b'basement, to 1977 when most of the UKs topThe label on the centre of the actual record was guitarists helped me make the Fylde Acousticmisspelt Flyde Acoustic, not for the first time of album, even though I had only made about 300course. Nothing I could do about it, all ten million instruments?Was there something special going(yeah right) copies had already gone out to the on?A time warp? Someone to watch over me? shops. It did well in its own little way though. Thats a song.Unfortunately, the rights to the album were later The album was a brilliant idea, even if I do say solost in a twisted tale of record company buyouts so myself. It was conceived one night at the BlackpoolIm not likely to be able to get it back on the market Folk Club. I knew many of the artists before Iagain. Ive tried hard. Its a shame, because most of started Fylde, in fact they had been a big part ofthe music on it is has not been recorded elsewhere. why I did start it.I was at most of the recordingI am thinking of another volume one day, and Ive sessions at Bill Leaders studio near Halifax. Onalready asked a lot of artists, they have all said yes, one late night drive back I had Bill Astley withI just need that second lifetime. me, and Robin Dransfield. We had spent a littleI made the first bouzouki for Mike Harding in 1975, time drinking at The Blue Boar. The pub had abut I didnt give it a name straight away, and the menu - along the lines ofstarter, main course andfew I did make were simply called bouzoukis until desert, but not food, it was all beer. I rememberI found Octavius - Julius Caesars adopted son. It a lot of Timothy TaylorsLandlord bitter beingwas obviously a perfect name for something with drunk, which must have been the main course.eight strings, but when I made the first mandolas Both Bill and Robin went to the gents before weand citterns shortly afterwards, and a mandolin left, and didnt come out again. When I found them,following similar lines in 1980, they were all they were both leaning with their foreheads stuckcalled Custom until I realised that I could have a against the wall, giggling and saying I cant move.family of instruments, all called Octavius and I had to stand them up straight and manoeuvresharing several common features of shape and them back to the car one at a time. timber.Michael Chapmans guitar.Me playing Michael Chapmans black guitar in the first Fylde workshop, in the basement of a gents outfitters in St. Annes Lancashire, 1973, with hair.A workshop full of Across the road was a spray shop wheremandolinscars quietly drove in, and quietly droveDan Wildeaway again about a week later, painted aIn 1994 Guitar sales were slow, but IDan started off by taking a degree different colour. Next to that was a cafecouldnt make enough mandolins andin Jazz, before settling on singing where they prepared liver and onions inbouzoukis. There are about 60 here,and songwriting as a full time career, five-gallon pans. nearly finished. Mark Robinson and meworking largely around his hometown of Nostalgia isnt what it used to be. are looking rather pleased with ourselves.Blackpool, which of course is why we They were mostly sold to a wholesalerknow him. He plays a custom Falstaff, that brought in very little money, I wasand has been trying to get back to visit a busy fool. Nowadays I make a tinyto order another guitar, but he moved fraction of that number, but sell direct toto Russia for a while so its been a little the customer which makes the businesstricky.I love these stories.a lot more viable.48'