Miles Tredinnick
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In a varied career in the entertainment industry Miles Tredinnick (born February 18, 1955) has been a rock singer, TV comedy scriptwriter, songwriter, playwright, novelist and tour guide.
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[edit] Biography
Although he grew up in the Cornish seaside town of Falmouth, Miles Tredinnick was born in Warrington, England at Royal Air Force Padgate where his father Wing Commander Reginald Tredinnick (1913-1967) had been stationed.
Following an education at Blundell's School in Devon where he formed his first rock band Cobweb with fellow pupil John Van der Kiste, Tredinnick trained as a photo-journalist in the Midlands. It was here that he co-wrote the stage musical Doomsday Genesis with composer Keith Kerslake. The show, produced at a Wednesbury theatre in 1974, attracted good reviews and Tredinnick moved to London to try and interest West End management. Although failing to place the show, he landed a job as a personal assistant to the impresario Robert Stigwood then managing Eric Clapton and the Bee Gees as well as presenting the West End musicals of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber; (Stigwood would later produce the movies Tommy, Saturday Night Fever and Grease). It was good experience but Tredinnick had ambitions to write and perform his own material. In August 1975, following a stint at Elstree Studios as personal assistant to The Beatles and Brian Epstein's right-hand man Peter Brown on the aborted movie version of Willy Russell's play John, Paul, George, Ringo... and Bert, Tredinnick left the Robert Stigwood Organisation and spent a year writing songs and checking out live bands who were emerging in London's exciting ‘New Wave’ explosion.
[edit] Riff Regan & London
In 1976, with drummer Jon Moss, guitarist Dave Wight (real name Colin Wight) and bassist Steve Voice (real name), Tredinnick formed the punk band London with himself as lead singer and chief songwriter. He also briefly adopted the name Riff Regan, (Riff from the character in West Side Story and Regan from John Thaw's character in The Sweeney). The band soon came to the notice of Danny Morgan who was a talent scout for ex-Yardbirds and ex-Marc Bolan manager Simon Napier-Bell. The two of them checked the band out at their next gig, The Roxy club, and Napier-Bell was impressed. He secured them a record deal with MCA Records and a nationwide tour supporting The Stranglers playing some of the biggest venues in the country. Their singles "Everyone’s A Winner, Summer Of Love"/"Friday On My Mind" and "Animal Games" and their one and only album Animal Games were all produced by Napier-Bell at the IBC Studios in London where The Who, The Small Faces and The Kinks had recorded so many of their classics. In fact London made their recording of "Friday On My Mind" in the same studio that The Easybeats had made the original.
Although London had a popular live stage act and a loyal following, for some reason the ticket sales never transformed into record sales. This was despite flamboyant film director Mike Mansfield directing the video for "Everyone's A Winner". The highest UK chart position they reached was 52 for their EP Summer Of Love. Jon Moss was particularly impatient to have chart success and following a nationwide headlining tour the band decided to call it a day. They broke up after a farewell gig at the Marquee Club in Wardour Street. Jon Moss joined The Damned and later formed Culture Club with Boy George; Dr Colin Wight became a Lecturer in International Politics; Steve Voice formed The Original Vampires; Simon Napier-Bell went on to manage George Michael and Wham! and Tredinnick was retained as a solo artist by MCA Records releasing four more singles as Riff Regan; "All The Nice Boys And Girls In The World" (produced by Napier-Bell), "Japanese Girls" (produced by Andy Miller), "You Call Me Lucky" and "The Only One" (both produced by Liam Sternberg) before recording his final record "Hard Hearts Don’t Cry" (produced by Andy Miller) on CBS Epic in 1981. In 1997, Captain Oi! Records released a London greatest hits CD called London The Punk Rock Collection.
In 1982 he co-wrote the song "Hottest Woman In Town" with Andy Miller. Recorded at London’s Trident recording studios by ex-Ozzy Osbourne and Ian Gillan lead guitarist Bernie Torme, it was released as a single and featured on the Metal Killers album.
[edit] Theatre and films
The early 80s saw Tredinnick making regular appearances as a movie extra. He made uncredited appearances in many films including Mel Brooks' History of the World: Part 1, Flash Gordon, Lady Jane, Octopussy, Hawk the Slayer, Ragtime, Chariots of Fire, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Whoops Apocalypse, Who Dares Wins, Britannia Hospital, Ivanhoe and TV series Minder and The Professionals. These Central Casting days were not to be wasted however; bored whilst waiting around between takes during long hours on film sets, he started writing comedy scripts.
Following a trip to Los Angeles in the fall of 1982 to try and interest Hollywood studios in a film treatment of The Strumpet Pirates, Tredinnick returned to London and had his first play, Because Of Mr Darrow, produced at the Finborough Theatre in London. It was his second comedy however, Laugh? I Nearly Went To Miami!, that caught the eye of the critics. It had a highly successful London fringe run starring Russell Wootton and Brittas Empire star Jill Greenacre before being produced for the first Liverpool Festival of Comedy.
Translated into many languages, Laugh? I Nearly Went To Miami! broke theatre box-office records all around the world including Vienna where as ...Und Morgen Fliegen Wir Nach Miami it became one of the city's most popular stage plays. Legendary British Director Cyril Frankel (Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and UFO) directed this smash hit version with German translation by Adolf Opel.
In 1990, he wrote the stage thriller Twist. This was translated into German by Ursula Grutzmacher-Tabori under the title Der Letzte Dreh.
Tredinnick’s next stage comedy was It's Now Or Never! in 1994. Directed by Marina Calderone at the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch, England, it starred Tony Roper (from BBC TV's Rab C. Nesbitt), Peter Polycarpou (Birds of a Feather), Heather Alexander and Leyton Sommers as Elvis Presley. A German version, Jetzt Oder Nie, translated by Christian Wolffer has been successful as has a Dutch version translated by Martine Deboosere.
This was followed in 1995 by the comedy thriller Getting Away With Murder. Directed by Stephen Warden, the play had a successful run in Hampstead, London but failed to make it into the West End.
Topless, a one-woman play set on an open-top London sightseeing bus, followed in 1999 and, in a manner of speaking, did make it into the West End. Produced by The Big Bus Company and directed by Tredinnick in its second season, (Martin Bailey had directed the first), this unique theatrical piece was actually performed, with audience, on top of a sightseeing bus driving through the streets of the West End of London!
[edit] Frankie Howerd
In 1985 Tredinnick, looking for representation, approached top agent Tessa Le Bars who handled comedy legends Frankie Howerd, Ray Galton, Alan Simpson and Johnny Speight. She showed the script of Laugh? I Nearly Went To Miami! to Frankie Howerd, who liked it and asked Tredinnick to write him some new material. For the next seven years Tredinnick wrote regular stage and television scripts for Howerd including the hour long special, Superfrank! for Channel 4. He also wrote an updated stage version of Up Pompeii! although a proposed tour was put on the shelf when Howerd was offered a chance by Larry Gelbart to reprise his role as Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum at the Piccadilly Theatre In London's West End.
[edit] Walt Disney
In 1986 Tredinnick started writing for the international Disney Magazine creating cartoon stories for Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and other well-known Walt Disney characters.
[edit] Television
In 1987/8 he created and wrote the BBC1 comedy series Wyatt's Watchdogs. Produced and directed by Alan J.W. Bell, it starred Brian Wilde (from the BBC sitcoms Porridge and Last of the Summer Wine) and Trevor Bannister (from Are You Being Served?) This led to an invitation to write for the Alomo/BBCTV show Birds of a Feather.
[edit] Novels
Tredinnick's first novel Fripp was published in 2001.
[edit] The Big Bus Company
Miles Tredinnick works for The Big Bus Company training tour guides in London, Dubai, Philadelphia and Baltimore. In this role he's been featured in BBC TV shows Generation X (2001), Facing the Music with David and Carrie Grant (2005) and Don't Get Done, Get Dom (2006).
[edit] Magic Bus
He is currently writing his second book as well as singing and playing guitar in the rock band Magic Bus.
[edit] Bibliography
- Laugh? I Nearly Went To Miami! (1986 Samuel French Ltd) ISBN 0-573-01633-X
- Und Morgen Fliegen Wir Nach Miami - German version of Laugh? Miami! with Ursula Lyn and Adolf Opel.(1988 Gerhard Pegler Plays)
- Walt Disney Magazine (1986-1991 GPS Publishing)
- We Hebben Zien Vlieggen! - Dutch version of Laugh? Miami! with Martine Deboosere. (1991 Toneelfonds) ISBN 90-385-0081-5
- It’s Now Or Never! (1991 Warner Chappell Ltd) ISBN 0-85676-148-6
- Jetzt Oder Nie - German version of It's Now or Never! with Christian Wolffer. (1996 Vertriebsstelle)
- It’s Now Or Never! - Dutch version with Martine Deboosere. (1997 Toneelfonds) ISBN 90-385-0187-0
- Der Letzte Dreh - German version of Twist with Ursula Grutzmacher-Tabori. (1999 Gerhard Pegler Plays)
- It’s Now Or Never! (1999 Josef Weinberger Ltd) ISBN 0-85676-148-6
- Topless (2000 Comedy Hall Books) ISBN 0-9537601-0-3
- Jean Marlow Audition Speeches for Women - Extract from Topless. (2001 A&C Black) ISBN 0-7136-5276-4
- Fripp (2001 Comedy Hall Books) ISBN 0-9537601-1-1
- Topless - new edition, (2006 Matador Books) ISBN 1-905237-75-8
[edit] Records
- Everyone's A Winner (1977 MCA Records)
- Summer Of Love and Friday On My Mind (1977 MCA Records)
- Animal Games - single. (1977 MCA Records)
- Punk Rock - Various Artists. (1977 Philips/Phonogram Records Brazil)
- Animal Games - album. (1978 MCA Records)
- Meet the New Punk Wave - Various Artists. (1978 EMI Records Holland)
- All The Nice Boys And Girls In The World (1978 MCA Records)
- Japanese Girls (1978 MCA Records)
- You Call Me Lucky (1979 MCA Records)
- Spring Sampler - Various Artists (1979 MCA Records)
- The Only One (1979 MCA Records)
- Hard Hearts Don't Cry (1981 CBS Epic Records)
- Hottest Woman In Town - single. Berni Torme and The Hard. (1983 CM Records)
- Metal Killers - Various Artists. (1983 Kastle Killer Records)
- London The Punk Rock Collection (1997 Captain Oi! Records)
[edit] Television shows
- So It Goes (1977 Granada Television)
- The Weekend Show (1979 ITV Television)
- Superfrank! (1987 Channel 4 Television)
- Wyatt's Watchdogs (1988 BBC Television)
- Birds Of A Feather (1992 Alomo Productions and BBC Television)
- Topless - (1999 BBC Television South East excerpt and report)
- Topless - (1999 Australia TV excerpt and report)
- Topless - (1999 TV Switzerland excerpt and report)
- Topless - (1999 Carlton Television excerpt and report)
- Topless - (1999 New Zealand TV excerpt and report)
- Generation X (2001 BBC Television)
- Good Morning America (2001 ABC Television USA)
- Facing the Music with David and Carrie Grant (2005 BBC Television)
- Don't Get Done, Get Dom (2006 BBC Television)
[edit] Radio Shows
- The Riff Regan Show (1979 Plymouth Sound Radio)
- Laugh? I Nearly Went To Miami! (1992 South Africa Radio)
- It's Now or Never! (1993 South Africa Radio)
- Topless (1999 BBC World Service)
- Topless - Live from London (2000 The Amy Lamé Show, BBC Radio London)
[edit] Videos and film
- Everyone's A Winner - Director Mike Mansfield (1977 MCA Records)
- Animal Games - So It Goes (1977 Granada Television)
- London Live At The Marquee - (1977 Italy)
- You Call Me Lucky (1979 Westward Television)
- It's Now or Never! (1994 Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch)
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Miles Tredinnick at the Internet Movie Database.
