Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Lots and Lots of Body Parts

“I don’t have many crazy stories, as this is the band’s 30th anniversary tour,” said Dave Wakeling of the English Beat. “To me, a nice time is hot chocolate with a few friends. But speaking of food on the road, I’m a vegetarian, and that’s very difficult to find on the road or at the venues. So, I’ll find a good Indian place and buy enough curry for the next two or three days. I stick them in Tupperware and they’re in the fridge for the next three days. I’m known as the man with the traveling curry.”

I asked Wakeling if he’d ever reunite with Ranking Roger, his old “toaster.” “I’ve invited him endless times, and we’ve gotten very close. I think he’s interested, but it may be the people that represent him. Always two or three weeks before it’s supposed to happen... I think they feel they’ll lose their central position in his career. So, it never comes off. One time in England, it had even been advertised and it didn’t happen. There was lots of pointing fingers and nobody taking responsibility. But I have a new toaster now, a guy from New York who lived in Jamaica. After the shows, the crowd doesn’t even ask about Roger anymore. The last time we played together was about three years ago. And it was fantastic. Rog even admitted the magic was still there. I think when people ask me about him with reunion talk all misty eyed…it’s like expecting to make a dinner party with the first five girls you ever kissed.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

I’d seen Wakeling sign autographs after shows and asked him what was the weirdest thing he’d ever signed.

“Lots and lots of body parts. But thankfully and gracefully, with fans in their 40s and 50s now, they’re not as willing to flop one out as they used to be.

“My mom and dad came to a show in Birmingham. There were 2000 people, and it seemed like they all were asking for autographs. My mom would start to talk with me, and we’d be interrupted to sign a note for someone’s friend that wasn’t there or another person who wanted to make a Christmas card. My mom asked if I ever get tired of it, and my dad quickly said, ‘It’s when they don’t want his autograph that he’s got to worry.’ ”

Plenty of opportunity to see Dave Wakeling perform and ask for his autograph at the Belly Up Tavern this weekend, February 27 and 28.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Didja know I did the first American feature on Jimi Hendrix?

Richard Meltzer goes through the Germs, Blue Oyster Cult, Ray Charles, Elvis, Lavender Hill Mob
Next Article

Best Sports Betting Sites - 10 Online Sportsbooks Ranked for 2024

Best Sports Betting Sites (2024) - Reviews of TOP Online Sportsbooks

“I don’t have many crazy stories, as this is the band’s 30th anniversary tour,” said Dave Wakeling of the English Beat. “To me, a nice time is hot chocolate with a few friends. But speaking of food on the road, I’m a vegetarian, and that’s very difficult to find on the road or at the venues. So, I’ll find a good Indian place and buy enough curry for the next two or three days. I stick them in Tupperware and they’re in the fridge for the next three days. I’m known as the man with the traveling curry.”

I asked Wakeling if he’d ever reunite with Ranking Roger, his old “toaster.” “I’ve invited him endless times, and we’ve gotten very close. I think he’s interested, but it may be the people that represent him. Always two or three weeks before it’s supposed to happen... I think they feel they’ll lose their central position in his career. So, it never comes off. One time in England, it had even been advertised and it didn’t happen. There was lots of pointing fingers and nobody taking responsibility. But I have a new toaster now, a guy from New York who lived in Jamaica. After the shows, the crowd doesn’t even ask about Roger anymore. The last time we played together was about three years ago. And it was fantastic. Rog even admitted the magic was still there. I think when people ask me about him with reunion talk all misty eyed…it’s like expecting to make a dinner party with the first five girls you ever kissed.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

I’d seen Wakeling sign autographs after shows and asked him what was the weirdest thing he’d ever signed.

“Lots and lots of body parts. But thankfully and gracefully, with fans in their 40s and 50s now, they’re not as willing to flop one out as they used to be.

“My mom and dad came to a show in Birmingham. There were 2000 people, and it seemed like they all were asking for autographs. My mom would start to talk with me, and we’d be interrupted to sign a note for someone’s friend that wasn’t there or another person who wanted to make a Christmas card. My mom asked if I ever get tired of it, and my dad quickly said, ‘It’s when they don’t want his autograph that he’s got to worry.’ ”

Plenty of opportunity to see Dave Wakeling perform and ask for his autograph at the Belly Up Tavern this weekend, February 27 and 28.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Nation’s sexy soldiers stage protest at Pendleton in wake of change in Marine uniform policy

Semper WHY?
Next Article

Navy solves San Diego homeless crisis by retiring four locally moored ships

Decommision Accomplished
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.