Johnny Rotten , Audiophile

[colinB]

Just reading this months Word magazine and a interview with John Lydon.
He says his hobby is Hi Fi, loves a GyroDec and uses different arms and carts.
His set up costs $10000 and include B&W speakers. He loves the warmth of Valve amps but prefers the power of a class A.
Who would have thought eh?

[flapland]

That is a bit of a surprise, perhaps he could do a turn at a bakeoff or next year at Scalford. Seriously though the PIL stuff I have heard was well recorded so perhaps not such a surprise.

Does anyone know of other famous UK Audiophile's.


Flapland

[Spectral Morn]

I think I remember hearing that Katie Melua had a Scheu turntable, and I saw an interview with one of Atomic Kitten once and there was a Unison Research R1 amplifier in the back ground. Can't think of anyone else.


Regards D S D L

[DSJR]

Kate Bush used to be a Naim/Linn Sara owner (with an LP12 no doubt).

Douglas Adams was a bit of an audiophool, graduating from Isobariks to examples from the Absolute Sounds' (UK importer) portfolio.

Pink Floyd used ATC's at home at one time (an interview with Richard Wright before he passed on showed an SCM50 in the far background).

Tina Turner had ATC 50A's

Dave Formula (Visage) had a Linn/Naim Sara system once as I recall

I also believe George Harrison had a B&O system in his London flat and Tim Henman and Barry Humphries are other B&O owners

Richard Carpenter, who wrote Catweazle, Robin of Sherwood and half of the Black Beauty TV series' owns my ATC preamp, 100A's (now SL's) and an LP12/Ittok/Troika I once sold him (oh, and a Levinson CD player as I recall)

I also remember Jon Moss (Culture Club) was a Studio 99 client. Oh, and Dave Greenslade and Bob Monkhouse bought loads of audio r-r (DG) and video (BM) tapes from us.

I remember selling a Walkman to Martin Shaw in the late 70's and not recognising him without his perm.....

Finally, I had a lovely client who bought a Linn/Meridian and Harbeth system from me in the late 70's. When I came to prepare the invoice, it turned out to be Lord Howard - address, Castle Howard....

Oh yeah, Frank Ifield had a Quad/Tannoy (Chatsworth as I remember) system in the eighties which his son inherited when Dad emigrated back to Australia. The amp was fugged as I remember and needed a full upgrade which wasn't then available easily. The Tannoys had corroded pole pieces according to Lockwoods but still fetched £500 I think (20 years ago), going to the far east as many did and do.

[Sahib]

Jimmy Page. I don't remember his list of equipment (not difficult to guess) but he has a vast collection of vinyl. There must be a video clip circulating on you tube.

[anthonyTD]

jimmy P uses amongst other things a pair of vintage macintosh valve mono blocks.
A...

[flapland]

I wonder if the Atomic Kitten who may own the Unison Research Amp was in fact being interviewed at Andy McCluskey place who as a ex member of OMD is more likely to own a decent bit of kit.

Interesting to read about Studio 99 and Jon Moss, although I lived nearby I used Audio T in West End Lane instead or of course Richer Sounds at Swiss Cottage.

Perhaps one or two of them may enlighten us with there presence and system pictures :eyebrows:

Flapland

[chris@panteg]

Steve Davis had an LP12/Ittok/Karma with krell amps and maggies .

Richard Branson had the full Linn/Naim active system .

John Major had a Cyrus set up

Jimmy Page uses a Technics SL1600 or similar , a vid on utube somewhere.

[goraman]

Robert Plant is a Manley Labs man,Sting and paul Mc Cartny both love Zingalli speakers Paul has spent tons of money over the years on HiFi.

[Beobloke]

Gillian Anderson apparently has an Arcam/B&W setup

A certain hollywood actor with a castle near Bath has a big Naim system (sorry - I was sworn to secrecy!)

[Jonboy]

Former PM Ted Heath was a Quad 57 man

[Pete The Cat]

After he left The Sisters Of Mercy Wayne Hussey was apparently inspired to name his new band The Mission after his speakers...

Pete

[kininigin]

I heard the chuckle brothers like there nads

[flapland]

And the Mitchell Brothers like their Orbs (Michell)

Perhaps The Orb also like their Orbs

[DSJR]

Florian from Kraftwerk had a DQX1000 at one time, judging by some pics I saw.

Edgar Froese from Tangerine Dream was using B&W CDM7's I believe for playback in his studio a few years ago

[dantheman91]

John Lydon with his Tannoys he had Cheviots and Berkeley's in 1980 paired with a Nakamichi 610 Pre and 620 Power Amp , Sansui Cassette Deck , a Turntable possibly Thorens with an SME credit to the lad in one photo the turntable is placed on a stool :cool::cool::cool:

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/john-lydon-of-public-image-ltd-photographed-at-his-news-photo/84212090

https://www.pinterest.com.mx/pin/89438742575260311/

[paulf-2007]

I would have thought anyone in the music business would have a decent set up.

[Macca]

I would have thought anyone in the music business would have a decent set up.

In my pretty limited experience they usually have something but often it's quite modest.

I suppose it's like when I worked in telesales, that last thing I wanted to do when I got home was chat with someone on the 'phone.

There was one case I remember when a singer got the pre-production CD of the latest album and complained to the studio there was way too much bass and it was swamping the mix.

No-one else had this issue so someone went around his house and he was using a 1980s Amstrad midi system with the speakers sat on the floor, next to each other, in a corner alcove.

[Techno Commander]

I know a few musicians and producers that have excellent equipment in their studios, but almost nothing in the lounge; although one did have an ancient heavyweight Akai music centre and another had a pair of 1210s into a pair of active Adam AX7s. After a day of making music, they want to get away from it and do something different.

[walpurgis]

Blimey, now there's an old thread revival. I was still being taken to school when this started! :)

[AJSki2fly]

John Lydon with his Tannoys he had Cheviots and Berkeley's in 1980 paired with a Nakamichi 610 Pre and 620 Power Amp , Sansui Cassette Deck , a Turntable possibly Thorens with an SME credit to the lad in one photo the turntable is placed on a stool :cool::cool::cool:

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/john-lydon-of-public-image-ltd-photographed-at-his-news-photo/84212090

https://www.pinterest.com.mx/pin/89438742575260311/

That's brought some memories back, I had to visit him for work at his house in Chelsea, I think in 1981. He was a lovely chap, very clever and polite, it was great to meet him.

[Theadmans]

Unsurprisingly Martin Hannett (producer of Joy Division, ACR, Durutti Column etc) had quite the setup:-

Including Revox A77 and B77 tape recorders, Ferrograph tape recorders, 2 pairs of Quad Electrostatic Loudspeakers stacked double height, two pairs of Tannoy Cheviot 12 monitors, several pairs of Tannoy Lancaster cabinets with HPD 12s and Monitor Gold 12s in, Tannoy Little Gold Monitors, Ferrograph S1 monitors and Auratone cube speakers. Power amps included Leak, Amcron DC300As, Quad IIs and Quad 405s and Phase Linear 700s. During the mid-80s he had a Teac four track quarter inch reel to reel and Tascam half-inch eight track recording system at home, with Tascam and Studiomaster mixers plus several custom built mixing desks of various sizes. If he played vinyl at home, he had Garrard 301 and 401 turntables with SME arms and a Thorens turntable.

It seems Hannett started reading Hi-Fi mags as a boy.

Some years later when the actor that played Hannett in "Control" wanted video footage of Martin...

...I sent him my Betamax rip of New Order Play At Home on a DVD-R (recorded by me in 1984 on my Dad's Sanyo Betamax recorder).

[Techno Commander]

I have seen various speakers atrtributed to Martin on ebay. IIRC vintage JBL and Tannoy. so definitely had decent taste.