I just found your web site by complete accident when I couldn't sleep the other night - brought back a few memories - a few clippings of my old band The Lice - who I assumed had been forgotten in the trash can of lost history - I even found some demo recordings posted by the guy who used to run Blitzkrieg Bop ! I can't even remember where I was last week never mind the archives that guy kept !

Anyway Dog Dirt were without doubt the first punk band in Middlesbrough - me and 'Bob Mortimer' stumbled on a gig by the Doctors of Madness with the Sex Pistols supporting at the Town Hall Crypt, and then a few days later at the Kirklevington Country Club - we already had a band called Dog Dirt - inspired by the Pistols I had all my hair cut off the following lunchtime at school and put a safety pin in the lapel of my blazer - it was quite amazing and quite ridiculous the reaction it got ! I met Richard Strange from Doctors of Madness a few years ago and he confirmed to me that these gigs did happen and he says it was in May '76 and that the minute the Pistols came on he knew his career was as good as over.

Anyway the other lads in Dog Dirt weren't really good enough or into punk at that time so I hi-jacked the name and got some new lads in, though they were still into led Zep they were more open to ideas.

Anyway - after getting kicked out of home I was working at Head Wrightsons with Micky Dunn and we got a band together which became The Lice - and after getting kicked out of them I moved to Paris and then to London, where I fucked about with several bands - and making videos for the likes of Doll by Doll, Wasted Youth etc, I even shared the stage with Joe Strummer once! and working as a photographer and doing album covers.

So I guess I did just disappear but i can remember playing drums with The Barbarians and Basczax at the `Teessider' pub in the early days at one stage and even attending some rehearsals as a guitarist with Dimmer Blackwell (of Blitzkrieg Bop) and formed the band The Hitler Brothers at one stage but don't recall if we ever played any gigs, I know I was singing and playing bass on a de-tuned 6-string guitar and the drummer was into metal.

I 'discovered' Vic Reeves in a pub in 1986 and started managing him, and put him and Bob Mortimer together. I really did think we were the Clash of comedy when we started out but the carrots got dangled and they went for the TV. big bucks and I wouldn't change so got booted out again !

I then started managing ace folk/blues guitarist Bert Jansch, working with him from 1992 to 1997, producing 2 albums for him in 1995-96, When the Circus Comes to Town and Live at the 12 Bar, both MOJO albums of the year, and did some work with Alan Hull in the year before he died.

Left the music business after working with Bert - god it was hard - but worthwhile - and started playing again about two years ago - now playing in a band called THE PRISONAIRES with Tony Reeves (Bass - ex Colosseum, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Curved Air, Davey Graham, John Martyn, Sandy Denny etc), Bobby Valention (Violin - ex Bob Dylan Band, Tom Petty, Mark Knopfler etc), Les Morgan (Drums - ex-Jo Anne Kelly Band, Alias Ron Kavana etc) and occasionally Miller Anderson - when he's available - (Guitar/Vox - ex- Keef Hartley Band, T Rex, Mountain, Chicken Shack, Donovan etc etc) who even played at the original Woodstock festival

keep up the good work

Alan (Dr) King - read more at -    http://www.myspace.com/drkingsjailhouse