My friend Andy ‘Thunderclap’ Newman passed away suddenly, last week.
For days, I could not comprehend it, for he was such a fixture in my life. He has left a gaping hole not just in my life but also in the lives of his many friends and relatives.
I have known Andy for over 30 years and he truly was “a gentleman and a scholar”.
He was gentleman, because he behaved like one, he was always measured and polite. In all the years that I have known him and worked with him, I have never once seen him angry, never heard him shout. He was also a most generous person who would give up his time to help someone in need, something I have witnessed on many occasions. He certainly helped me out and gave me support when I needed it.
He was a scholar because I have never met anyone with such a wide general knowledge. Long before the arrival of the Internet/www, I could ask him about any given topic and he’d be telling me about it at great length. He was a born storyteller, a raconteur, and every time I met him, he had an anecdote up his sleeve, some hilarious, others interesting. How I first met Andy is an anecdote in itself, which I will recount later.
Having met him and realised that he was the keyboard player in Thunderclap Newman, I always hoped that I could work with him one day.
It took many years of persuading and a lot of Hungarian goulash at my place – for Andy appreciated good food – before he finally relented and agreed to give the Thunderclap Newman Band a try. He was wary and cautious of the music business but once he realised that the musicians around him were genuine, he was completely behind the project. Andy had a lovely, soothing speaking voice and, in my opinion, he also had a great singing voice but my impression was that he didn’t like to sing in public, which was a shame.
Unfortunately, the Thunderclap Newman Band project didn’t work out but each of the band members, of that I am sure, know how lucky they were to have been given the chance to work with such a consummate musician. We all learnt a great deal from him. He never lectured us, he merely pointed out how a certain passage should be played, a certain phrase ought to be sung and all the while he was patient with us.
I am sad that things didn’t work out with the band that he joined after he left the Thunderclap Newman Band. Only one member of our band at that time was a pro musician and Andy hoped that the new band consisting of professionals would bring him well-deserved success but it was not to be.
Just before he passed away, Andy and I were working on one of my songs with the aim to record it in the studio in a couple of months.
Rest in Peace, Andy!
P.S. If you have any stories or anecdotes regarding Andy which you would be happy to share, please send them to me and I can post them on my blog.
Celebrating Andy ‘Thunderclap’ Newman’s 67th birthday with friend Ted (on the left) at my house. I made Andy a cake and we had some Tokaj wine.
Please share
Back in 1986, I was managing a band called Cuddly Toys, and we had recently hooked-up with Angie Bowie who had heard of them due to their indie chart hit of the unreleased Bowie/Bolan composition ‘Madman.’
One Sunday morning, after a particularly riotous party, Angie suggested that we clear our heads with a liesurely stroll.
She was living in Clapham at the time, and we ventured out and took the poluted air.
As we passed Battersea Power Station, I was vaguely aware of a large, and slightly dishevelled-looking character in a green cap and long coat walking towards us. I was more startled when Angie suddenly yelled in her best broad American accident; “Hey, Thunder!!”
He stopped, pleased to see her, and they chatted for a while. He said that he had just finished his shift on the railway. He walked with us for a while and then left us to make his way home.
As we walked back to her flat, I asked Angie why she had called the man Thunder. She looked at me quite incredulously and said; “Because he’s Thunderclap Newman!”
Over the next couple of years I met him many times at Angie’s and had many happy conversations with him. He was the most fascinating man to listen to. He had a vast intellect and incredible general knowledge which he never used to impress, but merely to entertain.
Andy was usually accompanied by a very small grey dog, somewhat reminiscent of a large woodlouse, whom he doted upon.
I remember with huge fondness one occasion when Thunder attended one of our concerts at a venue called ‘The Flag’ in Wembley. After busying myself backstage, I came round to the bar to find Andy seated at a table, surrounded by a large group of people who were obviously completely transfixed by some annecdote that he was sharing with them. Intrigued. I sat down to listen-in. He was talking to them on the intricasies of income tax!
That man remains to this day, one of my favourite ever people.
Hello Iain,
Sorry for the late reply, I have been very busy in the recording studio. Thank you for your very interesting and entertaining article.
I was, however, not aware that Andy ever worked on the railways. After he left Thunderclap Newman, he trained as an electrician and I think
that he met Angie Bowie whilst re-wiring her house/flat – I could be wrong and you might know more than me, as to how he met Angie.
I have finished my EP ‘Love’ (to be released later this year, in October) and on the 1st track “Root Tonite” he is playing the piano. It’s a song I wrote in the late 90s and in 1999 Andy came round to my flat in London and we recorded the piano part to which I added guitars, drums, bass etc.
Very sorry that he is not around to hear it. You are spot on when you say he had a vast knowledge – he was Wikipedia before it was invented!
With your permission, I will post your article on my website’s blog, especially since we’re coming up to the 4th anniversary of his death.
Regards,
István
Hi Iain, sorry it took so long for me to reply but for the last 2 years I was bogged down with making my album which came out about 8 weeks ago.
Thank you for sending in and sharing your story with me/us, it’s much appreciated. I say ‘us’ because if you agree I’d like to share your story with all the Thunderclap Newman fans.
By the way, an American writer is about to finish a book on Thunderclap Newman, I think it will be published in 2024. I’ll keep you in the loop, if you are interested! Thanks again and
if you have more stories just drop me a line. By the way, I looked at the Cuddly Toys Facebook page. Looks interesting.Are you still involved in the music business? Best regards, István