Why Panthür Martin is a living legend
Reprinted by permission of Spot On! Magazine
A subsidiary of Mexican Blackbird Press
Written by Ian Chamberpot with contributions from Saxony Mainwaring and
Mick McMick.
Artist, rock legend, eccentric, icon, drug addict, anti- hero, mad man. These are just a few adjectives about the self taught guitar playing Englishman from a modest fishing village in the south of England. He may be all of those things, including a bit mad. But one must be slightly mad to choose the life of a traveling raconteur. One who makes his living traveling the world entertaining people, sleeping in a different bed in a different town with a different woman every night. Being away from home for months if not years at a time. Indulging in the many excesses that money and fame bring. But he is much more than that. He is a true artist who does not compromise his art for any reason. He’s an artist’s artist. He has influenced entire generations of musicians from rock royalty to the garage band down the street. At times revered, others reviled. Adored and abhorred at the same time. So sit back in your favourite reading chair and take a trip into the mind and whirlwind life of the incredible genius that is… Panthür Martin.
The Early Years
The story of Panthür Martin begins in the tiny fishing village of Shropfordshire in the south of England on September 3, 1953. Some skeptics believe that Panthür is just a stage name. The name Panthür is actually a family name dating back to the 1600’s. A story that has been passed down through the Martin family for generations tells of a Giles Martin who traveled to the New World on an exploratory expedition. A two month long voyage across the Atlantic ended in a natural harbor in what would someday become Maine. The captain of the ship recorded in the ships logs, “Glory be to God! A finer natural harbour has never been seen.”
As the seamen made landfall and prepared camp for the night, Algonquin speaking Hockaloogee Indians attacked them without provocation. A few men were killed while defending themselves.
The others were taken prisoner and as was the custom, traded to French outposts further north for guns and small ale.* A few men, Like Giles Martin were adopted into the tribe to replace warriors who were lost in battle with warring tribes.
*Small ale (also small beer) is a beer that contains very little alcohol. Sometimes unfiltered and porridge-like, it was a favoured drink in medieval Europe and colonial North America.
One day while Giles was collecting firewood, a black panther attacked him. Armed only with a knife, he managed to kill the panther only after he received a horrific mauling. This raised his standing within the tribe considerably. The Sachem or Chief of the Indians told him he was forever a brother to the panther. Forever after he was known to his adopted people as “The Creeping Panther.” Eventually, Giles “Creeping Panther” Martin was able to escape his captives and secure passage back to England. As was typical on a long voyage, fever swept the ship and by the time Giles returned to London, he was a stark raving lunatic. He kept murmuring that he was a creeping panther. Local doctors and clergy were summoned to ascertain his condition.
After a short deliberation, it was determined that he was a witch. He was put on trial the next day and convicted to be hanged. The day after would be his time of execution. At the gallows the clergy man read his sentence. “Giles Martin, you have been found to be in league with Satan and have been sentenced by a jury of your peers to be hanged by the neck until your body be dead. Do you wish to renounce that you are a demon panther?” Giles recorded reply was, “I cannot renounce what I am. I choose a brave death. The death of a warrior. I am The Creeping Panther of the Hockaloogee people. May God have mercy on you all.” The noose was placed around his neck and the wooden box was kicked from beneath him. He strangled and died slowly.
Little Panthür thought of such stories as he fished and taught himself to play the guitar and mandolin by the river. He also sang in the church choir. He started playing at Celtic festivals with his father at a very young age. They traveled all over England, Scotland and Ireland.
When Panthür was 18, he decided he wanted to see the big city and what it had to offer. He set off for London. The experiences he had there would shape the Panthür we recognize today. He went to work sweeping floors for a small recording studio. In his off hours, he would tinker on his guitar until fate intervened one day. A session player who was due to record that day fell ill and couldn’t make the session. The engineer asked Panthür if he could fill in. The rest, as they say, is history.
The Formative Years
It took little time for Panthür’s skills to become very much in demand. He became THE session man. As recording sessions ran one into the other, he grew tired of playing what he was told to play. He made a deal with the engineer. Instead of paying him his normal salary, he would take recording time instead. Thus he wrote and fine tuned the songs that would appear on his first album.
As word of his skills and song writing talents made their way through out the industry, a manager named Timothy Timmons III came into his life. He recognized Panthür's raw talent and offered to manage him. They shook hands and that has remained their contract to this day. Timmons III secured a record deal with A&M records based on the strength of the demo he recorded in his off hours. On March 3rd 1973, “Panthür” was released to the world, and the world was never the same.
Panthür and Timmons III assembled a band and embarked on a modest tour of Europe. The first album sold few copies even after the tour had exposed him to the record buying public. It was a fluffy pop offering at best. In the fall of 1973, Panthür returned to the studio to record “Panthür II.” On the first tour, Panthür was all business. No sex or drugs for him. But for a young man out in the world for the first time, such temptations are hard to resist for long. He began to indulge in anything and everything. Timmons III kept him in check as needed. This time he wrote harder rock songs with lyrics that reflected the only things he knew up to that point. “Sex and drugs” barely broke the top 200 on the charts, but it was a start.
Another tour of Europe opening for Black Sabbath and Humble Pie broadened his exposure. His provocative stage presence started to emerge. Panthür’s frustrations started to mount. He knew he had much to offer the world, but the world didn’t seem to care. He knew that if he wanted to break out big, there was only one thing to do. He set his sights on America.
The summer of 1974 saw him back in the studio. He had an idea that he and Timmons III worked out. He would record a concept album based on the adventures of his ancestor Giles Martin. The album was titled, “Leathür and Feathürs.” The cover featured a provocative pose of Panthür in Native American garb which he thought would appeal to American sensibilities. His gamble paid off. His song “Burn Witch, Burn” with an anthemic, sing along chorus charted at number 15 on the billboard charts. The song allowed him to finally show off his considerable guitar talents. America and all the excesses it had to offer were calling to him. He embarked on an extensive tour with bands such as Kiss, K.C. and the Sunshine Band, the Eagles and Foghat. America was ripe for being mauled by the Panthür. He wore his Native costume onstage and danced around wildly. Sales of “Panthür” and “Panthür II” picked up.
Late spring of 1975 found him in Los Angeles to write and record “Ride the Panthür.” This offering was decidedly more hard rock. The title track finally broke the top ten and managed to peak at number 6 for four weeks. Back out on tour in the U.S. and Canada, he began to explore his sexuality more explicitly. It is believed this tour contributed to his sex addiction later in life. He began to wear a sporty green leisure suit and wide sunglasses that were always a fan favorite. He and his manager assembled a new band with with Mickey "Fingers" Stratsborg on bass guitar, Edwinn Capriano Stardust on rhythm guitar and Mark Goodbrick on drums. This lineup is considered by many fans the "Classic" Panthür Martin band. Timmons III decided it was time for some headlining dates, just as a feeler. To their surprise, many venues began to sell out. People were ready to ride the Panthür. The money began to roll in and so did the problems associated with it. Better drugs and liquor were more easily afforded.
With a successful headlining tour behind him, he didn’t want the roller coaster to stop. He returned to the studio in February 1976 to record the classic fan favourite, “Uncaged” produced by the legendary Bruce Dickinson of Blue Oyster Cult and Stooges fame. Tim Timmons III decided not to release a single from the record, a nearly suicidal idea at the time. He said,” If the fans want to hear a song, they’ll have to buy the whole album.” Another crapshoot that paid off many times over. The entire record charted at number one within a week of its release. Panthür had arrived. He was a certified rock star. With hard rock classics such as “A pile of gold,” “Bloodshot eyes,” “Hung over you (again),” and “Mad Dog,” he embarked on his longest tour yet.
He began to sell out venues multiple nights, which led to a variety of problems. It was decided to play larger venues such a stadiums to fulfill the demands of the fans. When those began to sell out multiple nights, there really was nowhere bigger to play. Backstage was a who’s who of rock and roll celebrity. You might see Don Henley and Glenn Frye chatting it up with Elton John or Linda Ronstadt sharing a beer with Ronnie Montrose or Pete Townsend. It was at this time that Panthur started dating the German sauerkraut heiress and sometime pop singer, Dita VonHoobernagel. Her father, Fritz Von Hoobernagel had made his fortune supplying 60% of all the sauerkraut sold in the world.
A year on the road took its toll on Panthür . He was doing drugs to stay awake and to go to sleep. His sex exploits became more public and more frequent. He began to appear in the tabloids. Dita became jealous and left him. She became an on again, off again relationship. The female groupies lined up at his hotel room after the show and the line didn’t stop until mid morning the next day. No amount of sex seemed to satisfy him.
With almost no time to record, Timmons suggested a live album to satisfy the increasing demands from the fans for more Panthür material. With 5 records under his belt, it seemed like the right time. While waiting to go onstage in Alatoona Alabama, Panthur received the news from Timmons III that “Uncaged” had sold an unprecedented sextuplet platinum. That’s platinum six times over! A record that remains unbroken to this day. What makes it so record shattering is that there was a lot less people in the record buying public in the 1970’s. No internet to download songs. Just word of mouth and advertising through music magazines. It averaged one record for every 5 people on the planet, including primitive aborigines in the Brazilian rain forest.
He celebrated his new status by purchasing a massive estate in Scotland worthy of an English Lord, complete with his own private lake. He had small cottages built around the perimeter of the lake and even hired fishermen from his hometown to give it ambience and remind him of his beloved home. He dubbed his new home “Shrimpfordshire,” in effect, a miniature version of his beloved hometown of Shropfordshire.
The Christmas season saw “Panthür on the loose: Live!” fly off the shelves. More than a few fans nearly rioted at several American K-Mart stores as well as German Plattenladen (record stores) when supply ran out. “Live” also went sextuplet platinum. The live version of “Burn Witch, Burn” immediately went to number one on the billboard charts and stayed for six months in the top 10. Panthur celebrated this victory by nearly overdosing on model glue. He permanently damaged his septum and went blind for six hours.
The Panthür and the King
At the beginning of 1977 the duo of Martin and Timmons III took a much needed rest. Panthür found out three days later that he was not suited for life off the road. The party had to continue. He started to write songs for the next album tentatively titled, “Touch me, I’m Panthür .” In one of their many conversations, Panthür mentioned to Tim how much he admired Elvis Presley and hoped they could work together one day. Panthur fondly recalled how he used to play Elvis records on the community phonograph in Shropfordshire. He picked up a few licks from Scotty Moore while teaching himself guitar. Timmons III placed a call to Elvis’s manager Colonel Tom Parker.
Timmons III proposed the offer to Parker. Parker listened politely, but declined saying that Elvis doesn’t do duets. Timmons III sent Parker a demo of the song Panthür had written especially for the occasion. Two weeks later, Parker called back. The song had brought tears to the Kings eyes and they wanted to buy the rights to the song. Timmons III said it was a duet or no deal. Parker hung up. About 20 minutes later, Elvis himself called to make a counter offer. He would do the song if all of the proceeds from the sale of the single went to charities they could agree on. After further details were hammered out by Timmons III and Parker, a recording date was set for August 14. The charities that would benefit from this agreement were the Children’s Hospital of Memphis, and Tugmutton House, a center for the study and treatment of sex addiction in London.
The day of the recording session found Elvis feeling ill. He asked for the session to be postponed until the next day. It was never to happen. Elvis Presley was dead the next day at age 42. Panthür mourned with the world. He went into a tailspin of grief. Not only was his hero dead, but the opportunity to work with him would never be realized. Panthür said that the song he wrote for the duet was the song he wanted the world to remember him for. It was, he said, his greatest achievement that no one will ever hear. Despite multiple offers of hundreds of millions of dollars to see the song come to fruition, Panthür refuses to record it. He claims to have burned the master tapes of the demo. A claim Timmons III disputes.
“Do you really think he would destroy the greatest song ever written?”
“I just tell the press that to get them off my back about it”, he was quoted as saying. He refuses even to reveal the name of the song. Any time an interviewer attempts to broach the subject, however delicately, the interview is over. Panthür simply gets up and walks away.
He found solace in drugs and alcohol. He and Lemmy from Motorhead had a drinking contest that lasted for 3 days. Both ended up in the hospital in an alcohol induced coma. The Guinness book of world records listed the incident as the longest hangover in history. A week later when he woke up, he contemplated his own mortality and the meaning of life itself. He had an epiphany. He would undertake the most monumental recording project in the history of rock and roll.
The Sextuplet Sessions
Panthür checked himself out of the hospital and called Tim to pick him up. Timothy Timmons III drove him straight to a recording studio still in his hospital gown. He cut a few demos just to get some basic idea’s down. He stayed for 4 days. When the owner of the studio complained that they had other clients due to record, they offered to buy the studio out right and Black Panthür studios was born.
Timmons saw that the most up to date analog equipment was installed.
Panthür scrapped most of his idea’s for “Touch me, I’m Panthür.” He kept only the strongest idea’s and incorporated them into what would become known as the “Sextuplet Sessions.” Panthür would record six separate albums. Each disc would represent a specific addiction that he wrestled with. “Sex, Money and Fame” would be the subjects of the first three discs. “Cocaine, Glue, Whiskey and Wine” would comprise the second set. He took over six months to record the albums. This is significant being that the usual time spent on any record up to that point was three weeks to write and record an album. Each disc being separately produced by the top names in the industry including Eddie Kramer, Bob Ezrin, Al Kooper and Bruce Dickinson returning to the Panthür fold. Panthür even took his first foray into producing the “Glue” disc. He said that no other producer could possibly understand the pain a despair of sniffing model glue better than he.
The record company constantly put pressure on him to produce catchy, three minute pop songs. As always, he largely ignored them and did what the music in his brain told him to do. This time he gave the executives more than they bargained for. The cost of the six gatefold album was astronomical. At first they recommended he release each record separately. They could make more money off of them individually. The average cost of an album in 1977 was about £2.98GBP or about $3.84 USD. The Sextuplet Sessions album cost £7.66 GBP or $9.99 USD, alot of money for an album at the time. Martin and Timmons III wouldn’t budge. The albums must be released as one or Panthür would never record another album. The Sextuplet Sessions yielded seven simultaneous top 10 hits and two top 20 hits, a record that still stands. He completely dominated the charts. The “Sex” album was among the most provocative of all of Panthür’s recorded output, with song titles such as “Stuck in a Hole,” “Girl Honey,” and the symphonic strains of his third number one hit, a ballad, “Addickted to you.” The “Money” album produced the hit”Fame is a four letter word” and charted at number eight.
The second three discs represented the excesses of his celebrity. From the “Cocaine” album came the straightforward blues-rock of “Cocaine Blues” and charted at number two. From the “Glue” record came one of Panthür’s most pained and raucous hard rock songs titled,” Blinded by the fumes.” It charted at number ten and has been considered one of the pivotal moments in rock and roll history. Musicians and critics the world over consider this album the earliest form of grunge music. A garage band masterpiece. A pièce de résistance in drop D tuning. From the last album,”Whiskey and Wine” came the number five top ten hit, “Whiskey and Wine (I feel fine).”
The other two songs that entered the charts shortly after its release was a reworked version of “Touch me, I’m Panthür” re-titled “Touch Me” from the “Sex” album (number 15), and “Behind the eight ball” from the “Cocaine” record (number 12).
As the summer of 1978 got underway and schools all over the world took their summer recess, The Sextuplet Sessions hit the record stores. Each of the six discs went double platinum. It is the only record in history to go Sextuplet platinum twice. Panthür did a couple of live talk shows to promote it before it hit the shelves. The world tour that followed has been looked upon as the beginning of the end of the first chapter of the Panthür Martin phenomenon. The tour took its toll on Panthür’s sanity and health. He sold out record shattering multiple nights at the largest venues in the world. Stadiums were an absolute necessity to accommodate the demands of his fans. Dita made occasional appearances.
His behavior became increasingly erratic. He would sometimes conduct interviews in total silence. When music journalist Mick McMick met up with him in October 1978 to do the cover story for Rolling Stone, he found a maniacal rock star that had been up for two days on cocaine. The scene he describes is one of total debauchery. Something out of Sodom and Gomorrah. Broken beer bottles filled the bathtub, empty tubes of model glue strewn about, and naked groupies on the bed glued to each other. In between hits of glue, he was trashing the hotel room, throwing things out the window using the fire extinguisher on hotel patrons and laughing hysterically. Rod Stewart was trying to talk him down from his high. Mick McMick tried to help. He needed his story. When police arrived, they barricaded the doors, leaving McMick in the hallway covered in foam from the fire extinguisher. Figuring he must be the problem, the police grabbed him and hauled him off to the drunk tank for a few hours. The poor bloke hadn’t even had a drink that day!
McMick says that to this day, it’s the only interview that landed him in jail! When he returned the next day to try again, he brought photographer Annie Leibovitz to get the cover shot. This time they found a very docile Panthür. He was in bed with the covers pulled up over his head. A roadie had glued him to the bed as a joke and he was so high he couldn’t really get up. He answered all of the interview questions just fine. He was happy to discuss his art and his personal life. McMick got a very introspective and candid interview. When Leibovitz tried to take his picture, it was an altogether different story. He could not be coaxed out from under the blankets. Knowing he had a sex addiction, Annie promised him sex if he would do the photo. All she got was the photo of Panthür's eyes and the bridge of his nose for the cover shot. Rolling Stone used the photo Annie took for the December 1978 cover with the title, "Under the covers with Panthür Martin.” Panthür claims he gave Annie the shagging of a lifetime. Annie denies it to this day.
The Beginning of the end
For Martin’s next record, he was feeling experimental. He had used the London Philharmonic on the hit “Addickted to you” and on some of the other songs on the Sex record. He wanted to try some other instruments he had always admired, but never got a chance to play in a rock setting. From this recording session came “6 Strings and other things.” This is considered his most experimental album by both fans and critics alike. The album largely strayed from his trademark hard rock format. It only produced one hit song for Panthür. “Penicillin don’t cure the blues” charted at number 16 and only stayed a short time. The album incorporated hard rock music backed by a symphony orchestra. He also used the dulcimer, harps, sitars, mandolin and tribal drummers from Native American and African tribes. Being that it would have been a monumental undertaking to take a production of its size on the road, it was decided uneconomical to tour in support of “6 strings and other things.” Considered ahead of it’s time; it seems that fans just weren’t ready for “other things.” They just wanted the old Panthür. As usual, he did what he wanted to do. It was at this time that he lost rhythm guitar player Edwinn Capriano Stardust. After a party one night, he was quite literally lost. No one could ever find him. It's as if he simply disappeared from the face of the Earth. He was replaced by Ervin "Twisted Bastard" Atherton.
Nineteen eighty saw the emergence of a new wave of Heavy Metal bands from England. Iron Maiden and Def Leppard were starting to dominate the music scene in the aftermath of the Punk movement. Older bands such as Motorhead and Judas Priest had been slowly growing a massive fan base. Black Sabbath had a new beginning in the form of new lead singer Ronnie James Dio. Panthür was always in tune to what was cool and fresh. He was excited about what he was hearing. In October 1980, he began recording what is considered a true Heavy Metal masterpiece, “Holiür than Thoü.” This album was considered a return to form of sorts after the disappointment of the previous album. In addition to the husky baritone and scratchy rock voice he was known for, he also found a new falsetto that could shatter glass.
With staples such as “Black Moon,” “The Fire Within,” “The Curse of the Panthür ,” “Son of Abytch” and the tongue in cheek, “Run your panties up my flagpole,” Panthür embarked on another successful world tour.
Invigorated by this new brand of hard rock, he took out some upcoming bands. Tygers of Pan Tang, Van Halen, Def Leppard, Sweet Savage, Samson and Girlschool were just a few of the bands that were fortunate enough to have shared the stage with Panthür . It was rumored that all the members of Girlschool got to ride the Panthür . It was at this time that he shed his polyester suits and donned a jacket and pants made of real Panther skin prompting fans to dub him “The other man in black” or the “Johnny Cash of Heavy Metal.” PETA called him a murdering S.O.B., but we’ll visit that later. He also contracted with Fender Guitars to make him a signature guitar covered in real Panther skin.
The tour was a monumental success and brought out the worst Panthür had to offer. Drugs were never in short supply and he indulged in everything that passed under his nose. Never one to rest, when the tour came to a close in the fall of 1981, he went back home to Shrimpfordshire to start writing for the next album. He was in no shape to do anything but recover from the effects of a 9 month hangover. Dita and Timmons III confronted him about his drug use and tried to talk him into getting some help. He was too embarrassed for the world to know that he was a serious cocaine and glue addict. He decided to quit cold turkey on holiday in Jamaica. He and Dita went to the island nation and rented a quiet beach-side bungalow. The suffering was more than he could bear. The locals were constantly smoking Ganja on the beach, making his withdrawals all the worse. He decided to go back home.
Timmons III had gone through the entire estate before Panthür got there and emptied the house of everything he could find. Once again, his emaciated frame wracked with shakes and convulsions. He lay violently ill for 3 days. Dita came to check on him in his room. There was no pulse. She called the paramedics. After a short diagnosis, they determined he was dead. He had been dead for a few hours. When paramedics arrived, they could see their breath. Fortunately, Panthur had been so hot from the effects of his withdrawals that he turned the air conditioner down to the lowest setting. It seems there was a pulse after all, but just barely. He inadvertently put himself on ice and was suffering from the effects of hypothermia more than the withdrawals. He was taken to a local hospital where Timmons III gave a press conference and told reporters that Panthur was suffering from that old standby, “exhaustion.”
Dita finally had enough of Panthür's self-destructive ways. She left him for good at the start of 1982. She told Saxony Mainwaring in an interview shortly after, “I refuse to watch him die. I refuse to be an enabler. Let that son of a bitch Tim take care of him.” It seems the star had finally fallen. Around this same time, his bass player Mickey "Fingers" Stratsborg was killed in a bizarre farming accident when he was crushed to death by a 589.6701 kilogram (1300 US Pounds) bale of hay.
The Reclusive Panthür
Panthür took a few months to recuperate. He made a half hearted attempt to write new material, playing his guitar and mandolin around his estate. He tried hard to stay away from anywhere that sold glue. What he produced was a nominal effort at best. “Songs in the key of P” was released in the summer of 1982. After such a well received masterpiece as “Holiür than Thoü,” “Songs” was a surprising disappointment. He was too sick to tour in support of it. No one seemed to be buying it anyway. He granted few interviews. The appropriately titled “Transmissions from a dying star” barely cracked the top 200, and then quickly disappeared.
And then, nothing. He sat out most of the 1980’s and 1990’s. He gave the occasional rare interview. He showed up at award shows from time to time, just to be seen. He started playing the occasional Celtic festival. In 1987, against the advice of Timmons III, he wrote and recorded the all instrumental, Celtic influenced concept album ”Journey of the Mayflower” after he saw a BBC program about the Puritans who sought religious freedom in the new world. From an artistic standpoint, he greatly enjoyed the process he began on “6 strings and other things.” He chose a totally instrumental format because in his words the journey and privations the Pilgrims suffered could only be expressed in music. The record company didn’t know what to do with it and were angry. Panthür still had an obligation for more recordings, so they reluctantly released it. It sold a meager 651 copies world wide. Timmons III decided to part ways with Martin as did A&M records. He was for the first time in many years, a free agent.
With the advent of Grunge in the early 90’s, a number of new bands were citing Panthür Martin as the reason they picked up instruments and joined bands. The “Glue” record from the Sextuplet Sessions was a major influence on the raw, garage sound of this new movement. He made a rare personal appearance at a Panthür convention in Seattle in 1999. He met Amy Curmudgeon, the president of the North American Panthür Martin fan club. Club members knew her simply as “Honey.” She borrowed her moniker form the Panthür hit “Girl Honey” from the “Sex” record. They fell in love and were married in Las Vegas three months later. He said no one on Earth knew him better than Honey. They purchased a 20 room Victorian mansion in San Francisco that once belonged to a wealthy merchant from the gold rush era and named it Panthür Manür. They divide their time between Panthür Manür and Shrimpfordshire in Scotland.
She became a positive influence on him and helped to reignite his career. When marketing companies wanted to buy the rights to use his music in advertisements, he turned them down. He told Rolling Stone, “I write music to promote one thing and one thing only and that’s Panthür Martin.” When a young independent film director and Panthür fan contacted him to write a hard rock song for his upcoming low budget zombie film entitled, “Zombie Nation,” he reluctantly decided to give it a try. What came out was another hard rock masterpiece. The aptly titled, “Wake the Dead” backed with "Watch them Crawl (Back to Hell)" made a respectable showing at #12 on the charts. Unfortunately for the director, the song got more notice than his movie. The soundtrack seemed to signal a creative outburst fans had long hoped for, as well as a return to the industry he abandoned after the abysmal failure of "Journey of the Mayflower."
VH1 contacted Panthür for an appearance on its annual VH1 rock honors to coincide with the debut of his own "Behind the music" episode. They wanted him to perform some of his best known hits. So many artists cited him as an influence that they all wanted to honor the Panthür He agreed to it only on the condition that VH1 donate money to the Tugmutton center and the North American Panther Preservation Fund, an organization that works to protect the habitat of the North American Panther. His performance was nothing short of a phenomenal comeback.
The New Millennium
Today, the Panthürfest is in the planning stages as well as the first CD of new material in 22 years, “King for a day, Panthür for a lifetime” on his own Black Panthür label. It will be released in the fall of 2009 to coincide with his knighthood from Queen Elizabeth. As is typical of Martin, he agreed to be knighted on his own terms. He wanted the Queen to revoke his ancestor Giles Martin’s conviction as a witch. The details were worked out and Her Royal Highness granted a posthumous pardon for Giles Martin despite objections from some historians and members of Parliament who still believed that Giles Martin was in fact a witch.
The retrospective box set “Box of Panthürs” is set to be released in March 2010 on the 36th anniversary of his first release, “Panthür.” Noticeably absent is the apparently lost Elvis demo so prized by fans. Purported demos of the song have been “leaked” to You Tube and other media outlets, but they’ve all proven to be fraudulent.
With his days of glue sniffing and drug use behind him, the box will be shaped like a tube of model glue in a show of humility and humor. Timmons III reached out to him, but Panthür decided to move on with new manager, Doc McGhee of Kiss, Bon Jovi and Motley Crue fame. He still felt betrayed that Tim had abandoned him at a low point in his career. They remain friends.
The Panthür has tamed with age; perhaps a little wisdom and a life lived to the absolute fullest, but hardly over. He recently refused an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame saying, “Bollocks to that!” Bollocks indeed. As always, living life on his terms.
Reprinted by permission of Spot On! Magazine
A subsidiary of Mexican Blackbird Press
Written by Ian Chamberpot with contributions from Saxony Mainwaring and
Mick McMick.
Artist, rock legend, eccentric, icon, drug addict, anti- hero, mad man. These are just a few adjectives about the self taught guitar playing Englishman from a modest fishing village in the south of England. He may be all of those things, including a bit mad. But one must be slightly mad to choose the life of a traveling raconteur. One who makes his living traveling the world entertaining people, sleeping in a different bed in a different town with a different woman every night. Being away from home for months if not years at a time. Indulging in the many excesses that money and fame bring. But he is much more than that. He is a true artist who does not compromise his art for any reason. He’s an artist’s artist. He has influenced entire generations of musicians from rock royalty to the garage band down the street. At times revered, others reviled. Adored and abhorred at the same time. So sit back in your favourite reading chair and take a trip into the mind and whirlwind life of the incredible genius that is… Panthür Martin.
The Early Years
The story of Panthür Martin begins in the tiny fishing village of Shropfordshire in the south of England on September 3, 1953. Some skeptics believe that Panthür is just a stage name. The name Panthür is actually a family name dating back to the 1600’s. A story that has been passed down through the Martin family for generations tells of a Giles Martin who traveled to the New World on an exploratory expedition. A two month long voyage across the Atlantic ended in a natural harbor in what would someday become Maine. The captain of the ship recorded in the ships logs, “Glory be to God! A finer natural harbour has never been seen.”
As the seamen made landfall and prepared camp for the night, Algonquin speaking Hockaloogee Indians attacked them without provocation. A few men were killed while defending themselves.
The others were taken prisoner and as was the custom, traded to French outposts further north for guns and small ale.* A few men, Like Giles Martin were adopted into the tribe to replace warriors who were lost in battle with warring tribes.
*Small ale (also small beer) is a beer that contains very little alcohol. Sometimes unfiltered and porridge-like, it was a favoured drink in medieval Europe and colonial North America.
One day while Giles was collecting firewood, a black panther attacked him. Armed only with a knife, he managed to kill the panther only after he received a horrific mauling. This raised his standing within the tribe considerably. The Sachem or Chief of the Indians told him he was forever a brother to the panther. Forever after he was known to his adopted people as “The Creeping Panther.” Eventually, Giles “Creeping Panther” Martin was able to escape his captives and secure passage back to England. As was typical on a long voyage, fever swept the ship and by the time Giles returned to London, he was a stark raving lunatic. He kept murmuring that he was a creeping panther. Local doctors and clergy were summoned to ascertain his condition.
After a short deliberation, it was determined that he was a witch. He was put on trial the next day and convicted to be hanged. The day after would be his time of execution. At the gallows the clergy man read his sentence. “Giles Martin, you have been found to be in league with Satan and have been sentenced by a jury of your peers to be hanged by the neck until your body be dead. Do you wish to renounce that you are a demon panther?” Giles recorded reply was, “I cannot renounce what I am. I choose a brave death. The death of a warrior. I am The Creeping Panther of the Hockaloogee people. May God have mercy on you all.” The noose was placed around his neck and the wooden box was kicked from beneath him. He strangled and died slowly.
Little Panthür thought of such stories as he fished and taught himself to play the guitar and mandolin by the river. He also sang in the church choir. He started playing at Celtic festivals with his father at a very young age. They traveled all over England, Scotland and Ireland.
When Panthür was 18, he decided he wanted to see the big city and what it had to offer. He set off for London. The experiences he had there would shape the Panthür we recognize today. He went to work sweeping floors for a small recording studio. In his off hours, he would tinker on his guitar until fate intervened one day. A session player who was due to record that day fell ill and couldn’t make the session. The engineer asked Panthür if he could fill in. The rest, as they say, is history.
The Formative Years
It took little time for Panthür’s skills to become very much in demand. He became THE session man. As recording sessions ran one into the other, he grew tired of playing what he was told to play. He made a deal with the engineer. Instead of paying him his normal salary, he would take recording time instead. Thus he wrote and fine tuned the songs that would appear on his first album.
As word of his skills and song writing talents made their way through out the industry, a manager named Timothy Timmons III came into his life. He recognized Panthür's raw talent and offered to manage him. They shook hands and that has remained their contract to this day. Timmons III secured a record deal with A&M records based on the strength of the demo he recorded in his off hours. On March 3rd 1973, “Panthür” was released to the world, and the world was never the same.
Panthür and Timmons III assembled a band and embarked on a modest tour of Europe. The first album sold few copies even after the tour had exposed him to the record buying public. It was a fluffy pop offering at best. In the fall of 1973, Panthür returned to the studio to record “Panthür II.” On the first tour, Panthür was all business. No sex or drugs for him. But for a young man out in the world for the first time, such temptations are hard to resist for long. He began to indulge in anything and everything. Timmons III kept him in check as needed. This time he wrote harder rock songs with lyrics that reflected the only things he knew up to that point. “Sex and drugs” barely broke the top 200 on the charts, but it was a start.
Another tour of Europe opening for Black Sabbath and Humble Pie broadened his exposure. His provocative stage presence started to emerge. Panthür’s frustrations started to mount. He knew he had much to offer the world, but the world didn’t seem to care. He knew that if he wanted to break out big, there was only one thing to do. He set his sights on America.
The summer of 1974 saw him back in the studio. He had an idea that he and Timmons III worked out. He would record a concept album based on the adventures of his ancestor Giles Martin. The album was titled, “Leathür and Feathürs.” The cover featured a provocative pose of Panthür in Native American garb which he thought would appeal to American sensibilities. His gamble paid off. His song “Burn Witch, Burn” with an anthemic, sing along chorus charted at number 15 on the billboard charts. The song allowed him to finally show off his considerable guitar talents. America and all the excesses it had to offer were calling to him. He embarked on an extensive tour with bands such as Kiss, K.C. and the Sunshine Band, the Eagles and Foghat. America was ripe for being mauled by the Panthür. He wore his Native costume onstage and danced around wildly. Sales of “Panthür” and “Panthür II” picked up.
Late spring of 1975 found him in Los Angeles to write and record “Ride the Panthür.” This offering was decidedly more hard rock. The title track finally broke the top ten and managed to peak at number 6 for four weeks. Back out on tour in the U.S. and Canada, he began to explore his sexuality more explicitly. It is believed this tour contributed to his sex addiction later in life. He began to wear a sporty green leisure suit and wide sunglasses that were always a fan favorite. He and his manager assembled a new band with with Mickey "Fingers" Stratsborg on bass guitar, Edwinn Capriano Stardust on rhythm guitar and Mark Goodbrick on drums. This lineup is considered by many fans the "Classic" Panthür Martin band. Timmons III decided it was time for some headlining dates, just as a feeler. To their surprise, many venues began to sell out. People were ready to ride the Panthür. The money began to roll in and so did the problems associated with it. Better drugs and liquor were more easily afforded.
With a successful headlining tour behind him, he didn’t want the roller coaster to stop. He returned to the studio in February 1976 to record the classic fan favourite, “Uncaged” produced by the legendary Bruce Dickinson of Blue Oyster Cult and Stooges fame. Tim Timmons III decided not to release a single from the record, a nearly suicidal idea at the time. He said,” If the fans want to hear a song, they’ll have to buy the whole album.” Another crapshoot that paid off many times over. The entire record charted at number one within a week of its release. Panthür had arrived. He was a certified rock star. With hard rock classics such as “A pile of gold,” “Bloodshot eyes,” “Hung over you (again),” and “Mad Dog,” he embarked on his longest tour yet.
He began to sell out venues multiple nights, which led to a variety of problems. It was decided to play larger venues such a stadiums to fulfill the demands of the fans. When those began to sell out multiple nights, there really was nowhere bigger to play. Backstage was a who’s who of rock and roll celebrity. You might see Don Henley and Glenn Frye chatting it up with Elton John or Linda Ronstadt sharing a beer with Ronnie Montrose or Pete Townsend. It was at this time that Panthur started dating the German sauerkraut heiress and sometime pop singer, Dita VonHoobernagel. Her father, Fritz Von Hoobernagel had made his fortune supplying 60% of all the sauerkraut sold in the world.
A year on the road took its toll on Panthür . He was doing drugs to stay awake and to go to sleep. His sex exploits became more public and more frequent. He began to appear in the tabloids. Dita became jealous and left him. She became an on again, off again relationship. The female groupies lined up at his hotel room after the show and the line didn’t stop until mid morning the next day. No amount of sex seemed to satisfy him.
With almost no time to record, Timmons suggested a live album to satisfy the increasing demands from the fans for more Panthür material. With 5 records under his belt, it seemed like the right time. While waiting to go onstage in Alatoona Alabama, Panthur received the news from Timmons III that “Uncaged” had sold an unprecedented sextuplet platinum. That’s platinum six times over! A record that remains unbroken to this day. What makes it so record shattering is that there was a lot less people in the record buying public in the 1970’s. No internet to download songs. Just word of mouth and advertising through music magazines. It averaged one record for every 5 people on the planet, including primitive aborigines in the Brazilian rain forest.
He celebrated his new status by purchasing a massive estate in Scotland worthy of an English Lord, complete with his own private lake. He had small cottages built around the perimeter of the lake and even hired fishermen from his hometown to give it ambience and remind him of his beloved home. He dubbed his new home “Shrimpfordshire,” in effect, a miniature version of his beloved hometown of Shropfordshire.
The Christmas season saw “Panthür on the loose: Live!” fly off the shelves. More than a few fans nearly rioted at several American K-Mart stores as well as German Plattenladen (record stores) when supply ran out. “Live” also went sextuplet platinum. The live version of “Burn Witch, Burn” immediately went to number one on the billboard charts and stayed for six months in the top 10. Panthur celebrated this victory by nearly overdosing on model glue. He permanently damaged his septum and went blind for six hours.
The Panthür and the King
At the beginning of 1977 the duo of Martin and Timmons III took a much needed rest. Panthür found out three days later that he was not suited for life off the road. The party had to continue. He started to write songs for the next album tentatively titled, “Touch me, I’m Panthür .” In one of their many conversations, Panthür mentioned to Tim how much he admired Elvis Presley and hoped they could work together one day. Panthur fondly recalled how he used to play Elvis records on the community phonograph in Shropfordshire. He picked up a few licks from Scotty Moore while teaching himself guitar. Timmons III placed a call to Elvis’s manager Colonel Tom Parker.
Timmons III proposed the offer to Parker. Parker listened politely, but declined saying that Elvis doesn’t do duets. Timmons III sent Parker a demo of the song Panthür had written especially for the occasion. Two weeks later, Parker called back. The song had brought tears to the Kings eyes and they wanted to buy the rights to the song. Timmons III said it was a duet or no deal. Parker hung up. About 20 minutes later, Elvis himself called to make a counter offer. He would do the song if all of the proceeds from the sale of the single went to charities they could agree on. After further details were hammered out by Timmons III and Parker, a recording date was set for August 14. The charities that would benefit from this agreement were the Children’s Hospital of Memphis, and Tugmutton House, a center for the study and treatment of sex addiction in London.
The day of the recording session found Elvis feeling ill. He asked for the session to be postponed until the next day. It was never to happen. Elvis Presley was dead the next day at age 42. Panthür mourned with the world. He went into a tailspin of grief. Not only was his hero dead, but the opportunity to work with him would never be realized. Panthür said that the song he wrote for the duet was the song he wanted the world to remember him for. It was, he said, his greatest achievement that no one will ever hear. Despite multiple offers of hundreds of millions of dollars to see the song come to fruition, Panthür refuses to record it. He claims to have burned the master tapes of the demo. A claim Timmons III disputes.
“Do you really think he would destroy the greatest song ever written?”
“I just tell the press that to get them off my back about it”, he was quoted as saying. He refuses even to reveal the name of the song. Any time an interviewer attempts to broach the subject, however delicately, the interview is over. Panthür simply gets up and walks away.
He found solace in drugs and alcohol. He and Lemmy from Motorhead had a drinking contest that lasted for 3 days. Both ended up in the hospital in an alcohol induced coma. The Guinness book of world records listed the incident as the longest hangover in history. A week later when he woke up, he contemplated his own mortality and the meaning of life itself. He had an epiphany. He would undertake the most monumental recording project in the history of rock and roll.
The Sextuplet Sessions
Panthür checked himself out of the hospital and called Tim to pick him up. Timothy Timmons III drove him straight to a recording studio still in his hospital gown. He cut a few demos just to get some basic idea’s down. He stayed for 4 days. When the owner of the studio complained that they had other clients due to record, they offered to buy the studio out right and Black Panthür studios was born.
Timmons saw that the most up to date analog equipment was installed.
Panthür scrapped most of his idea’s for “Touch me, I’m Panthür.” He kept only the strongest idea’s and incorporated them into what would become known as the “Sextuplet Sessions.” Panthür would record six separate albums. Each disc would represent a specific addiction that he wrestled with. “Sex, Money and Fame” would be the subjects of the first three discs. “Cocaine, Glue, Whiskey and Wine” would comprise the second set. He took over six months to record the albums. This is significant being that the usual time spent on any record up to that point was three weeks to write and record an album. Each disc being separately produced by the top names in the industry including Eddie Kramer, Bob Ezrin, Al Kooper and Bruce Dickinson returning to the Panthür fold. Panthür even took his first foray into producing the “Glue” disc. He said that no other producer could possibly understand the pain a despair of sniffing model glue better than he.
The record company constantly put pressure on him to produce catchy, three minute pop songs. As always, he largely ignored them and did what the music in his brain told him to do. This time he gave the executives more than they bargained for. The cost of the six gatefold album was astronomical. At first they recommended he release each record separately. They could make more money off of them individually. The average cost of an album in 1977 was about £2.98GBP or about $3.84 USD. The Sextuplet Sessions album cost £7.66 GBP or $9.99 USD, alot of money for an album at the time. Martin and Timmons III wouldn’t budge. The albums must be released as one or Panthür would never record another album. The Sextuplet Sessions yielded seven simultaneous top 10 hits and two top 20 hits, a record that still stands. He completely dominated the charts. The “Sex” album was among the most provocative of all of Panthür’s recorded output, with song titles such as “Stuck in a Hole,” “Girl Honey,” and the symphonic strains of his third number one hit, a ballad, “Addickted to you.” The “Money” album produced the hit”Fame is a four letter word” and charted at number eight.
The second three discs represented the excesses of his celebrity. From the “Cocaine” album came the straightforward blues-rock of “Cocaine Blues” and charted at number two. From the “Glue” record came one of Panthür’s most pained and raucous hard rock songs titled,” Blinded by the fumes.” It charted at number ten and has been considered one of the pivotal moments in rock and roll history. Musicians and critics the world over consider this album the earliest form of grunge music. A garage band masterpiece. A pièce de résistance in drop D tuning. From the last album,”Whiskey and Wine” came the number five top ten hit, “Whiskey and Wine (I feel fine).”
The other two songs that entered the charts shortly after its release was a reworked version of “Touch me, I’m Panthür” re-titled “Touch Me” from the “Sex” album (number 15), and “Behind the eight ball” from the “Cocaine” record (number 12).
As the summer of 1978 got underway and schools all over the world took their summer recess, The Sextuplet Sessions hit the record stores. Each of the six discs went double platinum. It is the only record in history to go Sextuplet platinum twice. Panthür did a couple of live talk shows to promote it before it hit the shelves. The world tour that followed has been looked upon as the beginning of the end of the first chapter of the Panthür Martin phenomenon. The tour took its toll on Panthür’s sanity and health. He sold out record shattering multiple nights at the largest venues in the world. Stadiums were an absolute necessity to accommodate the demands of his fans. Dita made occasional appearances.
His behavior became increasingly erratic. He would sometimes conduct interviews in total silence. When music journalist Mick McMick met up with him in October 1978 to do the cover story for Rolling Stone, he found a maniacal rock star that had been up for two days on cocaine. The scene he describes is one of total debauchery. Something out of Sodom and Gomorrah. Broken beer bottles filled the bathtub, empty tubes of model glue strewn about, and naked groupies on the bed glued to each other. In between hits of glue, he was trashing the hotel room, throwing things out the window using the fire extinguisher on hotel patrons and laughing hysterically. Rod Stewart was trying to talk him down from his high. Mick McMick tried to help. He needed his story. When police arrived, they barricaded the doors, leaving McMick in the hallway covered in foam from the fire extinguisher. Figuring he must be the problem, the police grabbed him and hauled him off to the drunk tank for a few hours. The poor bloke hadn’t even had a drink that day!
McMick says that to this day, it’s the only interview that landed him in jail! When he returned the next day to try again, he brought photographer Annie Leibovitz to get the cover shot. This time they found a very docile Panthür. He was in bed with the covers pulled up over his head. A roadie had glued him to the bed as a joke and he was so high he couldn’t really get up. He answered all of the interview questions just fine. He was happy to discuss his art and his personal life. McMick got a very introspective and candid interview. When Leibovitz tried to take his picture, it was an altogether different story. He could not be coaxed out from under the blankets. Knowing he had a sex addiction, Annie promised him sex if he would do the photo. All she got was the photo of Panthür's eyes and the bridge of his nose for the cover shot. Rolling Stone used the photo Annie took for the December 1978 cover with the title, "Under the covers with Panthür Martin.” Panthür claims he gave Annie the shagging of a lifetime. Annie denies it to this day.
The Beginning of the end
For Martin’s next record, he was feeling experimental. He had used the London Philharmonic on the hit “Addickted to you” and on some of the other songs on the Sex record. He wanted to try some other instruments he had always admired, but never got a chance to play in a rock setting. From this recording session came “6 Strings and other things.” This is considered his most experimental album by both fans and critics alike. The album largely strayed from his trademark hard rock format. It only produced one hit song for Panthür. “Penicillin don’t cure the blues” charted at number 16 and only stayed a short time. The album incorporated hard rock music backed by a symphony orchestra. He also used the dulcimer, harps, sitars, mandolin and tribal drummers from Native American and African tribes. Being that it would have been a monumental undertaking to take a production of its size on the road, it was decided uneconomical to tour in support of “6 strings and other things.” Considered ahead of it’s time; it seems that fans just weren’t ready for “other things.” They just wanted the old Panthür. As usual, he did what he wanted to do. It was at this time that he lost rhythm guitar player Edwinn Capriano Stardust. After a party one night, he was quite literally lost. No one could ever find him. It's as if he simply disappeared from the face of the Earth. He was replaced by Ervin "Twisted Bastard" Atherton.
Nineteen eighty saw the emergence of a new wave of Heavy Metal bands from England. Iron Maiden and Def Leppard were starting to dominate the music scene in the aftermath of the Punk movement. Older bands such as Motorhead and Judas Priest had been slowly growing a massive fan base. Black Sabbath had a new beginning in the form of new lead singer Ronnie James Dio. Panthür was always in tune to what was cool and fresh. He was excited about what he was hearing. In October 1980, he began recording what is considered a true Heavy Metal masterpiece, “Holiür than Thoü.” This album was considered a return to form of sorts after the disappointment of the previous album. In addition to the husky baritone and scratchy rock voice he was known for, he also found a new falsetto that could shatter glass.
With staples such as “Black Moon,” “The Fire Within,” “The Curse of the Panthür ,” “Son of Abytch” and the tongue in cheek, “Run your panties up my flagpole,” Panthür embarked on another successful world tour.
Invigorated by this new brand of hard rock, he took out some upcoming bands. Tygers of Pan Tang, Van Halen, Def Leppard, Sweet Savage, Samson and Girlschool were just a few of the bands that were fortunate enough to have shared the stage with Panthür . It was rumored that all the members of Girlschool got to ride the Panthür . It was at this time that he shed his polyester suits and donned a jacket and pants made of real Panther skin prompting fans to dub him “The other man in black” or the “Johnny Cash of Heavy Metal.” PETA called him a murdering S.O.B., but we’ll visit that later. He also contracted with Fender Guitars to make him a signature guitar covered in real Panther skin.
The tour was a monumental success and brought out the worst Panthür had to offer. Drugs were never in short supply and he indulged in everything that passed under his nose. Never one to rest, when the tour came to a close in the fall of 1981, he went back home to Shrimpfordshire to start writing for the next album. He was in no shape to do anything but recover from the effects of a 9 month hangover. Dita and Timmons III confronted him about his drug use and tried to talk him into getting some help. He was too embarrassed for the world to know that he was a serious cocaine and glue addict. He decided to quit cold turkey on holiday in Jamaica. He and Dita went to the island nation and rented a quiet beach-side bungalow. The suffering was more than he could bear. The locals were constantly smoking Ganja on the beach, making his withdrawals all the worse. He decided to go back home.
Timmons III had gone through the entire estate before Panthür got there and emptied the house of everything he could find. Once again, his emaciated frame wracked with shakes and convulsions. He lay violently ill for 3 days. Dita came to check on him in his room. There was no pulse. She called the paramedics. After a short diagnosis, they determined he was dead. He had been dead for a few hours. When paramedics arrived, they could see their breath. Fortunately, Panthur had been so hot from the effects of his withdrawals that he turned the air conditioner down to the lowest setting. It seems there was a pulse after all, but just barely. He inadvertently put himself on ice and was suffering from the effects of hypothermia more than the withdrawals. He was taken to a local hospital where Timmons III gave a press conference and told reporters that Panthur was suffering from that old standby, “exhaustion.”
Dita finally had enough of Panthür's self-destructive ways. She left him for good at the start of 1982. She told Saxony Mainwaring in an interview shortly after, “I refuse to watch him die. I refuse to be an enabler. Let that son of a bitch Tim take care of him.” It seems the star had finally fallen. Around this same time, his bass player Mickey "Fingers" Stratsborg was killed in a bizarre farming accident when he was crushed to death by a 589.6701 kilogram (1300 US Pounds) bale of hay.
The Reclusive Panthür
Panthür took a few months to recuperate. He made a half hearted attempt to write new material, playing his guitar and mandolin around his estate. He tried hard to stay away from anywhere that sold glue. What he produced was a nominal effort at best. “Songs in the key of P” was released in the summer of 1982. After such a well received masterpiece as “Holiür than Thoü,” “Songs” was a surprising disappointment. He was too sick to tour in support of it. No one seemed to be buying it anyway. He granted few interviews. The appropriately titled “Transmissions from a dying star” barely cracked the top 200, and then quickly disappeared.
And then, nothing. He sat out most of the 1980’s and 1990’s. He gave the occasional rare interview. He showed up at award shows from time to time, just to be seen. He started playing the occasional Celtic festival. In 1987, against the advice of Timmons III, he wrote and recorded the all instrumental, Celtic influenced concept album ”Journey of the Mayflower” after he saw a BBC program about the Puritans who sought religious freedom in the new world. From an artistic standpoint, he greatly enjoyed the process he began on “6 strings and other things.” He chose a totally instrumental format because in his words the journey and privations the Pilgrims suffered could only be expressed in music. The record company didn’t know what to do with it and were angry. Panthür still had an obligation for more recordings, so they reluctantly released it. It sold a meager 651 copies world wide. Timmons III decided to part ways with Martin as did A&M records. He was for the first time in many years, a free agent.
With the advent of Grunge in the early 90’s, a number of new bands were citing Panthür Martin as the reason they picked up instruments and joined bands. The “Glue” record from the Sextuplet Sessions was a major influence on the raw, garage sound of this new movement. He made a rare personal appearance at a Panthür convention in Seattle in 1999. He met Amy Curmudgeon, the president of the North American Panthür Martin fan club. Club members knew her simply as “Honey.” She borrowed her moniker form the Panthür hit “Girl Honey” from the “Sex” record. They fell in love and were married in Las Vegas three months later. He said no one on Earth knew him better than Honey. They purchased a 20 room Victorian mansion in San Francisco that once belonged to a wealthy merchant from the gold rush era and named it Panthür Manür. They divide their time between Panthür Manür and Shrimpfordshire in Scotland.
She became a positive influence on him and helped to reignite his career. When marketing companies wanted to buy the rights to use his music in advertisements, he turned them down. He told Rolling Stone, “I write music to promote one thing and one thing only and that’s Panthür Martin.” When a young independent film director and Panthür fan contacted him to write a hard rock song for his upcoming low budget zombie film entitled, “Zombie Nation,” he reluctantly decided to give it a try. What came out was another hard rock masterpiece. The aptly titled, “Wake the Dead” backed with "Watch them Crawl (Back to Hell)" made a respectable showing at #12 on the charts. Unfortunately for the director, the song got more notice than his movie. The soundtrack seemed to signal a creative outburst fans had long hoped for, as well as a return to the industry he abandoned after the abysmal failure of "Journey of the Mayflower."
VH1 contacted Panthür for an appearance on its annual VH1 rock honors to coincide with the debut of his own "Behind the music" episode. They wanted him to perform some of his best known hits. So many artists cited him as an influence that they all wanted to honor the Panthür He agreed to it only on the condition that VH1 donate money to the Tugmutton center and the North American Panther Preservation Fund, an organization that works to protect the habitat of the North American Panther. His performance was nothing short of a phenomenal comeback.
The New Millennium
Today, the Panthürfest is in the planning stages as well as the first CD of new material in 22 years, “King for a day, Panthür for a lifetime” on his own Black Panthür label. It will be released in the fall of 2009 to coincide with his knighthood from Queen Elizabeth. As is typical of Martin, he agreed to be knighted on his own terms. He wanted the Queen to revoke his ancestor Giles Martin’s conviction as a witch. The details were worked out and Her Royal Highness granted a posthumous pardon for Giles Martin despite objections from some historians and members of Parliament who still believed that Giles Martin was in fact a witch.
The retrospective box set “Box of Panthürs” is set to be released in March 2010 on the 36th anniversary of his first release, “Panthür.” Noticeably absent is the apparently lost Elvis demo so prized by fans. Purported demos of the song have been “leaked” to You Tube and other media outlets, but they’ve all proven to be fraudulent.
With his days of glue sniffing and drug use behind him, the box will be shaped like a tube of model glue in a show of humility and humor. Timmons III reached out to him, but Panthür decided to move on with new manager, Doc McGhee of Kiss, Bon Jovi and Motley Crue fame. He still felt betrayed that Tim had abandoned him at a low point in his career. They remain friends.
The Panthür has tamed with age; perhaps a little wisdom and a life lived to the absolute fullest, but hardly over. He recently refused an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame saying, “Bollocks to that!” Bollocks indeed. As always, living life on his terms.