1989

1989 was another lean year, although there was a crucial shift in personnel: Nurse Wacko (guitar) left the act in order to pursue alternative interests in event management, whilst Dr Dacko completed his PhD and agreed to re-join the group, bringing with him the added instrumentation of his accordion. However, this meant that we now needed both a new guitarist and a replacement drummer. Squacko had been our drummer before Slacko’s season in 1987 and he agreed to return and play his favoured instrument – the guitar. Meanwhile, I had met a young performer at Welfare State International, whilst directing their pantomime in Barrow in Furness, who was a good drummer, singer and performer: Gary Bridgens joined the troupe as Gacko and we spent time rehearsing the new line-up at Theatre in the Mill in Bradford during the summer of 1989. Professor Backo also joined us in these rehearsals, although he did not perform with the act after this date. We gave only one performance that year – outside The Mill and uniquely, as a six-piece, but we prepared ourselves for a relaunch in 1990. I started researching the history of pierrots by contacting Geoff Mellor and Bert & Mave Chapman, who some of the only people to have written books on the subject.