Author Mick to write biography of a Timperley legend (From Messenger Newspapers)

Author Mick to write biography of a Timperley legend

8:00am Saturday 16th March 2013 in News By Rick Bowen

AUTHOR Mick Middles said the story of Chris Sievey and his much loved comic creation Frank Sidebottom, was “begging” to be written.

The 57-year-old, who is based in Ashton-on-Mersey, was a close friend of Chris. who died in 2010, for more than three decades.

He said the duo met in the days before Chris had slipped on the Frank’s trademark papier mache head and was a member of Manchester band, The Freshies.

Mick covered the city’s music scene for the magazine Sounds and they both became friends. The writer has began working on a biography of Chris and Frank and hopes the book will be published in the autumn.

He was a fierce champion of the music of The Freshies and he remembers Chris as a “very warm” person.

Mick said: “He was very, very positive and full of ideas all the time. Everyone knew that something was going to happen but they didn’t know what it was and no-one realised it would be Frank. Frank was an accident, really.”

Frank Sidebottom became a hugely popular form and he’ll be immortalised in statue form in the heart of his beloved Timperley Village. The statue will be unveiled in June and Mick is in no doubt as to why adults in particular found the off-the-wall character so appealing.

He said: “Frank hit upon a sense of innocence that you have when you’re 13 or 14, that everybody’s lost and want back. Frank gave it back to them.”

Mick said he’s heard numerous Frank Sidebottom, including the one when he was caught having a “quite a ferocious argument”

backstage in Blackburn with his puppet sidekick, Little Frank.

He added: “He had two phones, a Frank phone and a Chris phone. if you rang one and asked for Frank and Chris answered, he’d have to go and get him.”

* Anyone who would like to share their stories of Chris/Frank should e-mail mmiddles9@gmail.com