SUIT ENVY

Written by James Ward

I love this suit. It’s beautiful. I am jealous. I love the bit at 2:45 when Godwin turns his back to the audience (and camera) and with one hand, flicks open the jacket. Perfect.

I first discovered Metro about a decade ago. I was in Selectadisc on Berwick Street. I think Selectadisc is Sister Ray now, or maybe it’s the other way round. Which is it? Selectadisc is definitely now Sister Ray. I was in Selectadisc (which is now Sister Ray) on Berwick Street.

It wasn’t quite a decade ago. Maybe 2000 or 2001. I was looking through the Ms. I guess I must have been looking for Momus, or maybe Monochrome Set. I spotted this CD:

I had no idea who Metro were, but of course, I bought it. How could I not? Just look at that picture.

Later, I’d track down vinyl copies of the two albums which followed it, New Love and Future Imperfect. I’d also buy solo albums by both Duncan Browne and Peter Godwin. I even bought a record Godwin wrote and produced for Ronny. Then I bought a record player to play them on.

But anyway, back to the suit.

This is a silk Anthony Price suit..Wore it on the cover of the single sleeve.. Coincidentally (?) 2 years later in 1984, David Bowie wore exactly the same suit at the beginning of the long clip for “Blue Jean” and sitting at the table in the short clip.. In between, in 1983, he covered my first single “Criminal World” on the “Let’s Dance” album.. Stranger and stranger.. If he covers a song from my new Nuevo album, I guess the circle will be complete.. :) Well, I can dream.

And here is Bowie wearing the suit:

I thought it was an Antony Price suit when I first watched the Peter Godwin clip, and also thought there was something Bowie-ish about the high-waisted trousers (Bowie always preferred a high-waisted trouser as it made his silhouette appear longer and more dynamic), but it’s nice to see Bowie wasn’t the first to wear it.

I met Antony Price once, at a party. He asked me what I’d studied at university, or possibly he thought I was still at university. It was a bit hard to follow what he was saying. Anyway, I said I’d studied architecture. “Ah! ARCHITECTURE! Albert SPEER! CATHEDRAL OF LIGHT!”

He’s a bit odd. He makes beautiful suits though.

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