The Dave Clark 5

I never thought about it, OP, but back in 1964, I thought he was a lot cuter than any of the Beatles. I so wanted him to make me Glad All Over.

I watched the documentary and I wondered about that as well. "Strange he never married..."! Also, he seems to have had some tragic plastic surgery - those eyebrows!

It was an interesting documentary. I never knew that much about him. It seems that he was a savvy businessman but he kind of screwed over his bandmates by holding back on releasing their songs.

I didn't know he wasn't married, are you sure, cause I think he was with his wife while hosting Rocking New Years.

He was close friends with Freddie Mercury for over 15 years and was at his death bed when he died + He's now 71 years old and he never married =

You do the math.

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Sounds like he's gay. Thanks, R6.

This pleases me greatly. There needs to be more handsome homos flying under the radar in rock and roll.

The eyebrow thing is because of the Botox. Nose job isn't very good:

For a forgotten pop star with a brief career he seems to have done very well financially, I read too about him screwing his bandmates out of royalties, as he was the group.

He acted a bit too, and was in the audience at the London Palladium when Judy Garland was singing here in her film I Could Go On Singing, so yes we reckon he is a friend of Dorothy, or Tom Daley as we say these days.

[quote] Clark himself has never married, although in his heyday he was romantically linked with TV presenter Cathy McGowan

Hmmm, the same Cathy McGowan who lives with musical theatre star Michael Ball - the same Cathy that pulled Ball to safety from a different bedroom than her own when their house went on fire. Of course, he was only in a different bedroom because he was working late and he didn't want to wake her when he got home. Yes, that Cathy McGowan.

Yes I was going to mention Cathy McGowan, who must be a lot older than Michael Ball - isnt he at least 50, his weight had increased dramatically when I last saw him on tv too. It must be one of the oddest beardings in showbiz. Cathy was a tv host on the early 60s pop show 'Ready Steady Go' - a cult here in the UK. She must be at least 20 years older than him.

She was born in 1943 and he was in 1962 !

He was delightful dragged up in Hairspray on the stage, even camper than John Travolta in the movie.

Those are two pics of the same man, R8? If so, WOW!

Dave Clark now owns the rights to Ready Steady Go!

Wow, he's morphed into Gale Storm.

Was he one of Brian Epstein's clients?

You all should watch "Birds of a Feather" on YouTube.

It's an old BBC series, kind of like a Golden Girls. It's about two sisters living together after their husbands go to prison and their man eater Jew neighbor.

He's Carmen Ghia!

Billy J. Kramer was another one of Brian Epstein's discoveries - they used to travel together a lot - I have wondered about him as well.

He was a real prick. He owned the name "Dave Clark 5" and wouldn't allow his ex-bandmates to use it. For example, if Mike Smith wanted to appear somewhere, he could not advertise that he was "Mike Smith, formerly of the Dave Clark 5."

I mean, 30 years down the line when the guy might have wanted to tour with oldies reviews, he couldn't mention the band he'd been in. Who wants to see Mike Smith? Mike Who? But if someone reminded you, "He was the organist and lead singer of the Dave Clark 5," you might (if you're over 50) say, "Oh yeah. I'll go see him."

BTW, I know Mike Smith is dead. I just used him as an example

[quote] he could not advertise that he was "Mike Smith, formerly of the Dave Clark 5."

Are you sure about that? The latter day Supremes were able to record and tour as the "Former Ladies of the Supremes".

So it's Dave Clark, formerly of the Dave Clark Five Inches?

R21, no. Mike was forbidden to use the Dave Clark Five reference. Here's an article on Clark's prickery which mentions it.

I don't think Clark is gay or straight. I think he's a miser and a narcissist who would never share anything with anyone, not even his own semen.

Was Michael Ball the guy who was linked to Prince Edward?

Leave him alone. He's a lifelong bachelor who's too busy to date, just like me.

r9, are you for real?! Check the stats of the DC5.

I watched that documentary too OP, I like a few of their songs, and I love that time period for music, however; they were never on par with the Beatles or Stones that is for sure. I came out of it thinking that the Dave Clark 5 were rather boring, and that he was a complete tool. The only exciting part for me was when Freddie Mercury(love that man!)showed up. He is a real bastard for not allowing his band mates to profit from their success. He was obviously gay IMO, but with such an ego, and boring personality, who cares.

[quote] Was Michael Ball the guy who was linked to Prince Edward?

No, that Ruthie Henshall.

Two words: KA WEEN

Yes Ball and Edward AKA Dockyard. Doris were supposedly an item many moons ago.

He also dated Lucille Ball.

I remember when bandmate Mike Smith died of cancer some years ago, in relative poverty. Dave Clark though kept the bandname and all the royalties.

Same kind of thing with Frankie Goes To Hollywood ? - Holly Johnson and the other gay guy Paul Rutherford were the group, the three straight lads were just for hire and got none of the band's royalties. Holly though is very well set up now, even if living with HIV.

[quote] I remember when bandmate Mike Smith died of cancer some years ago

Mike died from complications from a fall which had left him paralyzed from the neck down. He eventually regained some small movement in his left arm. His only child, an adult son, had earlier died in a diving accident.

Denis Payton died of cancer and Rick Huxley died of emphysema.

[quote] they were never on par with the Beatles or Stones that is for sure.

They had 17 Top 40 hits. They were the "clean" version of the Beatles and the Stones. Parents approved of them. They were monstrously popular in the US for 2 or 3 years, practically living here, they toured so much. When psychedelia became popular and The Monkees became te "clean" rock group and appeaered on tv weekly, the DC 5 waned in the US and went back to the UK, where they were popular for a few more years.

Dave Clark had virtually no musical talent. A session drummer played on their studio recordings. Songs were written by other people and Clark took credit for them. His fellow bandmates were on salary. They were his employees, which they didn't quite understand when they signed the contracts. They knew they would get a steady paycheck, which other bands didn't get, so they were happy with that but didn't realize they'd never get any royalties or be able to later tour as former members of the DC5.

Clark made it very clear in a phone call to Mike Smith, who was about to tour in the US during a wave of nostalgia, that he must not use the name or he'd take Smith to court.

That attitude is odd, r33 - its not like the band is a recognised brand now, or still touring with an original member. Surely if he wants his band recognised as part of the 60s nostalgia boom he would want them touring or still making money. The only one of his hits I liked was "Glad All Over" which sounds dreadful and monotonous now.

Getting back to Dame Michael Ball, is the rumour true that he and fellow showbiz veteran John Barrowman were sharing a dressing room at some benefit some years ago now, and there were odd sounds coming from their room with the door locked, and they could not get them out ????

I only ever liked Everybody Knows-most of their stuff was dreadful.

I love Because - it's one of my favorite songs of the period.

Because is a fantastic song, and it was one of the first big pop song to use that unusual chord progression, which is now used fairly regularly. I remember reading somewhere that he was, indeed, gay, but I can't remember where I read it, I just remember it was a reliable source.

If you had shown me just the after pic from the two in r8, I would have never guessed that was Dave Clark. That is just stunning in it's badness.

All that money and then to wind up looking like that in the end.

[quote] In a highly unique move, Dave did a deal with EMI Records which was known as a “lease deal” - this meant that Dave Clark would be responsible for all the recordings and he would lease them to EMI for release. After ten years, all the tapes, ownership and copyrights would revert back to him. This became common practice in the 70's and beyond but it was unheard of back in 1963. Dave was after all a total unknown at this point yet he somehow managed to strike a nice lucrative deal with the major record company of the time.

Gee, I wonder how he thought that up, considering he wa sa 21 year old with no business experience or schooling? I wonder if he had an older "friend" who was advising him. And I wonder if perhaps he became "friendly" with an EMI exec who signed the deal?

Sandie Shaw did the same thing (she owns her own master tapes). Her mentor was pop star Adam Faith. Perhaps Clark had his own Adam Faith.

I was 7 in '64 when this group hit it big in the US. Until I watched the PBS documentary, I thought Mike Smith - who I thought was the cutest - was Dave Clark.

Dave Clark is the Bob Kane of rock & roll.

Oh my god, that show "Time" looked like a crashing bore. I can't believe Dave Clark got all of those famous people involved in it.

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He not only looks creepy, his voice is creepy, too. I never heard him speak in the 60s. He's like a Noël Fielding character.

In the 60s, various members of The Beatles, the Stones, the Who and Grateful Dead hung out with each other. But not the DC5. They were in their own little world. It's like Dave Clark was keeping them prisoner on his jet, only letting them out to play at various ports of call where there weren't any other rock bands.

I don't think any of the members of the group were terribly bright or personable. The Beatles were cheeky; the Stones, the Who, the Dead could carry on conversations. I have a feeling the DC5 were dim bulbs, including Dave Clark himself. I think he was being advised by an older lover, maybe a lawyer in the entertainment field.

I seem to remember reading about some connection between him and Dusty Springfield, at least in the press.

Perhaps it was an early case of two stars bearding for each other.....?

In the Beatles' movies, they were all showcased but in Having A Wild Weekend, it was all Dave Clark all the time. The others were barely supporting players.

OK, R46, I read that. Where's the 'I'm gay' part?

[quote] He greets me in jeans and bare feet, a thick gold chain worn under his shirt and an enormous signet ring on one of his hands.

[quote] There are are huge white sofas, thick cream carpets, massive modern paintings, tropical plants everywhere, a wall-sized TV in the lounge, and Buddhas he has collected from around the world.

OMG, he really does sound like Carmen Ghia from the original "Producers" movie.

"White, white, white is the color of our carpets!"

I recall Clark's professional relationship with Olivier got him an invitation to Sir Laurence's grander than grand funeral in Westminster Abbey.

Amid all the grandees - McKellen and O'Toole were among those bearing the casket - the TV coverage picked up on the presence of DC. After a bit the commentator said '...and there's...Dave Clark (hint of surprise)...of...(checks notes)..."The Dave Clark Five"...'

Perhaps given the occasion Dave didn't later invoice the BBC for the mention of his property.

Honey, it's more like the Dave Clark Five ... Inches.

I think r46 means "read between the lines" in that article re Clark's confirmed bachelorhood.

Not only is he hiding his gayness, I believe Dav Clark is not his real name. Either that, or someone set him up about 10-15 years ago. His real name was supposedly Hammad Abdul or something like that.

You mean we're not related?

They were like us only not good