A look back at the classic comedy of Chris Sievey and his alter ego Frank Sidebottom.
If you weren’t in England during the late 1980s and early ’90s, you’re probably not familiar with Frank Sidebottom classics like “Christmas Is Really Fantastic” or “Born In Timperley.” You may never have watched “Frank Sidebottom’s Fantastic Shed Show,” nor seen performances by Frank Sidebottom’s Oh Blimey Band.
And even if you know of Sidebottom, you’ve probably never heard of Chris Sievey (1955 – 2010).
Sievey was the creator of Frank Sidebottom, a comedian and aspiring pop-star with an oversized papier-mâché head who performed surreal and annoying Casio-backed tunes mostly about his home town of Timperley, a humble village in Manchester.
Frank Sidebottom originally appeared on a B-side of an EP by The Freshies, Sievey’s short-lived punk rock band who had a minor hit in 1980 with “I’m In Love With The Girl On The Manchester Virgin Megastore Checkout Desk.” When that band broke up, Sievey recorded an awful version of “Anarchy in the UK” with what would become his signature Casio accompaniment, and then sent it to major record labels with a cover letter that said, “I’m thinking of getting into showbusiness. Do you have any pamphlets?”
A cult favourite and comedic cousin to so-bad-it’s-good acts like Neil Hamburger and Andy Kaufman, Frank Sidebottom appeared on charity albums with the likes of Michelle Shocked, Sonic Youth, and Billy Bragg.
Sievey died of cancer June 21, 2010, at the age of 54. At the time of his death, Sievey was all but broke and fans launched fundraising efforts via Twitter and Facebook in order to cover his funeral expenses.
In his memory, here’s a clip of Sievey as Sidebottom performing “Christmas Is Really Fantastic.”
