
Doctor And The Crippens are a British punk hardcore band from Lancaster, England, who recorded and toured in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They became known for unusual costumes and innovative use of stage props during their live shows which included frequent use of an exploding head. The group have done some reunion tours since the 21st century. Members have included Max Von Reinheart (Nick Palmer) - Vocals, Tom Crippen (Tom Myall) – Guitar/Vocals, Wayne Crippenski (Wayne Elliot) – Bass/Vocals, Jesus Van Gogh (Dave Ellesmere) – Drums/Vocals and BB Kablamo – Drums.
Links to Peel[]
In an 2017 interview with Just Some Punk Songs blogsite, former bass player, Wayne Elliot, was asked how the band got their first Peel session and whether he met John Peel:
"Well after we did the album we thought that was it but at least we got a record done. We didn't expect it to sell or for Dave to do any gigs with us. But Peel loved it. We got offered a session so Dave came back up to Lancaster and we rehearsed 12 tracks as we wanted it to be a decent length in case Strange Fruit put it out. Was great doing the session, proper studio and engineer and all that. We worked really quickly got the whole thing down live mostly in first takes. Loved it. We didn't meet Peel then but I did meet him a few months later when he did a student gig in Lancaster. Thanked him for the support, shook his hand and gave him a t shirt. His support changed everything. The session and airplay led to gigs all over Europe and press and fanzine attention." [1]
The band recorded two sessions for Radio 1 DJ John Peel on 8th May 1988 and 16th July 1989. They named their session track, Peely Backwards, after the DJ and Peel himself admitted on his 01 June 1988 show that his son, William, was keen on the band's music.
Sessions[]
Dr & The Crippens - Peel Session 1988
1. Recorded: 1988-05-08. First Broadcast: 17 May 1988. Repeated: 20 June 1988. Commercially released on the 2014 reissue of "Fired From The Circus".
- Pink Machine Gun / Ballad Of Farmer Vincent / The Garden Centre Murders / Peely Backwards / Skin Tight/Ode To A Slug / Pneumatic Geek / Death Squad / Jimmy Goes To Egypt / Don't Look In The Freezer / Mindsurf / Experiment Conclusion
2. Recorded: 1989-07-16. First Broadcast: 14 August 1989. Repeated: 21 September 1989. Commercially released on the 2014 reissue of "Raphanadosis".
- Henrietta's Baby / Death Of Pinocchio / Kid With The Removable Face / I'm Sop Done / Song For Guy / Braindead / Melt
Other Shows Played[]
- 28 March 1988: Ever Been To Utah? (LP - Fired From The Circus) Manic Ears
- 28 March 1988: A Controlled Experiment To Determine The Psychological Effects Of Breakfast Television On Small Children (LP - Fired From The Circus) Manic Ears
- 29 March 1988: The Ballad Of Farmer Vincent (album - Fired From The Circus) Manic Ears
- 30 March 1988: Ode To A Slug / Virgin Slugburger (LP - Fired From The Circus) Manic Ears
- 02 April 1988 (BFBS): The Ballad Of Farmer Vincent (LP - Fired From The Circus) Manic Ears
- 06 April 1988: Eat Your Wheelchair (LP - Fired From The Circus) Manic Ears
- 09 April 1988 (BFBS): The Ballad Of Farmer Vincent (LP - Fired From The Circus) Manic Ears
- 09 April 1988 (BFBS): Ever Been To Utah? (LP - Fired From The Circus) Manic Ears
- 12 April 1988: Eat My Dog (LP - Fired From The Circus) Manic Ears
- 16 April 1988 (BFBS): The Ballad Of Farmer Vincent (LP - Fired From The Circus) Manic Ears
- 18 April 1988: Ever Been To Utah? (LP - Fired From The Circus) Manic Ears
- 23 April 1988 (BFBS): Don't Look In The Freezer (LP - Fired From The Circus) Manic Ears
- 25 April 1988: Pneumatic Geek (LP - Fired From The Circus) Manic Ears
- 16 May 1988: Pneumatic Geek (LP - Fired From The Circus) Manic Ears
- 18 May 1988 (Rockradio): Eat Your Wheelchair (album - Fired From The Circus) Manic Ears
- 01 June 1988: Russian Roulette (LP - Fired From The Circus) Manic Ears
- 07 June 1988: Death Squad (LP - Fired From The Circus) Manic Ears
- 13 June 1988: Basket Claw (LP - Fired From The Circus) Manic Ears
- 04 October 1988: Pink Machine Gun (v/a LP - Hardcore Holocaust (87-88 Sessions) - The Peel Sessions) Strange Fruit
- 18 October 1988 (Radio Bremen): Skin Tight (v/a album - Hardcore Holocaust (87-88 Sessions) - The Peel Sessions) Strange Fruit
- 04 April 1989: Plaything (v/a album - The North Atlantic Noise Attack) Manic Ears
- 08 May 1989: Nightmare! (7"- Live) First Strike
- 11 May 1989: Kid With The Removable Face (album - Raphanadosis) Manic Ears
- 17 May 1989 (BFBS): Nightmare! (7"- Live) First Strike
- 18 May 1989: The Shroud Of Elvis (album - Raphanadosis) Manic Ears
- 24 May 1989: Braindead (album - Raphanadosis) Manic Ears
- 26 May 1989 (BFBS): 'The Elvis Shroud (LP-Raphanadosis)' (Manic Ears)
- 02 June 1989 (BFBS): 'Enter The Garden (LP-Raphanadosis)' (Manic Ears)
- 06 June 1989: Song For Guy (album - Raphanadosis) Manic Ears
- 06 June 1989 (Radio Bremen): Zombies In Disneyland (album - Rhaphanadosis) Manic Ears
- 06 June 1989 (Radio Bremen): Greenfinger (album - Rhaphanadosis) Manic Ears
- 09 June 1989 (BFBS): 'Garden Centre Murders (LP-Raphanadosis)' (Manic Ears)
- 13 June 1989: Skintight (album - Raphanadosis) Manic Ears
- 20 June 1989: Garden Centre Murders (album - Raphanadosis) Manic Ears
- 22 June 1989: Nightmare On Sesame Street (album - Raphanadosis) Manic Ears
- 23 June 1989 (BFBS): 'My Brother Is A Headcase (LP-Raphanadosis)' (Manic Ears)
- 26 June 1989: Kid With The Removable Face (LP - Raphanadosis) Manic Ears
- 29 June 1989: Extreme Noise T (album - Raphanadosis) Manic Ears
- 18 July 1989: Skintight (CD - Raphanadosis) Manic Ears
- 07 November 1989: The Death Of Pinocchio ('Avant Gardening' 12" EP) Manic Ears
- 08 November 1989: 'Recoil (12"-Avant Gardening)' (Manic Ears)
- 21 November 1989 (Radio Bremen): Recoil (12" - Avant Gardening) Manic Ears
- 02 December 1989 (BFBS): 'Recoil (12"-Avant Gardening)' (Manic Ears)
- 09 December 1989 (BFBS): 'Death Of Pinocchio (12"-Avant Gardening)' (Manic Ears)
- 19 December 1989: Recoil (7" - Avant Gardening) Manic Ears
- 1990
- 06 January 1990 (BFBS): 'Death Of Pinocchio (12"-Avant Gardening)' (Manic Ears)
- 1992
- 15 August 1992: El Salvador (v/a LP - Get Yourself A Crash Helmet And A Bit Of Tax You Can Go Anywhere You Like Even In The Daytime...) Retch