FAO Hawkwind Band: NikWar Spam

[Nick Medford]

In message <001901c23fd8$7db20620$f064073e at oemcomputer>,
Mark Von Bargen <mark.von-bargen at O2.CO.UK> writes
>First reaction is that this is so sad. I will have to read it several times
>before I can fully understand what is really being said within the note.
>It doesn't seem like the Hewitt/OZ-IT style, it is too far over the edge
>with emotion and invective. It seems more like the work of a crazed lunatic
>who wants to start a fight.

Indeed. Much of it is actually irrelevant to the issues at stake e.g. the fact
that "XHawkwind" drew a good crowd at Glasto- bully for them, but
what's the relevance of that? Much of the message is just thinly-disguised
advertising for XHawkwind, or spaceritual.net or whatever they're
calling themselves now.

>Whoever has written the note that Mike received should really have the
>courage to identify themselves but I don't think that it will happen.
>Of course the Moorcock messages are transcripts of spoken conversations -

Not sure about that actually. The second one might be, but the first one
doesn't have the "feel" of a spoken conversation, it reads like a letter.

Thoughts, for what they're worth if anything- I suppose the issues here
divide into the Artistic and the Financial. As far as the Artistic goes, I
don't think Nik has a leg to stand on. He wrote a handful of great HW
songs a very long time ago, and he did some good work with ICU more
recently- but still a long time ago. But ever since then he has survived by
guesting with minor space bands and putting together "XHawkwind" and
rehashing the same set of old HW songs over and over. He's shown
absolutely no sign of having the wherewithal to do anything really new
or to move on with his life, for years now.

Meanwhile Dave Brock has kept HW afloat all this time, and had he not
done so there'd be no Hawkwind legend for Nik and co. to exploit. Nik
hugely exaggerates his own role in HW, claiming to have been the
founder, the spokesman, the "conscience" and guiding spirit, and all-
round counter-cultural guru, hero and saint. I don't doubt that there was  a
time when Nik had a strong role in the band's ethos, but he has never
been a major creative force in the band, a handful of great tracks
notwithstanding. The strongest impression that comes across is that Nik,
and maybe certain others, are intensely jealous of Dave and the rest of
the current line-up. Maybe because Dave has the talent, determination
and self-discipline that Nik so blatantly lacks these days. It does make
me really sad to see the once mighty Thunder Rider reduced to this. I
fully agree with Colm that it's become nauseating to see Nik Turner
constantly invoking the "spirit of HW" and the names of people who are
no longer with us, when in the end this is mainly about money.

Moorcock's comments are pretty unconvincing too- re. Dave putting
together new line-ups: fluid line-ups, with new people coming in and old
hands returning intermittently- have been part of HW ever since its
inception, indeed Moorcock himself would never have been involved
were this not the case. Also, I think many people who have received
XHawkwind flyers and publicity would dispute the claim that there
hasn't been a deliberate attempt to pass the band off as HW. I personally
feel that material I received was deliberately ambiguous in this regard,
but I accept that's a subjective view that can't be proved either way.

It remains to be seen whether Lemmy is really siding with Nik- his
comments in the recent Record Collector HW feature suggest he's not
overly sympathetic to Nik, but we'll see.

OK, so that's the Artistic. As far as the Financial goes, we all know there
are a welter of dodgy HW comps and live albums on the market. My
impression is that many of these emanate from Nik and Dave Anderson,
although Nik claims that royalties are paid out to all who merit them on
these releases. He seems to be saying that there are other albums- maybe
the Weird CDs, maybe more recent live albums like "Business Trip" and
"Yule Ritual", I really don't know what he's referring to- where royalties
aren't going to those who should get them. None of us really know
whether this is true, so maybe we should refrain from comment on that
part. What we *do* know, though, is that writing credits on some albums
have been changed, seemingly to favour Brock and other current
members, and I must admit, I have always wondered what is going on
there. Maybe there is an innocent explanation, I really don't know.

Actually, I don't doubt that Dave Brock can be completely ruthless when
he deems it necessary. And I have no problem with that. Were it not so,
HW would have imploded about 28 years ago.

Just out of interest, how can Mick Slattery be pursuing Dave for non-
payment of royalties? Does he actually appear on any HW releases?

All in all, another sorry saga. At least this one's on-topic. Hope they sort
it out, preferably in private- the tactic of spamming fans anonymously
strikes me as desperate and underhand, and if Nik think he's gonna win
over the fanbase by doing so, I suspect he's in for a nasty shock.

Nick


>> --- Start of Forwarded Text ---
>>
>> Press Release 08/08/2002 "without prejudice".
>>
>> Original Hawkwind members including Lemmy from Motorhead,
>> science-fiction writer Mike Moorcock[see message from mike moorcock to
>> hawkwind fans further down], Nik Turner and a score of others line up in
>> court case against Dave Brock - About Brock's Destruction of the
>> Hawkwind Reputation and Brock's issuing of cd albums featuring early
>> members of Hawkwind and not paying royalties to or seeking permission of
>> those "Golden Years Of Hawkwind" members.
>>
>> It started at Glastonbury Festival 2002- Thursday 27th June 2002 Nik
>> Turner and his eight month old band Xhawkwind.com [now had to change it
>> temporarily to spaceritual.net] (Featuring original members from the
>> 1970's: - Mick Slattery - Guitar, Thomas Crimble - Bass, Terry Ollis -
>> Drums,[the band also often features other original 70s members Del
>> Dettmar noise generators/synths, Dave Anderson - Bass + Guitar and Ron
>> Tree- 90's Hawkwind member - Bass + Poetry/Vocals) are just sound
>> checking as the first band to play on a stage at Glastonbury 2002[they
>> played in a big top crammed with around 1000 people and more were
>> listening outside the big top] and Nik receives an injunction from Dave
>> Brock trying to force Nik not to use any variation of the word Hawkwind
>> - Niks original Nickname from before the band was called that!!!!!.
>>
>> Dave Brock also bombarded the internet asking people to ask for their
>> ticket money back if they had bought tickets thinking it was Hawkwind at
>> Guildford Festival and not Nik Turner's XHawkwind.com-after the
>> Guildford Festival had finished a journalist rang up Guildford Festival
>> and asked how many people had asked for refunds because XHawkwind.com
>> had been substituted for Hawkwind [owing to Dave Brock insisting on more
>> costs to the Festival as the event drew nearer]THE TOTAL NUMBER OF
>> PEOPLE WHO ASKED GUILFORD FESTIVAL FOR A REFUND ON
>THEIR TICKETS AS PER
>> DAVE BROCK'S MASSIVE INTERNET CAMPAIGN WAS -
>NONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>>
>> By the 5th of August 2002 this had turned into a legal battle between
>> all the Hawkwind 70's Stalwarts on one side and Dave Brock (Who had
>> registered Hawkwind as a trade mark without telling all the golden years
>> members of the band) so the following ex- Hawkwind members are now
>> pursuing Dave Brock about "Dave Brock "Related" Bootlegs" and
>> non-payments of royalties:
>>
>> Lemmy, Michael Moorcock, Nik Turner, the estate of the Late Barney
>> Bubbles, the estate of the late Robert Calvert, Terry Ollis, Steve
>> Swindells, Harvey Bainbridge, Paul Rudolph, Alan Powell, Adrian Shaw,
>> Dave Anderson, Thomas Crimble, Mick Slattery, Dik Mik and Del Dettmar.
>>
>> Space Ritual.Net Featuring Original Ex-Hawkwind members
>>
>> Nik Turner-sax,flute,vocals, Terry Ollis-drums,Thomas Crimble-bass
>> guitar,Dave Anderson-bass guitar and guitar,Mick Slattery-guitar plus
>> various special guests appear at Canterbury
>> Festival[www.canterburyfayre.com] on Friday 23rd August 5pm also on that
>> day are Ozric Tentacles ,Fish,and Kevin Ayers
>>
>> For those of you who missed this band at Glastonbury or Guildford
>> Festivals in the last month or two or who are disappointed at Dave
>> Brock's Hawkwind pulling their gig at War Of The Worlds Heaton Park
>> Manchester here is an opportunity to see a band of Ex-Hawkwind members
>> performing classic Hawkwind material at a great festival.  For more info
>> on Canterbury Fayre visit their website at www.canterburyfayre.com
>> Please note the band "Space Ritual.Net" is not Dave Brock's Hawkwind but
>> does create on stage the spirit of the 70's Hawkwind ethos and invokes
>> the spirit of Barney Bubbles and Robert Calvert.
>>
>> Also a fund raising benefit for the legal action by Nik Turner is to be
>> held on Friday 8th November at the Mean Fiddler Charing Cross Road
>> London. Doors open at 7pm and will feature Space Ritual.Net and ex
>> members of Hawkwind and members of the Hawkestra and Inner City Unit
>and
>> Tractor plus compere mothership control Andy Dunkley and other special
>> guests to be announced .the event is to be known as one of the legendary
>> Greasy Truckers Party. In fact it is the 30th anniversary Greasy Truckers
>> Party.
>>
>> >> Messages from Michael Moorcock about the dispute with Dave Brock
>> >> [said"without prejudice"]:
>>
>> >> This is to confirm that I have not received any royalties or payments
>> >> from any of the Hawkwind albums issued by Dave Brock.  It has been
>> >> very obvious for some years that Dave has, wherever possible, removed
>> >> the work of writers like myself and Bob Calvert from reissued albums
>> >> and has generally behaved in a an unethical way.  While I have been
>> >> generally silent on these matters, since I have respected the idealism
>> >> of the fans, for instance, it has been obvious for many years that
>> >> Dave has been as it were feathering his own nest at the expense of the
>> >> other members of the band, especially the best known members of
>> >> Hawkwind.  He has continued to put bands together which he has called
>> >> 'Hawkwind' which are in fact only him and various new musicians
>> >> (though I know this has not always been the case) and has clearly run
>> >> the band as his own property, without reference to other founder
>> >> members or, indeed, holders of copyright material.  The reason I am
>> >> speaking now is because I believe Dave has behaved unethically in
>> >> bringing an injunction against you for using the name xhawkwind --
>> >> which, it is well known, is not an attempt to pose as Hawkwind but to
>> >> let audiences know that a band comprised of many ex-members of the
>> >> band, several of whom I have worked with, is making an appearance.
>> >> Given Dave's own behaviour in these matters, I write to assure that
>> >> any kind words I might have used many years ago about Dave Brock are
>> >> no longer verified by his more recent actions.  Please use this letter
>> >> however it suits you and, should you need further help or confirmation
>> >> in this matter, please let me know how I can help.
>>
>> >> With all best wishes,
>>
>> >> Mike Moorcock
>>
>>
>> >> 2nd message from Mike Moorcock "Without Prejudice"To Nik Turner and
>> >> The Xhawkwind members:
>>
>> >> Fuck Dave, then.  He'd sent me something to do with him, a record for
>> >> some lyrics, but he can fuck himself.  You know that I'll always side
>> >> with you when things get to this point.  If you want to include me in
>> >> the band formerly known as xhawkwind.com/spaceritual.net as some sort
>> >> of member.  Whatever you think, pard.  I have not just extolled Dave's
>> >> virtues.  I've said elsewhere that he was manipulative and greedy.  So
>> >> you can always pull those references, should it go that way.  Sod the
>> >> bastard.  He has also, of course, removed almost everything by me and
>> >> Calvert from reissues, Seems wicked to pull Calvert, Bottom line is
>> >> pard, if it's between you[Nik Turner] and Dave Brock- Mr Greed, I'm on
>> >> your side Nik.
>>
>> >> Mike Moorcock
>>
>> --- End of Forwarded Text ---
>>

--
Nick Medford