Last month, Max dropped in for a cup of tea and a natter with longtime Wedding Smashers friend and Madness frontman- Suggs, at his home in North London. Just two men talking about weddings…we hope you enjoy this exclusive interview!
So Suggs, I’ve seen you on the ones and twos before- Have you ever DJ’ed at a wedding?
Yes once but I hadn’t been asked to! I nearly ruined my cousin Hector’s wedding entirely because they had hired this awful show band and as at all weddings I’d had a few cold drinks, and took it upon myself to liven up their show a bit. I decided to help the DJ (and band leader) play some tunes but i think I ended up making his life a complete misery that evening. Each time I left the stage to top up my drink, I could see the chaps from this poor band looking at me from afar like “here he comes again..”, and they kept trying to block me from getting back up on the stage! One of my daughters was on her way back from the toilets, and says she heard me on the mic singing ‘living la vida Loca’ before seeing me fall head first off the stage onto the floor! I had a huge carpet burn down the side of my face but the funniest thing about this wedding was hearing someone in the band say “it’s that f**king guy from Spandau Ballet trying to get on the stage again”. So I guess I haven’t DJ’ed officially no.
Excellent. Tell us a little about the music at your wedding, did you use a DJ or have a band?
We had a bit of both actually, Anne and I sang a few songs as well. We had a band called ‘Pooky Snackenburg’ who were these buskers I saw in Covent Garden- who actually went on to become quite a big act in a show called Stomp.. and yes we had a DJ who played mostly sixties Soul/Motown- the stuff that I like.
What was your First Dance?
[long pause]
Sorry, I thought I’d forgotten but it was ‘Can’t Take My Eye’s Off You’ by Andy Williams.
We recently played at a wedding where the bride and groom were total Madness fanatics and spent the night playing your entire back catalogue! Have you been asked to perform any of your songs at a fan’s wedding before?
Firstly I’m sorry you had to play our back catalogue, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone! But yes I always get asked to perform at weddings. I sang ‘ It Must Be Love’ at Zoe Ball and Norman Cook’s wedding and I’ve sang at a couple of close friends’ but I’m not so keen on doing the fans’ to be honest, it’s a bit much. But it’s funny with ‘It Must Be Love’ because it always get’s played at weddings but always at funerals as well strangely enough, I don’t know what that is?
A lot of people don’t know that Madness’ ‘It Must Be Love’ is actually a cover of a Labi Siffre song, under the same title. Were you a fan of the original and what was the story behind covering it?
We always liked the tune but thought it was a bit too sentimental for us really- we were into all of that jumping up in the air Ska stuff at the time…But the head of our record label heard us playing it and said we had to release it. In fact, what he actually said was, “if it doesn’t get to number one then I’ll give you my record company”. So we thought we better do it then! It only got to number two but needless to say he didn’t give us his record company!
Have you been invited to the Royal Wedding then?
No I haven’t, no.
Will you be watching it? or will you be too busy dancing in the street?
I might watch it if it’s on in my house but I don’t think I’ll go out of my way. We haven’t got a street party planned…the last time we had a street party on this street, about three people turned up… Some poor bugger put up a great big marquee at the end of the road and everyone was supposed to bring a little something along to eat. Anne and I brought a cake and nobody else brought anything! There was a guy with a great big bbq with absolutely nothing to put on it…it’s not a street party street.
Can you tell us what your top 5 wedding tunes are?
Come On Eileen by Dexy’s Midnight Runners.
Maggie May by Rod Stewart & The Faces.
Night Nurse by Gregory Isaacs.
Can’t Take My Eye’s Off You by Andy Williams (I need it in there to remind me of my first dance)
Thank you for sharing these stories and photos with us today Suggsy!
Pleasure Max but I mean it about doing both my daughter’s weddings in return mate..
