Mr. Dunnery, this might be one of the best narratives I've heard in a long time. I'm a 59 year old guitarist who has re-invented himself many times over. In the early 90's my band achieved minor notoriety and I've always felt a little guilty because I don't particularly want to return to that. Thank you so much for all of your music! And for such a great point of view!
Hi Jon, I'm glad you've understood my sentiments. I really believe that knowing your self and your patterns gives you a sense of freedom and more opportunities to be creative. great stuff.
This is actually so true. I was randomly recommended an album by It Bites… and I absolutely loved it! Went on to buy all three on vinyl, and now I’m watching a 10 year old video of Dunnery speaking about how he isn’t what people say he is.
I wish there more of Francis' videos, I love his down to earth take on everything. When they say never meet your heroes I get the impression that wouldnt apply here :) bravo fella
In the mid nineties I moved to Cumbria, and I worked in Egremont, which was weird because it's where Frankie came from. I asked everyone I came into contact with if they knew Frankie and the band. "Yes, before they made it, they where in my front lounge one time. The drummer was drumming on my settee with his hands." "I'd love to see Frankie in concert. " "He's doing a gig at the Carnegie in Workington next month." "Really, I thought he was in America?" And so, I went to the Carnegie gig in '94. Frank came on stage, boiled a kettle and made himself a cup of coffee. The gig was great though, when he got going." A few years later (again the Carnegie), Frankie signed my "let's go do wh'appens CD" and writes "love Francis Dunnery X." A week later, I showed it to my Dad." "He's put love and kiss with his autograph" exclaimed Dad, "is he gay?"
I got turned onto Frankie in 1995 when I came across a copy of 'Fearless' in a used CD bin, bought it out of curiosity and couldn't pull it out of my 'go to' stack of discs for the next six months. ''Tall Blonde Helicopter' proved to me that I wasn't mistaken, these songs were even stronger. Never looked back from there. Went on to grab all the earlier 'It Bites' recordings although I'm not a Pop/Metal guy. Those late '90's NYC shows at the Mercury Lounge were killers, by the way. The house concerts have always been great too. Thanks for all the fine evenings Mr. Dunnery.
You got a very respectable point of view, accidently I came on your site because I saw a video of R.P. and searched for the guitarist...and realized this guitarist is a musician with a focus and objectives insted of telling the world he is the guitarist of R.P.
Spot on. It's haunting the way many people stick with the same friends and career, trapped by the past, and too afraid to take a risk by following their dreams.
I did a number of corporate leadership courses and they all talked about jumping off cliffs and making mistakes. Taking risks to be creative and trying new things. It seems that most industries accept the need to update and progress, other than the music industry.
Competent practitioners usually know more than they can say. They exhibit a kind of knowing in practice, most of which is tacit. Indeed practitioners themselves often reveal a capacity for reflections on their intuitive knowing in the midst of action and sometimes use this capacity to cope with the unique, uncertain and conflicted situations of practice.
It is funny how I found out about your music. Someone commented on a Kevin Gilbert Video about how Kevin Gilbert's Prog Band Giraffe reminds them of It Bites. Im glad they did because I really dig your music! They said it was a blend of Pop with Prog Rock. I really love the live video from Tokyo in 89. Fantastic stuff!
in this day i listen ..The big lad in the windmill.. and..Once around the world....what can i say Francis after many years today..I am still thrilled by how you play on these two records..fuck... if you are not a guitarist then who is? you are one of the heroes.. greeting from italy..
I so appreciate your genuine heart-share! So refreshing...especially coming from someone who knows both sides...all the "pretend" side of the industry as well as the delightfully down-to-earth sharing that you so relish! I SO concur! It's so much more meaningful to share heart-to-heart with people--with no "smoke and mirrors". Thank you so much for your much-needed clarifying...and doing it in such a non-judgmental way...just sharing "where it's at" for you!
Its human nature steven. We can do all sorts of things but it seems like we have to pretend we are limited to one role in order to be what society calls 'succefful'. personally i wouldnt call michael jackson a success, or janis joplin or kurt cobaine. yet society says they are far more successful than me.... yet Im stil alive. Ididnt suffer death by showbiz.
Intriguing interview. Francis...noticed the Yes Tomato LP in the background. Great band. Nice stereo system. Use old school tube amplification, still have my vinyl collection too. Cheers.
Hi there from Munich. Great work. At some point I stumbled across It Bites and loved it. I would like to send you a song I did with my band „Sheer Cerebral Power“ whose new release will be released via Enja Records in Feb 22….if you tell me where, since you were also one of my influences…..
Interesting way of looking at it and cool turntable 👍 almost as cool as your white squier strat with humbucker and big headstock! That for me was theee it bites guitar!!!
I appreciate that you aren't interested in defining yourself based on others perception. That said, sir, I'd love to take guitar lessons from you. You mash all sorts of influences into your playing, yet it always seems song oriented. No easy feat. Years ago I tried to describe a song of yours to a friend, and came up with "It's like Huey Lewis got baked, started listening to Pink Floyd, and asked Alan Holdsworth to join his band." In retrospect, it was somewhat inaccurate, but I was attempting to express the inexpressible. And I may have been a bit drunk. However you choose to define (or not define) yourself, I love your music.
I am a multi instrumentalist also, not that good at it, but I try. Anyway, you can say how you feel, don't let people judge you. I think they just have a prickle somewhere that they can't get rid of.....
you cant control what people think lisa. you also cant pander to peoples opinions of your work. an audience is as fickle as a donkeys tail. It fine that people express their views but it wont change a thing in my artistic expression. I see the world a certain way and thats what Ill sing about. thank you for your message.
i play guitar as well , it's been an enduring passion all my adult life and think i'm finding my own technique but i'm also struggling with alcohol , any advice ?
I play guitar all the time. I love it. I also cook food but im not a chef. I chop wood but Im not a lumberjack. I can do all these things. Think about whats possible in life. We'll all be dead soon. I want to be on my death and say 'fuckin hell, Im knackered'. thats the time to stop being creative.
NO !!! Frank ...bob plant should count himself as YOUR singer !!! ...Ha !!! Your brilliant man ...& above all i reckon your a good bloke ...much more important than being a good ? ? ? "label" ? ? ? ...good on ya -greetings from oz.
It's true, 'all the world's a stage' to an extent. It sounds like you've fell out with 'show' business and image aspect? It's hard to avoid, humans need pigeon holes and patterns. All quite strange ...because they really don't define us as people. Anyway, you're definitely a serious and considerable musician (sorry bout that) and we're not defined by what we do or say, you are defined by what you mean to others .....i think that's a compliment.
I love playing music, its an amazing gift in my life. I can still play music without defining myself. And you are exactly right, humans use patterns to feel safe. Thanks for the thoughtful reply
Role theory aside, whoever it was that pretended to play the guitar on the first fifteen seconds of Positively Animal had a massive impact on my life and my guitar playing. Keep pretending, Frankie. Doesn't matter if the ladies don't mother you.
Im certainly not saying we shouldnt do these things, its just not creative getting calcified in the past. Its always great to update yourself. Its natural. Very healthy and creative. If i get stuck in my role then i shut out the possibilities of life.
Am I a balding middle-aged man? Do I accept that stereotype of myself? Do I accept that I will be profiled like that anyway, and consequences will follow? Do I accept that writing these words on YT will define my Google profile for text mining and targeted advertising for the rest of my life?
ha. you know sometimes I meet these people in public and they never say things like this. And they expect me to be a little cowering thing, to cower to their words. The problem is I'm 6 foot 5 with an incredibly violent background, arrogant and totally unafraid. ha ha. Full of love for those who want it and covered in violence for those who don't. Have a great day James.
Just hijacking that comment...I find it interesting that you believe in astrology and are also an atheist. It's not that the two couldn't be compatible, per se, but most atheists (and I count myself as one) base their 'belief' around the fact that there's no evidence for the existence of god(s). If you can believe in astrology, which is a matter of personal faith (e.g. it can't be proven with evidence), I'm unsure why a god of some sort couldn't sit behind that belief. Other than that, I agree with what you're saying - obviously all these things are just roles that we play, and when we're stood naked in front of the mirror, we're just another bag of meat as opposed to a guitarist, a friend, a chef etc. Whilst I'd agree that we're not limited to the roles we play, we unfortunately don't get to define ourselves totally as who we are is, in a large part, interpreted by others. In a way that can be quite depressing (I'll never be cool, because I can't make people see me that way!) and I think it's a big reason as to why many people will literally uproot their whole lives - essentially, they seek to reinvent themselves (in the same way a kid going away to uni does) by swapping their existing environment and relationships for the unknown. I think true happiness comes in accepting who you are though, and that means accepting who you were as well, because who you were is still a part of you. So I disagree with you saying you can't 'continue' being Francis Dunnery, the gifted, long blonde haired It Bites front man, because your whole existence is linked with those memories. You are still him. And I think that's pretty damn cool, actually! I also think it's pretty cool that you do what you do now, because you're happy doing it and, really, that's the only thing that matters on this planet. Anyway, bit of a ramble that and I'm not a philosopher - just a guy in his late 20's who should be in bed. Thanks for the music.
He's making way too big a deal of it in my opinion. He has played guitar professionally, so it's fair to say he's a guitarist as he is known for that, like it's fair to say a plumber is a plumber if that's what he does for a living. We all know the plumber doesn't just do plumbing for every hour of the day, it's just a shorthand for starting to describe one person to another. If they are interested enough you can then expand on it and tell them other things. You've got to start somewhere, you would obviously start with the most significant thing, which is what you do for a living in the west, like it or not. Or did I miss his point...
You got my point completely and i think you put it beautifully when you said ' guitar player is just shorthand for describing one person to another but its not all they are. beautifully put. Thanks for the message.
Mr. Dunnery, this might be one of the best narratives I've heard in a long time. I'm a 59 year old guitarist who has re-invented himself many times over. In the early 90's my band achieved minor notoriety and I've always felt a little guilty because I don't particularly want to return to that. Thank you so much for all of your music! And for such a great point of view!
Hi Jon, I'm glad you've understood my sentiments. I really believe that knowing your self and your patterns gives you a sense of freedom and more opportunities to be creative. great stuff.
This is actually so true. I was randomly recommended an album by It Bites… and I absolutely loved it! Went on to buy all three on vinyl, and now I’m watching a 10 year old video of Dunnery speaking about how he isn’t what people say he is.
I wish there more of Francis' videos, I love his down to earth take on everything. When they say never meet your heroes I get the impression that wouldnt apply here :) bravo fella
You're correct.... He's just exactly as you see here.
In the mid nineties I moved to Cumbria, and I worked in Egremont, which was weird because it's where Frankie came from. I asked everyone I came into contact with if they knew Frankie and the band. "Yes, before they made it, they where in my front lounge one time. The drummer was drumming on my settee with his hands."
"I'd love to see Frankie in concert. "
"He's doing a gig at the Carnegie in Workington next month."
"Really, I thought he was in America?"
And so, I went to the Carnegie gig in '94. Frank came on stage, boiled a kettle and made himself a cup of coffee. The gig was great though, when he got going."
A few years later (again the Carnegie), Frankie signed my "let's go do wh'appens CD" and writes "love Francis Dunnery X." A week later, I showed it to my Dad."
"He's put love and kiss with his autograph" exclaimed Dad, "is he gay?"
I got turned onto Frankie in 1995 when I came across a copy of 'Fearless' in a used CD bin, bought it out of curiosity and couldn't pull it out of my 'go to' stack of discs for the next six months. ''Tall Blonde Helicopter' proved to me that I wasn't mistaken, these songs were even stronger. Never looked back from there. Went on to grab all the earlier 'It Bites' recordings although I'm not a Pop/Metal guy. Those late '90's NYC shows at the Mercury Lounge were killers, by the way. The house concerts have always been great too. Thanks for all the fine evenings Mr. Dunnery.
You got a very respectable point of view, accidently I came on your site because I saw a video of R.P. and searched for the guitarist...and realized this guitarist is a musician with a focus and objectives insted of telling the world he is the guitarist of R.P.
Spot on. It's haunting the way many people stick with the same friends and career, trapped by the past, and too afraid to take a risk by following their dreams.
I did a number of corporate leadership courses and they all talked about jumping off cliffs and making mistakes. Taking risks to be creative and trying new things. It seems that most industries accept the need to update and progress, other than the music industry.
Awesome Francis! Good to see you again. Woodbury Vt 1990
Competent practitioners usually know more than they can say. They exhibit a kind of knowing in practice, most of which is tacit. Indeed practitioners themselves often reveal a capacity for reflections on their intuitive knowing in the midst of action and sometimes use this capacity to cope with the unique, uncertain and conflicted situations of practice.
Bloody hell. That's very close to wisdom.
It is funny how I found out about your music. Someone commented on a Kevin Gilbert Video about how Kevin Gilbert's Prog Band Giraffe reminds them of It Bites. Im glad they did because I really dig your music! They said it was a blend of Pop with Prog Rock. I really love the live video from Tokyo in 89. Fantastic stuff!
in this day i listen ..The big lad in the windmill.. and..Once around the world....what can i say Francis after many years today..I am still thrilled by how you play on these two records..fuck... if you are not a guitarist then who is?
you are one of the heroes..
greeting from italy..
I love the message, awesome.
I so appreciate your genuine heart-share! So refreshing...especially coming from someone who knows both sides...all the "pretend" side of the industry as well as the delightfully down-to-earth sharing that you so relish! I SO concur! It's so much more meaningful to share heart-to-heart with people--with no "smoke and mirrors". Thank you so much for your much-needed clarifying...and doing it in such a non-judgmental way...just sharing "where it's at" for you!
Its human nature steven. We can do all sorts of things but it seems like we have to pretend we are limited to one role in order to be what society calls 'succefful'. personally i wouldnt call michael jackson a success, or janis joplin or kurt cobaine. yet society says they are far more successful than me.... yet Im stil alive. Ididnt suffer death by showbiz.
Intriguing interview. Francis...noticed the Yes Tomato LP in the background. Great band. Nice stereo system. Use old school tube amplification, still have my vinyl collection too. Cheers.
i love the old Yes stuff, howe was something else. amazing band and music
Indeed. Drama, Going For The One, Close To The Edge...are my favorite LPs.
I really loved that album Tormato. I think it had some killer moments on it.
Hi there from Munich. Great work. At some point I stumbled across It Bites and loved it. I would like to send you a song I did with my band „Sheer Cerebral Power“ whose new release will be released via Enja Records in Feb 22….if you tell me where, since you were also one of my influences…..
Thank You Francis for Keeping Me Real..
Top man. Take care FD.x
Interesting way of looking at it and cool turntable 👍 almost as cool as your white squier strat with humbucker and big headstock! That for me was theee it bites guitar!!!
Great interview! Looks like big Tetra speakers in the background?
Dunnery is very cool dude.
and so are you!
Freedom,,thats what Francis is getting at .
I appreciate that you aren't interested in defining yourself based on others perception.
That said, sir, I'd love to take guitar lessons from you. You mash all sorts of influences into your playing, yet it always seems song oriented. No easy feat. Years ago I tried to describe a song of yours to a friend, and came up with "It's like Huey Lewis got baked, started listening to Pink Floyd, and asked Alan Holdsworth to join his band." In retrospect, it was somewhat inaccurate, but I was attempting to express the inexpressible. And I may have been a bit drunk.
However you choose to define (or not define) yourself, I love your music.
ha ha huey lewis got baked! ha ha brilliant. I love it. I may put some guitar lessons up again on my channel. thanks for the great message.
I am a multi instrumentalist also, not that good at it, but I try. Anyway, you can say how you feel, don't let people judge you. I think they just have a prickle somewhere that they can't get rid of.....
you cant control what people think lisa. you also cant pander to peoples opinions of your work. an audience is as fickle as a donkeys tail. It fine that people express their views but it wont change a thing in my artistic expression. I see the world a certain way and thats what Ill sing about. thank you for your message.
he is so down to earth, cant wait until he comes back to Cumbria :D
probably in the spring of 2017
"Alittle song, dedicated to all the peasants" ....lov Fearless cd...wore out my first copy...turned it into a coaster then bought a new one😂
excuse me mr dunnery, where can i get the notes for whats he gonna say on guitar? cant find it anywhere...especially that intro
I love that you love Allan Holdsworth!
Good comments. Makes me think.
good lad Mike. thinking is good for the soul ha ha
Is that a Langejans guitar?
I think it's a Tanglewood Mike.
He’s a Top guitar player, whatever he thinks.
Are you saying we should all clock off?
yes you are a guitarist and are very fortunate to be so talented , so use it !!!
well I play guitar that is true. And I do indeed use it.
i play guitar as well , it's been an enduring passion all my adult life and think i'm finding my own technique
but i'm also struggling with alcohol , any advice ?
I play guitar all the time. I love it. I also cook food but im not a chef. I chop wood but Im not a lumberjack. I can do all these things. Think about whats possible in life. We'll all be dead soon. I want to be on my death and say 'fuckin hell, Im knackered'. thats the time to stop being creative.
Tell em Frankie boy :)
NO !!! Frank ...bob plant should count himself as YOUR singer !!! ...Ha !!!
Your brilliant man ...& above all i reckon your a good bloke
...much more important than being a good ? ? ? "label" ? ? ?
...good on ya -greetings from oz.
And Frankenstein is an amazing tune…..you may enjoy some of my stuff which is very much derived from yours…
As somebody famous once said . . . 'Shut up and play your guitar'. (and don't do drugs)
Click on this video and then double click fast forward four times.
You are a creator.
Who could use a shave Frankie....lol!
Wow that's a serious hifi in the back ground,.the cost of a small house(maybe more) I kid you not people.
Its all Tetra stuff, amazing speakers.
If you're not a guitarist Frankie then I'll eat my friggin hat!!!
start eating tronlady1. put some ketchup on it
ok fatty :o)
ha ha
It's true, 'all the world's a stage' to an extent. It sounds like you've fell out with 'show' business and image aspect? It's hard to avoid, humans need pigeon holes and patterns. All quite strange ...because they really don't define us as people.
Anyway, you're definitely a serious and considerable musician (sorry bout that) and we're not defined by what we do or say, you are defined by what you mean to others .....i think that's a compliment.
I love playing music, its an amazing gift in my life. I can still play music without defining myself. And you are exactly right, humans use patterns to feel safe. Thanks for the thoughtful reply
Play us a tune Francis.
Just play some great guitar 'Francis', YOU'RE A FUCKING GUITARIST!!!
Role theory aside, whoever it was that pretended to play the guitar on the first fifteen seconds of Positively Animal had a massive impact on my life and my guitar playing. Keep pretending, Frankie. Doesn't matter if the ladies don't mother you.
Im certainly not saying we shouldnt do these things, its just not creative getting calcified in the past. Its always great to update yourself. Its natural. Very healthy and creative. If i get stuck in my role then i shut out the possibilities of life.
Am I a balding middle-aged man?
Do I accept that stereotype of myself?
Do I accept that I will be profiled like that anyway, and consequences will follow?
Do I accept that writing these words on YT will define my Google profile for text mining and targeted advertising for the rest of my life?
no, you can occur for yourself however you want.
Sagittarius, oh shut up
you shut up
Boy, that escalated quickly.
ha. you know sometimes I meet these people in public and they never say things like this. And they expect me to be a little cowering thing, to cower to their words. The problem is I'm 6 foot 5 with an incredibly violent background, arrogant and totally unafraid. ha ha. Full of love for those who want it and covered in violence for those who don't. Have a great day James.
This man needs the gospels of Christ//
No, Im a staunch atheist and you need to listen to the francis dunnery radio show that comes on every sunday at 6.00 pm UK time on progzilla radio
Just hijacking that comment...I find it interesting that you believe in astrology and are also an atheist. It's not that the two couldn't be compatible, per se, but most atheists (and I count myself as one) base their 'belief' around the fact that there's no evidence for the existence of god(s). If you can believe in astrology, which is a matter of personal faith (e.g. it can't be proven with evidence), I'm unsure why a god of some sort couldn't sit behind that belief.
Other than that, I agree with what you're saying - obviously all these things are just roles that we play, and when we're stood naked in front of the mirror, we're just another bag of meat as opposed to a guitarist, a friend, a chef etc. Whilst I'd agree that we're not limited to the roles we play, we unfortunately don't get to define ourselves totally as who we are is, in a large part, interpreted by others. In a way that can be quite depressing (I'll never be cool, because I can't make people see me that way!) and I think it's a big reason as to why many people will literally uproot their whole lives - essentially, they seek to reinvent themselves (in the same way a kid going away to uni does) by swapping their existing environment and relationships for the unknown.
I think true happiness comes in accepting who you are though, and that means accepting who you were as well, because who you were is still a part of you. So I disagree with you saying you can't 'continue' being Francis Dunnery, the gifted, long blonde haired It Bites front man, because your whole existence is linked with those memories. You are still him. And I think that's pretty damn cool, actually! I also think it's pretty cool that you do what you do now, because you're happy doing it and, really, that's the only thing that matters on this planet.
Anyway, bit of a ramble that and I'm not a philosopher - just a guy in his late 20's who should be in bed. Thanks for the music.
I think christ said the same thing. dont be fooled by your ego.
To Francis: right. EGO separates us/me from All (imho) 🌻which I hope can be where me/we can exist at least part-time ☺️🌻
Frank, totally not a guitarist. Shut up and play that guitar. You're playing is a delight to listen to, and if you enjoy doing it then who's losing?
Back when he wasn’t a complete loon
He's making way too big a deal of it in my opinion. He has played guitar professionally, so it's fair to say he's a guitarist as he is known for that, like it's fair to say a plumber is a plumber if that's what he does for a living. We all know the plumber doesn't just do plumbing for every hour of the day, it's just a shorthand for starting to describe one person to another. If they are interested enough you can then expand on it and tell them other things. You've got to start somewhere, you would obviously start with the most significant thing, which is what you do for a living in the west, like it or not. Or did I miss his point...
PS Never once thought of you as "Robert Plant's guitarist", even though I saw you and him live.
The point is that we are not limited to the roles we play. I don't have to live my life as a guitarist. We are not the roles we play.
I am not Robert Plants guitarist. That's my point.
You got my point completely and i think you put it beautifully when you said ' guitar player is just shorthand for describing one person to another but its not all they are. beautifully put. Thanks for the message.