Enigmatic TV host, radio presenter, record company executive and friend to the rich and famous, there is nothing that Steve Blacknell hasn’t done. ‘Tales From The Bedroom Wall – The Life & Times of a Serial Thrill Seeker’ takes you on a journey throughout his colourful life – the ups the downs, near death experiences, losing millions, taking Concorde to Live Aid with Phil Collins and dating Kate Bush to his battle with bulimia and other addictions.
He adorned his bedroom wall with pictures of his musical heroes, blissfully unaware he would meet so many of them in future days. His bizarre adventures both in the UK and Hollywood, his ridiculous forays into drugs and food addictions and an inability to take other people’s advice, saw him go from millionaire to near poverty. The book is about failure, ignorance, arrogance and an innate desire to push boundaries until they explode.
Blacknell says: “There’s an old joke that goes ‘Everybody has a book in them which explains the lump in my throat’. Indeed I do believe that so many of us who aren’t necessarily household names that have lived life to ‘the max!’. With me it hasn’t been deliberate – I’ve just tried to pack in as many adventures as possible in my alotted time. At 72 i still have a few tricks up my sleeve – for as the Buddhists say ‘ You’re only here three billion times so you’d better enjoy yourself'”.
Peckham-born Steve moved to Dartford in his early years eventually attending one of his heroes Mick Jagger’s old school, Dartford Grammar – he even got his second-hand Geography book! An obsessive pop fan since the early 60’s, he decided early on that he wanted to be a Radio DJ and so wrote to many key industry figures with only one reply – from John Peel. He advised him to try hospital radio and became the breakfast DJ at St Thomas’s Hospital in London for a year, supported by a certain ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris.
His first love was Kate Bush, who he met in Dartford on the arm of another man however they got together soon after. The budding songwriter and wannabee DJ would plot world domination; her the pop star and Steve introducing her on ‘Top of the Pops’! He, however, had no idea that he was dealing with a real musical genius.
The early 70s saw a move to Worcestershire where he worked at a Special Needs Home, and he started taking drugs… He eventually got his big break into music at Decca Records in the PR department working with artists from Steely Dan to Don Williams, during which time he began a dangerous dance with Anorexic Bulimia. He also met the future love of his life, Maggie. He moved to Chrysalis Records in the late 70s working with acts like Leo Sayer Jethro Tull and Split Endz, finally joining Jive Records.
By the 1980s he was hanging out with the right people and was spotted by the BBC who asked him to host BBC 2’s ‘hip’ new pop fashion show ‘Riverside’ where he introduced a brand-new band – New Order! After calling the Deputy Editor of BBC Breakfast Time most days for about six weeks, he was drafted in to do the pop news when the late Mike Smith became ill. He stayed for three years and learnt his trade from Frank Bough. By now he was also a regular host on Radio One’s ‘In Concert’ also the simulcast with BBC2 – ‘Sight and Sound in Concert’.
He was the BBC presenter covering Live Aid, the most important music event in the thirty-year history of rock & roll, flying in Concorde with Phil Collins who would be the only performer onstage at both Wembley and later the same day, Philadelphia.
After a five-year stint as Peter Stringfellow’s PR and as Europe’s first ‘’Video Jockey’’ he hosted the award-winning MTV USA music fashion show ‘London Calling’ which pulled 23 million viewers. He has interviewed over 100 popstars that included a snarly Alice Cooper, heartthrob David Cassidy in a hotel Jacuzzi, a 40-minute chat with Motorhead’s Lemmy whilst he consumed an entire bottle of Jack Daniels and a table tennis game with Bill Wyman whilst discussing his career in the Rolling Stones. He also recalls his friendships with Frank Sidebottom and his nemesis Janet Street Porter!
Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman has contributed an introduction to the book. He says: “I met this young man a good forty years ago and we have remained close friends to the present day. From the start we were brothers-in-arms, sharing a love for the British humour of Tommy Cooper. We continue to meet as friends, and our e-mails always leave something to be desired, with Steve writing to me as Algernon or Clive and signing off as Fred. My replies would be addressed to Bert, and I would sign off as Tarquin, or the likes.”
He became super rich and bought a mansion flat in Holland Park Avenue – complete with chauffeur. He then had a dramatic sinus op that left him stranded indoors for three months where he saw ‘God’, and on the flip of a coin and thanks to Paul Young decided to try crack the USA and moved to Los Angeles.
There he met and married ex-groupie and 60’s legend Catherine James – the former wife of Moody Blues/Wings star Denny Laine. She was Diane Keaton’s movie double for many years and was also best mates with mega-stars Meg Ryan and Don Johnson…He soon found out that she had lived with Mick Jagger in London and dated the A-Z of rock heroes. She’d been at the piano with Clapton when he wrote Layla, knew Hendrix, Morrison…
After several TV presenting jobs including a stint as the anchor of BSKYB, and as an actor making 5 movies, he avoided death when a speed boat exploded and spending 6 months in a wheelchair! After only six years in the States, he left Hollywood and his wife for the UK once more – now penniless.
Once back in the UK he reunited with Maggie the love of his life and eventually moves to Hythe with her. They have had a 50-year romance that survived the gaps! After 18 years, he still runs London’s premiere ‘media networking’ club The Waffle. He is also the most qualified TV teacher in the UK and is CEO of The Central London School of TV and Media Training.
Steve Blacknall Tales From the Bedroom Wall will be release by Old Treacle Press on July 9
