Nik Turner - The Spirit Of Hawkwind 1969-1976

I first heard of Hawkwind while I was with The Pretty Things in1969.

Dick Taylor had left The Pretties and we heard he wasproducing a band called Hawkwind. My Hawkwind Years began while I was livingin Bassett Road, Ladbroke Grove in 1970. The Pink Fairies was just beginningThe Dream Is Just Beginning. I met Nik on Portobello road one day & wehit it off immediately. Nik & Bob Calvert were always visiting my basementflat in Bassett road.

Nik and I organized a number of events throughout 1970& 1971 including the legendary Christmas Spaced show at The Roundhouse,Chalk Farm. This was the first official PinkWind production, to celebrate Xmas1970 with The Pink Fairies, Hawkwind, The Pretty Things, Steve Peregrin Took,Peter Green, Alexis Korner & many others. During 1970 The Pink Fairies organizedThe Pink Fairies Free Festival at both Bath Festival & IOW Festival &invited Hawkwind along & they came, performed & jammed with us.

I left The Pink Fairies in mid 1971. After a trip to Morocco& France, I returned to Cambridge. A few days later I was called up to playdrums for Hawkwind a few times when Terry Ollis was unavailable for whateverreason. The most famous of the gigs was recorded in December 1971, which wasreleased on a bootleg CD (great sound quality) entitled Live At The KineticPlayground Birmingham. It features Bob Calvert, Nik Turner, Dave Brock, Lemmy& myself.

Later on, while sharing a house in Paddington with Nik& Bob, I became a founding member of Captain Lockheed & TheStarfighters, playing on the first album. Also, while living in Cambridge, Ihad a band called ZZZ & we supported Hawkwind a few times, but billed asTwink. Great gigs & lots of fun.

I still see my old mate Nik Turner quite often. In the 90swe took PinkWind on the road and recorded 2 live albums: Festival Of The Sun& Purple Haze. Last year we were guest speakers together at BreakingConvention 2013.

- Twink (The Pink Fairies)

Ive known Nik for more than40 years and regard him as a good friend.

I got to know him first through gigs when I was in Gong,where Hawkwind and Gong were on the same bill, and in particular I have greatmemories of a French tour we did in 1975 with Gong, Hawkwind, Magma and Man.

I got to know Nik much better after he left Hawkwind in1976 when he asked me to help him with his solo project Exit Into Day, basedaround some great flute recordings he had made inside the Great Pyramid inEgypt. This progressed into me producing Niks solo album in August 1977, withother members of Gong also guesting. Through these sessions I met the drummerAndy Anderson, who played with the Steve Hillage Band in 1978-79.

More recently, weve played quite a few gigs on the samebill as Niks UK band Space Ritual, notably several times at Glastonburyfestival. We also played a Gong tour of the UK in 2010 with Niks Space Ritualsupporting.

Ive always found Nik to be a solid and inspiring person,and a great person to hang out with. He has my maximum respect.

- Steve Hillage (Gong)

At the cosmic peak of 1967,chance led me to mingle with the radical, revolutionary, anarchic hub of theUnderground scene in Londons Ladbroke Grove.

Among the brotherhood, Nik Turner was an intriguing andunforgettable

presence - a willowy wizard. I was in awe of him then and,as years have passed, our paths have crossed many times. There is always afondness and recognition in our brief greeting, as survivors from a potenttime.

The last time we met was at the funeral of Mick Farren(International Times) on the surreal estate of Felix Dennis (Oz), walkingtogether behind the coffin sharing news and views. Nik played bursts ofhaunting saxophone throughout the gathering as our influential friend was laidto rest, and Hells Angels and our little brother Wilko Johnson wept.

- Sonja Kristina (Curved Air)

I always considered Hawkwindto be equal parts music and Theater

and when it came to Theatrics nobody could beat Nik Turner.Anybody who can walk on stage wearing a silver body suit with a large moldedrubber Frogs head and a huge Day-Glo green pulsating Cod Piece while simultaneouslyplaying a Tenor Sax gets my vote! Rock On Nik!

- Alan Powell

Hawkwind 1970. Left to Right:Thomas Crimble, Nik Turner, Dave Brock, Terry Ollis,

Huw Lloyd-Langton, Dik Mik.

Nik Turner archives

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About The Author

Let it Rock magazinecover 1972

Nik Turner archives