Mark Ryan (The Kid)
Encyclopedia
Mark Ryan was an English guitarist who played in different punk bands during the late 1970s.
He was born in Tottenham
, London
, to an Irish Catholic family. His father was a university lecturer and his mother was a nurse and midwife. Ryan left school at sixteen, working in factories and dedicating to music.
In 1977, after being in a number of experimental punk bands, he joined Adam and the Ants
, replacing Lester Square
(who was later to form The Monochrome Set
), to complete the line-up who debuted live at the ICA restaurant in May, recording Plastic Surgery and a number of demos with the band. After appearing with the band in the Derek Jarman
movie Jubilee (1977 film)
(released July 5, 1977) Ryan was fired in October 1977. Subsequently, he joined The Photons, and was involved with The Moors Murderers
. The vocalist in both bands was Steve Strange
, who later became the singer for Visage
. He also was in King, alongside The Damned
's Captain Sensible
.
From 1985-89, Ryan attended the experimental Dartington College of Arts
, earning a Bachelors degree in music in 1989. He turned his interest in performance to the theatre and began a successful career as a writer for the stage based in Cardiff, Wales. He is the author of The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde As Told To Carl Jung By An Inmate Of Broadmoor Asylum, first produced in 1998.
, Wales
for many years until his death there on 31 January 2011, aged 51. Ryan had suffered from ill-health, and succumbed to complications caused by liver damage.
He was born in Tottenham
Tottenham
Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, to an Irish Catholic family. His father was a university lecturer and his mother was a nurse and midwife. Ryan left school at sixteen, working in factories and dedicating to music.
In 1977, after being in a number of experimental punk bands, he joined Adam and the Ants
Adam and the Ants
Adam and the Ants were a British rock band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The original group, which existed from 1977 to 1980, became notable as a cult band marking the transition from the late-1970s punk rock era to the post-punk and New Wave era...
, replacing Lester Square
Lester Square
Lester Square is the lead guitarist for The Monochrome Set. He also sings backing vocals, designed some of the band's record sleeves, and co-wrote much of their music...
(who was later to form The Monochrome Set
The Monochrome Set
The Monochrome Set are an English post-punk band originally formed in 1978 from the remnants of a college group called The B-Sides...
), to complete the line-up who debuted live at the ICA restaurant in May, recording Plastic Surgery and a number of demos with the band. After appearing with the band in the Derek Jarman
Derek Jarman
Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman was an English film director, stage designer, diarist, artist, gardener and author.-Life:...
movie Jubilee (1977 film)
Jubilee (1977 film)
Jubilee is a 1977 cult film directed by Derek Jarman. It stars Jenny Runacre, Ian Charleson, and a host of punk rockers. The title refers to the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 1977.-Plot:...
(released July 5, 1977) Ryan was fired in October 1977. Subsequently, he joined The Photons, and was involved with The Moors Murderers
The Moors Murderers
The Moors Murderers were a short-lived punk band who caused controversy by naming themselves after The Moors Murders. The band was founded in 1977 by Steve Strange , later to be in Visage, and comprised Chrissie Hynde , later in The Pretenders, Tex , Topper Headon , who was then borrowed from The...
. The vocalist in both bands was Steve Strange
Steve Strange
Steve Strange , is a Welsh pop singer, best known as the lead singer and frontman of the 1980s pop group Visage...
, who later became the singer for Visage
Visage
Visage are a British New Wave rock band. Formed in 1978, the band became closely linked to the burgeoning New Romantic fashion movement of the early 1980s, and are best known for their 1980 hit "Fade to Grey".-New Wave years :...
. He also was in King, alongside The Damned
The Damned
The Damned are an English gothic punk band formed in London in 1976. They were the first punk rock band from the United Kingdom to release a single , an album , to have a record on the UK music charts, and to tour the United States...
's Captain Sensible
Captain Sensible
Captain Sensible is a singer, songwriter, guitarist who grew up in Croydon, England, and co-founded the punk rock band The Damned in 1976. After leaving the band, he reinvented himself as an alternative pop singer with a rebellious, self-conscious image...
.
From 1985-89, Ryan attended the experimental Dartington College of Arts
Dartington College of Arts
Dartington College of Arts was a specialist arts institution near Totnes, Devon, South West England, it specialized in post-dramatic theatre, music, choreography, Performance Writing and visual performance, focusing on a performative and multi-disciplinary approach to the arts. In addition to this,...
, earning a Bachelors degree in music in 1989. He turned his interest in performance to the theatre and began a successful career as a writer for the stage based in Cardiff, Wales. He is the author of The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde As Told To Carl Jung By An Inmate Of Broadmoor Asylum, first produced in 1998.
Death
Ryan lived in Heath, CardiffHeath, Cardiff
Heath is a community in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales, originally called the Great Heath and named as a result of the large park and woodland that it once contained. It should be distinguished from the Little Heath which lies to the south of the Great Heath, in the vicinity of Crwys Road...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
for many years until his death there on 31 January 2011, aged 51. Ryan had suffered from ill-health, and succumbed to complications caused by liver damage.
External links
- Punk77: Mark Ryan aka The Kid Interview about The Moors Murderers