Shaun Lawton
Encyclopedia
Shaun Lawton an English
playwright, poet, actor and singer/songwriter born in the iron-ore mining village of New Marske
in North Yorkshire
.
His college football team was coached by Brian Clough
and he was impressive enough to be offered a tryout for Middlesbrough Juniors
as goalkeeper. He didn't take up the offer and because his parents were unable to finance his further education which meant he had to leave college prematurely, he instead took up a job in the petrochemical industry at Wilton ICI where he stayed for the next eleven years.
During this period, particularly the long night shifts, he began to write poetry and short stories. He also made several attempts at running the notorious Lyke Wake Walk - 41 miles across the hostile terrain of the North York Moors, finally getting his time down to an acceptable 8 1/2 hours. The long miles across barren moor helped to stimulate his fantasy. He was also responsible for starting a flying saucer scare, arousing a lot of interest. He then assumed the role of amateur astronomer and contacted the local press, expounding his theories on the possibility of life on other planets. Suitably convinced they printed his explanations in the evening editions.
). It was while he was there that he began writing song lyrics as well as poetry but it was his single-handed construction of an oversized model of one-and-a-half turns of the DNA helix out of pieces of plastic for an Open-Day exhibition that caused the most comment and lined him up as a research assistant. From 1971 on he began performing his poetry spontaneously at folk clubs, bars and colleges, sometimes warming up audiences for star performers such as Noel Murphy of the Dubliners. He occasionally "gigged" with fellow poets Pete Brown and Liverpool Poet Brian Patton. Even then he resisted suggestions he get his poetry published, maintaining that he only wrote for his own performances and not to be read. It was the performance and not the reading that for him took the poetry off the page and brought it to life. But, in 1973, at the behest of local talent scout Andy Gould who at the time worked for Radio Luxembourg, he wrote an English lyric for a French song which went on to win the Eurovision Song Contest for Luxembourg! He wasn't expecting it as it was intended to be a joke but the song Wonderful Dream, sung by Anne-Marie David, which for him didn't match up to his other lyrics, entered the UK charts and enabled him to leave his steady employment for good and become part of the underground music scene as a rock-poet. Embarrassed at the song's success he changed his name to Gabe Rainbow in time for the US release - it got a "rave" review in Billboard. So, to distance himself even further he went through several name changes, including Abbey Swine and Arfur Sparkle. In 1973, together with rock musicians Steve Waller
, Dave Clague, Tom Compton and Matt Irving
he turned a desolate pub, The Two Brewers at Clapham North, into one of the hottest rock pubs south of the river. Many "names" came along for a "blow". It was a hang-out for Rory Gallagher
and Kevin Coyne
while Lawton provided the comedy and over-the-top rock 'n' roll, exploiting the flaws in his singing to the full.
His first complete One-Man-Show of performance poetry was set up for him by Kevin Coyne
in May 1975 at the Oval House Theatre, Kennington Oval in south London. It was better attended than anticipated and extra seats had to be put in. A Royal Court Theatre director who attended the show suggested a career in acting which eventually led Lawton to enrol in a course in drama at East 15
. He followed this by joining Peter Gill
's 1977 production of "The Cherry Orchard
" at London's Riverside Studios
.
In 1976, after three years in the writing, he completed his semi-autobiographical play for the stage: Desperado Corner
.
Ned Chaillet
wrote in The Times
on 17th Jan 1981:
On Jan 19th. 1981 Cordelia Oliver wrote in The Guardian
: "
And Trevor Griffiths writing in The Scotsman
on 19th Jan 1981 summed up:
where, after six months at Peter Stein's Schaubühne Theater with Robert Wilson
, he decided to stay.
During the 1980s he not only appeared in a number of English language theatre productions in West Berlin, he also kept up his music performances with local Berlin musicians as well as his UK friends. As anti-glitter rocker "Arfur Sparkle" or "Shaun Lawton & The Flying Pigs" they toured around Berlin, Hamburg and wine festivals on the Mosel. In November 1989 they played the "Quasimodo Jazz Keller" as the Berlin Wall was falling down. Time in another fit of stage presence.
Currently he is on tour as the magician Merlin in the Purcell and Dryden semi-opera, King Arthur, with the Berlin based Lautten Compagney. The tour takes in historical baroque theatres in Germany, such as the Markgräfliches Theater in Bayreuth as well as the Theatre Royal in Bury St. Edmunds.
In 2008 he sang for Rita Kantimir-Thomä after the International Women's Day Awards in Berlin at which she received the 'Woman of the Year Award' for her continued commitment to protecting refugees.
He continues to write poetry and songs and acts in theatre, television and films (in English as well as German) including the upcoming film John Rabe
, alongside Ulrich Tukur
, Steve Buscemi
, Daniel Brühl
, Anne Consigny
, Dagmar Manzel
and Gottfried John
. He is also a busy voice artist.
He is together with trauma specialist Sibylle Rothkegel who set up treatment centres for torture and war victims in the Balkans in the 1990’s. She holds a post at the International Academy (INA) at the Free University of Berlin, and she evaluates UNHCR projects on Gender Specific Violence (GSV) in refugee camps in Africa and South America. She champions the fight against the practice of female genital mutilation.
In 1998 she was awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz
- the highest civilian order in Germany. In 2009 she also received the Berlin Frauenpreis - Woman Of The Year Award for her work with traumatised women and children.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
playwright, poet, actor and singer/songwriter born in the iron-ore mining village of New Marske
New Marske
New Marske is a village in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England, in the region of North East England...
in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
.
Early days
In 1944 his mother took him and his sick baby sister down to friends in Brighton. On the way they were caught in V1 and V2 raids in London, which was being evacuated, and had to take shelter. When the war was over they returned home to the north. From age 10 one of his chores was to gather seacoal from the beach with his father during the hard winter months. This was a fine black coal-grit dumped on the beach by the turning tide. This generally meant very early mornings in the dark as the tide was going out, often in blizzards and bitter north-easters, before others got there first and took it all away to sell on the streets.His college football team was coached by Brian Clough
Brian Clough
Brian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be...
and he was impressive enough to be offered a tryout for Middlesbrough Juniors
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
as goalkeeper. He didn't take up the offer and because his parents were unable to finance his further education which meant he had to leave college prematurely, he instead took up a job in the petrochemical industry at Wilton ICI where he stayed for the next eleven years.
During this period, particularly the long night shifts, he began to write poetry and short stories. He also made several attempts at running the notorious Lyke Wake Walk - 41 miles across the hostile terrain of the North York Moors, finally getting his time down to an acceptable 8 1/2 hours. The long miles across barren moor helped to stimulate his fantasy. He was also responsible for starting a flying saucer scare, arousing a lot of interest. He then assumed the role of amateur astronomer and contacted the local press, expounding his theories on the possibility of life on other planets. Suitably convinced they printed his explanations in the evening editions.
New Beginnings
In 1970 he moved to London and took a job as a laboratory technician at the Polytechnic of Central London (now University of WestminsterUniversity of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Its origins go back to the foundation of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in 1838, and it was awarded university status in 1992.The university's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent...
). It was while he was there that he began writing song lyrics as well as poetry but it was his single-handed construction of an oversized model of one-and-a-half turns of the DNA helix out of pieces of plastic for an Open-Day exhibition that caused the most comment and lined him up as a research assistant. From 1971 on he began performing his poetry spontaneously at folk clubs, bars and colleges, sometimes warming up audiences for star performers such as Noel Murphy of the Dubliners. He occasionally "gigged" with fellow poets Pete Brown and Liverpool Poet Brian Patton. Even then he resisted suggestions he get his poetry published, maintaining that he only wrote for his own performances and not to be read. It was the performance and not the reading that for him took the poetry off the page and brought it to life. But, in 1973, at the behest of local talent scout Andy Gould who at the time worked for Radio Luxembourg, he wrote an English lyric for a French song which went on to win the Eurovision Song Contest for Luxembourg! He wasn't expecting it as it was intended to be a joke but the song Wonderful Dream, sung by Anne-Marie David, which for him didn't match up to his other lyrics, entered the UK charts and enabled him to leave his steady employment for good and become part of the underground music scene as a rock-poet. Embarrassed at the song's success he changed his name to Gabe Rainbow in time for the US release - it got a "rave" review in Billboard. So, to distance himself even further he went through several name changes, including Abbey Swine and Arfur Sparkle. In 1973, together with rock musicians Steve Waller
Steve Waller
Steven Charles Waller was best known as the lead guitar player and a vocalist for Manfred Mann's Earth Band between 1979 and 1983...
, Dave Clague, Tom Compton and Matt Irving
Matt Irving
Matt Irving is a musician perhaps best known as the bass guitar player for Manfred Mann's Earth Band between 1981 and 1986. He featured on the albums Somewhere in Afrika and Budapest Live...
he turned a desolate pub, The Two Brewers at Clapham North, into one of the hottest rock pubs south of the river. Many "names" came along for a "blow". It was a hang-out for Rory Gallagher
Rory Gallagher
William Rory Gallagher, ; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995, was an Irish blues-rock multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and bandleader. Born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Ireland, and raised in Cork, Gallagher recorded solo albums throughout the 1970s and 1980s, after forming the band Taste...
and Kevin Coyne
Kevin Coyne
Kevin Coyne was a musician, singer, composer, film-maker, and a writer of lyrics, stories and poems. The former "anti-star" was born on 27 January 1944 in Derby, UK, and died in his adopted home of Nuremberg, Germany, on 2 December 2004....
while Lawton provided the comedy and over-the-top rock 'n' roll, exploiting the flaws in his singing to the full.
His first complete One-Man-Show of performance poetry was set up for him by Kevin Coyne
Kevin Coyne
Kevin Coyne was a musician, singer, composer, film-maker, and a writer of lyrics, stories and poems. The former "anti-star" was born on 27 January 1944 in Derby, UK, and died in his adopted home of Nuremberg, Germany, on 2 December 2004....
in May 1975 at the Oval House Theatre, Kennington Oval in south London. It was better attended than anticipated and extra seats had to be put in. A Royal Court Theatre director who attended the show suggested a career in acting which eventually led Lawton to enrol in a course in drama at East 15
East 15 Acting School
East 15 is a British drama school in Debden, Loughton, Essex. At the main campus, Loughton, it occupies an 18th century mansion, Hatfields, and has its own theatre, the Corbett, which is adjacent. The Corbett Theatre is an adaptation of a 15th-century barn...
. He followed this by joining Peter Gill
Peter Gill (playwright)
Peter Gill, theatre director, playwright and former actor, was born in Cardiff, Wales, on 7 September 1939, son of George John Gill and his wife Margaret Mary .He was educated at St Illtyd's College, Cardiff.-Career:...
's 1977 production of "The Cherry Orchard
The Cherry Orchard
The Cherry Orchard is Russian playwright Anton Chekhov's last play. It premiered at the Moscow Art Theatre 17 January 1904 in a production directed by Constantin Stanislavski. Chekhov intended this play as a comedy and it does contain some elements of farce; however, Stanislavski insisted on...
" at London's Riverside Studios
Riverside Studios
Riverside Studios is a production studio, theatre and independent cinema on the banks of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, England. It plays host to contemporary and international dramatic and dance performance, film, visual art exhibitions and television production.-History:In 1933, the...
.
In 1976, after three years in the writing, he completed his semi-autobiographical play for the stage: Desperado Corner
Desperado Corner
Desperado Corner is a play written for the stage by English playwright Shaun Lawton. It started out as a collection of performance poems and monologues written and performed by Lawton in London between 1973 and 1976...
.
Ned Chaillet
Ned Chaillet
Edward William "Ned" Chaillet, III is a radio drama producer and director, writer and journalist.Ned Chaillet, American by birth, was born in Boston, Mass. but is a "native of Washington" according to the New York Times. He has lived in Britain since 1973.His newspaper career began at the...
wrote in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
on 17th Jan 1981:
"...Mr. Lawton's special achievement is to signal the deeper feelings through the obscenity and the joking."
On Jan 19th. 1981 Cordelia Oliver wrote in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
: "
...those passages which are genuinely moving are those in which Lawton has found expression for the bitterness, the anger or the bewilderment which together drive the play along."
And Trevor Griffiths writing in The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
on 19th Jan 1981 summed up:
"Savagely funny, but not for the squeamish"
Relocation
In 1978, he moved to West BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
where, after six months at Peter Stein's Schaubühne Theater with Robert Wilson
Robert Wilson (director)
Robert Wilson is an American avant-garde stage director and playwright who has been called "[America]'s — or even the world's — foremost vanguard 'theater artist'". Over the course of his wide-ranging career, he has also worked as a choreographer, performer, painter, sculptor, video...
, he decided to stay.
During the 1980s he not only appeared in a number of English language theatre productions in West Berlin, he also kept up his music performances with local Berlin musicians as well as his UK friends. As anti-glitter rocker "Arfur Sparkle" or "Shaun Lawton & The Flying Pigs" they toured around Berlin, Hamburg and wine festivals on the Mosel. In November 1989 they played the "Quasimodo Jazz Keller" as the Berlin Wall was falling down. Time in another fit of stage presence.
Currently he is on tour as the magician Merlin in the Purcell and Dryden semi-opera, King Arthur, with the Berlin based Lautten Compagney. The tour takes in historical baroque theatres in Germany, such as the Markgräfliches Theater in Bayreuth as well as the Theatre Royal in Bury St. Edmunds.
In 2008 he sang for Rita Kantimir-Thomä after the International Women's Day Awards in Berlin at which she received the 'Woman of the Year Award' for her continued commitment to protecting refugees.
He continues to write poetry and songs and acts in theatre, television and films (in English as well as German) including the upcoming film John Rabe
John Rabe
John Rabe was a German businessman who is best known for his efforts to stop the atrocities of the Japanese army during the Nanking Occupation and his work to protect and help the Chinese civilians during the event...
, alongside Ulrich Tukur
Ulrich Tukur
Ulrich Tukur is a German actor and musician.-Biography:Tukur spent his youth near Hanover where he finished his final secondary-school examinations in 1977. He also achieved a high school degree in Boston during an exchange of students where he met his first wife, Amber Wood. With her, he had two...
, Steve Buscemi
Steve Buscemi
Steven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi is an American actor, writer and film director. An associate member of the renowned experimental theater company The Wooster Group, Buscemi has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films including New York Stories, Mystery Train, Reservoir Dogs,...
, Daniel Brühl
Daniel Brühl
Daniel César Martín Brühl González Domingo is a Spanish/German actor. He is best known as Daniel Brühl.-Personal life:Brühl was born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. His father was the late German stage director Hanno Brühl and his mother was a Spanish professor. He also has a brother and a sister...
, Anne Consigny
Anne Consigny
Anne Consigny is a French film actress who is active since 1981. She received a César Awards nomination for Best Actress for her role in the film Je ne suis pas là pour être aimé...
, Dagmar Manzel
Dagmar Manzel
Dagmar Manzel is a German actress. She has appeared in over 50 films and television shows since 1983. She starred in the 1986 film So Many Dreams, which was entered into the 37th Berlin International Film Festival....
and Gottfried John
Gottfried John
-Life and work:During the 1970s and early 1980s, Gottfried John played various roles in films by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, notably that of Reinhold in the epic Berlin Alexanderplatz . He is internationally known for his portrayals of General Ourumov in the James Bond film GoldenEye and Julius...
. He is also a busy voice artist.
He is together with trauma specialist Sibylle Rothkegel who set up treatment centres for torture and war victims in the Balkans in the 1990’s. She holds a post at the International Academy (INA) at the Free University of Berlin, and she evaluates UNHCR projects on Gender Specific Violence (GSV) in refugee camps in Africa and South America. She champions the fight against the practice of female genital mutilation.
In 1998 she was awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz
Bundesverdienstkreuz
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...
- the highest civilian order in Germany. In 2009 she also received the Berlin Frauenpreis - Woman Of The Year Award for her work with traumatised women and children.
Musical Achievements
- 1972 Signed to Hazy Music. Several ballads recorded at the newly opend Pathway StudiosPathway StudiosPathway Studios was a North London studio in Islington run by producer Mike Finesilver for many years. Among the well-known artists who made their early recordings at Pathway Studios are Madness, Elvis Costello, The Police, Squeeze, Haircut One Hundred and John Foxx...
, sung by Phil Chilton. - 1973 Wonderful Dream (Lawton/Morgan) (Tu Te Reconnaitras) Eurovision Song Contest
- 1973 Wonderful Dream on first K-Tel Album
- 1973 Wonderful Dream reaches 13 in UK Top 20.
- 1973 Anne-Marie David's album Wonderful Dream was released.
- 1973 Abbey Swine & Los Domestos - (Pig Rock, Swine Fever, The Legend of Abbey Swine) together with Pete Barraclough, Mike King and Leon Anderson - later a drummer with The CureThe CureThe Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
. - 1974 and another personality change, this time to anti-glitter star Arfur Sparkle - The Rock & Roll Shepherd. The Arfur Sparkle Story (ASS) recorded at Scorpio Studios b/w Watch The Old Man Trying To Get Around (Pete Smith). Bud Handlesman of Punch drew a comic strip of Arfur Sparkle.
- 1974 More songs recorded with Steve WallerSteve WallerSteven Charles Waller was best known as the lead guitar player and a vocalist for Manfred Mann's Earth Band between 1979 and 1983...
who went on to tour as lead guitarist with Manfred MannManfred MannManfred Mann was a British beat, rhythm and blues and pop band of the 1960s, named after their South African keyboardist, Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band...
's Earthband. - 1974 Released from Hazy Music. Album and tour offers from Simon Draper at Virgin - Steve turns down due to other commitments. Song catalogue signed to Virgin.
- 1975 One-Man Show Blue Suede Poetry at the Oval House Theatre, Kennington. Mercury Theatre, Notting Hill. Pete Kerr and Mike Finesilver of Pathway StudiosPathway StudiosPathway Studios was a North London studio in Islington run by producer Mike Finesilver for many years. Among the well-known artists who made their early recordings at Pathway Studios are Madness, Elvis Costello, The Police, Squeeze, Haircut One Hundred and John Foxx...
offered to record the show. - 1975 - 1979 Acting break.
- 1979 - 1992 Many gigs with The Flying Pigs: Berlin, Hamburg and wine festivals on the Mosel.
- 1989 Sweet 16 is Rocking Still for the film Es War Einmal.
Voice
- 2000 English voice on E NomineE NomineE Nomine is a German musical project, formed in 1999, by producers Christian Weller and Friedrich "Fritz" Graner. Their music, which they call monumental dance, is an unusual combination of trance, techno, and vocals which closely resemble Gregorian singing and chanting...
's Lord's Prayer - (techno/Bible) with the choir of the Deutsche Opera. Also released on the album "Das Testament" as bonus track in English - Annually: Announcer for UNICEF's Cinema for PeaceCinema for PeaceThe Cinema for Peace initiative aims to raise awareness for the social relevance of films and to make active use of the influence of movies and documentaries on the perception and resolution of global social, political and humanitarian challenges of our time...
Gala at Berlin's Konzerthaus during the Berlinale Film Festival. - Lettre Ulysses AwardLettre Ulysses AwardThe Lettre Ulysses Award for the Art of Reportage has been given annually since 2003 for the best texts in the genre of literary reportage, which must have been first published during the previous two years...
: reads excerpts from the finalists. - Museum Audio Guides.
Filmography
- 2009 John RabeJohn Rabe (film)John Rabe is a 2009 German-Chinese-French biopictorial film directed by Florian Gallenberger and starring Ulrich Tukur, Daniel Brühl and Steve Buscemi....
- 2007 I'd Like to Die a Thousand Times
- 2006 Auf ewig und einen Tag
- 2006 Elementary ParticlesThe Elementary Particles (film)Atomised is a 2006 German film based on the novel Atomised by Michel Houellebecq. The film was written and directed by Oskar Roehler and produced by Oliver Berben and Bernd Eichinger...
- 2006 Final Contract: Death on Delivery
- 2005 Æon FluxÆon FluxÆon Flux was originally an avant-garde science fiction animated television series that aired on MTV in various forms throughout the 1990s, with film, comic book, and video game adaptations following thereafter. It premiered in 1991 on MTV's Liquid Television experimental animation show as a...
- 2004 Beyond the SeaBeyond the Sea (film)Beyond the Sea is a 2004 biographical film based on the life of singer/actor Bobby Darin. Kevin Spacey, who stars in the lead role and used his own singing voice for the musical numbers, co-wrote, directed, and co-produced the film, which takes its title from the Darin song of the same name...
- 2002 Clairvoyant
- 2001 Tunnel, Der )
- 1999 Doppeltes Spiel mit Anne
- 1999 Mordkommission "Kalte Liebe"
- 1995 PanPan (1995 film)Pan is a 1995 Danish/Norwegian/German film directed by Henning Carlsen, based on Knut Hamsun's 1894 novel of the same name. It is the fourth and most recent film adaptation of the novel—the novel was previously adapted into motion pictures in 1922, 1937, and 1960.-Cast:*Sofie Gråbøl as Edvarda...
aka "Two Green Feathers" - 1994 Im Namen des Gesetzes "Verraten und verkauft"
- 1990 Dr. M
- 1987 Helsinki Napoli All Night Long
- 1985 Wild Geese II (1985)
- 1983 White Star
- 1982 Blood Link (1982)
- 1981 Nach Mitternacht
- 1981 PossessionPossession (1981 film)Possession is a 1981 cult horror film directed by Andrzej Żuławski.-Plot:Mark returns home to Berlin to find his wife Anna is leaving him for unclear reasons. He initially suspects an affair and hires detectives to track her, but gradually discovers clues that something far stranger is afoot...
- 1981 Charlotte
- 1979 The Great Riviera Bank Robbery
External links
- http://www.volume57.com/volume57/actors/details.php?id=101
- http://www.friendsconnectionberlin.de/main.php?ts=m&ta=18
- http://imdb.com/name/nm0493391/
- http://shaun-lawton.com/
- http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=p_c9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=G0kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1651,2508824&dq=shaun-lawton+-goal+-hockey&hl=en