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The
chemistry, or perhaps the alchemy, engendered by
the original fifth member that seemed to work
well with the original line-up was lacking from
subsequent ones. In
short, in the months following the release of the
single, there was no magic to being in the band
and doing live gigs was becoming a chore.
Paul the drummer began
failing to turn up for gigs, most notoriously at
one which the Funboy Five were due to headline
over a pre-Fish version of Marillion.
A singer, Karen, was
recruited to allow Mick to concentrate on playing
guitar. The most enjoyable gig from this time was
at the bass player’s school, though the fun
that was had was largely due to valium.
More interested in
writing and recording songs than in continuing
with the band, Mick left in the summer of 1980
and developed a number of studio-based projects, such as Milkshake Melon, Great Disasters That Shook the World & Marion, and Das Boomerang ,
as well as the music-related journalism that would soon become a
full-time occupation.
With just one original
member remaining and without a drummer, the
Funboy Five survived long enough to appear at a
party for a friend of Karen’s and create
some t-shirts until finally folding...
OR
SO IT SEEMED
... perhaps only the fifth
member, the eternal mystery, would ever have
suspected that by the year 2000 the group would
once again have a following as big, and possibly
much bigger, than they did in 1980.
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