David Ferguson Interview (

All credits to Steven Ward who set the whole thing up on behalf of a small band of dedicated Random Hold fans worldwide. The interview was conducted by e mail, a number of questions were submitted by Steven to which DF replied as follows.

What are your memories of the Random Hold days? Do you look back with a fondness for it all. It was your first band, wasn't it?

"The first version of the band was as David Rhodes described it and was actually called 'Manscheinen.' I do look back with great affection for the period and the whole thing was a great experience. I also look back with a sense of frustration that we never fulfilled our potential and that particularly the records never sounded as good as we did live."

You and David Rhodes clicked as musical partners and co-songwriters. What was that songwriting process like? How did you piece together the words and music for the band?

"Most of the material for the band was written before other people joined and we used to perform as a duo with the rhythm tracks on tape and David and myself playing live on top (much like OMD were also doing at the time). The writing process varied from track to track, so for instance 'Avalanche' evolved out of an improvisation with a mambo rhythm from an early drum machine being distorted by a fuzz box. 'Montgomery Clift' was a riff of David's and I wrote the words."

As a keyboard player and as a fan of music in general, what bands or musicians were your favourites to listen to and which ones influenced your playing?

"I never saw myself as a keyboard player and I only started playing at all as David and I started moving away from totally improvised noise to starting to write songs. Brian Eno was therefore very important as a 'non-player.' I was also very much into the German bands of the mid seventies, particularly Can and Faust. Another huge influence who doesn't seem to be mentioned was the drummer Charles Hayward who had been in Quiet Sun with Bill and Phil Manzanera. He was much farther out and he introduced me to all sorts of things ranging from the Sun Ra Arkestra to Terry Riley and Steve Reich. I think without Charles I would never have gone into music."

Most list members know the Random Hold story up until David Rhodes and Bill left. Tell us about Random Hold Mark II. Who was in the band at that point (who replaced Rhodes and Bill) and was the music different because of the loss of Rhodes and Bill? Also, was there a girl singer? Who was she?

"Random Hold Mk II was put together by Pete Phipps and myself and between us we wrote most of the material. The line-up was Pete on drums, Steve Wilkin on guitar, Martyn Swain on bass, Sue Raven on vocals and myself on keyboards. Martyn went on to be a Waterboy and was also in World Party. The music did change and slightly to my sorrow became more rock and roll and less to do with ideas. Pete and I were under a great deal of pressure from the management/publishing company and we probably didn't wait long enough to find the perfect personnel. Then we had a producer foisted on us by RCA and the final result was once again not quite what it could have been. There are, however, one or two interesting songs on the album and it was fun writing dark lyrics for a female singer."

In connection with the above question, most of us have never heard of the band Nine Ways to Win (including Bill). How did this spin off band form, and who were the players in the band and what was the music like? Why did it fall apart after only one album for Atlantic?

"I'm not surprised that Bill didn't hear of the Nine Ways to Win project. He was very disillusioned by the music business at that point in time and was far more interested in politics. The band was formed because I had an obligation to write four more songs for my publishing contract. We put an advert in the Melody Maker and this guy Jonathan Hughston turned up to audition and did the demos. I thought that would be an end to it and was very surprised when Tony Smith rang me from the States four weeks later to say we had a deal with Atlantic. The core personnel were Jonathan and myself and I was determined not to let this project become prey to the same problems as the first two bands. 'Nine Ways to Win,' by the way, also comes from instructions on a gambling slot machine just as 'Random Hold before and after win.' Other players include David R on guitar, Martyn Swain on bass, Steve Creese on drums (from the Jah Wobble Band), Steve Lovell (from a Flock of Seagulls) on guitar, Pete Thomas, Peter Acock and Ranald Macdonald on Saxes, Raoul D'Oliveira on trumpet and Stuart Gordon (from the Korgis) on violin. In some ways, I think the Nine Ways to Win project is the most successful of the recordings. I was involved with the sound and it was exactly what I was aiming for. It's also the first time I was truly happy with my own solo writing. The reason for it's demise was the classic record industry number that the week before release the guy who signed us to Atlantic was fired and the new broom wasn't interested in anything to do with his predecessor."

What do you think about Bill's recent project? He's trying to put all the Random Hold music on CD? Are you happy about that?

"I spoke to Bill three days ago about this and will support him but I am hoping that we can maybe release other material including demos, live recordings, 2nd band stuff and Nine Ways stuff at the same time."

What is your version of why Simon Ainley and Dave Leach were fired from the original band?

"Everybody has a different version of the past. My memory is that David Rhodes was unhappy about how 'pop' we were becoming and persuaded Bill and myself of the need for change. I feel if we hadn't done this then David would probably have left and for me the band without David was unthinkable at that stage. I do think however that if it had been possible to keep the five piece line up together, we might have had more commercial success. I think the real problem was that David and I never really found the ideal partners for what we originally set out to do."

I know somebody who saw the original five-piece Random Hold perform at Oxford Polytechnic in Feb 1979. He was one of a very small number of people in the audience that night and reckoned that the show was brilliant, ne of the best he's ever seen. Do you remember that show and does anything stand out in your mind about it?

"I do remember the gig as special and I think it was just as the five-piece line up hit its stride and we were all very up. We had just signed the record deal and had not started having the doubts referred to above."

Bill has said that one of the reasons Random Hold broke up was because of political arguments and disagreements in philosophy between you and Bill. Is that true and could you elaborate?

"I find that interesting. I do disagree with Bill about a lot of political issues (or I did at that time, I don't know his current views). I think David's answer is closer to the reality and I think that because he and I reached the conclusion that we couldn't work together was the main cause of the break up. To me Bill was very much a 'musician' and whilst he was a huge contributor to the band, I always felt that the axis on which things turned, was between David and myself. I was very hurt when David ended things and made frequent efforts to get him to join version 2 but by 1981 he had started doing more work with Peter Gabriel and Blancmange and was clearly embarking on his session career."

"There is no disrespect to Bill in any of this, but personally speaking as a 'non-musician' who came into the whole business as a vehicle for utilising all sorts of performance ideas, I don't think I would ever have suggested forming a band to Bill. Whereas with David the whole project was a decision based on our reaction to a performance we saw together by which we both felt let down (An 801 show featuring Phil Manzanera and Bill MacCormick)."

What it was like to work with Peter Hammill on the "A Black Box" album?

"I'm very fond of Peter and he helped me a great deal after the break up of the first band. I had three songs which the first band had never got round to in rehearsals and Peter offered to help me demo them in his home studio. I went down there and two of them, 'Walking on the Edge' and 'Shining Smile,' were recorded by band 2. 'Lying On the Floor' was also released from these sessions as a solo single. Finally, I had a chord sequence which Peter adapted to become 'In Slow Time' which oddly enough I also kicked around with Bill which appears on the 'Burn the Buildings" album as 'Palmreader.' Peter is great fun to work with and I loved the unpressured making music for its own sake approach which he takes. 'Fireships' is one of my all time favourite albums."

What keyboards and synths did you use when you were playing with Random Hold?

"Mini Korg, Micro Korg, Korg 800DV, EDP Wasp, and a Logan String Melody."

How did you get into movie and television soundtrack work?

"After Nine Ways to Win folded I did instrumental mixes of some of the tracks and sent them off to TV companies. Then, Terry Braun who had directed the video for Nine Ways to Win got offered a small TV series for C4 in the UK and got me to do the music. Eventually I became connected with the BBC Radiophonic workshop and was one of their recommended freelances. Through them I ended up doing a documentary called 'Sword of Islam' which one all sorts of awards and the phone started to ring."

Any plans for a future solo album? How can fans get hold of your soundtrack compilation, 'The View From Now?'

"No plans for a solo album but 'The View From Now' should be available from Chandos Records in the UK."

How do you feel about Random Hold today and would you ever reunite with Rhodes and Bill in Random Hold or for some other musical project?

"I doubt if Random Hold would reunite as such and for me, I doubt that a band is the right avenue for the future. However, David and I have started talking about doing some writing together and are possibly going to try and do a musical theatre project depending on all sorts of other commitments."

For further information about David Ferguson's current activities, check out his website.