bouche Posted January 21, 2009 Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 I've been listening to a bunch of XTC today. I decided to find the scoop on their break from touring. I remember that Andy Partrige had some stage fright but I didn't know the full story. It's pretty crazy.The last major hit of XTC's touring phase was "Senses Working Overtime", the first single from their double album English Settlement and a top 10 hit in 1982. At the peak of their popularity, the band embarked on a major tour, but Partridge suffered a mental breakdown on stage during one of the first concerts of the tour in Paris on March 18, 1982.Andy Partridge's breakdown, which manifested itself as uncontrollable stage fright, was reportedly precipitated by his wife throwing away his supply of Valium. According to the band's biography, Andy had become dependent upon the drug after it was prescribed to him as a teenager during his parents' divorce. He reportedly was never withdrawn from the drug and became dependent on it.Concerned about her husband's dependence on the drug, Partridge's wife threw his tablets away — without seeking medical advice — just before the Paris concert. Partridge particularly needed the medication to cope with the grinding monotony of concert touring, which he had always hated, but had endured for the good of the band.[2]As a result, when deprived of the medication Partridge suffered anxiety attacks of such severity whilst touring that he was soon forced to withdraw permanently. The European and British dates were cancelled and after completing only one show in San Diego the whole US leg was also abandoned. Since then, XTC have been exclusively a studio band, although they have given occasional live-to-air performances from radio stations, and have made a handful of TV appearances as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Wish Posted January 21, 2009 Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 Someone should have given him some ecstasy..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollie Posted January 21, 2009 Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 All this time it was his wife's fault? Brutal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewRider Posted January 21, 2009 Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 I want to start a band called Andy Partridge's Valium.Great band, too bad they don't tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouche Posted January 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 All this time it was his wife's fault? Brutal!More accurately, it was his mother's fault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phishtaper Posted January 21, 2009 Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 All this time it was his wife's fault? Brutal! More accurately' date=' it was his mother's fault.[/quote'] it always is ... fwiw, i REALLY like XTC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollie Posted January 21, 2009 Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 fwiw, i REALLY like XTC. I don't think about them often but when I do I remember how great they are. The first side of Drums & Wires is almost perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollie Posted January 21, 2009 Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 Life Begins at the Hop promo video (not embedabble)same song, Top of the Pops: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phishtaper Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 cool memories. btw, that wiki page is great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamilton Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 XTC is far and away one of the best bands of the past thirty years. Their weakest tracks would be the strongest tracks on many other bands' albums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phishtaper Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 Along with Bowie, Beatles, OMD, Talking Heads and a few other bands I really got into when I was a kid, XTC helped shape the way I still look at music ... I can still remember most of the lyrics to Life Begins at the Hop; Making Plans for Nigel; Generals and Majors; Senses Working Overtime, and; No Thugs in Our House. Pop songs, sure, but incredibly well crafted and produced (by the cream of the crop of producers, like Steve Lillywhite, Hugh Padgham and Todd Rundgren).When we renovated a house a few years ago, I played the Nunsuch album at least 15 times in a row one day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouche Posted January 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 check out this cool set of photos on Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouche Posted January 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 I loved Oranges and Lemons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamilton Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 Andy Partridge has also released something like eight volumes' worth of demos in his "Fuzzy Warbles" series - some stuff that ended up as XTC songs, some that stayed in the discard pile. I haven't heard any of it, but I bet it's worth investigating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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