“I don’t have any technique, I never learned anything about it.”
What Steven asked Wolf Howard, poet, musician, and former Stuckist.
Wolf Howard is a former Stuckist, pinhole photographer, poet, and drummer in multiple bands within Medway. Steven met him at his home to discuss earning money as an artist, why he left the Stuckist movement, and a talking magpie.
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Where were you born?
Strood.
Is Wolf your birth name?
No. I called myself Wolf when I was about 16. Me and my friend Dave Taylor were starting to do a band and I didn't want to sign on and be found out to be in a band, so I wanted a different name in the band. I came up with Wolf as a joke, like a rock name or something, and it just stuck. When they did write-ups about our band in the local papers, they called me Simon ‘Wolf’ Howard. So it failed anyway.
And now you are known more as Wolf than as Simon?
I'm split in half with my friends. I can phone someone and not know who I am. My old friends refuse to call me Wolf and I'm fine with that. Billy (Childish) was quite insistent I should remain Wolf. And I like having nicknames anyway. I like people with nicknames.
What jobs did your parents do growing up?
My mum was a housewife for half of my life, then she started being a secretary. My dad worked in Burrows Wellcome in Dartford. I was always proud to tell everyone at school that his job was dealing with dangerous chemicals. I don't know exactly what he did but he poured things into barrels and stuff like that.
How did you find school?
I sort of liked it. It's funny because my son is 14 now and he seems to be exactly the same as me at school. There's a couple of lessons he likes. I liked English a lot. I liked PE. That's probably it. Everything else I just mucked around in. My third-year report was ‘What has happened to you?’ That was when I discovered girls. Them two years were the best of my life. I could breeze through. I could joke with, get on with anyone, even the hard nuts, and it was all fine. So yeah, I quite enjoyed it.
Your son actually came up to me at one of our markets.
Yeah, he told me.
I asked him if there was a question I should ask you, and his question was, why is he such a disappointment to you?
(laughs) My son's my worst critic. He's so funny. We both lay into each other all the time. It's a good relationship. Someone comes around to buy a painting and he says, ‘How much are you charging them?’ and I say whatever it might be. He says, ‘You're joking.’ He goes, ‘I wouldn't pay that.’ I have to usher him out of the room.
I read that you used to say that you only got two O-levels. Did you ever used to confirm what subject and was it always the same or would you mix it up?
I'm pretty sure I made that up, to be honest. It might have happened, I don't know. I always say it was English Language and English Literature. That's the only thing that would have been possible. But I don't think that I even got them.
What is your official occupation?
Self-employed musician artist.
Do you have any additional roles, paid or unpaid?
I used to work in Oxfam once a week for a year or two. I used to work for the council doing art stuff until they sort of pretty much sacked everyone and brought people in from outside the area, which is a genius idea. I did some teaching at schools doing art stuff. Which was awful imposter syndrome, and I couldn't shout. I couldn't control them because I couldn't shout. The teacher had to step in and shout because I just couldn't bring myself to do it but that's it.
You're someone who does a variety of different art forms. Do you have a preference for painting or music or writing?
Whatever you get into takes over for the period you're really into it. By that, I mean like I can go a year without writing a poem and then I think I should get on with that. It sort of feels like it’s going to be a chore and it sort of is for a little while and then it clicks and then your mind is in that world and you think ‘God I love doing this’ and you get up the next day and you think ‘I really want to do that.’ You know you really want to get on with that. It's the same with painting, but painting is more I have to do that more often because I'll get money from it. Poetry is sort of like stopping me earning money (laughs). That's always on my mind a bit when I write but paintings I just do continually. Bands are great, but you’re at other people's mercy. They're good for earning money, they're great fun when you do them but they probably go low on the list because other people are more in charge than the drummer, so it's sort of like they pick and choose what gigs they want to do. Plus everyone I know earns good money doing whatever they do or they're retired now so they don't actually need to do gigs for money like I do, which I understand and I'm completely behind them when they turn things down. All I mean is the control is not there. To cut a long answer short, I think painting is my favourite.
What got you into the drums?
Dave Taylor, I've mentioned before. He was the brother of James Taylor, who was in The Prisoners, and I happened to be in some of the same classes at school. And Johnny Barker, I was in bands with and still in the band (The Senior Service) with now. We were standing in the school playground talking about starting a band and I said, ‘I'll play bass’ and then someone said, ‘I've got a drum kit I'm selling’ and I said, ‘I'll play drums.’ My parents bought it for me. It was a three-piece drum kit. I started playing in the shed until the neighbour came round and said, ‘I don't mind you playing with drums all day every day, but can you play another effing beat?’
You've been playing drums a long while now. Is your hearing okay?
No. I can hear you but that's because you're at a decent frequency. I get things like my wife saying, ‘Listen to the birds outside.’ I can't hear them. It's not too bad. I've got a constant ringing, but it doesn't bother me yet. It's the cymbal next to my head.
What bands are you in currently?
The Chatham Singers with Billy, Julie, Jim Riley. The… What are we called now? I can't remember what the band's called. Oh, CTMF. CTMF, which stands for the Chatham Forts with Billy and Julie. There's another band that we record with, with Billy and some others, called The William Loveday Intention. Another band that James Taylor's in, just recording, and that's called the Guy Hamper Trio. And a band with John Barker, Graham Day and Darryl Hartley called The Senior Service and that's instrumental Hammond organ music.
You're in a number of bands with Billy Childish. No disrespect intended, is there a lot of difference between the bands?
There is actually, yeah. With The Chatham Singers we all sit down. Jim adds a lot to it with the mouth organ and I don't sweat. I come off feeling all normal after. CTMF is full-on, especially for me and Billy. Billy's going for it, and I have to do quite frantic drumming. The William Loveday Intention, I think there's some big differences actually.
How did you meet Billy Childish?
I was aware of Billy from when I was at school through Dave Taylor, because there was The Prisoners and The Milkshakes. Through going around Dave's house, his brother James would have had records like the Pop Rivets, and I loved all that stuff. And then I saw Billy walking across Jackson's Field, Chatham once by the bandstand and I went up to him I said, ‘You don't know who I am, but we're playing I'm in this band The Daggermen, we're playing tonight and we're effing brilliant, you should come along.’ He did come along, and he really liked it. I remember clearly, he brought us a tray of whiskeys up while we were playing. That was the start of a good friendship.
Was The Daggermen your first proper band?
Yeah.
Do you remember all the bands you've been in in that time? Because there's been a couple.
I made a list once and there was 30-something. And it was hard work, but I think I've covered them. I can't remember now, and I've lost the list.
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