John Foxx, best known as founder of UK electronic band Ultravoxx, apeared in conversation with Professor Anthony Elliott, Deanof External Engagement at UniSA's City West Campus Wednesday 27 July 2016.
I was married to Robin Simon when he was in Ultravox, then Magazine, then played guitar on John Foxx's solo projects. Robin was and is a musical genius and never received the notoriety he should have gotten. Although Robin and I split up in the early 80's, we shared good times.
When in the benefit of hindsight the last 50 years popular music is written few will appear in the same breath as John Foxx. I am delighted you gave him a voice. This is important public broadcasting. With thanks
I could listen to Dennis Leigh/John Foxx talking all day. Such an interesting gentleman to listen to, and a very inspirational artist and musician. As an illustrator and photographer myself, I've followed his work for years and have been a fan of his since the first time I heard Underpass when it hit the UK Top 40 way back in 1980.
In 1999 I was fortunate enough to have been invited onto the bus for John's ten date Subterranean Tour of the UK. The audiences, particularly at the Glasgow Barrowlands, Manchester Apollo and Shepherds Bush Empire were more akin to a football match. He's loved. At the end of tour party in a London hotel John played some of his songs on a piano in the lobby. Extraordinarily talented and genuinely friendly gentleman 🧡
I'm really getting into John Foxx music. "Metamatic" is a masterpiece.... It still sounds bizarre and futuristic to me. Gary Numan's biggest influence and it's obvious to me ☺️
Boy, this guy John Foxx truly does get the meaning of life. Rarely do you see a person who is so comfortable with who he is, what he is. He completely gets that his past, his present, his future are something to be accepted and be at ease with. Move on. Keep moving on. Experience all you can. Be content with where you are and who you are. Foxx expresses that in spades throughout this interview.
I was thinking something similar just now. I think he's aged really well -- can you believe that he's almost 80? -- and that is his secret, he knows how to just BE! Bless him!
Fascinating just listening to him, his insights are well worth thinking about. Only recently picked up on listening to his music again, actually first time since the brilliant The Garden was released and he's still creating fantastic soundscapes today! What he does with the Maths is outstanding! Thanks for posting this.
Systems of Romance is an outright classic , any genre. The influence it had on musical advancement is beyond any dispute and together with the icy one-man show Metamatic both albums altered the landscape for the better. John Foxx is an icon and a visionary. I played "Metal Beat" recently and the person's first statement was "Wow! Music of the future" . LOL
I saw Ultravox on the “punk” day of the 1978 Reading festival, they were on after Sham 69 and before headliners The Jam. Completely original and totally at odds with everyone else. They nobly completed their set despite the Sham army skinheads raining a shower of cans down on them. Those were the days!
Metamatic has been and still is a HUGE influence on my music.Ive been a fan of Johns nearly 40 years now such an important artist and a piece of music history.A genius...with the greatest jaw line and cheek bones ;)
No need to have a master in musicology to understand how this guy and Electrovox started all of the english synthpop, and influenced Bowie, Numan, Human League, Depeche Mode and so on ! Just enough to have some good ears. I have to rediscover their discography, they were stunning !
Hola ,y gracias por tan gran persona como musico ,me enkanta tanta unidad entre el mismo...pareciera me hablara a mi persona junto a Gary Newman and M. Urie.....
Underpass (16:35) ~~! Perfect one, gonna listen it forever! I've found it on Electrocity vol. 1 (by Ecki Stieg) many years ago, and that's how it started :).
I first heard Underpass in the early eighties on a Virgin compilation cassette. I was in art school then and thought it was JG Ballardesque. I never saw an Interview with John Fox, he is quite personable.
John foxx as a massive influence on my photography The way I want still to go with my work . There's so much out there to photograph just tune in to the surroundings . I go to a place called Preston park It as a woods so magical and draws you in its like a mile path of trees forest just takes you to another world of peace . Also I go to winter Hill and photograph there I'm at peace with my camera and I play my mp3 just Traqual music n story's helps me to focus lol punn... Thanks to John foxx as he as his influences he's mine Be lovely to meet one day and photograph John xxx Follow your wishes and dreams never give up One life one chance
28:20 Actually, Gary Numan did a talk like this one (see Cornell Library's ''When the Machines Rock - Gary Numan Keynote Interview'' on YT) where he said that he wrote the lyrics to ''Cars'' after surviving being attacked by another driver stopped in the street in front of him. Said he wasn't certain why they were after him. Locked inside, he was safe and escaped by driving up on the sidewalk or something like that. Shortly afterward ''Here in my car, I feel safest of all, I can lock all my doors... Its the only way to live, in cars'' came to him when he put words to the track.
It was interesting that John didn’t mention the Human League’s 1979 album “Reproduction” when he was talking about anyone using electronics to write song based electronic music. I wonder if he was aware of that album, and also the 1978 track “Warm Leatherette from 1978 at the time of leaving Ultravox.
Interesting he was that interested in electronic music, since Ultravox went even more "electronic" after he split. I thought he was the reason Ultravox had so much guitar in their early music. I wish they would've kept it (guitar) more prominent in their later songs. Vienna was the tipping point for me. After that (their alter albums) were way too much synth for me. To this day my favorite Ultravox songs are all the earliest from the 1st 2 albums... the songs with lots of guitar.
I saw them live 3 times in 78. Loved the first 2 albums. That 3rd album Systems was dreadful. It was time for the Group to end, in my own view. That Vienna period with Midge Ure is unmentionable.
