This is the first time I have heard this particular interview from Mick Box. And I have spoken to Mick about this matter. I myself would add an important factor to Mick's view on whether ONLY David Byron himself could help himself recover from alcohol addiction. It 100% needs not JUST yourself but someone else as well - someone DETERMINED and strong and formidable to HELP you overcome the problem on a 24 hour basis. Friends alone spending 'hours' telling you to stop and to 'pull yourself together' will rarely succeed. It needs a resolute dedicated helper or helpers. A wife. A full-time nurse. Someone to benevolently FORCE a change of heart. To FORCE you to go Cold Turkey. Alcohol is such a powerful drug for some people that it takes a lot more than one's own will-power to go on the wagon. Byron's manager Maggie Farren said after David died that: "No-one had the time to nurse David back to full prominence". Talking to David, telling him the obvious was never going to work. Especially as all those telling him ... drank alcohol themselves. OK David was weak-minded. But as Ken Hensley told me after David died: ''In retrospect, I'd have taken 6 months off from touring and gone to a clinic with David to help him overcome his addiction to booze". David was a goldmine who should have been PROPERLY looked after, but was more or less left to get on with it on his own. The nostalgia that still exists for the man is vast.
I’m 18 years old. I was born Almost 5 decades to the peak of Uriah Heep. My father was almost my age during this time, he experienced a lot of the hard rock and REAL musicial culture of rock. I will say out of all the bands from the 70s and 60s Uriah Heep has a special place for my heart, especially David Byron. Something draws me to him and its hard to explain. But he acts as someone who you wanted to know, he was larger than life in a way. Thanks for the information about David if you have anymore please feel free to share!!
Mick actually got in touch with David around 1982 and asked him if he was interested in rejoining Heep . Mick was surprised when he was given a negative reply . Sad ................
Mick was surprised but then he and the others sided favourably with Ken Hensley's when Ken issued his ultimatum of "He (Byron) goes or I do" back in the summer of '76, leading to Byron's sacking. There is no question in my mind that he deserved to be tossed given the accelerating train wreck he was. I don't know if he would have straightened out had he rejoined Heep in '81 when asked. Even though his career had been nothing compared to his Heep days ever since leaving the band, I kind of doubt it but it sure sounds like it was a second chance for him to get his shit together and make a better go of it. From what I've seen of him on stage, from about '72 on, he mostly sucked in every possible way. Focus, pitch, body, tone, concentration, you name it. Such a far cry from that fantastic studio voice on so many Heep records. I think Box is wrong in his impression of Byron's generally intoxicated state. Byron looked and acted like he drank so bloody much that I suspect his alcoholic tolerance was high enough for him to be physically outlandish on stage where other drunks could not. Of course he would die a few short years after passing on a second stint with Heep. Very sad story indeed.
If person is motivated, the things may be changed. Mick told in one of the recent interviews that Byron actually answered nothing then back in 1981... It may evidence that he was not motivated to come back and his projects were more interesting and important for him. Although they also sounded good both on tape and stage. Taking into consideration that live performance is not constant thing anyway...
In early 1990th Ken also proposed Heep members to rejoin for joint work with Heep after their gig. He wrote that all the band was on their own and did not pay attention to his proposal.
Yes. Offer to re-join rejected by David because he was stoned and drunk when Mick and Trevor Bolder went to his home to see him in 1981, after Sloman left Heep. Trevor himself told me this and added that "Byron simply could not see that he was nothing without Heep and Heep were nothing without him". Byron's doctor, whilst he was in Rough Diamond, LUDICROUSLY advised him he could resume drinking after a long period of abstinence. What shit advice.
He was the instigator for Byron's exit. He gave the ultimatum that either Byron goes or he goes and the band rightly decided with Ken. Byron was an absolute train wreck live for years up to that point and Ken didn't want it anymore. This of course was a far cry from his brilliant studio voice on record but he was out of it live. Bloody shame that it went down that way but I don't think Byron would have lasted much longer in the band or maybe on the planet had he stayed on. As it was, he would be dead from alcoholic complications just nine years after getting ousted,
@@iananderson3799 It was much the same,although due to drug-fueled psychosis, when the other four members of Pink Floyd had no choice but to simply not pick up Syd Barrett for one of their gigs. They couldn't take any more of him either standing on stage with his arms hanging limply by his side or deliberately detuning his guitar and playing the same jangling not all night. It was bad with David Byron's drunken antics, but at least he was animated and trying, albeit with subpar performances. Syd was just totally out of it by mid-1967.
This is the first time I have heard this particular interview from Mick Box. And I have spoken to Mick about this matter. I myself would add an important factor to Mick's view on whether ONLY David Byron himself could help himself recover from alcohol addiction. It 100% needs not JUST yourself but someone else as well - someone DETERMINED and strong and formidable to HELP you overcome the problem on a 24 hour basis. Friends alone spending 'hours' telling you to stop and to 'pull yourself together' will rarely succeed. It needs a resolute dedicated helper or helpers. A wife. A full-time nurse. Someone to benevolently FORCE a change of heart. To FORCE you to go Cold Turkey. Alcohol is such a powerful drug for some people that it takes a lot more than one's own will-power to go on the wagon. Byron's manager Maggie Farren said after David died that: "No-one had the time to nurse David back to full prominence". Talking to David, telling him the obvious was never going to work. Especially as all those telling him ... drank alcohol themselves. OK David was weak-minded. But as Ken Hensley told me after David died: ''In retrospect, I'd have taken 6 months off from touring and gone to a clinic with David to help him overcome his addiction to booze". David was a goldmine who should have been PROPERLY looked after, but was more or less left to get on with it on his own. The nostalgia that still exists for the man is vast.
Same with Gary Thain...they both really needed help...
🥝💚🖤
I’m 18 years old. I was born Almost 5 decades to the peak of Uriah Heep. My father was almost my age during this time, he experienced a lot of the hard rock and REAL musicial culture of rock. I will say out of all the bands from the 70s and 60s Uriah Heep has a special place for my heart, especially David Byron. Something draws me to him and its hard to explain. But he acts as someone who you wanted to know, he was larger than life in a way. Thanks for the information about David if you have anymore please feel free to share!!
Love, Love, Mick....😢
Mis die man nog steeds 😌
.......i listen URIAH HEEP from 1972. ........alex vitebsk 65 y.
GODDESSES
need the full performance
Mick actually got in touch with David around
1982 and asked him if he was interested in rejoining Heep .
Mick was surprised when he was given a negative reply .
Sad ................
Mick was surprised but then he and the others sided favourably with Ken Hensley's when Ken issued his ultimatum of "He (Byron) goes or I do" back in the summer of '76, leading to Byron's sacking. There is no question in my mind that he deserved to be tossed given the accelerating train wreck he was. I don't know if he would have straightened out had he rejoined Heep in '81 when asked. Even though his career had been nothing compared to his Heep days ever since leaving the band, I kind of doubt it but it sure sounds like it was a second chance for him to get his shit together and make a better go of it.
From what I've seen of him on stage, from about '72 on, he mostly sucked in every possible way. Focus, pitch, body, tone, concentration, you name it. Such a far cry from that fantastic studio voice on so many Heep records. I think Box is wrong in his impression of Byron's generally intoxicated state. Byron looked and acted like he drank so bloody much that I suspect his alcoholic tolerance was high enough for him to be physically outlandish on stage where other drunks could not.
Of course he would die a few short years after passing on a second stint with Heep. Very sad story indeed.
If person is motivated, the things may be changed. Mick told in one of the recent interviews that Byron actually answered nothing then back in 1981... It may evidence that he was not motivated to come back and his projects were more interesting and important for him. Although they also sounded good both on tape and stage. Taking into consideration that live performance is not constant thing anyway...
In early 1990th Ken also proposed Heep members to rejoin for joint work with Heep after their gig. He wrote that all the band was on their own and did not pay attention to his proposal.
Yes. Offer to re-join rejected by David because he was stoned and drunk when Mick and Trevor Bolder went to his home to see him in 1981, after Sloman left Heep. Trevor himself told me this and added that "Byron simply could not see that he was nothing without Heep and Heep were nothing without him". Byron's doctor, whilst he was in Rough Diamond, LUDICROUSLY advised him he could resume drinking after a long period of abstinence. What shit advice.
Yes ..he told mick " I want to be a leading man , and your not welcome on this land" ...and as a foe ...he told him to go .
❤❤❤❤❤
Waar kan ik de 30 minuten van de verloren gewaande opname vinden?
Die zet ik binnenkort compleet op UA-cam.
Hensley did not look to impressed with davids antics
He was the instigator for Byron's exit. He gave the ultimatum that either Byron goes or he goes and the band rightly decided with Ken. Byron was an absolute train wreck live for years up to that point and Ken didn't want it anymore. This of course was a far cry from his brilliant studio voice on record but he was out of it live. Bloody shame that it went down that way but I don't think Byron would have lasted much longer in the band or maybe on the planet had he stayed on. As it was, he would be dead from alcoholic complications just nine years after getting ousted,
I think Hensley, by this point, could see Byron was pissing away not only his own career, but that of the other band members as well.
@@joeblog2672 All things considered and given the circumstances, nine years is a very long time.
@@iananderson3799 It was much the same,although due to drug-fueled psychosis, when the other four members of Pink Floyd had no choice but to simply not pick up Syd Barrett for one of their gigs.
They couldn't take any more of him either standing on stage with his arms hanging limply by his side or deliberately detuning his guitar and playing the same jangling not all night.
It was bad with David Byron's drunken antics, but at least he was animated and trying, albeit with subpar performances.
Syd was just totally out of it by mid-1967.