Original Fun Lovin' Criminal ready to tell all at special show
Huey Morgan has done a lot in more than 30 years in the public eye, but has said he is always thankful to still be able to do his thing.
He has been a musician, broadcaster, author and DJ, known to many as the frontman of American Rap/Rock outfit Fun Lovin’ Criminals and for his popular show The Huey Show on BBC Radio 6 Music, which has provided listeners with an eclectic mix of sounds since 2008.
Best known for the hit record Scooby Snacks, Fun Lovin’ Criminals released 6 albums between 1996 and 2010 and sold more than 10 million records.
Following an acrimonious split with his former bandmates in 2021, the 56-year-old, who grew up in New York City and now lives in Bath in Somerset, said he was settling into a quiet life in the British countryside, writing novels and presenting his radio show once a week, but always having that itch to be able to go out and perform.
That itch has now manifested itself into a solo tour which mixes music and chat and gives fans an opportunity to get up close and personal with the, as he puts it, the original Fun Lovin' Criminal.
The tour will come to Bilston Town Hall on Thursday, October 17 and is an opportunity Huey said was a nice surprise after what had gone on with his former bandmates.
He said: "I've been given an opportunity that's pretty cool and I'm kind of rolling with it at my age and there's a lot of enthusiasm behind the music again, putting out a new record, which is amazing as I thought I'd never be doing that again.
"I am a Fun Lovin' Criminal and I always have been and always will be and it's just unfortunate that the rest of the guys in the band didn't see it that way as I think it's pretty common knowledge that they went and trademarked the band name behind my back while I was still in the band, perhaps with delusions of grandeur that they would kick me out, have a bunch of hit records and prove me wrong.
"I didn't set out to upset them, I just say that we were in the middle of a pandemic and we probably shouldn't tour, but that's the beauty of most things as when a door slams in your face, another opens up and I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing now if it hadn't been for those two."
Huey said the tour has come about after speaking to Happy Mondays frontman Shaun Ryder about a Q&A tour he had done and, after being told how good the experience was, he decided to do one at the Half Moon in Putney and said he found he really enjoyed it.
He said it was a chance to play music, talk to people about different things from his life, including his active service in the Marines and moving to the UK, and answering questions about anything that people want to ask about what he described as his crazy life.
He said it was a bit of a strange experience as he said he wasn't the type of person who looked back on his career in stages, but was more inclined for people to see him and his life for what it was.
He said: "I'm not the kind of guy who thinks about what people think of him as someone recently asked me about my career and I said that I don't ever really think about it as a career, more just about me living my life and, every once in a while, people pay me money to do it.
"It's not like I change who I am or what I do to fit a particular gig, more than I just kind of am who I am and, yes, I play music and, yes, I write books and, yes, I'm doing a Q&A as, for me, it's interesting for people to catch a glimpse of a life less marvelled at and it's pretty cool as I don't really think about all the things I've done until I have to talk about them."
Huey said the tour and new music also took shape after his wife, who acts as his personal manager, said he had received an email from Alan McGee, the man behind Creation Records and manager of Oasis, which detailed how the other members of Fun Lovin' Criminals had played a gig and wanted him to manage them, only to be rebuffed by McGee, who he said described them as "the sidemen", and described what happened next.
He said: "After that, they said that they should check in with me and see what I was doing and, at that point, I had settled into a quiet life in the British countryside, writing novels and having fun doing my radio show once a week, but I did have a hankering and I got unceremoniously deperched from a band I loved being in.
"I had a meeting with the guys and they hit me with the pitch that if I ever wanted to do this again, they'd help me and I said I did want to do it again and it was something missing from my life and had been there since I was 11-years-old, learning the guitar and the 10,000 hours of practice.
"These two cats clearly thought this dude could do it again and I said to myself that these opportunities don't come around too often as I'm 56 and had been in a band that hadn't had a hit single in 20 years, so it's good to be able ride that wave again."
With the recent successes of Sugababes and Avril Lavigne at Glastonbury, there has been a recent appetite for entertainers who were popular in the past and have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years and Huey said that this reflected how people can be recognised for how good they are.
He said that his appearances have been fun and he's been able to engage with crowds big and small and give them a chance to relax and enjoy themselves for a couple of hours, something any good entertainer should be able to do.
He said that he got recognised more for the radio show these days and said the show was a great way of showing people his other side and providing them with a fun night out.
He said: "It was funny recently as I was doing a few shows and people came to me and said that they came to the show as they'd heard of Fun Lovin' Criminals, but they didn't know what to expect, but they thought it was great and that's what I really enjoy of taking them from one aspect of my life and taking them into the main hall, if you will.
"I feel like people can come down and expect from any time my name is on the bill is a singular experience that is going to be curated by someone who knows what they're doing and I'll even start playing the guitar if it'll bail me out of my bad jokes!"
Huey Morgan – The Fun Lovin’ Criminal takes place on Thursday, October 17 at Bilston Town Hall at 7.30pm, with tickets costing £30.05 and a meet and greet ticket costing £71.55.
To find out more and order tickets, go to bilstonth.co.uk/whats-on/all-shows/huey-morgan-the-fun-lovin-criminal/4571/
