Clift for me. I’m a big fan of Monty and his work. I’ve seen most of his films. Some on numerous occasions. He seemed like a troubled soul but what an amazing, intense acting talent he was. He was famously called the “Rumpled Movie Idol” but I loved his laidback, yes sometimes dishevelled classic style. I’m sure an hour in Monty’s company would be a rich, rewarding, ultimately enlightening hour with one of the 20th Century’s acting greats.

Of all the venues you’ve played, which is your favourite?
Bogarts was such a special club and time in my life. The summer of 1983. The Sound Of The Suburbs. Well, South Harrow actually. The music... the clothes... the hair! I was 19 years old back then and I'd just been given my own radio show 'The Tuesday Club' on Capital Radio, and the end of the summer would see me hitch a ride on Wham's Club Fantastic tour as their warm-up DJ, but that's another story for another day.

It was somewhere where a large part of London's teenage cognoscenti would come on a weekly basis and hear and dance to the music we were playing on the radio show.

And with the occasional personal appearance from our current fave raves. Boy did that idea snowball. The Style Council (Paul Weller doing a PA?! Unheard of at the time!), Paul Young, I Level, Bananarama, The Haines Gang, Jo Boxers, Jimmy The Hoover, Animal Nightlife, Rock Steady Crew, The Main T Posse... just some of the artists who would rock up and do a turn. Those Bad Boys from Bushey, George Michael and Andrew Ridgely would hold court on the dance floor and occasionally the bar.

It was that kind of club. Where the music came first, and everybody danced. Chic's ' Good Times'... Gilberto Gil's 'Toda Menina Baiana'...Wham's 'Young Guns'... The Smiths 'This Charming Man (New York Vocal mix)' and Grandmaster & Melle Mel's 'White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)' were just some of our ANTHEMS over that summer. Not that anybody was doing drugs mind. It really was all about the dance and perhaps a drink or two. The Harrow girls. The Hackney Boys, Trendies from Soho making the journey out to the burbs cos the vibe was that good.

My defining memory of Bogarts would be me behind the turntables and three hundred teens from across the capital splitting into groups of boys and girls and acting out the words of 'Summer Nights' from Grease! Innocent times. Almost like a youth club really looking back. And to top it off I fell in love with a local girl that summer. Beautiful Paula Skinner. Be still my beating heart! As the song said... 'Good Times' indeed.

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
Today the answer is producer Shel Talmy who’s thankfully still with us. Shel, back in 1962 was a young American go-getter who came over to London just before The Beatles exploded and subsequently went onto change the sound of British rock'n'roll through his enduring production ideas and work with the likes of The Who, The Kinks, The Creation and countless others. How I would love to see a documentary on the great man and hear his story first hand.

Gary Crowley's career in music began in the late 1970s when he founded the new-wave fanzine 'The Modern World' despite still being a schoolboy at the time. Interviewing many of the most significant bands of the day including The Sex Pistols, The Jam and The Clash, he famously persuaded Joe Strummer to give him an exclusive while The Clash rehearsed at London's Chalk Farm studios.

Gary Crowley's Lost 80s Volume 2 will be released by Demon Music Group, 23rd July. Find out more here.