Screaming Lord Sutch

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| political_party = Official Monster Raving Loony Party

Screaming Lord Sutch (born David Edward Sutch, 10 November 1940 – 16 June 1999) was an English musician and perennial parliamentary candidate.

He was the founder of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party and served as its leader from 1983 to 1999, during which time he stood in numerous parliamentary elections. He holds the record for contesting the most Parliamentary elections: 39 between 1963 and 1997. As a singer, he variously worked with Keith Moon, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, Charlie Watts, John Bonham, Noel Redding, Mitch Mitchell and Nicky Hopkins, and is known for his recordings with Joe Meek including "Jack the Ripper" (1963).

Early life

Sutch was born at New End Hospital in Hampstead, north London,

Musical career

In the 1960s, inspired by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, he adopted the stage name “Screaming Lord Sutch, 3rd Earl of Harrow”, although he had no link whatsoever with the peerage. The British press subsequently took to referring to him as “Screaming Lord Sutch”, or simply “Lord Sutch”.

During that decade, Screaming Lord Sutch became known for a horror‑themed stage show in which he appeared dressed as Jack the Ripper, anticipating the shock rock theatricality of Arthur Brown and Alice Cooper. Accompanied by his band, the Savages, he would open the performance by emerging from a black coffin (on one occasion he became trapped inside, an incident later parodied in the film Slade in Flame). His other props included knives, daggers, skulls and artificial corpses. Sutch organised themed tours, among them “Sutch and the Roman Empire”, for which he and the band dressed as Roman soldiers. The fellow musician Chas McDevitt later claimed that he himself had suggested a Screamin' Jay Hawkins‑style act to Sutch's manager, Paul Lincoln, after seeing Hawkins perform in New York in 1957. McDevitt had contemplated emulating Hawkins by beginning his own act with an emergence from a silk‑lined coffin, but had concluded that he “(didn't have) the personality to carry this off”, observing that “no one in this country had heard of Hawkins until the mid‑60s”.

Despite what was widely regarded, and what he himself acknowledged, as a limited vocal ability, Sutch released a string of horror‑themed singles during the early to mid‑1960s, the most popular of which was “Jack the Ripper”. His single “The Cheat” has been cited as a proto‑psychedelic recording. His early output included recordings produced by the audio innovator Joe Meek.

thumb|Radio Sutch on a [[Shivering Sands guntower]]

In 1963, Sutch and his manager, Reginald Calvert, took possession of the Shivering Sands Army Fort, a Maunsell Fort off Southend, and the following year launched Radio Sutch with the aim of competing with other pirate radio stations such as Radio Caroline. The broadcasts featured music, together with Mandy Rice‑Davies reading from Lady Chatterley's Lover. Sutch soon lost interest in the station and sold it to Calvert, after which it was renamed Radio City and continued until the Marine Broadcasting Offences Act took effect in 1967. In 1966, Calvert was shot dead by Oliver Smedley in the course of a financial dispute; Smedley was acquitted on grounds of self‑defence.

Around this time, Ritchie Blackmore left the band, and Roger Warwick departed in order to establish an R&B big band for Freddie Mack.

Sutch's album Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends was named the worst album of all time in a 1998 BBC poll, a distinction it also holds in Colin Larkin's The Top 1000 Albums of All Time, despite the fact that Jimmy Page, John Bonham, Jeff Beck, Noel Redding and Nicky Hopkins all performed on it and contributed to the writing.

For the follow‑up, Hands of Jack the Ripper, Sutch gathered a group of British rock celebrities for a concert at the Carshalton Park Rock ’n’ Roll Festival. The performance was recorded—though unbeknown to the musicians—and released to their surprise. Those who appear on the record include Ritchie Blackmore (guitar), Matthew Fisher (keyboards), Carlo Little (drums), Keith Moon (drums), Noel Redding (bass) and Nick Simper (bass).

In 2017, Sutch's song “Flashing Lights” was featured in the Steven Soderbergh film Logan Lucky.

Political activities

In the 1960s, Sutch stood in parliamentary elections, often as representative of the National Teenage Party. His first was in 1963, when he contested the Stratford by-election caused by the resignation of John Profumo. and fought the 1983 Bermondsey by-election. In his career, he contested over 40 elections. He was recognisable at election counts by his flamboyant clothes and top hat. In 1968, he officially added "lord" to his name by deed poll. In the mid-1980s, the deposit paid by candidates was raised from £150 to £500. Later that year he contested his last two by-elections, in Uxbridge and Winchester.

In 1999 Sutch starred in a Coco Pops advert as a returning officer announcing the results of its renaming competition.

A number of Sutch's Loony Party policies were later adopted by mainstream parties and became law. Specifically:

Personal life

Sutch was friends with Cynthia Payne, At the inquest, his fiancée Yvonne Elwood said he had manic depression, now known as bipolar disorder. He is buried beside his mother, who died shortly before the 1997 General Election. He had one son, Tristan Lord Gwynne Sutch, born in 1975 to American model Thann Rendessy.

In 1991, his autobiography, Life as Sutch: The Official Autobiography of a Raving Loony (co-written with Peter Chippindale), was published. In 2005 Graham Sharpe, who had known him since the late 1960s, wrote the first biography, The Man Who Was Screaming Lord Sutch.

Discography

Studio albums

• Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends, also known as Smoke and Fire (1970), as Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends, with Jimmy Page, John Bonham, Jeff Beck, Noel Redding and Nicky Hopkins – AUS No. 16, US No. 84
• Rock & Horror (1982), Ace Records CDCHM 65

Live albums

• Hands of Jack the Ripper (1972), as Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends, with Ritchie Blackmore, Matthew Fisher, Carlo Little, Keith Moon, Noel Redding and Nick Simper
• Alive and Well (1980)
• Live Manifesto (1992)
• Murder in the Graveyard (1992), as Screaming Lord Sutch and the Undertakers

Compilations

• Jack the Ripper (1985), Autograph Records ASK 780
• Story/Screaming Lord Sutch & the Savages (1991)
• Raving Loony Party Favourites (1996)

Posthumously released:

• Monster Rock (2000)
• Munster Rock (2001)
• Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages: 1961–1968 (2020)

Extended plays

Posthumously released:

• Midnight Man (2000)
• The London Rock & Roll Show DVD

Singles

• "'Til the Following Night" b/w "Good Golly Miss Molly" (1961)
• "Jack the Ripper" b/w "Don't You Just Know It" (1963)
• "I'm a Hog for You" b/w "Monster in Black Tights" (1963)
• "She's Fallen in Love with the Monster Man" b/w "Bye Bye Baby" (1964)
• "Dracula's Daughter" b/w "Come Back Baby" (1964)
• "The Train Kept A-Rollin'" b/w "Honey Hush" (1965)
• "The Cheat" b/w "Black and Hairy" (1965)
• "Purple People Eater" b/w "You Don't Care" (1966)
• "'Cause I Love You" b/w "Thumping Beat" (1970), as Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends
• "Election Fever" b/w "Rock the Election" (1970), as Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends
• "Gotta Keep A-Rocking" b/w "Country Club" (1972), as Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends

Elections contested

{| class="sortable wikitable"

|-

!Election!!Type!!Constituency!!Party!!Vote!!% vote!!Place!!Candidates

|-

| 15 August 1963 || BE || Stratford-upon-Avon || National Teenage || 209 || 0.6 || 5 || 5

|-

| 31 March 1966 || GE || Huyton ¹ || National Teenage || 585 || 0.9 || 3 || 22

|-

| 18 June 1970 || GE || Cities of London and Westminster || Young Ideas || 142 || 0.4 || 5 || 5

|-

| 10 October 1974 || GE || Stafford and Stone || Go to Blazes || 351 || 0.6 || 4 || 4

|-

| 24 February 1983 || BE || Bermondsey || Official Monster Raving Loony || 97 || 0.3 || 6 || 16

|-

| 23 March 1983 || BE || Darlington || Official Monster Raving Loony || 374 || 0.7 || 4 || 8

|-

| 9 June 1983 || GE || Finchley ¹ || Official Monster Raving Loony || 235 || 0.6 || 5 || 11

|-

| 28 July 1983 || BE || Penrith and The Border || Official Monster Raving Loony || 412 || 1.1 || 4 || 8

|-

| 1 March 1984 || BE || Chesterfield || Official Monster Raving Loony || 178 || 0.3 || 5 || 17

|-

| 4 July 1985 || BE || Brecon and Radnor || Official Monster Raving Loony || 202 || 0.5 || 5 || 7

|-

| 10 April 1986 || BE || Fulham || Official Monster Raving Loony || 134 || 0.4 || 5 || 11

|-

| 17 July 1986 || BE || Newcastle-under-Lyme || Official Monster Raving Loony || 277 || 0.7 || 4 || 7

|-

| 14 July 1988 || BE || Kensington || Official Monster Raving Loony || 61 || 0.3 || 7 || 15

|-

| 10 November 1988 || BE || Glasgow Govan || Official Monster Raving Loony || 174 || 0.6 || 7 || 8

|-

| 15 December 1988 || BE || Epping Forest || Official Monster Raving Loony || 208 || 0.6 || 7 || 9

|-

| 23 February 1989 || BE || Richmond (Yorks) || Official Monster Raving Loony || 167 || 0.3 || 6 || 9

|-

| 4 May 1989 || BE || Vale of Glamorgan || Official Monster Raving Loony || 266 || 0.6 || 8 || 11

|-

| 15 June 1989 || BE || Vauxhall || Official Monster Raving Loony || 106 || 0.4 || 10 || 14

|-

| 15 June 1989 || EE || London Central || Official Monster Raving Loony || 841 || 0.5 || 6 || 8

|-

| 22 March 1990 || BE || Mid Staffordshire || Official Monster Raving Loony || 336 || 0.6 || 7 || 14

|-

| 24 May 1990 || BE || Bootle ² || Official Monster Raving Loony || 418 || 1.2 || 6 || 8

|-

| 27 September 1990 || BE || Knowsley South || Official Monster Raving Loony || 197 || 0.9 || 6 || 7

|-

| 8 November 1990 || BE || Bootle ³ || Official Monster Raving Loony || 310 || 1.1 || 5 || 7

|-

| 7 March 1991 || BE || Ribble Valley ³ || Official Monster Raving Loony || 278 || 0.6 || 6 || 9

|-

| 4 April 1991 || BE || Neath || Official Monster Raving Loony || 263 || 0.8 || 7 || 8

|-

| 16 May 1991 || BE || Monmouth ⁴ || Official Monster Raving Loony || 314 || 0.7 || 4 || 7

|-

| 4 July 1991 || BE || Liverpool Walton || Official Monster Raving Loony || 546 || 1.4 || 5 || 6

|-

| 9 April 1992 || GE || Huntingdon ¹ || Official Monster Raving Loony || 728 || 1.0 || 6 || 10

|-

| 9 April 1992 || GE || Islwyn ⁵ || Official Monster Raving Loony || 547 || 1.3 || 5 || 5

|-

| 9 April 1992 || GE || Yeovil ⁶ || Official Monster Raving Loony || 338 || 0.6 || 5 || 6

|-

| 6 May 1993 || BE || Newbury || Official Monster Raving Loony || 432 || 0.7 || 7 || 19

|-

| 29 July 1993 || BE || Christchurch || Official Monster Raving Loony || 404 || 0.8 || 5 || 6

|-

| 5 May 1994 || BE || Rotherham || Official Monster Raving Loony || 1,114 || 4.2 || 4 || 5

|-

| 9 June 1994 || BE || Bradford South || Official Monster Raving Loony || 727 || 2.4 || 4 || 5

|-

| 9 June 1994 || BE || Eastleigh || Official Monster Raving Loony || 783 || 1.4 || 5 || 14

|-

| 16 February 1995 || BE || Islwyn || Official Monster Raving Loony || 506 || 2.2 || 5 || 7

|-

| 25 May 1995 || BE || Perth and Kinross || Official Monster Raving Loony || 586 || 1.4 || 5 || 9

|-

| 27 July 1995 || BE || Littleborough and Saddleworth || Official Monster Raving Loony || 782 || 1.9 || 4 || 10

|-

| 1 February 1996 || BE || Hemsworth || Official Monster Raving Loony || 652 || 3.0 || 5 || 10

|-

| 11 April 1996 || BE || South East Staffordshire || Official Monster Raving Loony || 506 || 1.2 || 5 || 13

|-

| 31 July 1997 || BE || Uxbridge || Official Monster Raving Loony || 396 || 1.3 || 4 || 11

|-

| 20 November 1997 || BE || Winchester || Official Monster Raving Loony || 316 || 0.6 || 5 || 8

|}

Notes:-

• ¹ This election was won by the incumbent Prime Minister.
• ² Sutch achieved a better result than the candidate from the rump SDP.
• ³ Sutch achieved a better result than the candidate from the continuing Liberal Party.
• ⁴ Sutch achieved a better result than the joint candidate from the Green Party of England and Wales and Plaid Cymru.
• ⁵ This election was won by the incumbent Leader of the Opposition.
• ⁶ This election was won by the incumbent Leader of the Liberal Democrats.

References

;General

• Chippindale, Peter. "Sutch, David Edward (1940–1999)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
• British Parliamentary Election Results 1950–1973, compiled and edited by F. W. S. Craig (Parliamentary Research Services 1983)
• British Parliamentary Election Results 1974–1983, compiled and edited by F. W. S. Craig (Parliamentary Research Services 1984)

External links

• Screaming Lord Sutch and The Savages History
• Screaming Lord Sutch - Jack The Ripper (live 1964), YouTube
• Official Radio Sutch
• Interview with and radio profile of Screaming Lord Sutch
• BBC report of Sutch's death
• BBC obituary