User:Kevin Stanton (mi-sex)

Formed in 1977, mi-sex had only three original members; Steve Gilpin, Kevin Stanton and Don Martin. Neither Steve or Don could read or write music, nor had they ever written a song that had been published. kevin stanton however, had many songs published by 1977, e.g. ‘Touch My String’ which evolved into the title track to Mi-Sex’s debut album, ‘Graffiti Crimes’. kevin stanton had been playing in the all original band ‘Think’, who scored an record deal through WEA. Don Martin had been playing with ‘Father Time’, and Steve was a solo singer using various backing bands. Their original Drummer was Philip Smart (Smarty), who was then replaced by Steve Osborne. Osbourne played for about five to six weeks before deciding that touring life was not for him. Richard Hodgkinson who was an aquaintance of keyboard player Murray Burns, later replaced him. The final drummer was Paul Dunningham, who as a young boy, had been hanging around Kevin’s rehearsal house, desperate for a chance to have a jam with Kevin and his all original band, ‘Think’ which were making big steps and eventually landed a record deal with record label WEA. Murray Burns was keyboard player for a band in Wellington called ‘Red Rose’, Kevin was hugely impressed with his originality and mastery over his then state-of-the-art Korg synthesizer and convinced him to join Kevin, Steve and Don in their embryonic band who by then, had the working title of ‘Fragments of Time’ – a play on words from Don’s old band name, ‘Father Time’. Kevin had decided in his own mind that the ideal name for the band was ‘Mi-Sex,’ again a play on words from poet John Fox’s poem-set-to-music ‘My Sex’, written about teenage urban neurosis and performed by the English band, Ultravox. In the early days, mi-sex played a cover version of Ultravox’s song ‘The Man Who Dies Every Day’.

Origin of the name “Mi-Sex” Late 1977 the band name, become an urgent issue due to the impending deadline for the demo that the band had recorded for EMI NZ with in-house producer, Peter Dawkins (later to become in-house producer for CBS in Australia). The demo single in question, ‘Straight Laddie’ B/W ‘High Class Dame’ was an introduction to EMI’s new line up of the ‘punk/new wave’ genre. Kevin convinced the guys that the perfect band name for the EMI demo single would be ‘Mi-Sex’ The suggestion ‘Mi-Sex’ was so far ahead of the other offerings, that all votes were taken and the name ‘Mi-Sex’ was generally accepted. There was no back-lash towards the band’s full name, in fact, the risqué nature of the name proved to be of benefit to the band, especially in French-speaking countries. Kevin’s reasons for the choice of the name (more than just the poem): ‘Mi’ has a common usage in France as an abbreviation for semi (half). A band title with the word ‘SEX’ in it was risqué and could potentially cause controversy, leading to media attention that would actually benefit the band. Finally, the name was nondescriptive of any style of music, so the band could explore different styles without having to change names. Lastly, mi-sex is short and punchy. Despite the fact that the single ‘Straight Laddie’ was designed for EMI In-House use only, EMI felt it warranted commercial release, much to the band’s shock and surprise!

Mi-Sex move to Australia: In August 1978 the band moved to Sydney. Each individual member of the band was allocated individual roles; Richard managed the gear for live shows, Don managed the books, Murray was responsible for PR, Steve was front man and dedicated ‘public mouth’and Kevin’s role was songwriter/lyricist and general overseer. He was also charged with major decisions and was given the responsibility of firing Richard and hiring their final drummer, Paul Dunningham.

Mi-Sex calls it a day! Mi-Sex took a hiatus after the January 1986 tour. This was at Kevin’s request as he had been driving the enormous distances between gigs in Australia, performing live as well as unpacking a portable mini recording studio at each hotel and setting it up in order to write new, fresh material, a vital part of any band’s success. The aim was always to write a hit song (most of Mi-Sex’s hit songs were written this way.) The level of physical work coupled with the enormous mental and emotional effort of writing new songs exhausted Kevin to the point that he had to be hospitalized.

Mi-Sex attempt reformation: In August 1991, three of the four original-founding members, Steve Gilpin (lead vocals), Murray Burns (keyboards) and Kevin Stanton (guitar and principle songwriter) reunited and recorded three songs, just to see if the ‘spark’ was still there. It quickly became apparent that the fabulous ‘chemistry’ these three had previously shared was indeed alive and well! This resulted in three excellent songs being written and performed by Kevin and Murray and lead vocals by Steve. Due to his full-time employment in a bakery, and that he had previously contributed very little to the original mi-sex song writing process, original bass player Don Martin was not involved in these sessions. Three months later, (November, 1991) lead vocalist Steve Gilpin was involved in a very serious car accident and suffered major trauma. Steve lapsed into a coma and never regained conciseness. He passed away the following January (1992) as a result of his injuries. After his death, the remaining members of mi-sex went their separate ways. Kevin ventured to London to not only take up a position as producer of motion picture soundtracks, but was also one of the first representitives of the Fairlight synthesizer company. Murray Burns teamed up with latter-day mi-sex 2nd guitarist Colin Bayley, to form Twighlight Productions, while Don Martin continued to work in the bakery.

Mi-Sex reform for Benefit Gig: Murray Burns rang Kevin in late 2010 and asked if Kevin would be offended if Don, he and Paul Dunningham did a couple of gigs under the name ‘Mi-Sex’ as Don had been diagnosed with Prostate cancer and he just wanted to have that ‘feeling’ again of playing onstage to a live audience in case he didn’t get another chance. Upon his retirement from the bakery some time later, Don approached Kevin at his home to request verbal permission to play ‘a couple of gigs’ under the name mi-sex again, as his Cancer had returned and implied that it was a ‘final wish’ to play again under the ‘Mi-Sex’ banner. Given the emotive nature of this request, Kevin agreed, but was too unwell to participate. Kevin’s agreement was based on the emotive nature of Don’s request, and the circumstances surrounding his life threatening condition.

Kevin Stanton’s Medical Condition: Kevin was unable to play guitar because of a spinal condition, Cervical Spondylosis which has affected most of the use of his left arm and the constricted nerve coming from the spinal cord between vertebrae C6 and C7 also took away the feeling in the fingertips of his left hand making it impossible to play guitar at that time. Kevin’s Cervical Spondalosis is reversible with a major open spine operation (there would be a long period of recuperation from such a serious spinal condition) but the prognosis is positive.

Inappropriate use of mi-sex Name: Founding member Kevin Stanton was not asked, nor ever gave consent for anybody to use the name mi-sex for ongoing commercial ventures, and to his knowledge, has never received any payment from the band for their use of his intellectual property, which includes his songs. <MI-SEX CORPORATION LIMITED 1517273 NZBN: 9429035372608>

Mis-information and ownership of Mi-Sex: During an interview with Goodnight Gladesville, (posted on Facebook November 11, 2013) Don Martin publicly misinformed listeners as to the reason for the band name, he stated, erroneously, that the name came from a song by British punk/new wave band The Stranglers. There is no such song, making it quite apparent that Don had no direct input into the origin, or history of the name, Mi-Sex. Prior to the Kevin Stanton ‘Shanghaied Project’ at the Bridge Hotel, 15/2/2014, mi-sex The Band, insisted that the mi-sex name be removed from the play bill, despite the attendance and performance of Paul Dunningham, Murray Burns, Don Martin and Kevin Stanton, (All surviving original members of Mi-Sex) yet their Facebook page features photographs of the event. Furthermore, “Mi-Sex The Band” persists on playing music and conducting business under the name, “Mi-Sex”, a business name that is not registered to them in Australia or New Zealand. (Mi-Sex is registered to Kevin Stanton, Australian Transaction Number with ASIC, 1-4kvxq9. Dated 11/12/2013)

MI-SEX CORPORATION LIMITED (1517273) Registered 2004 Early History Recap: Mi-Sex evolved from the band Fragments of Time, a band which itself formed from members of earlier bands Father Thyme and Think. The band centred on a trio of performers: Steve Gilpin (vocals), Murray Burns (keyboards), and Kevin Stanton(guitar/vocals). Gilpin had earlier performed in New Zealand, and had won the talent quest in 1972 (second place in the same show was Shona Laing).[1] [2] Invercargill-born Burns was influenced by progressive rock bands such as Yes, whereas Stanton’s influences veered towards heavy metal. In 1977, Gilpin formed a band with former Father Thyme members Alan Moon (keyboards) and Don Martin (bass/vocals). They recruited two extra members for their new band, Fragments of Time – Phil “Smarty” Smart (drums) and Kevin Stanton who originated from the late sixties and performed at Aucklands leading Night Club the Montmarte with his brother Ron Stanton (drums) and Martin Mailley (bass). The new band continued in the mid-’70s hippy style of Father Thyme, but soon ditched this sound, influenced by British new wave and pub rock. This change was accompanied by line-up changes, with Moon being replaced by Murray Burns and Phil Smart also leaving, replaced briefly by Steve Osborne and then Richard Hodgkinson. Between them they concocted a quirky futurist paranoia-themed blend of new wave, punk, and pub rock, amalgamating some of the textures common to Britain’s Tubeway Army and Ultravox with those more associated with The Stranglers. At around the same time, Kevin Stanton changed their name to Mi-Sex; this name was taken from a Ultravox! song titled, “Mi Sex” (1977). They released their first single, “Straight Laddie” (originally intended simply as a demo), during 1978.[3] Early New Zealand performances included the Wellington Technical Institute and Dr Johns (Ray Johns), on the same day with demo recording at Dellbrook studios in Tawa, and the bus breaking a gearbox on the Ngauraunga Gorge section of motorway. In August 1978 the band headed to Sydney, where they quickly became a major live drawcard. They were soon signed to the Australian division of CBS Records by the label’s then A&R manager/House producer Peter Dawkins, himself an expatriate New Zealander who is best known for his productions with another former NZ group based in Australia, Dragon.

The success of Mi-Sex: Their first single for CBS, “But You Don’t Care”/”Burning Up”, was released in Australia in June 1979 and their debut album,Graffiti Crimes was issued in July 1979 to coincide with their national tour as the support act for Talking Heads. The LP included their biggest hit, the synthesizer-driven “Computer Games“, a Stanton/Burns composition released in Australia on 1 October 1979. The single went to No. 1 in Australia, made the top 5 in New Zealand, and also charted in 20 countries including Canadaand South Africa.[4] The follow-up album, Space Race sold well and produced another big single, “People“, but the band were unable to maintain their early momentum and two later albums failed to produce the same popular interest. mi-sex disbanded in March 1984.

The “Culture” Controversy: Mi-Sex gained considerable publicity during 1980 thanks to then Prime Minister of New Zealand Robert Muldoon. The New Zealand government had slapped a 40% sales duty on records, much to the objection of the New Zealand Arts Council, record retailers and record companies. On 21 April, Muldoon claimed that popular music was “not culture”, stating that “The records sold in this country are not Kiri Te Kanawa‘s, they are 50 to 1 those horrible pop groups and I’m not going to take the tax off them.”[5] In June, 1980, during a live radio interview at a popular radio station in Hamilton, New Zealand, mi-sex founding member, principle songwriter and guitarist Kevin Stanton, was incensed to hear of then Prime Minister of New Zealand Robert Muldoon’s comments regarding not only the cultural value of popular music, but to also lift the 40% sales tax on recorded music. In an attempt to rectify these injustices, Kevin formally invited Mr. Muldoon to a concert performed by his band Mi-Sex. “If Mr. Muldoon doesn’t consider popular music culture, then he should come to our concert at Wellington Town Hall tomorrow night. This should make it clear to him what the young people of his country consider culture.” Kevin stated. After Kevin’s initial invitation, Mr. Muldoon received such a ribbing from the opposition party in the ‘Beehive’ (New Zealand’s Parliament House) that he had no option but to accept Kevin Stanton’s offer to attend the Wellington concert. The then general manager of CBS Records in New Zealand, Mr. John McCready said that the idea to invite Mr. Muldoon was indeed guitarist Kevin Stanton’s idea. “Kevin is quite a nationalistic New Zealander and is genuinely keen for Mr. Muldoon to come along to one of their concerts and see what it’s all about!” Mr. McCready stated. He then went on to say, “After all mi-sex are great ambassadors for New Zealand wherever they go!” The Prime Minister did in fact attend the concert and later met with the band members after their performance. But despite every effort to convince him otherwise, not only did the excessive sales tax remain, but his opinion of the validity of the cultural influence of pop music also remained, much to the dismay of Kevin and his band!

The Death of Steve Gilpin: Gilpin remained in Australia, working with bands such as Under Rapz. In November 1991, while returning to his home after a gig, he was seriously injured in a major car accident, and lapsed into a coma from which he never recovered. He died in Southport Hospital on 6 January 1992

Awards: Mi-Sex received three awards at Australia’s 1979 TV Week/Countdown music awards" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_pop_music_awards#1979.E2.80.931980:_TV_Week.2FCountdown_Music_Awards" target="_blank">Music Awards: ‘Most Popular Album or Single’, ‘Best Australian Single’ and ‘Best New Talent (Johnny O’Keefe Memorial Award)’.[6][7][1]

Cover Versions: In 1999, “Blue Day” was covered by Eurodance-pop artist Nicolette. Released in New Zealand by Universal Music, it reached number 20 in the charts. While the version horrified some purists, it was well received by the band and Nicolette subsequently collaborated with Colin Bayley on several songs.[8]

Discography: Albums: Date Title Label Charted Country Catalogue number Albums 1979 Graffiti Crimes CBS 6 New Zealand 463031 2 1980 Space Race 1 New Zealand SBP 237442 1981 Shanghaied! - New Zealand SBP 237701 1983 Where Do They Go? - New Zealand MX 203364 EPs 1988 Mi-Sex EP CBS - New Zealand 651091-7 Greatest Hits 1985 ‘79-’85 CBS - New Zealand SBP 8117 2007 The Essential Mi-Sex Sony - New Zealand B000NJLPUW Singles: Year Single Album Charted Certification 1978 “Straight Laddie” - - - 1979 “But You Don’t Care” Graffiti Crimes 33 (NZ) - 1979 “Computer Games“ Graffiti Crimes 5 (NZ); 1 (Australia) - 1980 “People” Space Race 3 (NZ) - 1980 “Space Race” Space Race 19 (NZ) - 1980 “It Only Hurts When I’m Laughing” Space Race - - 1981 “Shanghaied!” Shanghaied! - - 1981 “Falling In and Out” Shanghaied! 48 (NZ) - 1981 “Missing Person” Shanghaied! - - 1982 “Castaway” - - - 1982 “Down the Line (Makin’ Love on the Telephone)” - - - 1982 “Lost Time” - - - 1983 “Only Thinking” Where Do They Go? - - 1983 “Blue Day” Where Do They Go? 36 (NZ) - 1983 “Five O’Clock (In the Morning)” Where Do They Go? - - Note: All New Zealand chart figures are from the New Zealand national sales chart.[9]

References: Jump up^ Eggleton, D. (2003) Ready to fly: The story of New Zealand rock music. Nelson, NZ: Craig Potton Publishing. p. 85. ISBN 1-877333-06-9. Jump up^ http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/1905-1972 Jump up^ Dix, J. (1988) Stranded in paradise: New Zealand rock’n’roll 1955-1988. Wellington: Paradise Publications. ISBN 0-473-00639-1. p.233-234. Jump up^ Mi-Sex Jump up^ Dix, J. (1988) Stranded in paradise: New Zealand rock’n’roll 1955-1988. Wellington: Paradise Publications. ISBN 0-473-00639-1. p.237. Jump up^ “Top 40 TV”. Televisionau.com. Retrieved 2008-12-21. Jump up^ “Countdown Show no.:235 Date: 19/4/1980″. Countdown Archives. Retrieved 2008-12-21. Jump up^ Nicolette | Artists at muzic.net.nz Jump up^ Dix, J. (1988) Stranded in paradise: New Zealand rock’n’roll 1955-1988. Wellington: Paradise Publications. ISBN 0-473-00639-1. pp. 342-343. External links: [2] [3] Misex Steve Gilpin Mi-Sex discography at Discogs Categories:

New Zealand New Wave musical groups Musical groups established in 1978 Musical groups disestablished in 1984 New South Wales musical groups List of synthpop artists Mi-Sex Misex01.jpg Mi-Sex at the Lady Hamilton Nightclub 1978 STEVE GILPIN:

KEVIN STANTON: kevhappykevin stanton.jpg1 http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/9865214/When-Muldoon-met-Mi-Sex