The UK is truly the land of Rock and Roll opportunity. The tiny island has produced more than its fair share of musical trendsetters and heavy hitters, from the Beatles to Franz Ferdinand. It seems that each British group to take the world by storm carries with it a distinct look: mop tops, tight pants, horizontal stripes. So it is fitting that Badly Drawn Boy, one of England’s best contributions to Indie rock, is rarely seen without his signature beard, wool hat, and cigarette.
He is known in the underground circles for much more than just his lack of style. Badly Drawn Boy, whose real name is Damon Gough, has created a whole series of albums that are magical experiments, telling a story with their melancholy lyrics and faraway sounds. They are so brilliantly narrative that in 2002 he was asked to write and record the entire score for About A Boy, the movie version of Nick Hornby’s bestselling book.
Both album and film were a success, spurring BDB on to make what is widely considered his best album to date, The Hour of Bewilderbeast, a rollercoaster ride through the thrilling upbeat synth and heart rending downbeat guitar tracks that Badly Drawn Boy is so handy with.
Damon would have fans think that he is the epitomy of bohemia, that he takes life slow and is the posterboy for 90s Brit-slack. The reality is, he is a tireless composer, producing new albums, tours and childlike cartoon videos almost constantly. His body of work is growing exponentially in quantity and quality, and Badly Drawn Boy is beginning to achieve the recognition he deserves as the one-man savior of the ski cap and of whimsical, orchestral rock.
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