Buster Bloodvessel
Encyclopedia
Douglas Trendle better known as Buster Bloodvessel, is an English singer and the frontman of the ska revival
band Bad Manners
. His stage name was taken from the bus conductor played by Ivor Cutler
in the Beatles
' 1967 film Magical Mystery Tour
.
as Douglas Woods to a single mother, Buster was adopted and brought up by his great-aunt Mary Trendle and her husband, Edward. He did not know he was adopted until the age of seven, when he overheard his adoptive mother talking to a neighbour. He discovered that the woman that he knew as 'Auntie Lily', was really his mother. He never met his father.
He founded Bad Manners
with friends at Woodberry Down Comprehensive School
in North London
in 1976. Bad Manners were a popular live attraction in North London, with their brand of humorous ska
making them the comedians of the ska revival scene, with Buster often wagging his large tongue at his audiences. Bad Manners earned nine Top 40 singles
between 1980 and 1983, and the band have remained a popular live act throughout Britain
and Europe ever since.
However, the group originally split up in 1986, after their contract with Portrait Records
finished and he eventually formed a new outfit called Buster's Allstars, performing at clubs and pubs in London, but he still played some concerts with Bad Manners at larger venues, along with some new musicians and a few other original band members.
In 1988, Buster licensed the Blue Beat Records name and logo, and he ran the record label from an old houseboat that was stationed in his back garden at his former home in Hackney
. Blue Beat issued a number of releases, notably by Bad Manners, Napoleon Solo, Buster's Allstars and the Billies, but the label folded in 1990.
Buster Bloodvessel also appeared in the films Out of Order
and Sammy and Rosie Get Laid
before landing a part in an episode of Boon
in 1990. In 1998, he signed a solo deal with the Virgin Records
offshoot label, Innocent Records, and recorded an album but the label decided to axe the project just before his debut solo single was to be released.
Buster struggled with morbid obesity and underwent laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery
in 2004, his weight dropping from 31 stone to 13 stone. He once owned a hotel in Margate
called Fatty Towers, which specifically catered for larger customers, with features such as extra large beds and baths as well as fatty meals. The hotel closed in 1998 and Buster moved back to London. He often appears as a guest on various television shows, as well as in the tabloid newspapers. In early 2001 he fell ill during a concert in Perugia
.
In July 2010, he appeared on Sky Sports
while singing before a Mark Walsh darts game at the World Matchplay Darts competition in Blackpool
. Buster will appear in the film, Eldorado
, starring Daryl Hannah
, which will be released in 2011. He has a cameo role as a sheriff, and has also recorded music for the film.
Buster lives on a canal boat in West London. The singer has put on weight again, being big has always been his trademark, and he still often gets recognised and asked for his autograph when out in public.
A three track EP
was released in August 2011 for the benefit ex-British servicemen:
Ska For Heroes by Buster's Ska Battalion.
2 Tone
2 Tone is a music genre created in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s by fusing elements of ska, punk rock, rocksteady, reggae, and New Wave. It was called 2 Tone because most of the bands were signed to 2 Tone Records at some point. Other labels associated with the 2 Tone sound were Stiff...
band Bad Manners
Bad Manners
Bad Manners are an English 2 Tone ska band. They quickly became the novelty favourites of the UK pop scene through their bald outsized frontman's on-stage antics, earning early exposure through their Top of The Pops exploits and an appearance in the live film documentary, Dance Craze.They were at...
. His stage name was taken from the bus conductor played by Ivor Cutler
Ivor Cutler
Ivor Cutler was a Scottish poet, songwriter and humorist. He became known for his regular performances on BBC radio, and in particular his numerous sessions recorded for John Peel's influential radio programme, and later for Andy Kershaw's programme...
in the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' 1967 film Magical Mystery Tour
Magical Mystery Tour (film)
Magical Mystery Tour is an hour-long British television film starring The Beatles that originally aired on BBC1 on 26 December 1967...
.
Biography
Born in Stoke NewingtonStoke Newington
Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...
as Douglas Woods to a single mother, Buster was adopted and brought up by his great-aunt Mary Trendle and her husband, Edward. He did not know he was adopted until the age of seven, when he overheard his adoptive mother talking to a neighbour. He discovered that the woman that he knew as 'Auntie Lily', was really his mother. He never met his father.
He founded Bad Manners
Bad Manners
Bad Manners are an English 2 Tone ska band. They quickly became the novelty favourites of the UK pop scene through their bald outsized frontman's on-stage antics, earning early exposure through their Top of The Pops exploits and an appearance in the live film documentary, Dance Craze.They were at...
with friends at Woodberry Down Comprehensive School
Woodberry Down School
Woodberry Down Compehensive School was located off the Seven Sisters Road in the Manor House area of North London. The now defunct secondary school verges on three boroughs Hackney, Haringey and Islington. The school was opened in 1955, closing in 1981 when it was amalgamated with Clissold School...
in North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
in 1976. Bad Manners were a popular live attraction in North London, with their brand of humorous ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
making them the comedians of the ska revival scene, with Buster often wagging his large tongue at his audiences. Bad Manners earned nine Top 40 singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
between 1980 and 1983, and the band have remained a popular live act throughout Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Europe ever since.
However, the group originally split up in 1986, after their contract with Portrait Records
Portrait Records
Portrait Records was a sister label of Epic Records and later of Columbia Records. Cyndi Lauper and Sade signed with Portrait, but their contracts were absorbed by Epic after that incarnation of the label was shuttered....
finished and he eventually formed a new outfit called Buster's Allstars, performing at clubs and pubs in London, but he still played some concerts with Bad Manners at larger venues, along with some new musicians and a few other original band members.
In 1988, Buster licensed the Blue Beat Records name and logo, and he ran the record label from an old houseboat that was stationed in his back garden at his former home in Hackney
Hackney
-Places:* London Borough of Hackney, formed in 1965** Metropolitan Borough of Hackney, formed in 1900 and abolished in 1965** Hackney Central** Hackney Central , a political division of the Council** Hackney Central railway station** Hackney College...
. Blue Beat issued a number of releases, notably by Bad Manners, Napoleon Solo, Buster's Allstars and the Billies, but the label folded in 1990.
Buster Bloodvessel also appeared in the films Out of Order
Out of Order (film)
Out of Order is a 1987 British comedy drama film directed by Jonnie Turpie and starring Gary Webster, Natasha Williams and George Baker. An unemployed layabout shocks his family and friends by joining the police force.-Cast:* Sharon Fryer ... Jaz Bailey...
and Sammy and Rosie Get Laid
Sammy and Rosie Get Laid
Sammy and Rosie Get Laid is a film directed by Stephen Frears, with a screenplay by Hanif Kureishi; features Fine Young Cannibals singer Roland Gift in one of his earliest screen appearances.-Plot synopsis:...
before landing a part in an episode of Boon
Boon
-Places:* Boon Township, Warrick County, Indiana, United States of America* Boon Township, Michigan, USA* Boon Lake Township, Minnesota, USA* Boon Lay, Singapore* Boon Tat Street, Singapore* Boon Keng MRT Station, Singapore-People:...
in 1990. In 1998, he signed a solo deal with the Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
offshoot label, Innocent Records, and recorded an album but the label decided to axe the project just before his debut solo single was to be released.
Buster struggled with morbid obesity and underwent laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
in 2004, his weight dropping from 31 stone to 13 stone. He once owned a hotel in Margate
Margate
-Demography:As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity....
called Fatty Towers, which specifically catered for larger customers, with features such as extra large beds and baths as well as fatty meals. The hotel closed in 1998 and Buster moved back to London. He often appears as a guest on various television shows, as well as in the tabloid newspapers. In early 2001 he fell ill during a concert in Perugia
Perugia
Perugia is the capital city of the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the River Tiber, and the capital of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area....
.
In July 2010, he appeared on Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
while singing before a Mark Walsh darts game at the World Matchplay Darts competition in Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
. Buster will appear in the film, Eldorado
Eldorado (upcoming film)
Eldorado is an upcoming horror-comedy film. It is directed and written by Richard Driscoll and stars Peter O'Toole, David Carradine, Daryl Hannah and Michael Madsen. The film also stars Brigitte Nielsen, Kerry Washington, Jeff Fahey, Steve Guttenberg and Bill Moseley...
, starring Daryl Hannah
Daryl Hannah
Daryl Christine Hannah is an American film actress. After making her screen debut in 1978, Hannah starred in a number of Hollywood films throughout the 1980s, notably Blade Runner, Splash, Wall Street and Roxanne and Kill Bill.-Early life:Hannah was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Susan...
, which will be released in 2011. He has a cameo role as a sheriff, and has also recorded music for the film.
Buster lives on a canal boat in West London. The singer has put on weight again, being big has always been his trademark, and he still often gets recognised and asked for his autograph when out in public.
A three track EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
was released in August 2011 for the benefit ex-British servicemen:
Ska For Heroes by Buster's Ska Battalion.