0:00:02 > 0:00:03This programme contains strong language.
0:00:03 > 0:00:06This year marks the 30th anniversary of Brian Pern's
0:00:06 > 0:00:08record-breaking solo album Shelf Life.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10The album spawned several number-one hits
0:00:10 > 0:00:14and saw Brian turn from obscure prog cult to worldwide pop superstar.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16He even became the face of milk.
0:00:16 > 0:00:17Oi! What's your game?
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Oh, it's you.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26- British milk. Beautiful. - I love world music.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29But this is not just the story of Brian breaking America,
0:00:29 > 0:00:33it's also the story of how America broke Thotch.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36- It really was make or break time. - It was break or make time.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39- It nearly killed me.- It nearly killed me.- I almost died.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41- It almost ruined my marriage. - It cost me my marriage.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43My marriage was fucked.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45I think I'm in the wrong documentary, aren't I?
0:00:45 > 0:00:48In part two of this revealing but convoluted documentary,
0:00:48 > 0:00:50I look back at the making of a classic album, which led
0:00:50 > 0:00:53to the making of a classic album, which led to the making
0:00:53 > 0:00:56of a classic album, which led to the making of a classic album
0:00:56 > 0:01:00and the impact fame had on Brian and his personal life.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03You heartless bastard!
0:01:09 > 0:01:11So, Brian, a couple of things. Game Of Thrones.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14The producer turns out to be a fan, they've offered you a cameo
0:01:14 > 0:01:16- in the series finale. - Great, I like that show.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18- I turned it down for you.- Why?
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Cos of a sex scene with you, Charles Dance and a mutant unicorn.
0:01:21 > 0:01:22- Is it explicit?- Very.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24My tackle or Charlie Dance's?
0:01:24 > 0:01:26Both, and the unicorn's.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28- Do you want that on your CV? - No.- Correct.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30Oh, yeah, and you've been inducted into
0:01:30 > 0:01:33- the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in America.- Really?
0:01:33 > 0:01:35Yeah, pulled a few strings
0:01:35 > 0:01:38so it ties in with the re-re-release of the Shelf Life special edition
0:01:38 > 0:01:40and you get a nice free trip to the States.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43- When is it?- September the 12th.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45Hang on.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49- Oh, God, John, I can't do that day. - Why not?
0:01:49 > 0:01:51Well, I've to stay in as I'm having a dishwasher delivered.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53- Change the date.- I can't, John,
0:01:53 > 0:01:56I've already changed it once, they won't do it again.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58- That is annoying. - Get somebody to sign for it.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01No, because the initial cardholder who made the purchase must be
0:02:01 > 0:02:04present when they drop off the appliance, it's the rules.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07- What a bugger.- I just reached the point where I want to kill you.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13OK, I'll do it but you'd better call Currys and they won't be happy.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17Give me the fucking number.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25America, for us, was very different.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28We were pretty big in England at that time.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31We were big fish in a small pond and we went to America,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34we became small fish in a huge pond.
0:02:34 > 0:02:35And that was tough to adjust to.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37What kind of fish? Like a stickleback?
0:02:37 > 0:02:40In America I'd say we were like a rainbow fish.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43We were small and brightly coloured,
0:02:43 > 0:02:45we moved quickly but we weren't poisonous.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49- No.- Whereas...in England we'd become...
0:02:49 > 0:02:52- Like a shark?- No.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55- A whale?- That's not a fish, that's a mammal.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58There was a lot of fuss about hotel room sizes.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01Pat would come with around a trundle wheel, which he took everywhere
0:03:01 > 0:03:05with him to make sure we all had rooms exactly the same size.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11That first tour, there were problems on the tour bus, wasn't there?
0:03:11 > 0:03:14Oh, yeah, yeah, Brian was always carsick like a bloody child.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18I've always had carsickness, ever since I was a small boy
0:03:18 > 0:03:20and when we got on tour in America,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23you were on the road sometimes 14 hours, 16 hours and I was ill.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25I said, "I've got to do something with this,"
0:03:25 > 0:03:27and I began my charity and
0:03:27 > 0:03:30I now help people who suffer from carsickness throughout the world.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34It's a little-known fact that over 50,000 people a year
0:03:34 > 0:03:37die from car sickness and the related injuries.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39It was during the tour that Brian dropped a bombshell
0:03:39 > 0:03:42and told the band he wanted to leave.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Brian wanted to leave Thotch, not only to make a name for himself
0:03:45 > 0:03:50as a solo artist but to spend more time with his family.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52That old chestnut.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56A week before his induction into the USA Rock And Roll Hall of Fame,
0:03:56 > 0:03:59Brian has come to see his estranged family, who have lived in LA
0:03:59 > 0:04:01since he left them 25 years ago.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04This is the first time he has seen his children in many years
0:04:04 > 0:04:08and Brian has allowed me to film this intimate moment.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12- How are you feeling, Brian? - I'm a little nervous.- I bet you are.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15- What is the most important thing to you in life?- I would say...
0:04:17 > 0:04:18..music.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25Hi.
0:04:25 > 0:04:26Not your family?
0:04:26 > 0:04:29I would say family.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33- Can you cut the first one so I say family first?- Yes, yes.- Great.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37Can I come in?
0:04:37 > 0:04:38If you want.
0:04:39 > 0:04:45- Brian's children have a funny accent. Neither English nor American.- Hello.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47Brian's kids are a fiasco, especially the son.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49In and out of trouble all his life
0:04:49 > 0:04:52and the money that Brian's chucked at therapy sessions is ridiculous.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54And none of it's tax deductible.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58So, I hear you've been working on some music.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01- Yeah, we started a band. - We're called RTEX.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06- We've been working on some demos. - OK.- Would you like to hear some?
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Why not?
0:05:08 > 0:05:10ELECTRO HARPSICHORD
0:05:10 > 0:05:15We've avoided making music for years because of all Dad's, like, success.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17But now we really want to give it a go.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21- MUFFLED, EERIE VOICE: - # Burning flame, full of desire. #
0:05:21 > 0:05:25People say it's hard to live in the shadow of a famous parent.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28- But Dad wasn't even there long enough to cast a shadow.- Yeah.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32We never had that, like, father-and-son thing. I mean,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35I can count how many times we've hung out
0:05:35 > 0:05:38in the last 20 years on one thumb.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40MUSIC ENDS
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Well?
0:05:42 > 0:05:43OK, so I'm going to be honest,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46I'm trying to think of something positive to say about it
0:05:46 > 0:05:47and I can't.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50If I was going to give it a review in emoticons,
0:05:50 > 0:05:52it would probably be...
0:05:52 > 0:05:55a black moon, a question mark, an Easter Island statue,
0:05:55 > 0:05:57some eyes that go that way
0:05:57 > 0:05:58and a teardrop.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15How many years have you not seen them for?
0:06:15 > 0:06:18- It's not that long. It's only about...14 years.- Mm.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24- What did you say to them?- They asked me to be honest, so I was.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27- So you told them they were crap? - I didn't say they were crap,
0:06:27 > 0:06:28I said they were average.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32You've not bothered with them for 16 years and look what you've done!
0:06:32 > 0:06:34Well, I hope you're satisfied.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Well, I hope anyone watching your bloody documentary can see
0:06:37 > 0:06:39what an arsehole you really are.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45All they wanted from you was a bit of encouragement.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49Well, you've ripped their confidence to shreds. Thank you very much(!)
0:06:53 > 0:06:56And another thing, where were you on graduation day?
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Picking them up from school? Birthdays, parents' evenings?
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Where were you?
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Off licking the bloody Dalai Lama's arse, that's where you were.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07Or having cocktails with Nelson Man-fucking-dela.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Hey, you didn't mind when I paid off the house, did you?
0:07:09 > 0:07:13You never wanted for any money. They had the best of everything.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Drama school, film school, clown school.
0:07:16 > 0:07:21Ponies, lizards, hover boots, roller blades. I gave them everything.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24Yes, out of guilt!
0:07:24 > 0:07:26And all they really wanted was their dad.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30The one thing you didn't provide for them.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34- DOOR OPENS AGAIN - You're just like your bloody father.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38It's hard to be a parent, you know?
0:07:38 > 0:07:42My father was a difficult man. And I feel he made some mistakes with me.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46I didn't want to repeat those mistakes.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48I wanted to break the cycle.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52Make them happy again. Give them a purpose.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56Get them a manager, get them a producer, release their album.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58OK. I'll call John.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02- I just want to say... - SHE SHUDDERS
0:08:02 > 0:08:04You didn't mind it in the old days.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Just the twice.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09That's all you could manage.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12You're not to use any of this, do you understand me?
0:08:12 > 0:08:15- Don't worry. We weren't even filming it.- That's rubbish.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17- They're not even filming. - I mean, that's nonsense.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19We were at it like rabbits.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Back in 1977, when Brian left Thotch,
0:08:24 > 0:08:28the remaining band members decided to carry on without him.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32Brian had left the group. We were all in a state of turmoil.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35Punk had exploded in the UK, so we thought,
0:08:35 > 0:08:38"Let's have a change of scene, try and break America."
0:08:39 > 0:08:43LA, the city of angels. Hey, what's not to like, eh?
0:08:43 > 0:08:47My neighbour was Ken Kercheval. You know, Cliff Barnes in Dallas.
0:08:47 > 0:08:48Oh, we had a blast.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51One time he invited the whole of Southfork over for a party
0:08:51 > 0:08:54and I got up to all sorts in his billiard room with
0:08:54 > 0:08:59Charlene Tilton, Victoria Principal and Barbara Bel Geddes.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01I potted a few pink and browns that night, I can tell you.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05While Thotch were recording their first album without Brian,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08they heard an amazing voice coming from the studio next door.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11That voice belonged to singer-songwriter and cokehead
0:09:11 > 0:09:13Lindsay Simon.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16We were recording at the Record Plant studio too.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18Thotch were recording next door.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21So Tony Pebble comes in and says, "I think you're great.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24"We're looking for a new singer." And he asked me to join the band.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26She became a total sensation.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29She was the face of Time, Vogue, Playboy
0:09:29 > 0:09:31and later the Betty Ford clinic.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33Well, we were public schoolboys
0:09:33 > 0:09:35and we didn't talk about our feelings and suddenly
0:09:35 > 0:09:37we're writing songs about relationships and love
0:09:37 > 0:09:39and our audience changed overnight.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42Well, over quite a few nights, actually.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46Maybe over six months of nights.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48But they were good nights.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50We were very much in love at that point.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54You could say we were inseparable. We were like those conjoined twins.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Only we weren't physically fused together at the spine.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00I mean, that would not have been much fun.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02So, Pat, can we talk about Lindsay Simon
0:10:02 > 0:10:04- and your relationship with her during Thotch?- Mm, mm.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07- Were you in love with her?- Mm.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10- Did it cause a rift between you and Tony?- Mm, mm.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12- Would you rather not discuss this? - Mm.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14SHE SINGS THE TUNE OF GO YOUR OWN WAY BY FLEETWOOD MAC
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Pat was completely besotted with Lindsay. He was like a puppy.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19He used to wait for her outside the toilet
0:10:19 > 0:10:22while she nodded off in there, zonked out of her mind.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26# Go with... # EXAGGERATED VIBRATO
0:10:26 > 0:10:29I saw it from afar and I heard various stories
0:10:29 > 0:10:30from different people.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33Pat rang me in the middle of the night once, very distraught
0:10:33 > 0:10:36and Tony rang me the same night, very happy.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Chinese Whispers gave Thotch their first US number one
0:10:39 > 0:10:43and sold over 33.7 million copies worldwide
0:10:43 > 0:10:46but, as the money rolled in, so did the problems.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53CLANGING
0:10:53 > 0:10:56Oh, Lindsay, she was into all sorts.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00She ran out of orifices to shove coke up.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04- I think it's fair to say I had a really big drug problem.- What?!
0:11:04 > 0:11:07When my nose fell out, I needed somewhere else to put my junk.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09Blimey O'Riley!
0:11:09 > 0:11:13These roadies each had... You know those cellophane tubes? Like...
0:11:13 > 0:11:15- Clingfilm you call it?- Oh, please...
0:11:15 > 0:11:18So there's a cardboard tube like a pipe and
0:11:18 > 0:11:21when I didn't have the energy, I'd be like, "Get me the tube, guys."
0:11:23 > 0:11:25They would blow that up my ass.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27For goodness' sake, women!
0:11:27 > 0:11:31The night that my ass fell out mid-set was a low point.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34That is when I decided I needed to get some real help
0:11:34 > 0:11:36there and then, no messing.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39So...you know, it's what I did.
0:11:39 > 0:11:40Five years later.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42That's when we called it a day.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44It was tragic, really.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46- ROBOTIC VOICE:- Equinox.- Worms...
0:11:46 > 0:11:50Meanwhile, back in Britain, Brian was recording his first solo album
0:11:50 > 0:11:52free from the trappings of being in a band.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54The results were a critical success
0:11:54 > 0:11:59but a commercial failure. The biggest hit he didn't have was Worm Equinox.
0:11:59 > 0:12:00# Worms are coming
0:12:00 > 0:12:02# The worms are coming. #
0:12:02 > 0:12:04My early solo albums received critical acclaim
0:12:04 > 0:12:06but they weren't really selling.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10Spurred on by the phenomenal success Thotch were having without him,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13Brian took the plunge and decided to follow in their footsteps
0:12:13 > 0:12:16so he set up home in LA and began work on a commercial album
0:12:16 > 0:12:19which would change the face of music forever.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21The man has learned over the years how to make his music
0:12:21 > 0:12:23and he works when he wants to work
0:12:23 > 0:12:25an out come those beautiful, magical tunes.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28That album was Shelf Life.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35Brian did have a number-one hit on both sides of the Pacific
0:12:35 > 0:12:37with Spirit Level.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39He knocked Thotch off the top spot.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43He finally felt he was on a par with his old band.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48The second track on the album was the emotional ballad Keep Trying.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50Brian wrote the song as a duet
0:12:50 > 0:12:53but finding the right person to sing with was not easy.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57# You try so hard
0:12:57 > 0:13:01# In your life... #
0:13:01 > 0:13:04I offered that track to a load of different female vocalists.
0:13:04 > 0:13:09Susanna Hoffs, Belinda Carlisle, Debbie Harry,
0:13:09 > 0:13:13one of the Pointer Sisters and then the other one
0:13:13 > 0:13:16when she said no, and Nana Mouskouri.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Basically a list of the women he wanted to sleep with
0:13:18 > 0:13:20apart from old Nana Moussaka.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25In the end, he settled for singer-songwriter Alison Swan
0:13:25 > 0:13:26from Kent.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28# Keep trying... #
0:13:28 > 0:13:31The song would go on to change the face of music forever.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34# That is all you need to... #
0:13:34 > 0:13:35So let's talk about Keep On Trying.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37I assume because, at that time, you were going through
0:13:37 > 0:13:40a marriage break-up, it's a song about sort of...keep trying.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42- No.- Well, it's not about that, then?
0:13:42 > 0:13:45I thought it was about you getting divorced.
0:13:45 > 0:13:46# Keep trying... #
0:13:46 > 0:13:49People think that song's about a relationship,
0:13:49 > 0:13:51about the miners' strike, about September 11th.
0:13:51 > 0:13:56- It couldn't be about that, could it? Because this song was 1985.- Exactly.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00In fact, the song is about my friend Keith Sinclair,
0:14:00 > 0:14:04who is an electronic wizard who never received the kudos
0:14:04 > 0:14:06and respect he deserved from the science industry.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08You mean Clive Sinclair?
0:14:08 > 0:14:12- Clive Sinclair.- That's what that song's about? It's about him?
0:14:12 > 0:14:15Keith, for me, was one of my heroes.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18He came up with the C5, the electric car.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21He came up with the first computer. The first television.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23The first phone.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27But Keith...Clive, was...
0:14:27 > 0:14:29He was a bit of a buffoon.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33Because he had a funny, thin face and he would stand by the car
0:14:33 > 0:14:37and, of course, we all know that that is not the truth.
0:14:37 > 0:14:38This is not the truth.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41What you're seeing, it's not real.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44- Isn't it?- No, it's filtered.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46- How?- People will see this.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49Maybe they'll see this on a computer in an office or
0:14:49 > 0:14:53from a public house at the back of the TV. It's not really me.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55- I don't think they'd show this in a pub.- Why not?
0:14:55 > 0:14:58How many pubs do you know that put BBC Four on?
0:15:00 > 0:15:02I don't really go to pubs.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Brian's third number-one single from Shelf Life was
0:15:05 > 0:15:07the dance-flavoured Disco Breakfast.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09Though not everyone back home was a fan.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12- Morrissey.- I'm still mystified about the success of the single,
0:15:12 > 0:15:15- which I think is...- You don't think it's that good?- No, I don't.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19- I found it really repellent. - Tony?- Well, I liked it.- You did?
0:15:19 > 0:15:20Yeah, I thought it was great.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23And I thought she had the most... Can I...?
0:15:23 > 0:15:25She had the most gorgeous bum as well. Which I...
0:15:25 > 0:15:28I don't know if you're allowed to say that but...
0:15:28 > 0:15:30I mean, I thought she did, absolutely gorgeous.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32Did you really sit through the whole of it?
0:15:32 > 0:15:34Yeah, and I'll tell you what, the dancing's not very good
0:15:34 > 0:15:36but when the bum comes, it's electric, I think.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38It's not even very well filmed.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41I mean, it could have been better but I just enjoyed bum, really.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44The final song on the album, A Song With Whistling,
0:15:44 > 0:15:46won the Ivor Novello Award
0:15:46 > 0:15:48for the best song with names and whistling in it.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52It would go on to change the face of music with whistling in forever.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55TUNEFUL WHISTLING
0:15:55 > 0:15:59# Some I like and some I'm not quite sure about. #
0:15:59 > 0:16:02The impact of the Shelf Life album was immense.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05It turned Brian from a cult act to a rock and roll icon.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Shelf Life was revolutionary for many reasons.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Not only was it the first album to be released with a barcode,
0:16:11 > 0:16:14it was the first to be issued on a new format
0:16:14 > 0:16:17that would change the face of music forever.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Hello, my name is Brian Pern
0:16:20 > 0:16:22and welcome to a special edition of Tomorrow's World.
0:16:22 > 0:16:27This is a CD-ROM, a brand-new format in which you can store music,
0:16:27 > 0:16:29data and film.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33My new album will be released on CD-ROM on Monday morning worldwide.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36The first album to be released in such a format.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40If you add this to your computer, you can
0:16:40 > 0:16:43then play an interactive game called Brian's World.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47On there you will be travelling through space and time
0:16:47 > 0:16:50and will be met by different objects oscillating and spinning.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53Triangles, octagonals and rhombuses.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56To this day, the album has never been out of the top 100
0:16:56 > 0:17:01and has sold over 50 million copies in Guernsey alone.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03He'd not experienced fame like this since the early days of
0:17:03 > 0:17:07Thotch in Belgium and yes, he went crazy, yes, it went to his head.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10I am so English. My Englishness is everything to me
0:17:10 > 0:17:14and my work, and America began to corrode my soul.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17I just wanted to get back to the grey skies, the negativity,
0:17:17 > 0:17:18the weak tea.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22I mean, I was out there, I didn't see any dandruff for six months.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26And I missed it. I really missed it.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29You went back to England but you left your family and your kids there.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33I didn't leave anybody. They wanted to stay there. They liked it.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37- But wasn't it...? - So did Cindy. No, wait a minute.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39Wait a minute.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41They wanted all that. OK?
0:17:41 > 0:17:43I said, "Come home with me."
0:17:43 > 0:17:45They said, "No."
0:17:45 > 0:17:47But the press got a hold of it that I left them and, you know what?
0:17:47 > 0:17:49It's bullshit.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52But didn't you divorce your wife by Ceefax?
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Back in England, Brian began work on a follow-up to Shelf Life
0:17:59 > 0:18:01surrounded by a whole new music scene
0:18:01 > 0:18:05that would go on to change the face of music forever.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08There were some really terrible bands at that time.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11Net Atomic Dustbin.
0:18:11 > 0:18:12The Wooden Tops.
0:18:14 > 0:18:15And that other one.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21I assembled myself a band from people I found in Manchester.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24One guy played the song at half-time at Old Trafford,
0:18:24 > 0:18:28another guy was a busker, another guy I met through my cousin.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30Brian had seen what Bowie had done with Tin Machine
0:18:30 > 0:18:33and McCartney with Wings, which was essentially to start a band
0:18:33 > 0:18:36to hide behind, you know, so that you could claim credit
0:18:36 > 0:18:40when things were good or blame the others when it was dogshit.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Brian did a lot of hiding in that period.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44We called the band Stoned The Crows
0:18:44 > 0:18:46and I got Mr Luke Dunmore to produce the album.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51This is the very desk that we mixed the Get Real Quick album
0:18:51 > 0:18:55in 1993, this is the original chair. These are the original faders.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57Brian would sit there,
0:18:57 > 0:19:03I'd sit here, sometimes Brian would sit here and I would sit there.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07I actually remember a time when Brian sat there and I sat there
0:19:07 > 0:19:10but, you know, that was our relationship from the beginning.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12You know? Totally unpredictable.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Can you tell us about the first time you worked with him?
0:19:14 > 0:19:16I can't say I was overjoyed, you know what I mean?
0:19:16 > 0:19:18I mean, I was a punk when I was a kid
0:19:18 > 0:19:21and Thotch were the antithesis of that.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Fucking public school, very south, very London.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26You know, Brian was and is London.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29You know, and the world was realising at the time that
0:19:29 > 0:19:31London was dead. Manchester was where it was at.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34It was electric up here then, you know, it was like being
0:19:34 > 0:19:38on Venus or Mars or one of the other planets in the Milky Pass.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40We came up with a song called Maraca Man.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44Which was fucking dreadful but it was a massive hit.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46# My face is painted on the side of the van
0:19:46 > 0:19:48# I am the maraca man
0:19:48 > 0:19:51# I stole some soup cups from your nan... #
0:19:51 > 0:19:55- What you doing?- Well, it's good but there are too many maracas on it
0:19:55 > 0:19:58or too much maracas, whichever it is.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02You're fucking musically illiterate! Get in there and do it again.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04And don't fucking touch my controls!
0:20:04 > 0:20:07You can't speak to me like that, Luke.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09I can speak to you however I want, mate. You're in my city.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12You were quite opposite, weren't you?
0:20:12 > 0:20:14Oh, yeah, we were, you know, really opposite, but somehow,
0:20:14 > 0:20:18it, kind of, worked, you know. Cos I think I put him into
0:20:18 > 0:20:20uncomfortable areas, which he didn't want to go to.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23- I have to have some control. - So, why did you come here, then?
0:20:23 > 0:20:27- What do you want from me? - I want you to help me make my album.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29It's OUR album, mate, it's not YOUR album.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32I'm producing it, right, so it's OUR album.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35Yes, which means I have to have some say on how...
0:20:35 > 0:20:37- Do you want it to be like your last fucking album?- No.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41Which is why you're here. So, go in there and fucking behave.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44And don't touch these fucking controls again!
0:20:45 > 0:20:46# I am
0:20:46 > 0:20:47# I am
0:20:47 > 0:20:49# I am
0:20:49 > 0:20:51# The maraca man
0:20:51 > 0:20:53# Ha-ha-ha-ha! #
0:20:53 > 0:20:57Do you think Brian had a big influence on 1990s indie music?
0:20:57 > 0:20:59Undoubtedly. They'd never admit it, but without Brian,
0:20:59 > 0:21:03there'd be no Oasis, no Blur, no Mondays, no Toploader,
0:21:03 > 0:21:07no Ocean Colour Scene, no Beady Eye, no Shed Seven.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09He's got a fucking lot to answer for.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15Back in Los Angeles, following discussions with his ex-wife,
0:21:15 > 0:21:18Brian has taken time out of Hall Of Fame rehearsals
0:21:18 > 0:21:21to turn his children's home demos into the real thing.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Brian...what's going on?
0:21:24 > 0:21:27Your band are rehearsing the Hall Of Fame without you,
0:21:27 > 0:21:30- you're not answering e-mails... - Sorry, I turned off my data roaming.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32- It's so expensive. - What are you doing here?
0:21:32 > 0:21:35I found this incredible new band. They're called RTEX.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38- I've flown Luke out to produce the album.- Premium economy.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41The in-flight entertainment was shite. Only thing working
0:21:41 > 0:21:43was Seabiscuit. I had to watch it six times.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47- RTEX?- Mmm.- These are your children. - No, they're not!- Yes, they are.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Yes, they are.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52For fuck's sake, Brian. You know the rules.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54We don't work with offspring. It always ends in tears.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57You've got to understand, John. Ripple hates me.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59I might lose her forever. I've got to show her my support.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Yeah, but not like this. Take her to Wagamama,
0:22:02 > 0:22:05pick her up at the airport, be stand-offish with her boyfriend -
0:22:05 > 0:22:07- that's being supportive, that's being a dad.- But they've got
0:22:07 > 0:22:10- something unique, haven't they, Luke?- Well, that's one word for it.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13Play him The Lion Sleeps Tonight. That's a good 'un.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18ELECTRONIC BEEPING
0:22:18 > 0:22:20DISTORTED: # In the jungle
0:22:20 > 0:22:22# The mighty jungle
0:22:22 > 0:22:25# The lion sleeps tonight
0:22:26 > 0:22:28# In the village
0:22:28 > 0:22:29# The peaceful village
0:22:29 > 0:22:33# The people sleep tonight
0:22:34 > 0:22:38# Wimoweh, wimoweh Wimoweh, wimoweh... #
0:22:38 > 0:22:39MUSIC CUTS OUT
0:22:40 > 0:22:42- I understand the vocals need a bit of work...- A bit of work?
0:22:42 > 0:22:45- They sound like frogs singing underwater.- We can fix that
0:22:45 > 0:22:47- with some auto-tuning, right? - Well, I'll do me best,
0:22:47 > 0:22:50but you know the expression, "You can't polish a turd".
0:22:50 > 0:22:53No. I don't know. What is that expression?
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Well...
0:22:55 > 0:22:57you can't polish a turd.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01I don't understand. Why would you want to polish a turd?
0:23:04 > 0:23:06John, you know Ripple despises me.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09I have to make some sort of show of solidarity with her.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Please sign them up...
0:23:11 > 0:23:12for me.
0:23:12 > 0:23:13DOOR OPENS
0:23:13 > 0:23:16- I understand you want a manager. - Yes!- I'll manage you.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19Oh! So, like where do we go from here?
0:23:19 > 0:23:23Well, if I manage to get you out that door and as far away
0:23:23 > 0:23:25as possible from anything remotely resembling a microphone,
0:23:25 > 0:23:28I think that would be a step in the right direction for all of us,
0:23:28 > 0:23:31- wouldn't it?- John!- Cruel to be kind, Brian. Come on, then, out you go!
0:23:31 > 0:23:34A bit quicker than that, please. Thank you.
0:23:34 > 0:23:35Seabiscuit's a good film.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37- CALLING:- Look, Ripple...
0:23:37 > 0:23:41MUSIC: New York, New York by John Kander and Fred Ebb
0:23:41 > 0:23:44It's the night before the USA Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Awards
0:23:44 > 0:23:46and I caught up with Brian in his hotel suite
0:23:46 > 0:23:49- for an intimate chat. - Well, despite what John said,
0:23:49 > 0:23:54we recorded an EP over a few days. I made a few calls.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57We've got a major radio interest from some stations -
0:23:57 > 0:24:01Zane Lowe, KBR1-Easy - so I'm pleased about that.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05And, hopefully, they'll get a big hit out of this song?
0:24:05 > 0:24:08I think so. I'm going to invite them along to the Hall Of Fame,
0:24:08 > 0:24:10so they can meet some industry figures.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12And you've been getting on well with Ripple and Tallow?
0:24:12 > 0:24:14Things are thawing a little.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16You can't go back and change what happened.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22It's very hard to be a parent. It is the hardest job in the world.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25People told me that and I didn't believe them, you know?
0:24:25 > 0:24:29As a human being, you are a product of genetics and your upbringing.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32DISTANT MUSIC: To Cut A Long Story Short by Spandau Ballet
0:24:32 > 0:24:35I can't change my genetics. It's like the shape of my toes...
0:24:35 > 0:24:36or my hair.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39Cut. We'll have to do that again, won't we?
0:24:39 > 0:24:43- Cos of that sound.- You are joking. - Listen, hang on, can you do that bit
0:24:43 > 0:24:46one more time? Just the bit about the genetics.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49- It was...- No. I can't do that again. I'm not an actor.- No, no, but this
0:24:49 > 0:24:52is like a really key bit. We can't use any of it.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54This is what's going to get awards and stuff like that.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57- I'm not concerned with awards. - No, I know, but I am.
0:24:57 > 0:24:58HE SIGHS
0:24:58 > 0:24:59MUSIC BLARES
0:24:59 > 0:25:02Hello! Can you keep the noise down, please?
0:25:02 > 0:25:05- I'm trying to sleep. - WOMAN'S VOICE:- It's the management.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08Hello? Who's in there?
0:25:08 > 0:25:10Can you keep the noise down, please?
0:25:10 > 0:25:12MUSIC STOPS
0:25:12 > 0:25:15Oh! The bear is awake!
0:25:15 > 0:25:17You have come to eat my porridge pots?
0:25:17 > 0:25:20Pepita! What on Earth are you doing in here?
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Oi! I am doing backing vocals
0:25:23 > 0:25:25for Spandau Kemp at the Hall Of Famers.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27- He pay me more than you.- What?!
0:25:27 > 0:25:29Hello, Brian! You all right?
0:25:29 > 0:25:32You?! In the Hall Of Fame?
0:25:32 > 0:25:3425 million albums, you fucker!
0:25:34 > 0:25:38- But you stole my backing singer! - Not stole. Borrowed.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40Brian, him and Gary Ballet,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43he take me when you not turn up for rehearsals.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45- You want some, Bri?- What?!
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Oh, room service is so expensive here,
0:25:47 > 0:25:49I brought a case of Goodfella's over.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52Here, babe...put one in the trouser press for Bri.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55- Look, I don't eat that rubbish! - Then why are you so fat?!
0:25:56 > 0:25:58Actually, it's glandular.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00Now, when you two children have finished messing around,
0:26:00 > 0:26:04I need to get some sleep! I'm very upset with you, Pepita.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07Ha! And I am very upset with you! Do you remember when we do
0:26:07 > 0:26:10chaka-chaka when your wife leave you - the fishwife - huh?
0:26:10 > 0:26:14Well, I piss on this, I piss on this and this.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17I piss on this, I piss on this, I piss on the Tic Tacs.
0:26:17 > 0:26:18RATTLING
0:26:18 > 0:26:20And they all say the same thing - I'm pregnant!
0:26:20 > 0:26:23Hey, babe... how long do I put this in for?
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Eight or ten minutes, I told you!
0:26:29 > 0:26:30No.
0:26:30 > 0:26:31WEEPING
0:26:31 > 0:26:34- Are you all right, darling?- No.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36- Huh?- I want some pizza.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40Don't you worry. Where's your wine? Let's get your wine.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42I can't drink - I'm pregnant!
0:26:45 > 0:26:46You're a good man, Martin.
0:26:46 > 0:26:47Put the music back on.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Finally, it's the day Brian has been waiting for.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56His dishwasher has been delivered.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58But meanwhile, in Hollywood,
0:26:58 > 0:27:00the Hall Of Fame Awards are about to start.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03Hello, there. Aren't you dressed yet?
0:27:03 > 0:27:07- Got to be at the Hall Of Fame in an hour.- We're not coming.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11- Why not?- You know why.- Zane Lowe just played their debut single
0:27:11 > 0:27:13- on the radio.- Great!
0:27:13 > 0:27:14They're not singing on the record.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17Actually, they ARE singing on the record.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19They're just very, very low in the mix.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22I played the track back and it simply was not fit
0:27:22 > 0:27:24for public consumption.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27That's not the point. We were just trying to be ourselves and you have
0:27:27 > 0:27:31- stamped on our dreams again! - Look, I know you think I did this
0:27:31 > 0:27:34to spite you, but I did it to protect you
0:27:34 > 0:27:37from the mauling you would have received from the music press,
0:27:37 > 0:27:40- had you released the track as it was.- Oh, just go, Brian!
0:27:40 > 0:27:41Haven't you done enough damage?
0:27:41 > 0:27:44You don't want to be late for your precious awards ceremony, do you?
0:27:44 > 0:27:45God, how I hate this business.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48Look at us. We're supposed to be a family.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50- We barely even know each other. - Then, why are you going to
0:27:50 > 0:27:53the Hall Of Fame, if you "hate" this business so much?
0:27:58 > 0:28:01MUSIC: New York, New York by John Kander and Fred Ebb
0:28:03 > 0:28:05What about Lifetime Achievement Awards?
0:28:05 > 0:28:08Yeah, it means your life's fucking over! So, mine's been over
0:28:08 > 0:28:11several times now! "Well done - you have lived!"
0:28:11 > 0:28:13Right, can I die now?
0:28:14 > 0:28:17Brian Pern took the US by storm, ruling the stadiums of America.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20To accept the award into the Hall Of Fame,
0:28:20 > 0:28:23please welcome, on behalf of Brian Pern, Martin Kemp!
0:28:23 > 0:28:25TV SOUND CUTS OFF
0:28:25 > 0:28:27Come on, Dad, your turn.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31CLATTERING
0:28:31 > 0:28:33KerPlunk!
0:28:33 > 0:28:35MUSIC: Through The Barricades by Spandau Ballet
0:28:35 > 0:28:38# Oh, turn around and I'll be there
0:28:39 > 0:28:41# Well, there's a scar right through my heart
0:28:41 > 0:28:44# But I'll bear it again
0:28:45 > 0:28:48# Oh, I thought we were the human race
0:28:48 > 0:28:52# But we were just another borderline case
0:28:54 > 0:28:57# And the stars reach down and tell us
0:28:57 > 0:29:00# That there's always one escape... #