Although this site is mainly solo-effort, I have depended heavily on other people for their contributions, permissions and support. They are credited here. Do feel you have been left out? E-mail me!
About me...
So... Who am I?!
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Well, this is me, getting visibly drunk at the afterparty of the Haddington Convention 2001, at the Monk's Muir campsite. My name is Rolf Swart, a.k.a. Crixus and formerly known as Mr. Black...
I started this website as a bit of fun, somthing to do in my spare-time. Plus I had a lot of stuff that I really wanted to post somewhere on the net. The Company was't really the place for that and neither was United Fishfans, even though I will still make contributions to that site! |
The story so far...
My history with Fish & Marillion
I was born in 1969, and I first got into Marillion when in 1983 when I was 14 years old (a very impressionable age!) At that time I considered myself to be a "new romantic", with a taste for bands like Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Adam & The Ants, The Style Council... etc. Then one day I heard "He knows you know" on the radio. What a great song! I memorised the name of the band, but I never heard from them again until they performed at the Pinkpop festival in 1984. I listened to the radio-broadcast and thought they were the best band of the day. However, I kept listening to the chart-toppers and Marillion were never among them. Until one day I heard "Kayleigh" on the BBC radio. The DJ announced it as the new single by Marillion, destined to be a hit, or something like that... I was blown away by the intro riff... Goosebumps all over! Now I was definitly hooked! The first album I bought subsequently was not Misplaced Childhood, however, because that wasn't released yet. So my first LP was Fugazi. Then came Misplaced Childhood, followed by Script and all the Maxi-singles I could lay my hands on.
My first gig was in 1985 in Vredenburg, Utrecht. I had to sneak out of the house for that and tell my parents I was going to a birthdayparty! Next gig I went to was in Ahoy, Rotterdam, 1987. By that time Marillion were million-sellers and had just released Clutching at Straws. I had a press-card back then, I was accredited backstage! Unfortunatly not A.A.A. though! That was the first time I saw Fish close by! I was amazed! About 10 months later came the terrible news that Fish was leaving the band. I felt devastated!
But then there were two bands to follow and love. "Season's End" was released by Marillion, and I still loved the music. I had my doubts about H's voice and lyrics, and I still have to this day. When Fish released "State of Mind" coinciding with the fall of the Berlin Wall, my choice was made. Fish proved to be the creative genius of the old Marillion, and he went on to be that in his solo-career. I saw him performing twice during the "Vigil"-tour, and twice during the "Internal"-tour. My first handshake with Fish was in 1993, on Parkpop in The Hague, when he did a signing session for "Toiling in the Reeperbahn". Later that year I went to Haddington when I was on Holiday in Edinburgh and found out where he lived. Had I known then, what I know now (that he's a very approachable and inviting guy) I would have rung his doorbell, but I was still a bit timid and I certainly didn't want to be another groupie... With "Suits" and "Yin/Yang", I started to get doubts about Fish... Was he burnt out? Was he becoming a fading rockstar of yesterday...? I still bought the albums and singles, but I didn't go to the gigs anymore. I still regret that!
He restored all my faith in him with "Sunsets on Empire"" and I went to see him in Utrecht again. He looked a lot older, heavier but he was in top shape! I had missed him dearly. From then on I wouldn't miss any tour. In 1999 I was present at the Dutch TV show "Barend & Van Dorp", when he performed there with Liz Antwi, Wes and Tony Turrell. Later that year I went back to Haddington. I had revisited Haddington before, but this time I went for the Company Convention. I had missed the previous year because my membership had expired some years earlier. It was an exhilarating experience. I really got acqainted with him, the band and crew at the parties and on the footballgrounds; the last party being held in partytent in his garden! The first time I was actually at his house. And I met a lot of fellow fans who became friends. I felt I was in a warm embrace of friends. Nothing much happened in 2000, but in 2001 was going to be a top year! Early in januari Fish was to perform in 3 shows to try out new material, record live tracks. In april I went to Dalkeith for the official kick-off of the tour which is still a very good memory. Together with a group of Norwegians I was invited to a party at the Farm. I went to almost all the Dutch gigs that year and travelled to Haddington for the 2001 Convention. An even better convention than '99! 2002 started with the recording of the TV-show "Vrienden van Amstel Live" where I met a very ill, but nevertheless jolly Fish with his new girl-friend. In May I went to Germany for the RASS-festival, which was a bit of a disaster, but the European Convention in Enschede made everything OK... Personal circumstances prevented me from travelling to England and Norway in 2002, but I will be present again somewhere, someday...
Artwork
All composite artwork was done by me, based upon original work by MARK WILKINSON. The rest of the design of this site is totally mine.
Pictures
Most of the pictures on the site are mine. Friends who have kindly given me permission use theirs are: Marianne Timmer, Emma Whelan, Taff Jones, Dennis Geenevasen, Rudy Weijgers, Christan Leenders and Mo Warden.
Other pictures were taken from the infamous World Wide Web, and ownership could not be traced.
Music
Music used on this site:
| Intro |
Internal Exile
(from:Internal Exile) |
Derek William Dick, Mickey Simmonds |
| Main theme |
That Time of the Night
(from: The Thieving Magpie) |
Derek William Dick, Mark Kelly, Steve Rothery, Pete Trewavas, Ian Mosley |
| Guestbook |
Script for a Jester's Tear
(from: Brief Encounter) |
Derek William Dick, Mark Kelly, Steve Rothery, Pete Trewavas, Mick Pointer |
| Credits & Disclaimer |
Waterhole (Expresso Bongo
(from: Misplaced Childhood) |
Derek William Dick, Mark Kelly, Steve Rothery, Pete Trewavas, Ian Mosley |
Applets, scripts and webtools
Disclaimer
All of the HTML and Scripts are free to use by anyone, but please give credit where credit is due. All pictures by ME are free to use elsewhere, provided my name is mentioned and a link to this site given. The pictures credited to others are only allowed to be used after their explicit permission. I will not be held responsible for any damages. Copyrights are respected in so far as they could be traced. The music on this site may NOT be copied for commercial use. Violations will be prosecuted.