David Gray
- Frequently
Asked
Questions
This is a collection of the questions I get e-mailed about on almost a weekly basis so I decided it was time to add this FAQ to the site. Hope it answers the majority of your questions. I try my best to answer any questions I receive and normally reply to every mail I get concerning this site. If I missed you, I'm sorry but I'm getting 10 - 20 mails a day regarding this page now. I hope this new page answers most of your questions.
David was born in Manchester and moved to Solva in Pembrokeshire, Wales at an early age. He is not Irish, he just broke Ireland before his homeland.
Clune (real name Craig McClune) is David's drummer. He has been with David since the recording of his second album Flesh and gets the occasional writers credit on some tracks. If you've ever seen David live you'd remember Clune as the guy wearing a hideous Hawaiian shirt. A notorious funny-man, Clune is credited with being the funny-man of David's band. He is the longest serving member of the group. He also doubled up as bass player for a while until one was recruited indeed he played bass on many of the tracks from White Ladder.
David was born on June 13th 1968. Which makes him a 32 year old Gemini.
How many Albums does David have?
To date David has released 6 albums. A Century Ends (1993), Flesh (1994), Sell Sell Sell (1996), White Ladder (1998), Lost Songs 95 - 98 (2000) and The EP's 92-94 (2001). Most of these can be bought from the shop.
Yes. David is married to Olivia, a London lawyer. They married sometime in 1993 and David actually played a gig on his wedding night!
Where Can I buy David's CD's on-line?
Most of David albums are available on Amazon.co.uk. Ebay always has some interesting memorabilia.
My best guess is through his record company IHT. Inside the sleeve of White Ladder the address appears as: PO Box 122, London, SW11 3XD.
The ISP I had them stored on deleted them and my current Internet connection is desperate so I haven't been able to re-upload them. My advice is to visit http://www.audiogalaxy.com, download the satellite and use that instead. Audio Galaxy is the new Napster but it's even better! There's a lot of David Gray stuff there including a lot of ones I never had. Please don't download anything that's available commercially, that would harm David's career, just get the old B-sides and live stuff.
Donal Dineen is an Irish DJ who used to host RTE's "No Disco" program. He played "Shine" on the program a few times and was the inundated with requests for more from David. Donal invited David to play in Whelans of Wexford Street in Dublin in what has now become a legendary gig. Treated to a rapturous audience courtesy of Irish poet Pat Inglesby, that gig quickly turned into a tour and the rest, as they say, is history...
Did David really tour with Radiohead?
Yes. David supported Radiohead on their 1995 tour of America promoting his album "Sell Sell Sell". The rumour about David setting fire to Radiohead's dressing room is a myth. The real story goes that David and his band had consumed a few Vodka and Cranberry Juices too many back stage and trying to do Michael Jackson's "Moonwalk" rather unsuccessfully. The logical thing to do in their inebriated state was to empty Crisp packets on the floor to make it greasier. Radiohead, being the nice guys they were, cleaned up the dressing room afterwards.
What film did David appear in?
David and Clune make a few appearances as the pub band in the British comedy "This Years Love", the film many of the tracks from the White Ladder album were contributed.
Who wrote "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye"?
No, David did not write this song. It was originally recorded by early 80's pop-band Soft Cell. A typically bland pop-synth tune David played it a lot live and it became a firm fan favourite. The end of the song as recorded is a nod to Van Morisson's "Madam George" from his Astral Weeks album but live the song often moves into "into The Mystic" of "Heart of Glass".
What's David's connection to the Dave Matthews Band?
David is signed to Dave Matthews ATO Records [According To Our Records]. Dave Matthews describes David as one of the best artists he's ever heard and so made him his first signing when he set up the label. ATO have released "White Ladder" and "Babylon" in the States.
Why can't I buy "Flesh" or "A Century Ends"?
Flesh was released and subsequently deleted from production by Virgin Records. It will no doubt be re-issued in the coming months as "Sell Sell Sell" was by EMI. A Century Ends was originally released on Caroline in the States and Warner Chappel in the UK and Ireland.Both albums are out of print at the moment but I can see them both being re-issued very soon. The labels themselves might have more information.
What is the background behind the song Falling Down The Mountainside?
Considered by many fans to be David's most personal peice, this song is about a friend of David's (Stephen, see cd inlay) who had a disease called St. Vitus Dance which causes severe muscle spasms and in most cases leads to certain death. Stephen took his own life, hence the line "You left me cold to meet your ghost all over town". Go to the lyrics page and read the lyrics, it bring a whole new light on the song
What covers has David done?
Is David a Daddy?
Yes! David has a recently born daughter Ivy.
