PETER HAMMILL - BIOGRAPHY (Charisma 1975)
SOME FUNDAMENTAL AND ACADEMIC TRUTHS ......
Peter Hammill was born on Bonfire Night, 1948, in Ealing, and educated at Beaumont College, Manchester University (Liberal Studies in Science) with further education in Van der Graaf Generator.
The band, which was given it's name by Chris Judge Smith, one of the founder members, was formed in 1967 and continued during 1968 by which time Peter had left University to devote his attentions entirely to the band. Chris Judge Smith left (though he still writes songs with Peter) and Hugh Banton, Guy Evans, Keith Ellis and Peter Hammill remained together until the end of 1968 when the band broke up entirely.
Peter Hammill played fill-in gigs at the Lyceum during 1969 and recorded an intended solo album - 'The Aerosol Grey Machine' - which, by virtue of the musicians taking part, unwittingly became a band album which duly gave birth to the formation of Van der Graaf Generator Mark II.
This period - which Peter regards as the 'real' Van der Graaf Generator - spawned 'The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other' and 'H To He Who Am The Only One', both of which received amazing reviews. The band at this point featured Peter Hammill, David Jackson, Hugh Banton and Nic Potter, although Nic left midway through the 'H To He' sessions.
During the later stages Peter put together an album of his older songs called 'Fool's Mate', which was generally in lighter vein than the music of the band and was followed by Van der Graaf Generator's last album 'Pawn Hearts'. Says Peter: "Both represented the best, if most extreme, work I had done to date".
Inevitably the band broke up "for reasons described as spiritual though never fully explained to, or understood by, anyone outside the band".
......AS A PRESSAGE OF THE COMING NADIR
Thus Peter embarked on individual pursuits that duly led to further solo albums - 'Chameleon In The Shadow Of The Night' and 'The Silent Corner And The Empty Stage' which featured him variously as a soloist, and a musician working with other members of the old Van der Graaf Generator.
The following album 'In Camera' was virtually a solo album from start to finnish apart from overdubs, added at Peter's own four track home studio. "Again it was an extreme album", says Peter, "certain points leave themselves open to misinterpretation, but it's probably the most lasting of all my solo albums".
At around the same time, Peter's first book, 'Killers, Angels, Refugees', was published, incorporating recorded lyrics, poems and short stories. Peter recently completed a further book of short stories which will be published later this year.
Late last year Peter Hammill started work on a further solo album at Rockfield studios which he has called 'Nadir's Big Chance' and suggests that it is closer to 'Fool's Mate' than the last three solo albums, with lighter, shorter songs.....
The album is released by Charisma on February 7th, and, up to a point, manifests the completion of a full circle as Peter meets his alter ego, Rikki Nadir.
"I do have several alter egos," he says, in qualification of the pseudonym. "Nadir, a later arrival, is my pop component, and he is the perpetual sixteen year-old who loves smashing guitars - but there's very much a place for him. It's not such a serious side as 'In Camera', but there's still the same heart and soul - I mean, there are songs on the previous albums that could easily have been on Nadir's album, it's just lighter that's all."
Peter Hammill's vision of the future is typical of his attitude in general: "Hopefully I will go on doing what has to be done (which is known only in the moment of action) for as long and as honestly as possible......"
