Billy Childish (born Steven John Hamper, 1 December 1959) is an English painter, author, poet, photographer, film maker, singer and guitarist. Since the late 1970s, Childish has been prolific in creating music, writing and visual art. He has led and played in bands including the Pop Rivets, Thee Milkshakes, Thee Headcoats, and the Musicians of the British Empire, primarily working in the genres of garage rock, punk and surf and releasing more than 100 albums.
He is a consistent advocate for amateurism and free emotional expression. Childish co-founded the Stuckism art movement with Charles Thomson in 1999, which he left in 2001. Since then a new evaluation of Childish's standing in the art world has been under way, culminating with the publication of a critical study of Childish's working practice by the artist and writer Neal Brown, with an introduction by Peter Doig, which describes Childish as "one of the most outstanding, and often misunderstood, figures on the British art scene". He is a visiting lecturer at Rochester Independent College. In July 2014 Childish was awarded an honorary Doctor of Arts Degree from the University of Kent.
He is known for his explicit and prolific work – he has detailed his love life and childhood sexual abuse, notably in his early poetry and the novels My Fault (1996), Notebooks of a Naked Youth (1997), Sex Crimes of the Futcher (2004) – The Idiocy of Idears (2007), and in several of his songs, notably in the instrumental "Paedophile" (1992) (featuring a photograph of the man who sexually abused him on the front cover) and "Every Bit of Me" (1993). From 1981 until 1985 Childish had a relationship with artist Tracey Emin.
Links to Peel[]
Peel first played Pop Rivets in 1979 and when the band split, he kept interest in Billy Childish's next project, the Thee Milkshakes. He even mentioned on his 18 January 1982 show that Billy was pestering him to play a track from the band's debut album, but claimed he'd lost his copy and only received a new one that evening. However, Peel did continue play the Thee Milkshakes material and also future projects that Billy got involved in, especially the Thee Headcoats and solo materials. On his novel, Notebooks of a Naked Youth, Peel is quoted as saying Billy Childish as being a cult rock icon. [1]
Sessions[]
The Pop Rivets - Peel Session 1980
- Pop Rivets
1. Recorded: 1980-01-29. First Broadcast: 13 February 1980. Repeated: 11 March 1980
- Where Have All The Good Times Gone / Going Nowhere / Beatle Boots / Empty Sounds
- Available on John Peel Session 29th January 1980 12" EP, 2015 (Squoodge, SR CC 10-12)
Other Shows Played[]
- Pop Rivets
- 10 December 1979: Hang Loose Mongoose (LP - Empty Sounds From Anarchy Ranch) Hipocrite
- 03 January 1980: Skip Off School (LP Empty Sounds From Anarchy Ranch) Hipocrite
- 15 January 1980: Skip Off School (album - Empty Sounds From Anarchy Ranch) Hipocrite
- 12 June 1980: When I Came Back (split 2x7" EP with Sulphate - Back From Nowhere) Hippocrite / M.T. Sounds
- Thee Milkshakes / Milkshakes
- 18 January 1982: Bull's Nose (LP - Talking 'Bout...) Milkshakes
- 01 March 1983: Before The Night Is Through (v/a album - These Cats Ain't Nothing But Trash) Big Beat
- 12 March 1984 (BBC World Service): Brand New Cadillac (7" EP) Big Beat
- 23 May 1983 (Mark Ellen sitting in): Shimmy Shimmy
- 31 December 1984 (BBC World Service): Ambassadors Of Love (7" EP) Big Beat
- 09 January 1985: Ambassadors Of Love (7” EP) Big Beat
- 23 January 1985: Bo Diddlius
- 22 September 1986: Let Me Love You (7") Empire
- 27 January 1988: The Red Monkey (v/a LP - Medway Powerhouse Vol. 2) Hangman
- Delmonas (a female trio group which Billy Childish founded and wrote some of their songs)
- 24 December 1984 (BBC World Service): Hello, We Love You (7" EP - Hello We Love You (Volume 2)) Big Beat
- 31 December 1984 (BBC World Service): Woa' Now (7" EP - Comin' Home Baby (Volume 1)) Big Beat
- 25 June 1985: Peter Gunn Locomotion (LP - Dangerous Charms) Big Beat
- 01 July 1985 (BBC World Service): Peter Gunn Locomotion (LP - Dangerous Charms) Big Beat
- 16 February 1988: I've Got Everything Indeed (v/a LP - Medway Powerhouse Vol. 2) Hangman
- 30 March 1988: Uncle Willy (v/a LP - Medway Powerhouse Vol. 2) Hangman
- Thee Mighty Caesars
- 16 September 1985 (BBC World Service): Wily Coyote (LP - Thee Mighty Caesars) Milkshakes
- 27 January 1986 (BBC World Service): Baby What's Wrong (7" - Ten Bears Of The Comanches) Empire
- 25 February 1986: Baby What's Wrong
- 27 April 1987: Signals Of Love (LP - Wise Blood) Ambassador
- 19 October 1987: Black Elk Speaks (v/a LP - Medway Powerhouse Vol. 1) Hangman
- 05 April 1990: Cowboys Are Square (7") Get Hip
- Wild Billy Childish
- 03 June 1987: We Are What We Own (Album - Laughing Gravy) Empire
- 22 June 1987: I Need Lovin' (LP - Laughing Gravy) Empire
- 03 July 1987 (BFBS): 'We Are What We Own (10"-Laughing Gravy)' (Empire)
- 27 November 1989: I'm Off The Hook (album - Long Legged Baby) Hangman
- 06 January 1990 (BFBS): 'I'm Off The Hook (LP-The Long Legged Baby)' (Hangman)
- 29 January 1990: 1/4 After 9 (album - Long Legged Baby) Hangman
- 14 March 1990: What You Want Me To Do (album - Long Legged Baby) Hangman
- 09 May 1990: 1/4 After 9 (album - The Long Legged Baby) Hangman
- Thee Headcoats
- 04 September 1989: In Your Hand (album - Headcoats Down) Hangman
- 19 September 1989: In Your Hand (LP - Headcoats Down!) Hangman
- 20 January 1990 (BFBS): 'I'm A Headcoate Baby (LP-The Earls Of Suavedom)' (Crypt)
- 17 March 1990 (BFBS): 'Branded (LP-The Earls Of Suavedom)' (Crypt)
- 17 May 1990: A Town Named Squaresville (LP - The Kids Are All Square - This Is Hip!) Hangman
- 23 May 1990: Davey Crockett (LP - The Kids Are All Square - This Is Hip!) Hangman
- 26 May 1990 (BFBS): 'You've Got Your Head On Backwards (Compilation LP-!!!Here Ain't The Sonics!!!)' (Popllama/Estrus)
- 29 May 1990: Monkey's Paw (album - The Kids Are All Square) Hangman
- 27 June 1990: Davey Crockett (album - The Kids Are All Square) Hangman
- 04 July 1990: Monkey's Paw (LP - The Kids Are All Square - This Is Hip!) Hangman
- 25 August 1990 (BFBS): 'A Town Named Squaresville (LP-The Kids Are All Square - This Is Hip!)' (Hangman)
- 11 November 1990: Time Will Tell (7") Sub Pop
- Billy Childish
- 23 February 1991: I Don't Like The Man I Am (album - 50 Albums Great) Hangman
- Thee Stash
- 31 March 1991: (We're) Selling Jeans For The U.S.A (7" - Should I Stay Or Should I Go?) Shakin' Street
- 06 April 1991: (We're) Selling Jeans For The U.S.A (7" - Should I Stay Or Should I Go?) Shakin' Street
- Billy Childish And The Blackhands
- 24 September 1993: Who Do You Think You're Kidding Mr. Hitler? (7") Twist
- Buff Medways
- 13 March 2001: Don't Hold Me Back
- 31 January 2002: Archive From 1959 (7" - 'Til It Is Over) Smartguy