John McGeoch
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John Alexander McGeoch (25 August 1955 – 4 March 2004) was a Scottish musician and songwriter. He is best known as the guitarist of the rock bands
Magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...
(1977-1980) and
Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. ''Q'' magazine in ...
(1980-1982). He has been described as one of the most influential guitarists of his generation. In 1996 he was listed by ''
Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * ' ...
'' in their "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" for his work on the Siouxsie and the Banshees song " Spellbound". Signature characteristics of his playing style included inventive arpeggios, string harmonics, the uses of
flanger Flanging is an audio signal processing, audio effect produced by mixing two identical audio signal, signals together, one signal delayed by a small and (usually) gradually changing period, usually smaller than 20 milliseconds. This produces a s ...
and an occasional disregard for conventional scales. He was also a member of the bands Visage (1979-1980),
the Armoury Show The Armoury Show were a British New wave music, new wave band, formed in 1983 and consisting of Richard Jobson (television presenter), Richard Jobson on vocals, Russell Webb (musician), Russell Webb on bass guitar, John McGeoch on guitar and Jo ...
(1983-1986) and
Public Image Ltd Public Image Ltd (abbreviated and stylized as PiL) are an English post-punk band (and incorporated limited company) formed by singer John Lydon (previously known as the singer of Sex Pistols), guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble, and d ...
(1986-1992). McGeoch has been cited as an influence by guitarists including
Johnny Marr Johnny Marr (born John Martin Maher, 31 October 1963) is an English musician, songwriter and singer. He first achieved fame as the guitarist and co-songwriter of the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. He has since performed with numerous ...
, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien,
the Edge David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known as the Edge or simply Edge,McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24 is an English-born Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing voca ...
,
John Frusciante John Anthony Frusciante (; born March 5, 1970) is an American musician, best known as the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers across three stints since 1988. He has released 11 solo albums and 7 EPs, ranging in style from acoustic guitar to e ...
,
Steve Albini Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal en ...
,
Duane Denison Duane Denison (born January 21, 1959) is an American guitarist best known for work with the avant-garde rock band The Jesus Lizard. He is also a founding member of super-group Tomahawk. Biography Denison began his musical career by studying c ...
, and Dave Navarro.


Early life

McGeoch was born on 25 August 1955 in
Greenock Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...
,
Renfrewshire Renfrewshire () ( sco, Renfrewshire; gd, Siorrachd Rinn Friù) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfr ...
,
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, where he spent his childhood years. He began to play the guitar at 12 years of age, first learning
British blues British blues is a form of music derived from American blues that originated in the late 1950s, and reached its height of mainstream popularity in the 1960s. In Britain, it developed a distinctive and influential style dominated by electric gu ...
music, being influenced by the work of
Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...
, and also that of
Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
. He took piano lessons for five years until the age of twelve. When his parents bought him a guitar, he stopped piano. In 1970 he played with a local band called the 'Slugband'. In 1971 his parents moved to London. In 1975 he went to art school in
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
where he received a degree in Fine Art. In his final year in 1976, he was enraptured by a new music that "ended up being called punk rock". He qualified it "the revolution, and I really do think that's the right word for it". He maintained an interest in photography, painting and drawing throughout his life.


Career


1977–1980: Magazine and Visage

In April 1977 McGeoch's Manchester student flatmate
Malcolm Garrett Malcolm Leslie Garrett (born 1956) is a British graphic designer, and Creative Director of Images&Co, a communications design consultancy based in London, UK. He is Ambassador for Manchester School of Art and co-founder of the annual Design M ...
introduced him to
Howard Devoto Howard Devoto (born Howard Andrew Trafford, 15 March 1952) is a retired English singer and songwriter, who began his career as the frontman for punk rock band Buzzcocks, but then left to form Magazine, one of the first post-punk bands. After M ...
, who had recently left the band
Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton, England in 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto. They are regarded as a seminal influence on the Manchester music scene, the independen ...
and was looking for a guitarist to form a band with. The pair formed a new act entitled
Magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...
, along with
Barry Adamson Barry Adamson (born 11 June 1958)Biography
. Barryadamson.com.
is an English pop and rock music ...
, Bob Dickinson and
Martin Jackson Martin Jackson (born 30 August 1955 in Manchester, England) is a British drummer who has played with several bands from Manchester, although his most successful roles were with Magazine in 1978 with the release of the influential ''Real Life'' ...
. The new band released its debut single, "
Shot by Both Sides "Shot by Both Sides" is a song written by Howard Devoto and Pete Shelley, and performed by the English post-punk band Magazine. It was released in January 1978 as the band's first single, reaching No. 41 on the UK Singles Chart and appearing, a ...
" in January 1978. The song's music was written by
Pete Shelley Pete Shelley (born Peter Campbell McNeish; 17 April 1955 – 6 December 2018) was an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. He formed early punk band Buzzcocks with Howard Devoto in 1976, and became the lead singer and guitarist in 1977 whe ...
with new Devoto lyrics ( Buzzcocks version was titled "Lipstick"); on release it reached #41 on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. (The same year McGeoch graduated from
Manchester Polytechnic Manchester Metropolitan University is located in the centre of Manchester, England. The university has over 40,000 students and over 4,000 members of staff. It is home to four faculties (Arts and Humanities, Business and Law, Health and Educat ...
). McGeoch went on to play on Magazine's first three albums, ''
Real Life Real life is a phrase used originally in literature to distinguish between the real world and fictional, virtual or idealized worlds, and in acting to distinguish between actors and the characters they portray. It has become a popular term on th ...
'' (1978), ''
Secondhand Daylight ''Secondhand Daylight'' is the second studio album by English post-punk band Magazine. It was released on 30 March 1979 by record label Virgin. One single, "Rhythm of Cruelty", was released from the album. Writing Unlike the group's former alb ...
'' (1979) and ''
The Correct Use of Soap ''The Correct Use of Soap'' is the third studio album by English post-punk band Magazine, released by Virgin Records in 1980. It contains some of Magazine's best-known and most popular songs, including the singles "A Song from Under the Floorboa ...
'' (1980). He left the band in 1980 shortly after the release of the latter album, frustrated with its lack of commercial success despite its recognition with music press critics. In 1979, while still a member of Magazine, McGeoch joined
Steve Strange Stephen John Harrington (28 May 1959 – 12 February 2015), known professionally as Steve Strange, was a Welsh singer. From the late 1970s he was a nightclub host and promoter. He became famous as the leader of the new wave synth-pop group ...
's electronic band Visage along with erstwhile Magazine bandmates Adamson and
Dave Formula Dave Formula (born David Tomlinson 11 August 1946, Whalley Range, Manchester, England), is an English keyboardist and film-soundtrack composer from Manchester, who played with the post-punk bands Magazine and Visage during the end of the 1970s ...
, recording songs for their first single "
Tar Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black bit ...
" and later, in 1980, for their eponymous album '' Visage'', McGeoch playing guitar and saxophone on the record. Although he saw Visage as something of a joke, the band provided McGeoch with early professional credibility and success. The band's single " Fade to Grey" went to #1 in a number of European countries and McGeoch said the money from the song allowed him to buy a house. McGeoch did not record on the group's second album, '' The Anvil'', as it was recorded in London and he was unable to participate. While still a member of Magazine and Visage, McGeoch also worked occasionally with other bands. In mid-1980 he recorded most of the guitar work on
Gen X Generation X (or Gen X for short) is the Western demographic cohort following the baby boomers and preceding the millennials. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1960s as starting birth years and the late 1970s to early 1980s as ...
's album ''
Kiss Me Deadly ''Kiss Me Deadly'' is a 1955 American film noir produced and directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Ralph Meeker, Albert Dekker, Paul Stewart, Juano Hernandez, and Wesley Addy. It also features Maxine Cooper and Cloris Leachman appearing in th ...
'' at
AIR Studios Associated Independent Recording (AIR) is an independent recording company founded in London in 1965 by record producer Sir George Martin and his business partner John Burgess, after their departure from Parlophone. The studio complex was founded ...
in London. He left Magazine during that time. In September 1980 he guested with the Skids for a Peel Session, standing in for
Stuart Adamson William Stuart Adamson (11 April 1958 – 16 December 2001) was a Scottish rock guitarist and singer. Adamson began his career in the late 1970s as a founding member and performer with the punk rock band Skids. After leaving Skids in 1981, he ...
who was unwell. Other session work included
Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...
's comeback track with the
British Electric Foundation B.E.F. (British Electric Foundation) was a band/production company formed by former Human League members Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh which became largely eclipsed by its best-known project, Heaven 17 (with lead singer Glenn Gregory). Histo ...
and for
Propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...
He also collaborated with ex-Magazine drummer John Doyle on
Ken Lockie Ken Lockie (born 1956) is an English singer-songwriter and producer, best known as the creative force behind English new wave band Cowboys International and as a sometime collaborator with John Lydon in Public Image Ltd. Early life and educa ...
's album '' The Impossible''.


1980–1982: Siouxsie and the Banshees

When recording with
Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. ''Q'' magazine in ...
in early 1980, McGeoch entered a period of both creative and commercial success. During his first session with the Banshees he began a new style of playing. He later commented: "I was going through a picky phase, as opposed to strumming. "
Happy House "Happy House" is a song written by Siouxsie Sioux and Steven Severin and recorded by their band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released as a single in March 1980 by record label Polydor, then later included on the band's third album, ''Kale ...
" was lighter and had more musicality in it. They invited me to join. I was sad leaving Magazine but the Banshees were so interesting and it felt like a good move". He became an official member of the group at the release of "
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
" in November 1980, which was the first single he composed with the band. He recorded guitar on the Banshees' long-players ''
Kaleidoscope A kaleidoscope () is an optical instrument with two or more reflecting surfaces (or mirrors) tilted to each other at an angle, so that one or more (parts of) objects on one end of these mirrors are shown as a regular symmetrical pattern when v ...
'' (1980), '' Juju'' (1981) and '' A Kiss in the Dreamhouse'' (1982). The Banshees' hit singles of this era featured some of McGeoch's most acclaimed work, particularly 1980's "Happy House", "
Christine Christine may refer to: People * Christine (name), a female given name Film * ''Christine'' (1958 film), based on Schnitzler's play ''Liebelei'' * ''Christine'' (1983 film), based on King's novel of the same name * ''Christine'' (1987 fil ...
" and "Israel", and 1981's " Spellbound" and " Arabian Knights". McGeoch's contribution to the band was important in terms of sounds and style. Singer
Siouxsie Sioux Susan Janet Ballion (born 27 May 1957), known professionally as Siouxsie Sioux, is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. She was the lead singer of the rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees (1976–1996). They released 11 ...
later said: However, McGeoch suffered a
nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...
due to the stresses of touring and an increasing personal problem with alcohol. He arrived in
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
for a promotional stay in bad state and made several uncharacteristic mistakes at a gig. Back home, he was forced to leave the band in October 1982 to rest and recover.


1983–1986: The Armoury Show

In 1983, during a break from playing music, he produced Swedish punk-funk band Zzzang Tumb's debut long-player. He joined the band
the Armoury Show The Armoury Show were a British New wave music, new wave band, formed in 1983 and consisting of Richard Jobson (television presenter), Richard Jobson on vocals, Russell Webb (musician), Russell Webb on bass guitar, John McGeoch on guitar and Jo ...
which included Doyle as well as ex-Skids members Richard Jobson and Russell Webb. Their album '' Waiting for the Floods'' released in 1985, features some of McGeoch's best guitar work. He contributed to former
Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 200 ...
singer Peter Murphy's debut solo long-player '' Should the World Fail to Fall Apart''.


1986–1992: Public Image Ltd

In 1986, McGeoch joined
John Lydon John Joseph Lydon (; born 31 January 1956), also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the late-1970s punk band the Sex Pistols, which lasted from 1975 until 1978, and aga ...
's
Public Image Ltd Public Image Ltd (abbreviated and stylized as PiL) are an English post-punk band (and incorporated limited company) formed by singer John Lydon (previously known as the singer of Sex Pistols), guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble, and d ...
, a decision which may have been partly motivated by financial difficulties he was in at this time. He had been an admirer of PiL, particularly of Lydon's lyrics, yet reportedly had previously turned down an offer from him to join the band in 1984. Despite being struck in the face with a bottle thrown from the crowd during one of his first gigs with the band, McGeoch remained with PiL until it disbanded in 1992, making him the longest-serving member apart from Lydon. He recorded on its long-players: '' Happy?'', '' 9'' and '' That What Is Not’'. In 1992 he was invited by the Icelandic band
the Sugarcubes The Sugarcubes ( Icelandic: Sykurmolarnir) were an Icelandic alternative rock band from Reykjavík formed in 1986 and disbanded in 1992. For most of their career, the band consisted of Björk Guðmundsdóttir (vocals, keyboards), Einar Örn Bened ...
to play the lead guitar on the song "Gold" for their ''
Stick Around for Joy ''Stick Around for Joy'' is the third and final studio album by Icelandic alternative rock band the Sugarcubes. It was released in 1992 by Elektra. The album was supported by four singles: "Hit", which reached number one on the Modern Rock Track ...
'' long-player.


1993–2004: Last years

Without a band, he ended his career seeking to form one via a variety of short-lived ventures, including working with
Glenn Gregory Glenn Peter Gregory (born 16 May 1958) is an English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose music career spans more than 40 years. He came to prominence in the early 1980s as co-founder and lead singer of the new wave and synthpop b ...
and the songwriter/producer Keith Lowndes. With
John Keeble John Leslie Keeble (born 6 July 1959) is an English pop and rock drummer. He is best known for his membership of the 1980s new wave band Spandau Ballet. Early years Keeble was athletic as a child, playing both football and cricket. He bought ...
of
Spandau Ballet Spandau Ballet () were an English new wave band formed in Islington, London, in 1979. Inspired by the capital's post-punk underground dance scene, they emerged at the start of the 1980s as the house band for the Blitz Kids, playing "European D ...
and vocalist Clive Farrington of When in Rome, he formed a line-up provisionally titled 'Pacific', but no commercial material came of it. In the mid-1990s McGeoch retired from professional music and trained mid-life as a nurse/carer. In the early 2000s he was reported as attempting to re-enter professional music by working on musical scores for television productions.


Legacy

McGeoch has been cited as a major influence by numerous guitarists.
Johnny Marr Johnny Marr (born John Martin Maher, 31 October 1963) is an English musician, songwriter and singer. He first achieved fame as the guitarist and co-songwriter of the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. He has since performed with numerous ...
from
the Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerg ...
said: "When I was in my teens, there weren't many new guitar players who were interesting and of their time. ..John McGeoch.
is work In linguistics, a copula (plural: copulas or copulae; abbreviated ) is a word or phrase that links the subject of a sentence to a subject complement, such as the word ''is'' in the sentence "The sky is blue" or the phrase ''was not being'' i ...
was really innovative guitar music which was pretty hard to find back then. To a young guitar player like myself, those early Banshees singles were just class".
Simon Goddard Simon Goddard (born Cardiff, 21 December 1971) is a British author and music journalist. He was born in Wales, later moving to Scotland. Though a writer by profession, Goddard originally went to art school in Carlisle, then Hull, and briefly con ...
wrote that McGeoch was a "significant inspiration" on Marr. Marr said: "Really my generation was all about a guy called John McGeoch, from Siouxsie and the Banshees".
Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...
have cited McGeoch's work with Magazine and Siouxsie and the Banshees as an influence. The lead guitarist, Jonny Greenwood, said McGeoch was the guitarist that had most influenced him. The Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien also cited him as a "big influence", and one of the "great guitarists howeren't lead guitarists". He said that McGeoch was "responsible for some of the greatest riffs ever ... 'Spellbound', 'Christine', 'Happy House'... His riffs are so elegant and once you learn how to play them there is almost a zen like quality to the sound and movement of your hands. it reminds me of the beauty in Johnny Marr's playing." For their 2003 single "
There There "There There" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead. It was released as the lead single from their sixth album, '' Hail to the Thief'' (2003), on 26 May 2003. It reached number four on the UK Singles Chart, number one in Canada and Port ...
", Radiohead's producer
Nigel Godrich Nigel Timothy Godrich (born 28 February 1971) is an English record producer, recording engineer and musician. He is known for his work with the English rock band Radiohead, having produced all their studio albums since '' OK Computer'' (1997). ...
encouraged Greenwood to play like McGeoch in Siouxsie and the Banshees. Dave Navarro of
Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985. The band consists of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands fr ...
said that he "always loved all the different guitarists that have been in Siouxsie and the Banshees".
John Frusciante John Anthony Frusciante (; born March 5, 1970) is an American musician, best known as the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers across three stints since 1988. He has released 11 solo albums and 7 EPs, ranging in style from acoustic guitar to e ...
of
Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...
named McGeoch in his primary influences: " cGeochis such a guitarist I aspire to be. He has a new brilliant idea for each song. I usually play on the stuff he does on Magazine's albums and Siouxsie & the Banshees's like '' Juju''." Frusciante praised him as a musician "who played in more textural ways" and who made "interesting music". Frusciante "bought an SG, because I’m a big fan of John McGeoch from Siouxsie and the Banshees and Magazine. When I’d play along with his records using a Strat, the parts sounded too thin and weak for the simple power of his playing. In learning the SG, I had to teach myself to bend in a brand-new way and use new muscles to do vibrato."
The Edge David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known as the Edge or simply Edge,McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24 is an English-born Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing voca ...
of U2 cited McGeoch as an influence and chose the Siouxsie and the Banshees song "Christine" for a compilation made for ''Mojo''. Interviewed in March 1987, the Edge said his "background is much more
Tom Verlaine Tom Verlaine (born Thomas Miller, December 13, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter, best known as the frontman of the New York City rock band Television. Biography Verlaine was born Thomas Miller in Denville, New Jersey and ...
and John McGeoch". In a playlist, William Reid of
the Jesus and Mary Chain The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid. After signing to independent label Creation Records, they re ...
selected two of McGeoch's songs, "Spellbound" by the Banshees and "Definitive Gaze" by Magazine.
Steve Albini Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal en ...
of Big Black praised McGeoch for his guitar playing with Magazine and Siouxsie and the Banshees, qualifying as "great choral swells, great scratches and buzzes, great dissonant noise and great squealy death noise. What a guy" and further commenting: "anybody can make notes. There's no trick. What is a trick and a good one is to make a guitar do things that don't sound like a guitar at all. The point here is stretching the boundaries".
Duane Denison Duane Denison (born January 21, 1959) is an American guitarist best known for work with the avant-garde rock band The Jesus Lizard. He is also a founding member of super-group Tomahawk. Biography Denison began his musical career by studying c ...
of
the Jesus Lizard The Jesus Lizard is an American rock band formed in 1987 in Austin, Texas and based in Chicago, Illinois. They were "a leading noise rock band in the American independent underground… hoturned out a series of independent records filled with ...
chose McGeoch as his favorite guitarist for his work with Magazine and the Banshees, especially on ''Juju'', saying: "his playing was atmospheric and aggressive" and "truly inspiring to me". Mark Arm of Mudhoney "loved [McGeoch's] work with Magazine and Siouxsie And The Banshees". Terry Bickers of the House of Love cited him as one of his favourite musicians. James Dean Bradfield of the Manic Street Preachers said that McGeoch was "slightly avant-garde. He was a genius". Bradfield added that McGeoch's guitar-playing makes "you realize you were listening to a new version of rock and roll". Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai qualified McGeoch as "the best post-punk guitarist", saying, "he played like no-one else, totally distinct and with unyielding imagination. I hear his influence everywhere to this day", and dubbed him "a total legend". James Graham of the Twilight Sad cited him as one "of the guitarists I still continue to revisit when I’m writing. The ideas they were coming up with at the time still sound as fresh just now as they did back then". In 2008, the BBC aired an hour-long radio documentary on McGeoch's life and work, titled ''Spellbound: The John McGeoch Story''. Omnibus Press released a book titled ''The Light Pours Out of Me: The Authorised Biography of John McGeoch'' in April 2022. It features recent interviews of musicians who admire McGeoch's work: the author of the biography, Rory Sullivan-Burke, met Greenwood, Marr, Frusciante, Siouxsie and many other musicians, relatives and friends.


Equipment

During his time with Magazine McGeoch played a Yamaha Corporation, Yamaha SG1000 guitar with a stand-mounted MXR M117R
flanger Flanging is an audio signal processing, audio effect produced by mixing two identical audio signal, signals together, one signal delayed by a small and (usually) gradually changing period, usually smaller than 20 milliseconds. This produces a s ...
. He bought his first model in 1977 when the band signed its recording deal, which provided him with the finances for professional standard equipment. Whilst with Siouxsie and the Banshees he created his own setup, involving a MXR flanger mounted on a mic stand which allowed him to hit a chord and sweep the flange knob in real time. He also played on a 12 String Ovation Guitar Company, Ovation acoustic guitar. He also used a MXR Dyna Comp, MXR Dynacomp Compressor and a List of Yamaha Corporation products#Guitar effects, Yamaha Analog Delay. His amps were a Roland Jazz Chorus, Roland Jazz Chorus JC120 and two Marshall Amplification, Marshall MV50 combos. His use of flange and Chorus (audio effect), chorus added depth and space to his parts. Whilst working with 'The Armoury Show', he also used a customised Telecaster, a white Squier Stratocaster, Squier 1957 Stratocaster, an Ibanez AE410BK and an Ibanex AE100. For pedals, alongside his 'flanger on a stick', he was using an MXR Compressor, two Ibanez harmonisers and an Ibanez Super Metal pedal. During his work with PiL, and in his last years he favoured a solid wood Carvin Corporation, Carvin electric guitar. He also used a Washburn Guitars, Washburn Tour 24 guitar for touring during 1988.


Personal life

On 9 September 1981, McGeoch married Janet Pickford, his girlfriend at Manchester Polytechnic, the marriage later ending in divorce. On 14 September 1988, he married Denise Dakin, the second marriage producing a daughter, Emily Jean McGeoch (b. 1989).


Death

McGeoch died at the age of 48 in his sleep on 4 March 2004 at his home in Launceston, Cornwall, Launceston, Cornwall from Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.


Tribute

Banshees' drummer Budgie (musician), Budgie wrote a text to honour him on the Siouxsie website, saying: "Without any disrespect to all the other guitarists we have worked with, none had the relaxed mastery and such a depth of expression as John McGeoch. No amount of scrutiny of filmed 'Live' performance tapes could reveal the subtle economy of technique that made an apparently complex phrase look so deceptively simple. Exasperated guitarists would often comment, "But his hands don’t even move!".


Discography


Albums (as band member)

;Magazine: *''
Real Life Real life is a phrase used originally in literature to distinguish between the real world and fictional, virtual or idealized worlds, and in acting to distinguish between actors and the characters they portray. It has become a popular term on th ...
'' (1978) *''
Secondhand Daylight ''Secondhand Daylight'' is the second studio album by English post-punk band Magazine. It was released on 30 March 1979 by record label Virgin. One single, "Rhythm of Cruelty", was released from the album. Writing Unlike the group's former alb ...
'' (1979) *''
The Correct Use of Soap ''The Correct Use of Soap'' is the third studio album by English post-punk band Magazine, released by Virgin Records in 1980. It contains some of Magazine's best-known and most popular songs, including the singles "A Song from Under the Floorboa ...
'' (1980) ;Visage: *'' Visage'' (1980) ;Siouxsie and the Banshees: *''
Kaleidoscope A kaleidoscope () is an optical instrument with two or more reflecting surfaces (or mirrors) tilted to each other at an angle, so that one or more (parts of) objects on one end of these mirrors are shown as a regular symmetrical pattern when v ...
'' (1980) *'' Juju'' (1981) *'' A Kiss in the Dreamhouse'' (1982) ;Armoury Show: *'' Waiting for the Floods'' (1985) ;Public Image Ltd: *''Happy? (Public Image Ltd. album), Happy?'' (1987) *''9 (Public Image Ltd. album), 9'' (1989) *'' That What Is Not'' (1992)


Albums (as a guest musician)

;with Gen X: *''
Kiss Me Deadly ''Kiss Me Deadly'' is a 1955 American film noir produced and directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Ralph Meeker, Albert Dekker, Paul Stewart, Juano Hernandez, and Wesley Addy. It also features Maxine Cooper and Cloris Leachman appearing in th ...
'' (1981) ;with Ken Lockie: *'' The Impossible'' (1981) ;with Peter Murphy: *'' Should the World Fail to Fall Apart'' (1986) ;with The Sugarcubes: *''
Stick Around for Joy ''Stick Around for Joy'' is the third and final studio album by Icelandic alternative rock band the Sugarcubes. It was released in 1992 by Elektra. The album was supported by four singles: "Hit", which reached number one on the Modern Rock Track ...
'' (1992)


Bibliography

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References


External links

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Fodderstompf.Com: John McGeoch Biography

John McGeoch MySpace Account (set up by his daughter)






{{DEFAULTSORT:McGeoch, John 1955 births 2004 deaths Scottish rock guitarists Scottish male guitarists Magazine (band) members Siouxsie and the Banshees members Public Image Ltd members The Armoury Show members Gothic rock musicians British post-punk musicians Scottish new wave musicians People from Greenock 20th-century British guitarists 20th-century British male musicians Visage (band) members