CLICK HERE to read Chapters 1-4
THE NEW SEEKERS
“You certainly are a fabulous researcher leaving no stone unturned. There were a few facts and figures I couldn’t quite reconcile but then again my memory from the distant past is fading. Your writing is excellent Malcolm, and you are a brilliant researcher…” Regards Marty
“Thank you so much for sending me your excellent history of the Seekers/New Seekers. So much of what I read, I knew nothing about, fascinating. It brought it all back and made me laugh too!…!” – With very best wishes, Sally (Evetts/Graham)
The New Seekers…
Hardly a name that conjures up tales of rock ’n’ roll debauchery, is it? Although, rumour has it that, underneath their sweet and saccharine image, and the cutesy long flowing dresses, they certainly undertook their fair share of excess. Quite how much, I never really got to discover as… well, read on.
Having written three ‘fairly successful’ music biographies in recent years, back in 2021 I was wondering who to take on next for a subject and, despite the aforesaid image issues, I had always loved the music of the NS. If anyone were to put aside any of their pre-conceived thoughts of the group, and dig into some of the deeper cuts from their albums (particularly the 1971-73 period) then I’m sure that they too would be more than a little impressed. So, it was, that during early 2022 I started work on book #4, tentatively titled “Teaching The World To Sing (The Definitive New Seekers Story)”. With the help from Nic Culverwell, latter-day manager of the band and long-time fan/collector/authority, the groundwork was put in place and I was fortunate enough, quite early on, to speak with Marty Kristian and Paul Layton, and also with Sally Graham and Chris Barrington, both from the NS early line-up. In addition, I was also extremely honoured that both Keith Potger (the man who put the group together in the first place) and producer David Mackay also took the time to respond generously to my email enquiries. Then, in February of 2023, I had the first of two meetings with Lyn Paul. However, right from the outset Lyn informed me that she wasn’t prepared to divulge too much detail about her time with the NS, as she was considering saving it all for her own memoirs. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I offered to assist her with those and contracts were duly signed shortly afterwards. However, a conflict of interests soon arose over working with both her and writing the NS story and so, after explaining my reasonings to Nic, Marty and Paul I, for better or for worse, effectively jumped ship. Perhaps it wasn’t my wisest decision ever but, how was I to know? And yet, despite my good intentions, and through no-ones fault at all, it sadly wasn’t to be…
I recall thinking to myself after my initial meeting with Lyn, over in Windsor, as I sped around the M25 back to my home in Essex that something didn’t feel right. Not with Lyn I hasten to add, but more with me. My eyes felt too… heavy. Nevertheless, I put it down to an early morning start and continued on with my plan. After we had a second meeting, and Lyn explained to me that she would like it to be written through face-to-face conversations, as opposed to via the phone or internet (a perfectly reasonable request) I began feel a bit more concerned as the worrying symptoms I was having appeared to increasing. My handwriting, for example, had become virtually illegible, and my typing was also becoming rather erratic – not a good sign for an author (you have no idea how long it took me to type out this introduction)! Finally, after number of months of tests, scans and Lord knows what else, it was suggested that it may be Parkinsons Syndrome. Damnit!
I have to say that Lyn was lovely about the situation and, seeing that she was about to go out on tour as a part of of the new Calendar Girls production, we agreed to hold it off for the time being but, once my diagnosis was officially confirmed, and regular driving across to the other side of London was deemed a no-no – plus, in addition, she also parted company with her then-agent – she came to the decision (on the advise of her new agents) that, perhaps, now was not the best time for us to co-write a book together. Again, perfectly understandable. After all, it’s her story! In fact, as it stands, I don’t think she has progressed any further with her ideas at all…
Subsequently, for the best part of over three years, I’ve been sitting on my initial early draft of the New Seekers story – all four chapters of it! Yep, that’s as far I got I’m afraid, before decisions and, subsequently diagnosis took a hold. I can’t deny that I have often been tempted to revisit the story, to find out more about the ‘excesses’ the group divulged in – and Marty was extremely complimentary about the initial chapters I had written so far, after I sent them to him but, I fear that it would simply take me tooo long to research and to somehow type it all up now (and, before you suggest it, my voice is also now too weak to use one of the dictation options successfully… at least, for now). So, I’ve decided to put out what I had written so far, for the many fans still out there who would like l read more about the group. Maybe, one day, I WILL revisit the story. Who knows? But for now…
CLICK HERE to read Chapters 1-4