Fad Gadget (Page 2 of 2)

I've been following this thread whilst holding back on a little known story about Frank Tovey's last days, as told to me by a German musician friend of mine who worked with someone who shall remain nameless - let's just say that he was an invisible but influential part of Mute's history...

It was around March 2002 when Mute head Daniel Miller picked up the phone. The guy on the other end of the line was Frank Tovey, who Daniel had not seen or talked to for eons. In conversation, Frank asked Daniel about meeting up, to which Daniel immediately and happily agreed. Surely enough, they met, and over a coffee and some catching up to do over each other's lives, Frank suddenly produced a DAT out of his pocket, and asked Daniel whether he wanted to hear some tunes he had been working on over the years. Daniel nearly had a heart attack - the last time Frank released anything was around 10 years before that meeting, and Frank had retired after that particular release back then.

Daniel put the DAT on. The music was stunning from start to finish (Daniel later admitted to the nameless guy that it was definitely Frank's best work), and as the DAT was removed from the player and handed back to Frank, Daniel inquired whether he wanted to release it. In mid-sentence, Frank casually started unspooling the tape out of the cassette, and as Daniel finished his sentence, Frank replied 'I only wanted you to hear it, that's all...that was the master tape'. Needless to say, Daniel's jaw hit the floor, although after Frank picked up the destroyed DAT, put it in his pocket, and said goodbye, Daniel concluded that it was a typical Frank Tovey moment of unpredictability, just like all those years ago.

Several days later, Frank Tovey passed away...

how did he die?
some rumours in the back of my head are saying he had an heartattack

for me he is one of the most dedicated wave artists from the eighties together with John Foxx and Gary Numan

agreed! discovered fad gadget a few years ago now: frank tovey was a weird but talented musician with a lot of vision, and he's left a solid legacy for us all to enjoy. nice to see some more people also on the same wavelength picking up on his work ...

always loved the b-side of collapsing new people...