The minutiae and details that strike Jakko as being of  little interest to anyone.

THE  STUDIO

Jakko's  new studio 'Silesia 2' is now up and running. It  consists of a 32 channel Mackie desk, 24 tracks of Adat XTs, 24 tracks of computer-based hard disc  recording & sequencing using Logic Audio. He  has Akai S1000 & S5000 samplers, Proteus 2 and 2000 modules, Alesis  NanoPiano, Roland M-VS1, Korg  Wavestation, Casio CZ101, Korg M3, Yamaha TG 33, Sony and HHB DAT  players, loads of outboard gear and an ever growing  collection of microphones.

GUITARS CURRENTLY BEING USED BY JAKKO

At one point Jakko owned 30 guitars, some rare and vintage.  The Inland Revenue made sure these were all sold and he  now has an altogether more rational collection. His  beloved Steinberger, various Fender Strats and a Tele . He also has a numer of acoustics, in  particular one hand built by Nigel Thornbory. ("He  has a workshop near Aldershot and is f***ing brilliant"  according to Jakko). He uses GSH Boomer strings  009s - 042s and sticks them all through amps made by Trace Elliott and Line 6.  <top  of page>

Well  there a number of these so lets quash some and confirm a  few !

WATFORD  FC

It has been written that Jakko used to play in the youth  team and was to turn pro. Not quite. Much as he would  have loved to make the game his career, he failed his  trail for Watford Boys at a tender age. He is  still very much a fan and goes to games at Vicarage  Road as frequently as work allows. Indeed both he and  legendary bass player Danny Thompson could be seen  jumping, screaming and hugging each other at Wembley in  June as the Hornets reached the premiership.  <top  of page>

KING  CRIMSON

There were rumours afoot that Jakko was to play with  a version of King Crimson. Well there is an element of  truth in this. 1999 being the band's 30th anniversary  there was much talk of a show to commemorate the event  featuring the original line-up. Everybody with the  exeption of Robert Fripp was prepared to consider  the idea. With Mr Fripp out of the frame the unlikely  idea of using (God forbid) somebody else came up. Jakko  was indeed approached by longtime friend and original  band member Pete Sinfield. It was no more than  talk and nothing has come of it. Jakko has since married  original drummer Mike  Giles'  daughter Amanda coincidentally. <top  of page>

PET  SHOP BOYS
Another  rumour concerns Jakko working with the Pet Shop Boys.  Jakko played on and remixed a version of their early hit  ' Opportunities'. Jakko remembers "They were very  nice guys, but I just didn't get it and thought that we'd  never hear of them ever again" which shows how much he  knows. <top  of page>

GENESIS
Another  often-asked question. Was Jakko up for the Genesis gig  when Phil Collins left? Equally unlikely but  partially true. Level 42 manager Paul Crockford put him up for the job and sent in tapes. They had  already decided on the former Stiltskin frontman.  <top  of page>

THE  KINKS
The  Kinks? Don't be ridiculous - anyone with the most basic  of pop knowledge will know that there has only ever been  one lead guitarist in the Kinks and that's Ray Davis's  brother Dave. Well not quite actually. In January '94 the  band were asked to play live on Johnny Walkers lunch time  show on Radio 1. Dave was, apparently, otherwise engaged  in LA, but Ray didn't want to miss out on the opportunity  so drafted in Jakko to replace Dave. So yes Jakko was a  member of the Kinks for a week. Whilst touring Japan with  Level 42 later that year he received a call from the  Kinks office asking him to appear with the band on an  anniversary Top Of The Pops. The recording coincided with  Levels day off after arriving back from the east and  starting the UK tour. However Dave's illness cleared up  in time for him to appear. <top  of page>

THE  NOLANS
You  will doubtless be under the strong impression by now that  we at Jakko towers are all on drugs. Well possibly, but  no matter how bizarre this suggestion may sound to those  of you who know who the Nolans are, it is actually true.  Back in the eighties Jakko's pal and drummer extrodinaire Gavin Harrison, was romantically linked with young Colleen and then her sister Berni. Jakko  wrote and produced a song for Colleen with a view to a  solo career. (Incidentally the song was heard by a young  American soul singer who asked Jakko if she could record  it. Jakko had never heard of her and said no. The  singer's name was Whitney Houston. Jakko's heard  of her since.) Meanwhile Jakko performed a live concert  for TV with a band that featured Gavin, Sam Brown and Lyndon Connah. The Nolans attended and were so  taken with one song and its solo for six drummers that  they started to include the song (with Drum Frenzy) in  their set. They also included Colleen's song. So in the  1980's they were performing two Jakko originals. Jakko  justifies this unlikely combination thus. 'I had worked  with a lot of my childhood heroes from the experimental  English rock avant-garde. With that as my perspective  very little could be weirder than working with the  Nolans. The evening I went to watch them play at the  Wimbledon Theatre where they sang both 'Behave  Yourself' & ' Don't Blame me' remains one  of the most surreal moments of my life'.  <top  of page>

FIRE  HERO
Soon  to be chronicled elsewhere on this site Jakko found  himself in the middle of a drama in Kensington Church  Street one Friday afternoon back in 1983. It features  a dying man caught inside a blazing betting shop, Jakko,  a crowbar, a commendation for bravery and a court  case. All will be revealed. <top  of page>

REG  BURR
Again,  soon to be explained in detail in the Life  Storiessection, the tale of Jakko's publicised run-in with  the late chairman of Millwall football club.  <top  of page>

GRAND  MASTER JELLYTOT
Tony  Hawks, comedian, author (his best-selling book  'Round Ireland with a Fridge' is brilliant, buy  one today) and recently best man at Jakko's wedding, made  an irritating novelty hit back in 1987. The unbelievably  successful 'Stutter Rap' by Morris Minor and  the Majors. Somehow it made Top 5 in the UK, Number 1  in Australia and sold nearly half a million copies. It  was produced by the unlikely sounding Grand Master  Jellytot. We can now reveal that this was merely a  jokey pseudonym hiding the identity of Jakko. He say's 'I  had a horrible feeling that this was going to be a big  hit and figured that if it was I didn't my name on it. It  was and I didn't. I would like to apologise to the many  who were irritated beyond distraction by it. For the full  grisly details see Life  Stories. <top  of page>

EDUARDO
In  the 1980's Roland Rivron and Simon Brint could be seen on many an alternative T.V show performing  as the awful and inept Raw Sex. They were soon  joined by the dreadful Eduardo. A comic creation  of appalling taste. With seventies Elvis hair do, zappata  moustache, frilly purple cabaret shirt, high waisted  terryline flares Eddy was a sex mad Italian that Roland  claimed he met on an 18-30 holiday. Much as he hates to  admit it Eddy was the creation of Jakko. He can be seen  on French & Saunders, Scoff with Dawn  French, Raw Sex The Movie 'There's No  Business...' and numerous televised comedy benefit  shows like 'Filth'. As well as countless gigs  around London and elsewhere they also did their own show  at the Edinburgh Festival and the Kings  Head theatre in London which also featured Kathy  Burke as Roland's girlfriend. When asked about this  period of performing Jakko said "No comment. Eddy's dead  that's all that need be said." Jakko can also be seen as Lindsey Buckingham in the French &  Saunders pisstake of Fleetwood Mac.

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