Arthur Brown has revealed that he was warned off of using his ‘God Of Hellfire’ persona by Charles Manson.
In a career-spanning interview with Classic Rock, the shock rock godfather looks back over the controversy caused by his provocative 1968 single Fire, released under the name The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown.
Brown’s biggest hit, Fire reached No. 1 in the UK and No.2 in the US when it was released in late 1968. The singer, who famously performed the song while wearing a flaming helmet, got his nickname from its opening line: “I am the god of hellfire/And I bring you… fire.” But it also attracted some unwanted attention on both sides of the Atlantic.
“We were doing Fire at one concert in the early days, and some guy suddenly attacked me from the side of the stage,’ recalls the 84-year-old Brown. “The next thing I knew my head was on the keyboard and there was blood pouring out everywhere. But being the God Of Hellfire I jumped up and started singing again. He [the assailant] thought that was brilliant and started shouting: “Arthur Brown! Arthur Brown!”
He continues: ‘At another gig we noticed all these guys going around gathering troops, ready to storm the stage. It ended up with Drachen [Theaker, drummer] turning his cymbal stand upside down and wielding it like a club. While he sat there giving his tough Northern look, I went upstairs and broke the glass containing a double-headed silver fire axe. I returned to the stage in make-up, with my head on fire, waving this axe. At that point they decided they wouldn’t do anything after all.”
But his most unsettling encounter came with a member of the Manson Family, the cult-like followers of Charles Manson. According to Brown, the incident happened at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles in 1968, the year before a group of Manson’s acolytes went on a murder spree in LA, killing seven people, including actress Sharon Tate.
“One of the Manson girls came backstage and said: ‘Charlie’s not happy with you,’” says Brown. “I asked what he objected to, and she went: ‘You’ve got to stop this God Of Hellfire shit!’ I said: ‘“Well, I’m due on stage now. I’ll see you later.’ I never saw her again. But it was a strange encounter. I mean, what do you do with that? Was I supposed to say sorry?”
Read the full interview in the brand new issue of Classic Rock, onsale now. Order it online here.
