Rusty Egan

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Rusty Egan
Born (1957-09-19) 19 September 1957 (age 66)
OriginLondon
Genres Punk rock, synthpop, new wave
Years active1977–present
Labels EMI Records

Rusty Egan (born 19 September 1957 [1] [2] in London) is a British-Irish pop musician and DJ. [3]

Contents

He is the former drummer of the British new wave band Rich Kids, [4] with former Sex Pistol bassist Glen Matlock (bass and vocals), Steve New (guitar and vocals) and Midge Ure (guitar, vocals and keyboards), [5] from its inception in March 1977 to its disbanding in December 1978.

He continued working with Ure, later collaborated with The Misfits, Skids [6] and Shock, and was a founding member of Visage. [7] He played drums on a remixed version of Phil Lynott's song "Yellow Pearl", which the BBC used as the Top of the Pops theme tune from 1981 to 1986. [8] [9]

Career

Egan was the DJ at Blitz, the influential New Romantic nightclub in London, where he worked with Steve Strange from 1979 [10] [11] until 1981. [12] Whilst there, he introduced German (Kraftwerk), Japanese (Yellow Magic Orchestra) and British (Eno, Ultravox, Landscape) electronic music/synthpop to the British club scene, almost single-handedly putting together the soundtrack for the New Romantic movement. [13] [14] [15] [16] Egan also owned The Cage, a New Romantic-era record store on London's King's Road. As the club grew in popularity, Egan began to be recognised as a central figure in London's nightlife. [17] [18] [19]

In 1982, he, Strange and Kevin Millins opened up the Camden Palace nightclub in London, where he continued to spread and influence the development of electronica in the UK. [20] For a time, he switched to producing records for many of the bands he used to DJ, including Spear of Destiny, Shock, Visage and The Senate.

On 13 June 2008, Egan appeared DJing at the 'Big Top' as part of the Isle of Wight Festival. [21]

Egan appeared alongside former Visage bandmate Steve Strange on makeover show Pop Goes the Band in early 2009 on Living TV. He had his teeth and hair drastically reconstructed as part of his makeover.[ citation needed ]

Egan won the category for lifetime achievement at the 2009 Viagra Awards. [22]

In January 2011, Egan and Strange hosted Return to the Blitz on the site of the original Blitz Club with performances from Roman Kemp's band Paradise Point and electro punk artist Quilla Constance plus DJ sets from Egan himself. [23]

2017 saw the release of Egan's first solo album, 'Welcome to the Dancefloor'. It featured appearances from Midge Ure, Tony Hadley, Peter Hook and Erik Stein of Cult With No Name. The album was subsequently released in remix form as 'Welcome to the Remix' and 'Welcome to the Beach'. [24]

On Friday 18 October 2019,[ citation needed ] Rusty performed a DJ set overlaid with a commentary of the post punk music scene at the London Palladium, followed by a performance of a number of Visage hits with long time collaborator and friend Midge Ure.

Personal Life

Egan married freelance dancer Miranda Davis in July 1986. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Romantic</span> 1970s popular culture movement originating in the UK

New Romantic was an underground subculture movement that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The movement emerged from the nightclub scene in London and Birmingham at venues such as Billy's and The Blitz. The New Romantic movement was characterised by flamboyant, eccentric fashion inspired by fashion boutiques such as Kahn and Bell in Birmingham and PX in London. Early adherents of the movement were often referred to by the press by such names as Blitz Kids, New Dandies and Romantic Rebels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visage (band)</span> British synthpop band

Visage were a British synth-pop band formed in London in 1978. The band became closely linked to the burgeoning New Romantic fashion movement of the early 1980s, and are best known for their hit "Fade to Grey" which was released in late 1980. In the UK, the band achieved two Top 20 albums and five Top 30 singles before the commercial failure of their third album led to their breakup in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blitz Kids</span> Group that launched the New Romantic subculture

The Blitz Kids were a group of people who frequented the Tuesday club-night at Blitz in Covent Garden, London in 1979–1980, and are credited with launching the New Romantic subcultural movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midge Ure</span> Scottish musician (born 1953)

James "Midge" Ure is a Scottish musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. His stage name, Midge, is a phonetic reversal of Jim, a hypocorism of his given name. Ure enjoyed particular success in the 1970s and 1980s in bands including Slik, Thin Lizzy, Rich Kids, Visage, and as the second frontman of Ultravox. In 1984, he co-wrote and produced the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?", which has sold 3.7 million copies in the UK. The song is the second-highest-selling single in UK chart history. Ure co-organised Band Aid, Live Aid and Live 8 with Bob Geldof. He acts as a trustee for the charity and also serves as an ambassador for Save the Children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rich Kids</span> English new wave band

Rich Kids were a short-lived new wave band from London, founded in 1977 by Glen Matlock following his departure from the Sex Pistols. The band also included teenage guitarist Steve New, former Slik and future Ultravox member Midge Ure and Rusty Egan, who both later founded Visage together. They released one album and three singles during their existence, from March 1977 to December 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Damned Don't Cry (song)</span> 1982 single by Visage

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Strange</span> Welsh singer and pop icon (1959–2015)

Stephen John Harrington, known professionally as Steve Strange, was a Welsh singer and nightclub host and promoter. Strange began his career in several short-lived punk bands of the late 1970s. Quickly becoming disaffected by the British punk scene, he became one of the most influential figures behind the New Romantic subcultural movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s, which spawned the Blitz Kids.

<i>The Anvil</i> (album) 1982 studio album by Visage

The Anvil is the second studio album by the British synth-pop band Visage, released in March 1982 by Polydor Records. The album reached No. 6 in the UK and was certified "Silver" by the British Phonographic Industry in April 1982.

<i>Visage</i> (Visage album) 1980 studio album by Visage

Visage is the debut studio album by the British synth-pop band Visage. It was recorded at Genetic Sound Studios in Reading, Berkshire and released in November 1980 by Polydor Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fade to Grey (Visage song)</span> 1980 single by Visage

"Fade to Grey" is a song by British synth-pop band Visage, released in November 1980 as the second single from their debut album, Visage (1980), on Polydor Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mind of a Toy</span> 1981 single by Visage

"Mind of a Toy" is the third single by the British synth-pop group Visage, released on Polydor Records in March 1981. It was taken from the band's eponymous debut album, following up their international hit "Fade to Grey".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tar (song)</span> 1979 single by Visage

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Night Train (Visage song)</span> 1982 single by Visage

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visage (song)</span> 1981 single by Visage

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pleasure Boys</span> 1982 single by Visage

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<i>Master Series</i> (Visage album) 1997 compilation album by Visage

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow Pearl (song)</span> 1981 single by Phil Lynott

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Philip Sallon is a British club promoter, event organiser, socialite, style innovator, impresario, and clothing designer. He was born in London, England. He is particularly known for being a prominent member of the Punk sub-cultural and New Romantic pop cultural movements during the 1970s and 1980s.

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References

  1. ↑ Lazell, Barry (14 September 1985). "Memory Bank". Sounds . London: Spotlight Publications. p. 14.
  2. ↑ "Birthdays" . Evening Telegraph. No. 34012 (Final ed.). Derby. 19 September 1990. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Ware, Martyn (April 2021). "Episode 23: Rusty Egan". Electronically Yours with Martyn Ware (Podcast). Retrieved 23 February 2023– via Spotify.
  4. ↑ Ankeny, Jason. Biography for Rich Kids at AllMusic . Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  5. ↑ "Nfo.net/calendar". Nfo.net. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  6. ↑ Kelly, Ryan (1 November 1979). "The Fine Art of Compromising". Smash Hits . Vol. 1, no. 24. London. pp. 6–7.
  7. ↑ Credits for Rusty Egan at AllMusic . Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  8. ↑ Byrne, Alan (2012). Philip Lynott: Renegade of Thin Lizzy. Dublin: Mentor Books. p. 118. ISBN   978-1906623883.
  9. ↑ Humphries, Patrick & Blackwell, Steve (2013). Top of the Pops 50th Anniversary. Pembroke Dock: McNidder & Grace. p. 185. ISBN   978-0857160522.
  10. ↑ Butler, Robert (9 January 1988). "Ace of Clubs" . Weekend. The Daily Telegraph . No. 41225. London. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Elms, Robert (2006). The Way We Wore: A Life in Threads. London: Picador. pp. 180–183. ISBN   978-0330420334.
  12. ↑ Rimmer, Dave (1985). Like Punk Never Happened: Culture Club and the New Pop. London: Faber & Faber. p. 52. ISBN   0571137393.
  13. ↑ "Youth guilty of mugging Strange for Kylie bangle", 17 January 2003, Western Mail
  14. ↑ Bevan, Nathan. "Stranger than fiction", 26 March 2006, Wales on Sunday
  15. ↑ "John McGeoch", 14 March 2004, Daily Telegraph .
  16. ↑ Hodgkinson, Will. "Home entertainment", 29 June 2001, The Guardian
  17. ↑ "Three wizards who changed the course of the 80s". Shapersofthe80s, 5 October 2009.
  18. ↑ Stokes, Ali. "The '80s...", 14 December 2002, South Wales Echo
  19. ↑ Duncan, Alistair. "The night shift", 25 August 2005, Evening Standard
  20. ↑ Barrow, John. How Not to Make It in the Pop World (2003), Trafford Publishing. p.182. ISBN   1-4120-1413-1
  21. ↑ "Safeconcerts.com". Safeconcerts. 31 March 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  22. ↑ Caffell, Paul (2 June 2009). "The London Club & Bar Awards 2009". Fluid News. Fluid London. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  23. ↑ "Strange and Egan return to the Blitz". Shapersofthe80s, 8 January 2011.
  24. ↑ "RUSTY EGAN PRESENTS Welcome to the Dancefloor". The Electricity Club. 26 November 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  25. ↑ "Star Guests at Minster Wedding" . Lincolnshire Echo. No. 27914 (County ed.). 14 July 1986. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
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