1. The alias of an English drum… Read Full Bio ↴There are 2 artists with the name Twink:
1. The alias of an English drummer, singer and song writer John Charles Alder
2. The toy piano band project by Mike Langie.
1. John Charles Alder (born 29 November 1944), better known as Twink, is an English drummer, singer and song writer who was a central figure in the English psychedelic movement, and an actor.
Alder was born in Colchester, Essex, England, into a musical family. His father's mother was a concert pianist and soloist. Alder has said he was always interested in music as a child.
The Fairies:
Alder's career began in 1963 as a member of a rhythm and blues band from Colchester called Dane Stephens and the Deep Beats. After a year, the band changed its name to The Fairies.
The Fairies were sent gifts and Alder, having long curly hair, regularly received bottles of Twink brand home perm lotion. It was at this time that he adopted 'Twink' as his stage name.
In 1964 The Fairies recorded the single "Don't Think Twice It's Alright" for the Decca Records label. In 1965 they recorded two singles, "Don't Mind" and "Get Yourself Home", for HMV.
The band split at some date before 1967.
The In-Crowd and Tomorrow:
In 1965 Twink moved to London and lived in Chelsea. When The Fairies came to a halt, he joined a rhythm and blues/soul music band called The In-Crowd after its previous drummer had left the band. Other members were Steve Howe (guitar) and Keith West.
A few months later the band was renamed Tomorrow. The success of West's solo recording Excerpt From A Teenage Opera resulted in the band breaking up.
In Joe Boyd's book White Bicycles he cites a Tomorrow show at UFO Club and, in particular, Twink's performance, as the zenith of 60's pop culture.
The Pretty Things:
Twink replaced Skip Allen in The Pretty Things and participated in the making of the album S.F. Sorrow. He was also a member of this group when they appeared in the Norman Wisdom film, 'What's Good For The Goose'. He became noted for outrageous behaviour, such as climbing the speaker stacks and diving into the audience when the band performed at a free open-air concert in London's Hyde Park.
Think Pink:
He recorded his first solo album, Think Pink, with The Deviants, including Mick Farren (who produced the album), Paul Rudolph who played guitar, as well as Steve Peregrin Took.
The Pink Fairies:
Twink was with the Pink Fairies at Glastonbury Fayre in 1971
The line up of The Pink Fairies (Mark 1) featured Think Pink musicians Twink, Took and Farren, and was named after the Pink Fairies Rock 'n' Roll Club, a loose group of people including Took, Farren, The Deviants, Syd Barrett (still at the time in Pink Floyd). They were resident in Ladbroke Grove, the home of the UK Underground.
Pink Fairies (Mark 2) was formed with Twink and former Deviants (but without Mick Farren). He left The Pink Fairies in 1971 (although he would periodically return) and after a spell in Morocco moved to Cambridge where he played with Syd Barrett, in Stars, after which he moved back to London.
In 1987 he rejoined The Pink Fairies for a reunion tour.
Hawkwind and PinkWind:
He periodically performed with fellow Ladbroke Grove community band Hawkwind.
He also collaborated with Hawkwind founder Nik Turner in the band PinkWind. Turner brought in the Wind and Twink, as a member of The Pink Fairies provided the Pink. PinkWind released two albums. Some line-ups also featured Judge Trev Thoms of Inner City Unit and Steve Took's Horns.
Stars:
Early in 1972 Twink played in the short lived trio Stars with Syd Barrett and bassist Jack Monck. Stars played a handful of shows which were well received. However, Syd, fragile mentally, quit after reading a negative review by Roy Hollingworth in Melody Maker.
The Rings and punk:
Following an injury sustained in a car crash, he worked as a vocalist with The Rings in early 1977, releasing one of the first Punk rock singles I Wanna Be Free. Other members included Alan Lee Shaw and Rod Latter of The Adverts. I Wanna Be Free featured on the Long Shots, Dead Certs And Odds On Favourites (Chiswick Chartbusters Volume Two) Compilation album (1978: Chiswick Records).
Twink coined the term Acid Punk to describe his music and went on to release an EP Do It '77 in 1978 that included a song Psychedelic Punkeroo about Syd Barrett.[4]
1980s-present:
In 1986 he released a solo single "Apocalipstic", which inaugurated his new, self-titled record label.
During the 1987 Pink Fairies reunion tour Twink met members of Plasticland which resulted in the collaboration You Need a Fairy Godmother, released in 1989 on Midnight Records.
In 1990 Twink released his second solo album, Mr Rainbow.
2. Twink is the toy piano band of Mike Langlie, an artist and musician living near Boston, MA. One day Mike found an old toy piano in a thrift store and fell in love with its charming, off-kilter tones. Soon more little pianos followed him home and a fun new music project was born.
The press describes Twink as "cartoon pop," "toytronica" and "an audio candyland." Twink has been used in programs on networks such as MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central.
Suicide
Twink Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then by chance my vision stopped at something
A million thoughts of what this thing could be
Brought nothing but the feeling fear to me
Closed my eyes and tried to forget the thing that brought me here
Retreat was the first thing on my mind
Never knowing if this thing I'd done would last for many a year
A blinding light flashed bright across my feeling
What was hidden a picture was revealing
I saw myself looking back at me
And from this world I knew I had to flee
Closed my eyes and tried to forget the thing that brought me here
Retreat was the first thing on my mind
Always knowing that this thing I'd done would last for many a year
The lyrics of Twink's song Suicide are haunting and introspective, capturing the feeling of fear that can arise from the unknown. The first verse describes the singer looking around a room and noticing nothing until their vision stops at something, causing a wave of fearful thoughts. The second verse portrays the singer trying to forget the thing that brought them to this moment and feeling the urge to retreat. The chorus repeats the idea that this thing, whatever it may be, will last for many years.
The third verse takes a surreal turn, describing a blinding light that reveals a picture of the singer looking back at themselves. From this world, the singer knows they have to flee. The intensity and urgency of the lyrics suggest that this experience may be describing a mental or emotional struggle, with the blinding light representing a moment of clarity and introspection that prompts the need for change.
The final chorus again emphasizes the lasting effects of this experience on the singer's life. Overall, Suicide is a powerful and evocative song that captures the struggle of confronting one's fears and the need to make a change in order to move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Looking round the room I noticed nothing
I am feeling empty and lost, everything seems meaningless to me.
Then by chance my vision stopped at something
I suddenly stumbled upon something that caught my attention.
A million thoughts of what this thing could be
My mind is racing with different possibilities of what this thing could represent or signify.
Brought nothing but the feeling fear to me
All of these possibilities bring me nothing but fear and anxiety.
Closed my eyes and tried to forget the thing that brought me here
I wish to escape and forget about the thing that is causing me so much distress.
Retreat was the first thing on my mind
I am immediately considering running away and avoiding the issue altogether.
Never knowing if this thing I'd done would last for many a year
I have no idea what the outcome would be or how long this issue will continue to haunt me.
A blinding light flashed bright across my feeling
A sudden realization or revelation has hit me so hard that it blinds me with its intensity.
What was hidden a picture was revealing
Something that was previously unknown or concealed from me is now being revealed and taking shape.
I saw myself looking back at me
I am forced to confront myself and the choices I have made that have led me to this moment.
And from this world I knew I had to flee
I realized that in order to escape my problems, I need to leave this world behind.
Always knowing that this thing I'd done would last for many a year
I am aware that the consequences of my actions will continue to affect me for a long time.
Contributed by Jonathan F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@chrisdunmore9433
One of my best finds..i was music director at ACRN in Athens OH-mid 70"s and our "practice/edit" studio had the promo of this record so people could work on cueing songs etc...couldn't believe it...still one of my most fav cult LP's.....
@conesuela1
My favourite album of all time
@mohammedabdullah9484
WOW thank you
@Monica-nv2em
it is amazing. one of my favorites
@heyjoe1813
great album!
@TheRevivalist999
he was the drummer with them ,pink fairys,hawkwind,pretty thingsn more ithink,cant remember all,he was a good friend of my dads
@mohammedabdullah9484
Who is your Dad?
@AlbertGarzonProducer
People forget that Twink was also part of the '77 punk movement in London playing drums with The Rings.
@joeking5310
Sheer magnificence
@raulmacias1311
I absolutely dig Paul Rudolph's Guitar work!