I started to write a comment to the Performance film thread with regards to Memo From Turner, but it went sideways deeper and deeper as I went on therefore I have decided to create an independent thread.

To this day, Memo From Turner has been covered by some artists, Diesel Park West among them. [www.youtube.com]

Does anybody remember DPW? Once touted as “the best band Leicester has spawned since Family”, theirs is another quasi-tragic story of a “next big thing that didn’t happen”.

The Diesels are an unlucky band. Shakespeare Alabama, their seminal debut album produced by Chris Kimsey and released early in 1989, garnered a critical acclaim, and the group’s future looked bright back then. Unfortunately, a succession of mishaps that ensued thereafter delayed the release of the full second album, Decency, until a month into 1992, and in the meantime, they lost momentum under the succeeding waves of Madchester, Grunge and later, Britpop.

After all these years, they are still around, make new music, release albums (in digital download format exclusively) and play sporadic gigs. And over the time, I often wondered if Chris Kimsey told about them to the Stones at the time of making Steel Wheels. I remember coming across a quote from Keith somewhere, most likely on Shakespeare Alabama, “I like them very much”. If the Stones had recruited them for the opening act for the Steel Wheels Tour that would get them an exposure to millions of people, how would fate have turned around for them?

Around Christmas time of 2012, after their annual homecoming gig at The Musician in Leicester, I had a chat with John Butler, DPW’s forming member (not the other John Butler of the renowned Australian outfit), across a beer table. There I asked him my years’ long question. His face lit up.

“That almost happened”, John confided to me. According to him, Kimsey indeed recommended the Diesels to the Stones for a support slot for the Steel Wheels Tour. Mick, however, declined Kimsey’s suggestion on the ground that, as a guitar-oriented rock band, DPW sounded a bit too similar to the Stones, and they instead opted for Living Colour (whose 1988 debut album, Vivid, was co-produced by Mick) as the opening act. A missed opportunity. And huge at that.

Thanks for reading and sorry about meandering thoughts.

[www.dieselparkwest.com]