| John Charles Alder |
| Background information |
| Origin |
 England |
| Genre(s) |
Psychedelic
music |
| Occupation(s) |
Musician
Drummer
Percussionist
Singer-songwriter
Actor |
| Instrument(s) |
Drums |
| Years active |
1963 – Present |
| Label(s) |
Decca Records
HMV
Parlophone Records
Sire
Records
Columbia Records
Rare Earth Records
Midnight Records |
Associated
acts |
Dane Stephens and
the Deep Beats
The Fairies
Tomorrow
The
Pretty Things
The Pink Fairies
PinkWind
The Rings |
John Charles Alder (born 29
November 1944),
better known as Twink, is an English drummer, singer and song
writer who was a central figure in the English psychedelic
movement, and an actor.
|
Contents
- 1 Early
life
- 2 The
Fairies
- 3 The
In-Crowd and Tomorrow
- 4 The
Pretty Things
- 5 Think
Pink
- 6 The
Pink Fairies
- 7 Hawkwind
and PinkWind
- 8 The
Rings
- 9 Twink
record label
- 10 Plasticland
- 11 Mr
Rainbow
- 12 Acting
career
- 13 Discography
- 13.1 with
The Fairies
- 13.2 with
Tomorrow
- 13.3 with
Pretty Things
- 13.4 Solo
- 13.5 with
Pink Fairies
- 13.6 with
The Rings
- 13.7 with
Plasticland
- 13.8 with
Santa Barbara Machine Head
- 14 See
also
- 15 References
|
Early life
Alder was born in Colchester, Essex, England, into a musical family. His father's
mother was a concert pianist and soloist. Alder has said he was always
interested in music as a child.
The Fairies
Alder's career began in 1963 as a member of a rhythm
and blues band from Colchester called Dane Stephens and
the Deep Beats. After a year, the band changed its name to The Fairies.
The Fairies were sent gifts and Alder, having long curly hair,
regularly received bottles of Twink brand home perm lotion. It
was at this time that he adopted 'Twink' as his stage name.
In 1964
The Fairies recorded the single "Don't Think Twice It's Alright" for
the Decca
Records label. In 1965
they recorded two singles, "Don't Mind" and "Get Yourself Home", for HMV.
The band split at some date before 1967.
The In-Crowd and Tomorrow
In 1965
Twink moved to London
and lived in Chelsea. When The Fairies came to a
halt, he joined a rhythm and blues/soul music
band called The In-Crowd after its
previous drummer had left the band. Other members were Steve Howe (guitar) and Keith
West.
A few months later the band was renamed Tomorrow.
The success of West's solo recording Excerpt From A Teenage
Opera resulted in the band breaking up.
The Pretty Things
Twink replaced Skip Allen in The
Pretty Things.
Think Pink
He recorded his first solo album, Think Pink,
with The Deviants, including Mick
Farren (who produced the album), Paul Rudolph who played guitar, as
well as Steve Peregrin Took.
The Pink Fairies
The line up of The Pink Fairies (Mark 1) featured
Think Pink musicians Twink, Took and Farren, and was named after the Pink
Fairies Rock 'n' Roll Club, a loose group of people including
Took, Farren, The Deviants, Syd Barrett (still at the time
in Pink
Floyd). They were resident in Ladbroke
Grove, the home of the UK Underground.
Pink Fairies (Mark 2) was formed
with Twink and former Deviants (but without Mick Farren). He left The
Pink Fairies in 1971
(although he would periodically return) and after a spell in Morocco moved to
Cambridge
where he played with Syd Barrett, in The Stars, after which he moved
back to London.
In 1987
he rejoined The Pink Fairies for their reunion tour with Took's
guitarist Larry Wallis from Steve
Took's Shagrat who joined The Pink Fairies
originally in 1972
before going on to Motörhead.
Hawkwind and PinkWind
He periodically performed with fellow Ladbroke Grove community
band Hawkwind.
He also collaborated with Hawkwind founder Nik Turner
in the band PinkWind. Turner brought in the Wind and Twink, as a member
of The Pink Fairies provided the Pink. PinkWind released two albums.
Some line-ups also featured Judge Trev Thoms of Inner
City Unit and Steve Took's Horns.
The Rings
Following an injury sustained in a car crash, he worked as a
vocalist with The Rings, (a Punk Rock-influenced band).
Twink record label
In 1986
he released a solo single "Apocalipstic", which inaugurated his new,
self-titled record label.
Plasticland
During the 1987
Pink Fairies reunion tour Twink met members of Plasticland which
resulted in the collaboration You Need a Fairy Godmother,
released in 1989
on Midnight Records.
Mr Rainbow
In 1990
Twink released his second solo album, Mr Rainbow.
Acting career
Twink acted widely during the late 1980s, appearing in United
Kingdom television
series including:-
- 'Allo 'Allo! a BBC1 British
sitcom.
- David Copperfield, one of a number of
adaptations of the Charles Dickens novel.
- Chocky's Challenge,
which was based on Chocky, a science
fiction novel by John Wyndham, author of The Day of the Triffids.
The three Chocky series were produced by Thames
Television.
Discography
with The Fairies
- Don't Think Twice
It's Alright 7" single (Decca
Records, 1964)
- Don't Mind 7"
single (HMV,
1965)
- Get Yourself Home
7" single (HMV, 1965)
- Tomorrow (Parlophone
Records/Sire
Records, 1968)
with Pretty
Things
- S.F. Sorrow (Columbia
Records/Rare Earth Records, 1968)
Solo
- Think Pink (1970)
- Apocalipstic
single (1986)
- Mr. Rainbow
(1990)
with Pink
Fairies
- Never Neverland
(1971)
- Kill 'Em And Eat 'Em
(1987)
with The Rings
with Plasticland
- You Need a Fairy Godmother
(Midnight
Records, 1987)
with Santa Barbara Machine Head
- Pre Purple People
compilation (2001)
See also
References
