I’ve been a fan of Deke since I saw Man on Whistle Test playing Day And Night with his back and white telecaster. Of course, his relationship with Man was very much on and off but he did make some brilliant albums with them, notably Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics, Slow Motion, Maximum Darkness and the Welsh Connection (love that) to name just a few. Live his ability to weave in and out Micky Jones was legendary and you can hear it in action on the live sides of Back Into The Future.
Considering their reputation as stoners, it’s perhaps even more remarkable that they managed to play at all. Deke was also a good writer and his book recounting his escapes are excellent reading.
We drew our design of him from a photo in a 1974 promo package that a fan, Gareth, donated to us, which was for the Kamikaze album, which was thought a step down from his first solo Iceberg. I remember reading quite negative reviews at the time and being surprised because I loved and still do love the album. All the Man family tree projects, somehow all sound a bit like Man, as if they can’t quite expunge it from their DNA.
Deke wasn’t really a lead guitarist or a rhythm player either but did both with aplomb. To play Man’s music took a certain kind of talent. It wasn’t for everyone, especially the half hour jams. But they also wrote some sweet songs and with tracks like A Night In Dad’s Bag, some more humorous ones.
A band that was very much of their time, hearing them now is like getting messages from a distant planet.
