portrait of this blog's author - by Stephen Blackman 2008

Friday, November 11, 2022

Andy Partridge's Birthday today (69)

XTC - DEAR GOD 


Andy Partridge was born this day in 1953 at Mtarfa Royal Navy Hospital in Mtarfa, Malta to English parents. He grew up on Penhill council estate in Swindon. Andy suffered from delicate mental health and stopped playing with his band XTC in 1982 when he collapsed not least from the affects of touring and playing plus an addiction to prescribed medication given to him since childhoodand whilst trying to come off his medication by himself and with no professional
help 
during a live televised show in Paris, he had a massive panic attack and afterwards was found backstage in the foetal position. He has gone on to prosper (at the time of his 'breakdown' he had £300 in the bank it is reported!) and he remains highly creative post XTC. 

The same age as me [slightly younger!] he is 70 next year and I have been a lifelong fan who owns pretty much all his extant work commercially available

2 comments:

Jobe said...

Really sad. On the other hand the Robyn Hitchcock interview is nice

Andy Swapp said...

Cool, thanks for dropping by Jobe! Always good to hear from you