Glenn Tilbrook and Squeeze
Squeeze is one of the most underrated bands of all time. Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook were the New Wave equivalent of Lennon-McCartney, although strictly speaking their music wasn't always New Wave in that sense.
One of the first albums I remember getting with my own money was Singles 45's and Under. Though it came out in 1982 I was barely old enough to have an opinion on music then, so the purchase came much later.
They have an ability to write storytelling songs like "Up The Junction," "Vicky Verky," "Pulling Mussels From The Shell" that fall very much in line with songs like the Beatles "She's Leaving Home," or basically anything by Ray Davies. It's very much in my mind a quintessentially British tendency.
While Singles 45's And Under, their greatest hits album at that point in their careers went platinum they were very much unsung except for their biggest hit 'Tempted."
Squeeze is an interesting story of a band’s musical trajectory– and one that I suspect is more often than not the case. While we can rattle off tons of bands who still pull in large crowds every tour (from the Stones to Springsteen, to Madonna) the fact is for every big act, there are easily twenty times as many middle-class bands who break even on tours if they are lucky, and make a living off of one hit single if they are extremely lucky.
I spent the morning watching a documentary of Glenn Tilbrook undertaking a solo tour in the early 2000's, although "documentary," is a generous way of describing it. There's no arc to speak of, and it feels more like a home movie shot on a camcorder by an adoring fan who didn't start with a story. Not to say that this is necessarily bad, just that it is for hardcore fans only.
"One for the road," is a life-on-the-road story, capturing a middle-aged musician at an interesting point in their career. At this point, Glenn isn't on a major label. Squeeze has disbanded. Squeeze's audience is rabid but small at this point in time.
Despite this, the documentary shows a man who is creatively energized and willing to try new things. He rents an RV (which keeps breaking down) and drives around the states to do a slew of acoustic shows for small audiences as well as the occasional interview here and there. I'm sure he must have missed the days when Squeeze played to audiences at Madison Square Garden (and the potential paycheck), you get the sense from watching the documentary that this smaller more intense response is more gratifying.
The shows are on. his terms, and he gets to spend as much time with the fans as he wants to. At one point he's like a singing troubadour following a group of fans home to a house party in Atlanta. Strange for a British man who is in his mid 40's at this point. But maybe it was also just what the doctor ordered. No true artist wants to repeat themselves. And what better way to change up your songs than play them acoustically in different settings.
There are some very charming moments of Glenn touring the states via RV, experiencing a Target for the first time, and overcoming vehicle issues. One of the best moments happens in an RV park in the south where he meets some other people who have the same RV, although his is smaller. They get to chatting and he says he's a musician on tour. Then when he tells them he was in Squeeze, their jaws drop. Body language changes, they start reminiscing. One of them says he still remembers the Squeeze Dr. Pepper radio ad, which is both hilarious and cringe-worthy.
The documentary just kind of ends where it began, with the tour over. I'm including the link for any fans, but it's not exactly worth burning through an hour unless it's on in the background.
I'm also including another link below which is Squeeze at Glastonbury 2016 which only goes to show that audiences shrink and grow and shrink and grow and fortunes may wax and wane but the song really does remain the same.