Neil Buchanan: The man who singlehandedly turned a whole generation of kids onto art spoke exclusively to Joshua Saunders about being a ‘failed rockstar’, spiteful rumours about his ‘death’, Art Attack and his new exhibition Hope Street.
The moderately decorated Westover Gallery boasts Neil at the centre of the floor, his smartly dark suit and trimmed appearance hardly reflects that the childhood hero for many, myself included, has recently turned the big five zero.
But it wasn’t just that Neil took centre stage, since burst onto our screens on No 73 in 1983, he has always been a charismatic character. Most famous for children’s television show Art Attack he encouraged a generation of indoor-dwelling youngsters to nurture their creative side by creating models and gifts with papier-mâché and PVA glue. The show ran from 1990 for 17 years where it was sold on to Disney Junior.
“The loyalty towards Art Attack has been phenomenal and it has been great to meet the people who have made me who I am today,” he said.
Back from ‘the dead’ with his new display of art work the Liverpudlian presenter spoke exclusively to the Bournemouth Echo about his life since taking a short hiatus in the shade.
“Hope Street is not a place, it’s a state of mind,” he explains. The 12 limited edition prints are a collection of two faceless children living the joys of a ‘simpler time’.
“I want the viewer to see people in their own head, not the ones I’ve painted. The most important bit is the stories my work evokes.”
The BAFTA winner, from Aintree in Merseyside, remembered earlier exhibitions where he saw several people in ‘floods of tears as the happy memories’ of their past were brought back to life.
“I’ve taken a trip through my nostalgic childhood to a time when there was more hope and I felt kids lived on Hope Street it was a state of mind.
“Sadly I think a lot of kids now live on that street. Kids now feel a lot of stress from the real grown-up world.”
The launch back into the limelight comes four years after a vicious Facebook rumour that Neil had died spread throughout cyberspace.
“I can look back and laugh now,” he admits, but the lies were taken seriously back in March 2008.
“I got back from the end of my holiday and there were 69,000 messages of condolence on my various mails.”
Each year Neil and his family would travel to a remote cottage in the Welsh mountains, ‘away from television, mobiles and out of communication.’ At the time that the rumour flourished they were on holiday and his mother who, at the time, was in her mid-seventies, believed her son had died and had no way of verifying what was the truth.
“There a lot of crackpots on Facebook who do that sort of thing.”
“There were 69,000 messages, but I want to know where the rest of them were – Art Attack had over 6 million viewers every week, where were they?” he jests.
One of the former TV star’s greatest achievements was resurrecting his band Marseille after being ‘cheated out of the business’ 20 years previously.
The band originally formed in Liverpool under the name AC/DC, before they exploded onto the rock scene in 1976 rising to fame as the winners of the first ever UK ‘Battle of the Bands’ competition, that was judged by Brian May and Roger Taylor from Queen.
Marseille toured alongside the likes of Judas Priest, Nazareth and Whitesnake travelling across Europe and the United States of America before their unexpected demise.
Since returning the band has performed at the Cambridge Rock Festival amongst a few earlier sets this year: “I thought we’d get bottled off and people would go ‘what a bunch of idiots’ but it’s been absolutely positive.”
The guitarist admits age is catching up with them: “It used to be ‘what shall we drink tonight lads’, but it’s all about drugs nowadays, we are all on drugs… albeit Anadins, sleeping pills and various medicines to be expected of middle aged men though.”
The band that Neil initially launched during his young adulthood admits: “We are growing old disgracefully and we are happy doing it.”
“I’ve got some great stories to tell my grandchildren one day, they either won’t believe me or will tell my kids and they’ll say ‘oh don’t believe granddad he’s senile’ ”.
‘I’m not going to tell you a tale of debauched rock n roll,’ he reflects, ‘but I will tell you about reality.’
“We lived the high life jetting around on private jets, riding around in stretched limousines and performing to crowds of between 20 and 30,000 people.”
But their initial break on the music circuit was cut short not long after the record company went bankrupt and Marseille engaged in a two-year court battle with them.
“One week I was sunning myself on a beach in Los Angeles, two weeks later I was back in Liverpool on the dole. And I remained there for years it was a real lesson,” the three years of them being rock-stars was over.
The band now comprises of Neil (guitarist), Andy Charters (guitar), Nige Roberts (vocals) and Ace Finchum (drums) - their newly released ‘Unfinished Business’ album.
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| Not until Neil had finished his paintings, did he realise that Hope Street DID EXIST. And in fact it was the street his primary school was situated on. |
“Music runs through my veins, but I enjoy art it takes me away from seriousness.
“I used to draw with my dad a lot, when I was about eight or nine, and the piece of paper would take me to places I couldn’t normally visit. It still does.”
“From my memories of childhood there was a lot of harmony, a lot of peace, a lot of simple things going on and that’s what I’ve painted.”
Hope Street will be open to the public throughout December at the Westover Gallery, for more information visit www.westovergallery.co.uk or call 01202 297 682.
(C) Copyright Neil Buchanan 2011
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