When I looked at the video of LH relating the anecdote that concerns a denim waistcoat, I was immediately suspicious. It has taken a little while to ascertain the facts, and I have been called a lttle bit fastidious by MD for "wasting my time" over such matters, but I explained that although he may not have any interest in such matters himself, fans like to know about those who they admire. As always, he understands, because he had to get used to me asking him so many questions about his Felt days in the past. I am sure that if any of you had contact with LH, you would do just the same.
To begin with, there never was any denim waistcoat. However, MD did own (not borrow) an opulent barathea garment of that type. There was no row the night before the Victoria show. Deebank wore the all black garment as late as the sound check and LH expressed his dislike of it. MD thought that he was reacting in an unreasonable way, because D's other apparel was deemed suitable by both himself and all others in the group. He does agree that denim with a rather dressy shirt, fine wool trousers and formal looking footwear would be entirely incongruous, and that is why he would never have worn such a thing.
He expressed his concerns about H's attitude, but he removed the garment for the sake of the sound check which was already having to be rushed through and also to allay H's tantrum. It will be noticed that H starts to say that MD arrived at the venue with the waistcoat, but then stops and immediately "corrects" himself by stating that there was a row the night before. He is making the details up adding increasing titivations along the way.
To say that Deebank engages in petty sabotage and bloody-mindedness recalls LH and Stanley's story about MD roaming through the corridors of an asylum entirely unchallenged; there is simply no truth in it.
The fact is that Deebank was committed to a cohesive look because he trained in music at Birmingham Conservatoire (one of England's six Conservatoires, the others being: the Royal College of Music, the Royal Academy of Music, the Trinty, the Guildhall, all of which are in London, the Royal Northern in Manchester, and Birmingham Conservatoire), where he majored in composition; and serious music composers are taught about "cohesive devices" which draw the musical texture together and make it sound unified for the listener. This becomes particularly critical if if you are writing for a hundred instruments in an orchestra. Deebank has also conducted various classical music groups and ensembles and they are always given to following a dress code. Have you ever seen, for example, an orchestra dressed in denim or casual attire? Deebank is therefore fully used to looking cohesive, as well as sounding cohesive. It would be inconsistent of him to be cohesive one way and not the other. Juvenile sabotage is out of the question, then.
Deebank is far too much of a professional to be playing silly games as H tells us. I know him to be very mature and serious-minded. And describing him in such a way makes this very highly artistic and cultivated individual sound puerile. I have set the record straight, then, and I hope that it will be appreciated.
There never was any denim waistcoat. I realise that such descriptions tantalize the ear, but it is just another waggish tale from JLHH in order to make "good television".

Nigel.... do you get out much?!

I don't know why he just doesn't marry Maurice.

Nigel and Maurice, sitting in a tree, K I S S I N G.

Hi Nigel

I've made my appreciation of your insight clear before, and think its indisputable that the board is an infinitely more interesting place when you are posting.

But I'd much prefer to see you continuing the True Felt History posts that you started a good few years back, rather than clearing up some of these more trivial details. Truth be told, I far prefer Lawrence's story than the somewhat more prosaic truth of the matter.

Its things like that that lead people into the Felt history, which can only increase the awareness of Maurice's ability on the guitar. Without Lawrence being the way he is, there is surely a good chance that the early records would have fallen into total obscurity and been long deleted, rather than interest in the band being as high (higher?) than it ever was.

At the time the True Felt History posts ceased when your authenticity was questioned and things got rather heated, but I like to think that those days are long gone. Any remaining doubters out there only need see Lawrence confirming in the film the accuracy of what you wrote.

Please give it some consideration, I think the history you were writing ground to a halt somewhere around the early rehearsals, I'm not sure Gary's recruitment was covered, and other than some confirmation as to whether one of the posters on the board had seen the first ever Felt show by chance, I don't recall any talk of the early shows they played.

All the best,
Matt

"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend"