Chris Curtis' Departure

RJHC · Post by **RJHC** » Thu Oct 05, 2000 6:55 pm

_I'M HAVING DIFFICULTIES GETTING HOLD OF FRANK

ALLAN'S BOOK MAINLY BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE A CREDIT

CARD . CAN ANYONE HERE TELL ME THE CIRCUMSTANCES

OF CHRIS CURTIS LEAVING THE SEARCHERS ? WAS IT

THE STRAIN OF TOURING OR WHAT ?

admin · Post by **admin** » Thu Oct 05, 2000 8:20 pm

RJHC: I have been asking this question of those persons close to Chris Curtis for the past while with no real success. I hope that he will be willing to address the reasons for his departure in this Searchers' Forum at some point.

I am afraid that you will find Frank Allen's book to be a fine read but without an answer to your question about Chris. Allen certainly does point to the worry that all of the group members had that Chris would not show up at their concerts during the Australian tour. He also acknowledges the embarrassment that this had for the group.

The message conveyed in the book, from my perspective, is that the whole idea of performing night after night was a strain. I certainly had the impression that there was more to the story and that Frank may have been sensitive to the difficult time that Chris was having and left some of the details out.

Chris was, and I suspect still is, a real talent and I am hoping that he will speak to the early days. His role with the Searchers as a composer, vocalist and drummer was central to their success and is a part of their history that needs to be documented. Perhaps Tim will have more to say on this subject.

Tim · Post by **Tim** » Fri Oct 06, 2000 6:05 am

Chris provided an interview to Record Collector magazine about 18 months ago. He also appeared on Radio Merseyside's "On the Merseybeat" program where he talked about his career. If you want a photocopy of the interview article please Email me a postal address where I should send it.

RJHC · Post by **RJHC** » Sun Oct 08, 2000 8:58 pm

_THANKS FOR ALL THE INFORMATION AND I'LL GET BACK

WITH YOU , TIM .

mdenger · Post by **mdenger** » Sun Oct 15, 2000 2:43 am

Chris' personality had changed in 65, the guy who was funny and extrovert became calm. Personally I think he couldn't handle the vanishing success of the group. He also had a very unhappy love affair.
Michael

RJHC · Post by **RJHC** » Mon Oct 16, 2000 6:46 pm

_DANKE MICHAEL .

admin · Post by **admin** » Tue Oct 31, 2000 2:05 pm

In Spencer Leigh's interview of Chris Curtis in 1997 for The Record Collector, Chris explained the circumstances that led up to his departure from The Searchers.

"We were touring South-East Asia and we ended up in Australia. Can you think of a more daft bill than the Rolling Stones and The Searchers. We couldn't compete with Mick Jagger or Keith Richard. They know how to work an audience so the audience was chanting "We want the Stones" while we were on, and I couldn't handle that. I enjoyed being with Keith as he can play an acoustic guitar like a dream, wonderful stuff, that I couldn't possibly do. The Stones' success is down to him. Mick Jagger's lyrics are usually pretty stupid but there is always good work on the backing track. Keith asked me to give "Take It Or Leave It" a whirl. I thought it could be a single but I'd left the band by then. They did it with their new drummer and it was pitiful."

"I hated Australia. I thought it was a country of dreadful people and I was off me cake. I fell off the stage and I still have the scar on my leg. I went out with an Australian girl who said 'You need some sleep, darling, come home with me.' She had this marvellous flat, more like half an apartment building, with a wonderful view over the harbour. During the night I was drinking coffee and thought I would leave before she woke up. The windows were open and it was a heavy door. I opened it but it came back and smashed on this finger. Nearly took it off, but I went back to them with my bad leg and my bad finger. I went to my doctor's bag to find something for the pain in my finger, and I found that they had emptied the entire contents, all my tranquillisers, down the lavatory. They thought they were doing me a favour, and I told them that was it, I couldn't take anymore, but they made me finish the tour. On the way back home, I wrote a Searchers song on a sick bag but it wasn't used as I left the group. When I got back to Bootle, they tore the nail out at the hospital."

Jeff · Post by **Jeff** » Wed Nov 01, 2000 6:55 am

Thanks again Peter. This sounds like a very rough tour...Frank had an article on the Searchers web site awhile back that detailed the band's side of the pills down the toilet story. They felt Chris was so out of it on his meds that they had to get rid of them.

Jeff

admin · Post by **admin** » Wed Nov 01, 2000 10:03 am

Yes Jeff I recall the article and am reminded of the sentiments expressed in Frank's Book about the band being totally fed up with the behaviour displayed by Chris at the time.

Mike_Darnell · Post by **Mike_Darnell** » Sat Jun 02, 2001 9:03 pm

Well I really feel sorry for someone who has to rely on drugs and booze to get them through a tour. Did Chris Curtis ever stop to consider that maybe there were three other band members with him who maybe also feeling the strain of touring and were prepared to get through it without "smack". Pity that they didn't shove Chris Curtis also down the lavatory along with his precious tranquilisers.

Pam_Rackley · Post by **Pam_Rackley** » Wed Jun 06, 2001 6:56 pm

This one is for Mike Darnell, I am not condoning what Chris did regarding drugs, but there were a lot of extenuating circumstances which I am not going to discuss here. I and a lot of other people know what the problem was and the stress it was putting on him. I know the answer really is not drugs or any other crutch but we may have acted the same way given the same circumstances, who is to know. For me Chris and his music will forever be a part of my life. Pam

admin · Post by **admin** » Thu Jun 07, 2001 1:49 am

Chris Curtis displays considerable emotion and sensitivity in his recordings. In the balance, I trust that he did the same in his live performances. It would seem to me that the same sensitivity that resulted in his fine contributions also, perhaps, made him more vulnerable to the life situation that he was facing at the time. I am glad for the heart he gave to his music which was particularly evident in his interpretations. I am sorry that he was unable to continue, as those of us who enjoy his music will always wonder what might have been.

Mike_Darnell · Post by **Mike_Darnell** » Sun Jun 10, 2001 6:48 pm

Just have a look at the popularity poll and ask yourselves why Chris Curtis is rating so poorly. Can anybody come up with an answer?

admin · Post by **admin** » Tue Jun 12, 2001 4:47 am

Mike: While Chris Curtis had a great voice and offered much as a composer to The Searchers, the fact remains that for all practical purposes he was not the frontman for the group. It may be argued that he fits in the same category, from a performance point of view, as Billy, Johnny and Eddie.