John Alexander McGeoch, (25 August 1955 – 4 March 2004), was a Scottish guitarist who played with a number of bands of the
post-punk era, including
Magazine,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Visage and
Public Image Ltd.
He was described as "one of the most influential guitarists of his generation" and he was also considered as "the new wave Jimmy Page". In 1996, he was listed by Mojo in their "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" for his work on the Siouxsie and the Banshees song "Spellbound".
Life and career
Early years (1955–1976)
McGeoch was born and brought up in
Greenock,
Renfrewshire, Scotland, and got his first guitar when he was twelve. He first learned to play guitar learning blues songs, including the repertoire of
Hendrix and
Clapton. In 1970 he played in a local band called The Slugband. In 1971 he moved to London with his family, and in 1975 he began to attend
Manchester Polytechnic, where he studied art.
McGeoch had a degree in Fine Art and an ongoing interest in photography, painting and drawing. He provided some of the cover art for his future band The Armoury Show, years later.
Magazine (1977–1980)
In April 1977 McGeoch's flatmate
Malcolm Garrett introduced him to
Howard Devoto, who had recently left the
Buzzcocks and was looking for a guitarist to form a band which would transcend the limitations of three-chord punk. Devoto found what he was looking for in McGeoch and the pair formed
Magazine, along with
Barry Adamson, Bob Dickinson, and
Martin Jackson.
Magazine released their debut single, "Shot by Both Sides", in January 1978. The music was written by Pete Shelley with new Devoto lyrics (the Buzzcocks version is known as "Lipstick"), and the single reached number 41 on the UK singles chart. The same year, he graduated.
McGeoch played on the band's first three albums, Real Life (1978), Secondhand Daylight (1979), and The Correct Use of Soap (1980). He left the band in 1980, shortly after the release of the latter album, frustrated about their lack of commercial success despite being very popular with the music critics.
Visage (1979–1981)
In 1979, whilst still a member of
Magazine, McGeoch joined
Steve Strange's electronic group
Visage along with erstwhile Magazine bandmates
Barry Adamson and
Dave Formula, beginning to record songs for their first single "
Tar" and later, in 1980, for the ensemble's eponymous album,
Visage, playing guitar and saxophone.
Although he saw Visage as a joke, McGeoch did have the success he craved, however brief. The band's single "Fade to Grey" went to number one in a number of European countries. McGeoch couldn't participate in the group's second album, The Anvil because he couldn't be present as Visage were recording in London.
Whilst still a member of Magazine and Visage, McGeoch had played with other bands such as Generation X, for some songs from the "Kiss Me Deadly" album, and The Skids, for a late 1980 Peel Session replacing Stuart Adamson, who was ill. During those days, he left Magazine.
By that time, he collaborated with Ken Lockie's "The Impossible" album (1981), along with ex-Magazine mate John Doyle.
Siouxsie and the Banshees (1980–1982)
After joining
Siouxsie and the Banshees in early 1980, McGeoch entered a period of both creative and commercial success. During his first session with the Banshees, he began a new way of playing. He later commented : "I was going through a picky phase, as opposed to strumming. "Happy House" was lighter and had more musicality in it. They invited me to join. I was sad leaving Magazine but the Banshees were so interesting and it felt like a good move."
He played guitar on the Banshees albums Kaleidoscope (1980), Juju (1981), and A Kiss in the Dreamhouse (1982). The Banshees' hit singles of this era featured some of McGeoch's greatest work, particularly 1980's "Happy House", "Christine" and "Israel". McGeoch's contribution to the band was important in terms of sounds and style. Singer Siouxsie Sioux later honoured him :
However, McGeoch suffered a nervous breakdown due to the stresses of touring and drinking and collapsed on stage at a Madrid concert. This marked the end of his membership in Siouxsie and the Banshees.
PIL (1986–1992)
Following three years in
The Armoury Show (which included
Richard Jobson and
Russel Webb, both ex-
Skids members, and
John Doyle who was McGeoch's bandmate from Magazine), McGeoch joined
Public Image Ltd. in 1986, a decision which may have been partly motivated by financial difficulties incurred during his time with
The Armoury Show. McGeoch had been a great admirer of P.I.L, particularly
John Lydon's lyrics, yet had reportedly turned down an invitation to join the band in 1984 due to prior commitments.
Despite being hit in the face with a bottle during one of his first concerts with the band, McGeoch remained with P.I.L until they disbanded in 1992, making him the longest-serving member apart from Lydon. He worked on the albums Happy?, 9 and That What Is Not.
During his time with P.I.L, McGeoch married Denise Dakin, on 14 September 1988. The couple had a daughter in 1989 – Emily Jean McGeoch.
Life after music and later years (1992–2004)
After Public Image Ltd. split up, McGeoch attempted to form projects with Glenn Gregory of
Heaven 17 and songwriter/producer Keith Lowndes and also with
John Keeble of
Spandau Ballet, however, neither came to fruition. With John Keeble and vocalist Clive Farrington of
When in Rome he formed the short-lived project
Pacific (not the band who recorded an album called "Inference" for
Creation Records in 1990).
McGeoch, who had been a great pioneer in the 1970s and 1980s, found himself stranded in a new era. He retrained as a nurse in 1995, although before his death he had been writing some music for television. He was reported to have died in his sleep.
Playing style
The first guitar riff he learned to play was apparently "
Sunshine of Your Love" by
Cream. Key characteristics of his playing style included inventive
arpeggio, flange effect pedal, string harmonics and an occasional disregard for conventional scales.
Equipment
His first electric guitar was a red Commodore.
During his Magazine days, he played a Yamaha SG 1000 guitar, used along a MXR flanger. He bought his first model in 1977 (or 1976, as he also declared), by the time Magazine got their first recording deal.
When he was in The Armoury Show, he also used a Squier 1957 Stratocaster.
During his last days with PIL and during his time with Pacific, he played a solid wood Carvin electric guitar.
Legacy and influence
McGeoch has been cited by many artists as a major influence.
Johnny Marr from The Smiths stated on the BBC Radio 2 in February 2008 that he rated McGeoch very highly for his work with Magazine and Siouxsie and the Banshees (especially on the Banshees' "Spellbound"). Marr stated about this song : Radiohead was inspired by him to record "There There": they explained that they were in heaven when their producer Nigel Godrich made Jonny Greenwood sound like McGeoch of Siouxsie and the Banshees for that session. The Edge of U2 often stated McGeoch as one of his influences. U2 selected the Siouxsie song "Christine" from the Kaleidoscope album for a compilation made for Mojo.
Other guitarists also mentioned him. Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction said that he learned guitar listening to the albums McGeoch recorded with the Banshees. John Frusciante of The Red Hot Chili Peppers likewise said that he taught himself to play "learning all John McGeoch's stuff in Magazine and Siouxsie and the Banshees".
Discography
;Magazine
Real Life (1978)
Secondhand Daylight (1979)
The Correct Use of Soap (1980)
;Visage
Visage (1980)
;Generation X
Kiss Me Deadly (1981)
;Siouxsie and the Banshees
Kaleidoscope (1980)
Juju (1981)
A Kiss in the Dreamhouse (1982)
;The Armoury Show
Waiting for the Floods (1985)
;Public Image Ltd.
Happy? (1987)
9 (1989)
That What Is Not (1992)
References
External links
Fodderstompf.Com: John McGeoch Biography
John McGeoch MySpace Account (set up by his daughter)
Profile of John McGeoch from shotbybothsides.com
Interview with John McGeoch from shotbybothsides.com
Interview with John McGeoch and Richard Jobson of Armoury Show
Category:1955 births
Category:2004 deaths
Category:Scottish rock guitarists
Category:Magazine (band) members
Category:Siouxsie and the Banshees members
Category:Public Image Ltd. members
Category:The Armoury Show members
Category:Gothic rock musicians
Category:People from Greenock
![Armoury Show - Castles In Spain (1984) [HQ]](http://web.archive.org./web/20110901014830im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/e7GaqTLa3hA/0.jpg "Armoury Show - Castles In Spain (1984) [HQ]")
