Chaz Jankel the Man Who Put Funk Into Punk – His Journey Into Music

For this episode Danny is joined by Chaz Jankel, who has written some of the most iconic tunes in popular music as well as several film scores. He is a multi-instrumentalist who is best known for his time playing with The Blockheads as Ian Dury's songwriting partner.  Along with Kenny Young, he wrote the Grammy nominated Ai No Corrida, a huge hit in the States for Quincy Jones. Chaz has a number of solo albums under his belt, including his latest, "Flow", which he released on his own CJ record label. They discuss his self-taught journey into music, his Stanmore, London and Jewish roots, memories of the Marquee club, working with Ian Dury, Tom Hughes playing him in the biopic "Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll" and much, much more. If you can´t get enough of these podcasts, head to https://www.patreon.com/DannyHurst to access my exclusive, member-only, fun-filled and fact-packed history-related videos. KEY TAKEAWAYS Chaz had a few guitar and piano lessons when young but is mostly self-taught. Instruments reflect back how you are feeling at the time. Listening to a variety of music broadens your own range. Listen to what makes you feel good. Chaz´s influences are varied including Hank Marvin, Lonnie Donnigan and American Soul. London has always attracted extroverts, which one of the reasons so many trends started there. The music and fashion scenes between the 50s and 80s were quite tribal. Many of those cultures have experienced a renaissance, but usually without the tribalism. Ian Dury influenced Sid Vicious among others. Chaz loves playing "Inbetweenies". Ian Dury was steeped in and loved the music hall world. Don’t be too impatient, slow down a little bit and take time to enjoy things. Chaz is busier than ever and is currently looking into releasing his back catalogue and getting some of his art displayed. BEST MOMENTS “There is always something new to learn.” “Instruments never let you down.” “Chaz Jankel – the man who put funk into punk.” “You don’t have to be an amazing musician to be able to perform.” “We had a few gigs supporting The Faces.” “People call that genre/era Pub Rock.” “Back then, Dr. Marten boots were still thought of as quite subversive.” “Every 30 years you get a reinvention of what happened.” “Rhythm Stick was very timely for us.” “There´s a security of being in the city as well.” “Hen-dos are the worst…they are terrifying.” EPISODE RESOURCES http://www.chazjankel.com Blockheads film - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1393020 HOST BIO Historian, performer, and mentor Danny Hurst has been engaging audiences for many years, whether as a lecturer, stand-up comic or intervention teacher with young offenders and excluded secondary students. Having worked with some of the most difficult people in the UK, he is a natural storyteller and entertainer, whilst purveying the most fascinating information that you didn't know you didn't know. A writer and host of pub quizzes across London, he has travelled extensively and speaks several languages. He has been a consultant for exhibitions at the Imperial War Museum and Natural History Museum in London as well as presenting accelerated learning seminars across the UK. With a wide range of knowledge ranging from motor mechanics to opera to breeding carnivorous plants, he believes learning is the most effective when it's fun. Uniquely delivered, this is history without the boring bits, told the way only Danny Hurst can. CONTACT AND SOCIALS https://instagram.com/dannyjhurstfacebook.com/danny.hurst.9638 https://twitter.com/dannyhurst  https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-hurst-19574720