Captain Sensible

Raymond Ian Burns (born 24 April 1954),[3]  known by the stage name Captain Sensible, is a singer, songwriter and guitarist.

Sensible co-founded the punk rock band The Damned, originally playing bass before switching to guitar. He embarked on a solo alternative pop career during the 1980s, following a UK number one hit with his cover of "Happy Talk".

Sensible's signature headwear is a red beret.



Contents
[hide]  *1 Early life  ==Early life[ edit] == Sensible was born in Balham, London in 1954.[3]  He went to Stanley Technical School for Boys in South Norwood. The first musical instrument he played was a Bontempi organ.[4] ==The Damned[ edit] == Originally a member of the Johnny Moped band, Sensible joined The Damned in 1976 on the suggestion of his work colleague Rat Scabies, the band's drummer, filling a number of positions during his tenure (including bassist, lead guitarist and keyboardist), and eventually becoming the band's main songwriter following the departure of Brian James. He left in the 1980s to concentrate on solo projects, but rejoined in 1996 after Scabies left, and co-wrote Grave Disorder, the band's first new studio album for 8 years, in 2001. He continues to tour with the band today and they released their latest album So, Who's Paranoid? on 17 November 2008.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[5] ==Solo career<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">Sensible's first solo release came in 1978 with the single "Jet Boy, Jet Girl", recorded while The Damned were on hiatus.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-GID_6-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[6]  He followed this in 1981 with an EP on Crass Records.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-GID_6-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[6]  He signed to A&M Records and had a UK number one hit in 1982 with a cover of "Happy Talk", the Rodgers and Hammerstein song from South Pacific, featuring backing by Dolly Mixture and a band including Robyn Hitchcock on guitar.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-GID_6-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[6]  This was later sampled for rap artist Dizzee Rascal's 2004 song "Dream".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[7]  Other songs which became hits in the UK and various European countries were "Wot", "One Christmas Catalogue" and anti-Falklands War "Glad It's All Over", which was co-written and produced by Tony Mansfield. After quitting A&M Records he continued recording for various independent labels, including Deltic Records and Humbug Records. He has also toured with his solo band Punk Floyd.
 * 2 The Damned
 * 3 Solo career
 * 4 Politics
 * 5 Personal life
 * 6 Solo discography
 * 6.1 Albums
 * 6.2 EPs
 * 6.3 Singles
 * 7 References
 * 8 External links

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">His recording of "The Snooker Song" from Mike Batt's musical The Hunting Of The Snark was used as the theme music for the BBC gameshow Big Break, and he also wrote and performed a song called "Brain's Theme" for the movie Skinned Deep in 2004.

Playing live inAbergavenny in 1994<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">Captain Sensible is also a member of Dead Men Walking, a supergroup featuring Mike Peters (The Alarm), Kirk Brandon (Spear of Destiny) and Slim Jim Phantom (Stray Cats).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[8] ==Politics<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">In September 2006, he formed a new British political party known as the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blah!_Party Blah! Party].<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[9]  "Politics is dead," he said in a statement. "The British public aren't voting because the parties are totally ignoring their opinions. At the moment, the only real method of mass protest against this is by not voting, which is why voting figures continue to fall."

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">"But we believe that voting is an important part of the democratic process, and we want the Blah! Party to be the party of protest; a channel through which the people of the U.K. can vent their dissatisfaction at nonsensical everyday things, and protest against the government and the current crop of political parties."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[10]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">The party entered into a sponsorship deal with Seabrook Crisps in September 2006.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[11]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">He was previously a member of the Green Party.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">Regarding the Scottish independence referendum, 2014 (on 18 September 2014), Sensible posted on his Facebook status, "As a Burns I have a keen interest in this one - and I'm firmly of the persuasion that a 'YES' vote is by far the best for the Scots people. Be brave - go for it!" on 3rd September 2014. ==Personal life<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">Captain Sensible was once married to Rachel Bor of Dolly Mixture.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DM_12-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[12]  Sensible and Bor had three children together.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DM_12-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[12]  Sensible later remarried and now has four children.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DM_12-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[12] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[13] ==Solo discography<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ===Albums<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === ===EPs<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === ===Singles<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ===
 * Women and Captains First (1982), A&M – UK No. 64<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-GID_6-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[6]
 * The Power of Love (1983), A&M
 * Revolution Now (1989), Deltic
 * The Universe of Geoffrey Brown (1993), Humbug
 * Live at the Milky Way (1994), Humbug
 * Meathead (1995), Humbug
 * Mad Cows and Englishmen (1996), Scratch
 * Compilations
 * Sensible Singles (1984), A&M
 * A Slice of Captain Sensible (1997), Humbug
 * The Captain's Box (1997), Humbug
 * Sensible Lifestyles: The Best of Captain Sensible (1997), Cleopatra
 * The Masters (1998), Eagle
 * This is Your Captain Speaking (1981), Crass
 * The Universe of Captain Sensible (1998), Jarmusic
 * "Jet Boy, Jet Girl" (1978), Dutch Poker [also appeared as the B-side to The Damned's "Wait for the Blackout"]
 * "Happy Talk" (1982), A&M – UK No. 1<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-UK_14-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[14]
 * "Wot" (1982), A&M – UK No. 26<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-UK_14-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[14]
 * "Croydon" (1982), A&M
 * "Stop the World" (1983), A&M – UK No. 82
 * "I'm a Spider" (1983), A&M
 * "Glad It's All Over" (1984), A&M – UK No. 6<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-UK_14-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[14]
 * "There Are More Snakes than Ladders" (1984), A&M – UK No. 57<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-UK_14-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[14]
 * "One Christmas Catalogue" (1984), A&M – UK No. 79
 * "Wot, No Meat?" (1985), Animus – credited to 'Captain Sensible & the Missus' (duet with Rachel Bor of Dolly Mixture)
 * "Come On Down" (1985), A&M
 * "Revolution Now" (1987), A&M
 * "The Snooker Song" (1988), Trax
 * "The Toys Take Over" (1988), Deltic
 * "I Get So Excited" (1988), Deltic
 * "Smash Ut Up (part 4)" (1990), Deltic – [B-side of the 12" version is by the Brotherhood of Lizards]
 * "Wot '93" (1993), XYZ
 * "The Hokey Cokey" (1994), Humbug – UK No. 71<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-UK_14-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[14]
 * "Flip Top World" (1995), Humbug
 * "While Wrecking the Car" (1997), Empty
 * "Missing the Boat" (1999), Jarmusic
 * "Wot – I Say Captain" with Erkan & Stefan (2005)