Heroes
Drawn from the realms of music, film, literature, and popular culture, are the rapscallion idols and scoundrels who are paid homage in all of the decadent details found in Jeffery-West designs.
Keith Moon
Moon (23 August 1946 - 7 September 1978) was the drummer of the rock group The Who. He gained notoriety for exuberant drumming and his destructive lifestyle that earned him the nickname, "Moon the Loon". Moon was known for innovative, dramatic drumming when he johned the band in 1964, replacing Doug Sandom. He played on all albums and singles from their debut 1965 My Generation to 1978's Who Are You, which was released two weeks before his death.
Terry Reid
Terry Reid (13 November 1949) also known as "Mr Superlungs", is an English rock and folk-rock musician. His phenomenal vocals and guitar skills prove him to be one of the most influential British rock musicians we have known. Mr Reid was Jimmy Page's original choice for frontman for Led Zeppelin, yet Reid turned the offer down as he had already made a commitment to tour with both Cream and The Rolling Stones. However, Reid then made the suggestion for Page to consider Robert Plant for vocals and John Bonham for drums. Aretha Franklin once commented in 1968, "There are only three things happening in England: The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and Terry Reid."
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon (28 October 1909 - 28 April 1992) was an Irish artist who first took an interest in visual arts when he took a trip to Berlin and while living in Paris in the late 1920's. Back in London, one of Bacon's earliest Patrons was Eric Hall, who helped Bacon greatly whilst also being his partner. In 1933 Bacon had his first successes but they were short lived. He made a return in 1943/44 with his "Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion" launching his reputation and became recogniseable for his surrealism art portraying the subject as violently distorted, with a gory and savage style. Bacon's work foreshadowed his often wild and dark lifestyle, as throughout his life he suffered with depression, gambling and alcohol abuse. George Dyer was an important addition in Bacon's life and in 1998 the film "Love is the Devil" was released and mainly based on their complex romantic relationship. In the late 1970's and 1980's Bacon's work was exhibited internationally crediting him "the greatest living painter". Bacon's influence is felt even up until recently, when Heath Ledger took inspiration from Bacon's work when preparing for the role of the Joker in the Marvel film "The Dark Knight" in 2008.
Harry Flashman
Harry Flashman (1822–1915) Brigadier-General Sir Harry Paget Flashman is a fictional character created by author George MacDonald Fraser, based on the notorious bully 'Flashman' from 'Tom Brown's Schooldays' by Thomas Hughes. It follows on from Flashmans expulsion from Rugby School. Enlisting in the British Army he cuts a swath through the Victorian wars and uproars (and the boudoirs and harems) of the 19th century. Though Flashman constantly runs from danger, betrays or abandons acquaintances at the slightest incentive, bullies and beats servants with gusto, beds every available woman, carries off any loot he can grab and gambles and boozes enthusiastically, he arrives inevitably at the end of each volume with medals, the praise of the mighty, and the love of one or more beautiful women. By his own unapologetic self-description he is - "a scoundrel, a liar, a cheat, a thief, a coward—and oh yes, a toady."
Francis Dashwood
Francis Dashwood, the 11th Baron le Despencer (December, 1708 - December 11, 1781) was an English rake and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (1762-1763) and founder of infamous 'Hellfire Club'. During his day it was widely rumoured that he and his group were Devil worshippers and Satanist's - described as up to all sorts of diabolical doings, rituals and orgies! He was an aristocrat and a man of influence but also the rogue of his day. Dashwood, the most profane of his blasphemous acquaintances, acted as a sort of high priest, and used a communion cup to pour out libations to heathen deities. The club motto was 'Fais ce que tu voudras' (Do what thou wilt), which was later used by Aleister Crowley in the early 1900s. Our "Backfire" and "Hellfire" boots pay homage to his legacy.
Richard Harris
Richard St. John Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor, singer and songwriter. He appeared in Camelot (1967), A Man Called Horse (1970) and, at the end of his career, the first two Harry Potter movies. He was a notorious playboy and drinker, part of a rowdy generation of talented Irish and British actors that included Albert Finney, Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole.
Brian Jones
Brian Jones(28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969) was regarded as a fashion icon due to his rebellious and flamboyant style. His style of dress and manner did much to influence the fashion scene of swinging 1960s in London. Jones left Cheltenham and moved to London where he became friends with fellow musicians who made up the small London rhythm and blues scene that ‘the Rolling Stones’ would soon come to dominate. After he became famous, he was known to walk deliberately in crowded streets until girls would start chasing him, at which point he would run as fast as he could. His death at 27 was the first of the Sixties rock movement. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison found their own drug-related deaths at the same age within two years (Morrison dying two years to the day after Jones). The coincidence of ages has been described as the "27 Club".
Richard Burton
Burton (10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) in the 1940s and early 1950s Burton started his early acting career working on stage and in cinema in the United Kingdom. He later then, in 1952, successfully made the transition to a Hollywood star where he was given the leading role in My Cousin Rachel. The film was a critical success and established Burton as a Hollywood leading man and won him his first Academy Award nomination and the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor. In his later career Burton found success in 1978 when he narrated Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds. His distinctive performance became a necessary part of the concept album - so much so that a hologram of Burton is used to narrate the live stage show (which toured in 2006, 2007 and 2009) of the musical.
Vivian Stanshall
Stanstall (21 March 1943 – 5 March 1995) was often called a "great British eccentric", but this was a label he hated: it suggested that he was putting on an act. Instead, as he himself always insisted, "...he was merely being himself." The famous name of the band came from a word game which Stanshall played with art school peer and Bonzo member Rodney Slater, involving cutting up sentences and juxtaposing the fragments to form new ones. One of the combinations that came out of this exercise was "Bonzo Dog/Dada". The band consisted of the core members mentioned above but at one point there were times where there were as many as 30 of them, with gigs often featuring more people on stage than in the audience.
Joe Strummer
John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), better known by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead singer of the English punk rock band The Clash. He was also a member of the The 101'ers, The Mescaleros and, temporarily, The Pogues. The Clash was said to be "considered one of the most overtly political, explosive and exciting bands in rock and roll history”. Their songs tackled social decay, unemployment, racism, police brutality, political and social repression, and militarism in detail.
Dudley Moore
Moore (19 April 1935 – 27 March 2002)was an English actor, comedian, composer and musician. He was often known as "Cuddly Dudley" or "The Sex Thimble", a reference to his short stature and popularity with women. Moore first came to prominence as one of the four writer-performers in Beyond the Fringe in the early 1960s and became famous as half of the popular television double-act he formed with Peter Cook.
Suede
A pivotal band for British music during the 90's, Suede picked up the baton that was once held before them by Glam and Cosmic rock heroes including David Bowie, T-Rex and Roxy Music. Going straight to the top of the UK Album Chart, their self titled debut album became the fastest selling album in almost ten years. Much like the 70s art school rockers, having a unique style was a huge part of Suede's image, with Anderson's skinny leather jacket projecting his 'androgynous, Bowie inspired sexuality', conveying his strong individuality using fashion. Suede firmly believed in the idea of doing something different, attracting the praise of their hero , Mr David Bowie. He told Select magazine "Still one of the great British bands of the 90s, they have the enviable knack of taking the rather pathetic fumble of a quick fuck under the pier and extracting those few golden moments that many years later convince oneself that, for one brief flickering moment, one was as inspired as Romeo or, in some cases, Juliet. The poor things are bound to be an institution by the year 2000, Dame Brett anybody?"
John Peel
Peel (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004) was an English disc jockey, radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004. He was known for his eclectic taste in music and his honest and warm broadcasting style. He was one of the first broadcasters to play psychedelic rock, reggae and punk records on British radio, and he is widely acknowledged for promoting artists in various styles including alternative rock, pop, death metal, British hip hop and dance music.
Peter O’Toole
O’Toole (2 August 1932 - December 14 2013) was an actor of stage and screen who achieved stardom in 1962 playing T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia. He went on to become a highly-honored film and stage actor. O'Toole was also one of a handful of actors to be Oscar-nominated for playing the same role in two different films; he played King Henry II in both 1964's Becket and 1968's The Lion in Winter. He has been nominated for eight Academy Awards, and holds the record for most competitive Academy Award acting nominations without a win.
Marc Bolan
Marc Bolan (30 September 1947 – 16 September 1977) was an English singer, songwriter and guitarist whose hit singles, fashion sensibilities and stage presence with T.Rex in the early 1970s helped cultivate the glam rock era, though he preferred to call his music Cosmic Rock, and made him one of the most recognisable stars in British music.
Jimmy Page
(1944 - ) was the founder and lead guitarist of the rock group, Led Zeppelin. A truly inspirational musician, Page married blues, hard rock, folk and acoustics to create an idiosyncratic sound, completely unique to them. Page's style and stage presence was certainly iconic - from his infamous "Dragon Suit" to his wild on stage exploration of music. With the magic of both "The Lord of the Rings" and Aleister Crowley, Mr Page certainly transcended guitar playing to another dimension.
Ian Curtis
Ian Curtis (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980) was the vocalist and lyricist, as well as occasional guitarist and keyboardist, of the band Joy Division, which he joined in 1976 after meeting with Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook at a Sex Pistols gig. Years after his death, critics and fans continue to write and discuss at length Curtis's music, as well as possible motivations and inspirations for his work.
Lee Brilleaux
Brilleaux (10th May 1952 – 7th April 1994) was a member of the Dr. Feelgood band, a British pub rock band formed in mid 1971. The name of the band, Dr. Feelgood, is slang for heroin, or for doctors who are prepared to overprescribe drugs. The group's original distinctively British R&B sound was centered on Wilko Johnson's choppy guitar style. Along with Johnson, the original band line-up comprised John B. Sparks (bass guitar), John Martin aka The Big Figure (drummer) and Lee Brilleaux (vocals).
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier (22 May, 1907 – 11 July, 1989) was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. Olivier played a wide variety of roles on stage and screen from Greek tragedy, Shakespeare and Restoration comedy to modern American and British drama. He was the first artistic director of the National Theatre of Great Britain and its main stage is named in his honour.
Peter Sellers
Sellers (8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was a British comedian and actor best known for his roles in Dr. Strangelove, as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, as Clare Quilty in the original 1962 screen version of Lolita, and as the guileless man-child Chance in his penultimate film, Being There. Sellers rose to fame on the BBC Home Service radio series The Goon Show. His ability to speak in different accents (e.g., French, Indian, American, British, German), contributed to his success as a radio personality, screen actor and earned him national and international nominations and awards.
Peter Cook
Cook (17 November 1937 – 9 January 1995) was an English satirist, writer and comedian. He is widely regarded as the leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. He has been described by Stephen Fry as 'the funniest man who ever drew breath'. Cook is very closely associated with the anti-establishment style of comedy that first emerged in Britain and the US in the late 1950s.
Steve Marriot
Steve Marriot (30 January 1947 - 20 April 1991), popularly known as Steve Marriott, was a successful and versatile English singer-songwriter, guitarist and musician. He is best remembered for his powerful singing voice which belied his small stature and for his aggressive guitar playing in the rock groups the Small Faces (1965-1969) and Humble Pie (1969-1975 and 1980-1981). In Britain, Marriott became a popular, often-photographed mod style icon through his role as lead singer and guitarist with the Small Faces in the mid to late sixties.
John Gielgud
John Gielgud (14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor/director/producer, considered by many to be the greatest Classical actor of the twentieth century, particularly known for his warm and expressive voice, which his colleague Sir Alec Guinness likened to "a silver trumpet muffled in silk". With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the British stage for much of the 20th century. The critic Nicholas de Jongh wrote that Gielgud's personality was "such infinite, mischievous fun", and Coward's biographer Cole Lesley recalled the pleasure of Gielgud's company, "the words tumbling out of his mouth in an avalanche, frequently having to wipe away his own tears of laughter at the funniness of the disasters he recounted, disasters always against himself."
Dirk Bogarde
Sir Dirk Bogarde (28 March 1921 – 8 May 1999) was a British actor and novelist. Bogardewas a challenged actor and played parts such as barrister Melville Farr in Victim (1961); decadent valet Hugo Barrett in The Servant (1963) (directed by Joseph Losey); television reporter Robert Gold in Darling (1965); Stephen, a bored Oxford University professor, in Accident(1967); German industrialist Frederick Bruckman in Luchino Visconti's The Damned (1969); the ex-Nazi, Max Aldorfer, in the chilling and controversial The Night Porter (1974) directed by Liliana Cavani; and, most notably, as Gustav von Aschenbach in Death in Venice (1971) also directed by Luchino Visconti.
Lord Rochester
John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester (1 April 1647 – 26 July 1680) was an English Libertine, a friend of King Charles II, and the writer of much satirical and bawdy poetry. Rochester's poetic work varies widely in form, genre, and content. He was part of a "mob of gentlemen who wrote with ease”. Rochester's writings were at once admired and infamous. A Satyr Against Mankind (1675), one of the few poems he published (in a broadside in 1679) is a scathing denunciation of rationalism and optimism that contrasts human perfidy with animal wisdom.
Lemmy Kilmister
Ian Fraser Kilmister (24 December 1945 to December 28 2015) is a singer and bass guitarist who founded the famous rock and roll band Motorhead. From an early age, he was an addict to fruit machines. This is where his nickname ‘Lemmy’ originates from, due to always asking people to ‘lemmy a quid’ to feed his habit. Lemmy was known as a sex addict, claiming to have bedded over 2,000 women. It was this addiction along with alcohol and drugs that got him in trouble a lot of the time. As well as being in the band, Lemmy also made several appearances on TV and in films. It has been announced, that there will be a film released in 2010 about Lemmys career and life.
Sir Anthony Hopkins
Sir Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is an actor of film, television and stage. His most famous role was Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs which earnt him an Academy Award and an Oscar. Hopkins made Hannibal Lecter an icon, through this impressive performance in the three Lecter films. Hannibal Lecter was a serial killer who had impeccable style and a taste for eating his deserving victims. Due to Hopkins, Hannibal Lecter is now considered the ‘most memorable villain in film industry’, so therefore Hopkins is known for taking his acting roles very seriously, making sure he played each character to his full potential. Although Hopkins is very dedicated to his career, his off screen persona was very much in the mould of the original hell raisers such as Richard Burton.
Gary Oldman
Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is known for his acting and film making skills. He was known for playing a diverse range of roles. One of his most famous roles was the part of Count Dracula in Francis Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) but our favourite was his role Bexy in The Firm (1993). This role led him to become very popular in playing villains/anti heroes within other films. Renowned for his "big" acting style and on-screen diversity, Oldman has been cited as the best British actor of his generation.As well as films, Oldman has done a variety of other jobs such as cameos on TV and voice overs for video games. Like his character in Dracula, he lived up to a hell raising lifestyle and found himself in many scrapes with various drinking buddies in LA. He also professed an interest in music, colloborating with David Bowie, Guns 'N' Roses, and Jack White (The White Stripes), amongst others. Oldman sang several tracks on the Sid and Nancy soundtrack, on which he performed alongside original Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock.
Anthony Bourdain
Anthony Bourdain (25 June 1956 - 8 June 2018)
The original Rock and Roller of the culinary world, Mr Bourdain certainly took us on an adventure in the culinary underbelly. His maverick style and genuine talent for human interaction gave us a fantastic view of culture through cuisine, in print and on screen. Barak Obama's quote after Mr Bourdain's untimely death is a poignant reminder of the person we miss :
"He taught us about food but most importantly, about it's ability to bring us together, to make us a little less afraid of the unknown"
David Hemmings
David Hemmings (18 November 1941-3 December 2003) was an actor who made his first film debut in 1954 starring in The Rainbow Jacket. It was this, and his singing voice that led him to become very popular. This success came at the same time as the youth culture emerging in the 1950’s, meaning that Hemmings was also admired for his looks and style. This led him to starring in many films and pop videos, before moving behind the camera and directing films from 1972. Hemmings was most well known for his part in Blow Up in 1966, which led him to take on board the attitudes of the swinging-sixties scene portrayed in the film, becoming known for his partying antics.
Michael Hutchence
Hutchence (22 January 1960-22 November 1997) was born in Australia and is well known for being the voice of the band INXS. After gigging around their home country, the band soon became an international success, with Hutchence being the front man. Although music journalists praised him, Hutchence became well known for his hell raising ways and partying lifestyle. He became addicted drugs and alcohol as well as women. Apart from embarking on minor acting roles, Hutchence always stayed true to INXS. In 1997, just four days before starting INXS Australian tour, Hutchence sadly died in bizarre circumstances which to this day still cause speculation whether it was suicide or a bizarre sex game that ended in tragedy.
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (19 January 1809-7 October 1849) was a poet and author who had a special interest in horror and detective stories. Poe spent his life between his home town of Massachusetts in America and England. His poem The Raven shot him to fame in 1845, which gained him international popularity. Throughout his whole career, Poe suffered with depression and other various mental illnesses, despite this however; he still remained very popular for his books and poems, which became increasingly dark in nature. Some of Poe’s most famous work is The fall of the house of Usher and Masque of the red death. These short stories highlighted major events which cause pain and guilt to others and the personalities which change people. Due to his fascination with doom and gloom, Poe became a man who used to cause trouble too, travelling all over the world and not being stable and settled.
Terence Stamp
Stamp (born 22 July 1939) is well known for his very successful acting career. He was an icon of the late 1960s, due to his acting abilities and string of famous girlfriends. During the 60’s, Stamp shared a flat with Michael Caine which led to many legendary parties and outrageous behaviour. Stamp received extensive media coverage of his romances in the 1960s with film star Julie Christie and supermodel Jean Shrimpton. He and Shrimpton were one of the most-photographed couples of Mod London. This success, and breakup from Shrimpton, led Stamp to go on a 10 year sabbatical to India. After his return from this, Stamp played many minor roles in films, but one of his most popular was playing a transsexual in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 1994. Stamp's brother Chris became a rock music impresario credited with helping to bring The Who to prominence during the 1960s.
Jim Morrison
Morrison (8 December 1943-3 July 1971) had many talents, and made it successfully in singing, song writing and film making. He was also an established poet. These many talents made him very popular, but his career as being the front man in the rock band The Doors gave him his greatest success. He was an inspiration for many people, especially rock bands of the next generation, due to his ability to always deliver an outstanding performance, however; Morrison lived up to the rock star lifestyle, having a very bad temper, and once even smashing up the bands studio space in a drunken temper. He was also arrested for exposing himself at his Miami gig in an extremely ‘refreshed’ state of mind.
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley (12 October 1875- 1 December 1947) was a magician. He was also very interested in Witchcraft. He lived at a time when these topics were very misunderstood. Crowley had always been different to his fellow members of society. When he met his first wife Rose Edith Kelly, she too became fascinated in Witchcraft. Together they would indulge in sexual magic as well as drug and alcohol abuse. Whilst travelling around Europe, Crowley also picked up a heroin addiction which he had for the rest of his life. As magic and Witchcraft became more popular, so did Crowley, who would often show off his black magic skills to the public.
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Bauhaus
Bauhaus were formed in 1978 in Northampton, with Daniel Ash, Kevin Haskin, David J and Pete Murphy as front man. Their debut single ‘Bela Lugosi’s dead’ was over 9 minutes long. It featured in the opening credits of ‘The Hunger,’ which starred David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve. (Bowie being one of the band’s major influences.) Their music was dark and decadent, making Bauhaus one of the establishing bands of the gothic movement, and giving Murphy the title of ‘Godfather of Goth’ which to this day, he vehemently denies.
Bryan Ferry
Born in 1945, Ferry is the founding member and front man for the band Roxy Music. Fashion has always been a major factor in Ferry’s life and his main collaboration with Antony Price created the band’s iconic images. He has dated a string of models, including Amanda Lear, Jerry Hall and Lucy Helmore, who he then married. All of these women were photographed for the cover of the album that was being released at the time they were seeing Ferry. It was reported that after Hall had difficulty removing the blue paint she had worn for the cover of ‘Siren,’ Ferry asked her back to his place to ‘help her remove the paint.’ After his divorce from Helmore, who had previously helped him kick his cocaine habit, he dated another string of inappropriate women, including Katie Turner who was 35 years his junior, Lady Emily Compton and the Amanda Sheppard, ex-girlfriend of one of his sons!
David Sylvian
Born in 1958, he was the front man to the band Japan, a band that was dubbed with the label of New Romantic, a label that the band hated. In the early days, they made two albums, ‘Adolescent Sex’ and ‘Obscure Alternatives,’ both of which were infamous for their raucous guitars and controversial lyrics. Sylvian now refers to these albums as mistakes. Japan had many clashes, the tensions predominantly caused by Sylvian’s relationship with Yuka Fujii, the former girlfriend of fellow band member Mick Karn, before she left him for Sylvian. Fujii introduced Sylvian to Jazz music, which heavily influenced his solo career after Japan. When speaking of the ‘New Romantics’ Sylvian once stated,
“I don’t like to be associated with them. Their attitudes are so very different. For them, fancy dress is a costume, but ours is a way of life. We look and dress this way every day.”
Arthur Lee & Love
Arthur Lee (March 7th 1945 to August 3rd 2006) was the front man, songwriter and instrumentalist for the 1960s rock band Love. The band made their early appearances at Hollywood Clubs before being signed. After a few drug and assault charges in the 1980s, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for possession of a firearm. During his time in prison, band The Make-Up released a song called ‘Free Arthur Lee.’ He was released after 5 and a half years when it emerged that Lee’s prosecutor was guilty of misconduct. Early in his career he sang ‘My little red book’ famously danced to by Peter O’Toole’s film ‘What’s New Pussycat?’ He has been cited as a major influence for modern bands such as The Dears and MGMT.
Phil Lynott
Phil Lynott (20th August 1949 to 4th January 1986) Founding member of the Irish band Thin Lizzy, who rose to success with the singles ‘Whiskey in the Jar, their first top 10 hit in 1973 and ‘The boys are back in town.’ In 1980 he embarked on a solo career and his song ‘Yellow Pearl’ became the theme tune to Top of the Pops. Pressures from his career and personal problems lead to drug and alcohol addictions. Following his death in 1986, a bronze statue of Lynott was erected in Harry Street, Dublin, a ceremony attended by many including his former band members, who performed live in his memory. According to the BBC “He always led a flamboyant rock and roll lifestyle.”
Ziggy Stardust
David Bowie, born David Robert Jones on 8th January 1947, has been a major figure in popular music for over 4 decades. In 1972 he emerged into the Glam Rock era with the flamboyant alter-ego Ziggy Stardust, a character that helped him achieve hits with the single ‘Starman’ and the album ‘The rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.’ Although Ziggy Stardust was a fairly short lived persona, he proved that Bowie is a master of reinvention. Sadly David Bowie passed away on the 10th January 2016, two days after the release of his last album, Blackstar.
Dexter Morgan
Dexter is the titular protoganist of the Showtime series Dexter, played by Michael C. Hall. He works as a forensic blood spatter analyst for the fictitious Miami-Metro Police Department. In his spare time, he is a vigilante serial killer who targets other murderers who have evaded the justice system. He follows a code of ethics taught to him in childhood by his adoptive father, Harry (which he refers to as "The Code" or "The Code of Harry").
Bela Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó (20 October 1882 – 16 August 1956), better known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian-American actor, famous for portraying Count Dracula in the original 1931 film and for his roles in various other horror films. Lugosi's Dracula was unlike any previous portrayals of the role. Handsome and mysterious, Lugosi's Dracula was at once so alluring and so dreadful that audiences gasped when he first opened his mouth to speak. The film, Dracula, was a considerable hit and forever immortalized Lugosi's portrayal of Dracula. Although countless actors have played Dracula since, to this date vampire enthusiasts idolize Lugosi as synonymous with the character—not least because the actor was actually born in Transylvania. Lugosi's body of work established him as a star of the horror genre, with Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre as his only real rivals in Hollywood. In the 1940s, when he worked as Dracula, he spoke as much about his personal tradition as about his character when he uttered the immortal phrase "I am Dracula".
James Moriarty
"He is the Napoleon of crime.. He is the organiser of half that is evil and of nearly all that is undetected in this great city. He is a genius, a philosopher, an abstract thinker. He has a brain of the first order." (Arthur Conan Doyle).
Professor James Moriarty was a criminal mastermind immortalised in the works of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. Doyle lifted the phrase from a Scotland Yard inspector who was referring to Adam Worth, a real-life criminal mastermind and one of the individuals upon whom the character of Moriarty was based. In later portrayals he is often represented as Sherlock's archenemy and has been portrayed by several actors in screen adaptations.
Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed (13 February 1938 – 2 May 1999) will be better remembered for his off-screen antics than for his work as an actor. Before the movies beckoned, he started his career in the 1960's with the role of Richard of Gloucester (better known as the corrupt Richard III) in the BBC production. He found greater fame however as a hard-drinking hell-raiser. His final role was the elderly slave dealer Proximo in Gladiator (2000), in which he played alongside Richard Harris, an actor whom Reed admired greatly both on and off the screen.
Porco Rosso
An Italian WWI veteran and bounty hunter created and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, spends his time chasing "air pirates" over the Adriatic Sea whilst still finding the time for whiskey and cigars! We definitely do "dig the pig!"
Adam Ant
Adam Ant (born November 3rd 1954) - the king of the wild frontier and frontman of the English New Wave band Adam and the Ants. Founded in May 1977, the band achieved considerable cult popularity during the transition from the punk rock era to post-punk and new wave. In November 1981, Adam & the Ants released another highly successful album, Prince Charming. The album featured two United Kingdom No. 1 singles – "Stand and Deliver" and the title track "Prince Charming" – as well as the No. 3 UK hit "Ant Rap". This trio of singles were promoted by some of the most lavish music videos of the period. They were also noted for their high camp and overtly sexualised stage performances and songs. Stand and deliver!
Michael Caine
Born in 1933, Michael Caine is well known for his distinctive working class cockney accent. He is now regarded as a British film icon, after appearing in over one hundred films. After moving to London to start his career as an actor, he was speaking to his agent from a telephone box in Leicester Square, and was asked to adopt a stage name. Whilst looking around for inspiration, he noted that The Caine Mutiny was being shown at the Odeon Cinema in 1954, and decided to change his name to "Michael Caine" after always regarding Humphrey Bogart as one of his idols.
George Harrison
(25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", George Harrison was an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and music and film producer who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. He was known for introducing Indian music and folk rock into the Beatles' sound and for his embracement of Hindu mythology. After the band's break-up in 1970, Harrison released the triple album All Things Must Pass, a critically acclaimed work that produced his most successful hit single, "My Sweet Lord", and introduced his signature sound as a solo artist, the slide guitar.
Dave Vanian and the Damned
After seeing the 'The Damned' many times, their style and energy is a continuing inspiration and their live experience is second to none. Mr. Vanian is the original dandy punk whose aesthetic we admire and share. Known for being one of the founders of punk with their first live performance on the same bill as the Sex Pistols in July 1976., this pivotal gig went on to establish one of the great youth cultures. They have then gone onto to encompass many different genres of British music, whether it be rockabilly, gothic rock, new wave, and to a certain extent, dark cabaret. Over the last forty years The Damned have contributed much to British culture - they are without doubt one of our country's most influential alternative band.
Prince Rogers Nelson
(June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016) The funkiest rocking new wave psychedelic artist - his royal purpleness reigned supreme from 79 through to the mid 90s. What more can we say? Probably one of the most talented musicians of all time.
Sly Stone
(March 15th 1943) Not only one of the founding fathers of funk but also the flyest, most flamboyant frontman who influenced not only Prince but also many British indie/rock bands, like Primal Scream, Franz Ferdinand, Happy Mondays, etc. The lyrics are very much about inclusion, tolerance and love.
George Clinton
The king of psychedelic funk. His bands Parliament and Funkadelic were uniquely innovative in their music style and live shows. His music was a great influence on the Britpop scene of the 90s and can still be found with the likes of Mike Ronson, Bruno Mars, etc.
George Melly
(17th August 1926 - 5th July 2007). Proud scouser, George Melly, was a leading expert on surrealist art which was apparent throughout his life, whether it was his music, dress sense or character. His notorious booze-filled live shows included him standing on his head reciting new poetry and jokes. A true British maverick!
Keith Floyd
Keith Floyd 28th Dec 1943 – 14th September 2009
Legendary Flamboyant chef and Bon Viveur , his style was completely natural and un-scripted often chaotic and hilarious. Roguishly charming he changed the male perception of food and inspired men across the globe to start cooking at home, always with a “Quick Slurp” to hand!
‘Walking on the beaches looking at the peaches’