The Magnificent 7

Madness’ recent comeback with The Liberty Of Norton Folgate has affirmed their status as a British institution. John Reed talks to the Nutty Boys about their rise and fall aand rise again.....

Madness may have notched up more weeks on the UK singles charts of the 80s than any other group – but perhaps it came at a cost. “We were standing there on Top Of The Pops in pith helmets and khaki shorts feeling a little bit foolish,” laughs Suggs. “The Smiths were on one stage and Dexys Midnight Runners were on another and I remember thinking, maybe the joke’s gone too far!”

Madness’ charming frontman pin-points that age-old problem: how do you find a happy medium between commercial success, musical creativity and artistic credibility? Maybe the answer is a sense of humour – which Madness cultivated in spades, nurturing a light-hearted image, not least via their nickname The Nutty Boys.

“In hindsight, it was frustrating that we couldn’t have articulated that problem,” adds Suggs. “But there was never any intellectualising. It was just, hang on a second, we’re putting in as much work as everyone else but we’re seen as a bit of a joke. Having said that, we were the ones who decided to dress up in khaki shorts and pith helmets! But when it came to the end of the evening, were The Smiths and Dexys having as much fun as we were?”

From their first Top Of The Pops appearance for their 2-Tone debut, The Prince, in 1979, Madness were patently enjoying …

by John Reed
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