The Shamen’s cult rapper who belted out the infamous ‘Es are good’ lyric on the Top of Pops has admitted he was high on ecstasy every time he sang live on the BBC show – as millions tuned in.
The drug anthem ‘Ebeneezer Goode’ by the acid house band was one of the most controversial UK Number Ones of all time.
After its release 30 years ago, the band furiously denied the song was about the Class A drug – and even had to change the lyrics to trick BBC bosses.
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But now DJ Mr C, speaking exclusively to the Daily Star, says he is no longer ‘boshing down’ Es branding it ‘boring’ instead.
(Image: REX/Shutterstock)
That’s a change from when the single was released on August 24, 1992. Asked if he ever dared pop an E for the Top Of The Pops (TOTP) recordings, he could not be more honest.
Mr C – real name Richard West – said: “I think most of them to be fair, I’m trying to think of one where I wasn’t. Not sure.
“I’d have to look at all of the TOTP performances and look at my shiny eyes on all of them, which one wasn’t I taking ecstasy on.
(Image: Redferns)
“It’s capturing that energy and that vibe you know. I think it was a normal thing around that time for a lot of dance music bands, maybe not on TOTP but to enhance their performance with things like ecstasy and LSD.
Their charade went as far as changing a lyric in the song from “has anyone got any Salmon” to “has anyone got any underlay” during their live performances on Top of the Pops.
He explained: There’s a bit in the song where I said, ‘has anyone got any Salmon? Has anyone got any Veras? Cheers, sorted, lovely,’ and instead of salmon, I said ‘has anyone got any underlay?’
“After the performance they’re like, ‘what’s underlay?’ I’m like, it’s black rubber, it goes underneath your carpet when you put a new carpet down on the floor – it’s underlay, and they’re like, ‘no it’s another drug reference’.
“I’m like, ‘what is it?’ The manager says, ‘it’s speed – like Speedy Gonzales, andale, andale’. I’m like, good try but no it’s just rubber that goes underneath the carpet, and they let it slide.
(Image: Redferns)
“Then we hit number one on the Sunday and on the Wednesday, the day before the next Top of The Pops, I’m on Radio 1 in the middle of the afternoon with Mark Goodier and he’s asking me questions – stuff like that.
“He said to me, ‘Mr C, arte there any drug references in Ebeneezer Goode? I said there is one yeah and I’ll apologise live to the nation right here on BBC Radio 1 about it.
“I said, you know when I say has anyone got any salmon, well salmon and trout is Cockney slang for snout, which is also a slang word for a cigarette and I really shouldn’t be promoting a government drug when hundreds of people are dying of lung cancer and emphysema and heart disease every year and I really apologise for that.
“He’s like, oh ok, so is that why on Top of The Pops you didn’t say ‘has anyone got any salmon?’ and I said that’s correct, well done, and he goes, ‘but you said has anyone got any underlay? What’s that? I said it was a rug reference’. I think it was my finest ever moment.”
The band split in 1999 but Mr C has remained in the music industry over the years. He runs record label Superfreq where he releases his music and he has multiple projects also on the go with new music set to come out in October 2022.
The 56-year-old, now lives in LA but is originally from north London is back in the UK.
On September 17, this year, he will be running the Summer Love Festival, at Billing Aquadrome near Northampton, for the second year in a row.
(Image: mrcsuperfreq/Instagram)
The boutique festival, which is set to welcome House music legends and new talent, will have five musical stages with underground house music from over the years at each stage this includes Techno, Deep Tech, Acid, Reggae, Soul Funk, Disco and more.
Tickets for the Summer Love Festival can be purchased by clicking here.
As you’d expect life has moved on drastically for Mr C as he talks about his passion for meditation which he began practising in the late 80s.
It’s an outlet he needs as he admits he is a ‘workaholic’ in LA but he also has a new-found love – telly.
He said: “I’ve never been a TV person but since lockdown I got into TV shows which I was never into I watched all of Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, watched all of The Boys.”
“I’m a very different beast to what I was 30 years ago in every way imaginable. I’m not a party animal anymore getting smashed at parties, I never thought that would end but it did. They say if you get to 50 and you haven’t grown up yet, you don’t have to, I was like ‘yes’ then I got to 53 and grew up.”
(Image: mrcsuperfreq/Instagram)
And he admits he won’t be getting popping any ecstasy pills any time soon either – instead preferring ‘shrooms’.
He revealed: “I think it’s a bit boring now, you can only take so many ecstasy pills and it’s the same thing. It’s not like psychedelics where you have different experiences each time you do it.
“But ecstasy? I’m glad it’s being used to help people with traumas and I think it’s fantastic how far the drug has come medicinally but myself, I’m certainly not boshing down pills every Friday and Saturday night like I was doing five years ago. I grew up.”
(Image: Getty Images)
But he added: “I still like to indulge in mushroom chocolate sometimes, if I feel a little bit mouldy, take some mushroom chocolate laugh my a** off for four hours and then the next day I feel amazing, so I think as a therapy I love magic mushrooms, I love psychedelics. I haven’t taken LSD for quite some time but I wouldn’t have any problem doing that again.”
Mr C is an advocate of the legalisation of all drugs, the possession and consumption of all drugs including cocaine, crack and methamphetamines which he dubs the bad drugs.
(Image: mrcsuperfreq/Instagram)
“The war on drugs has been a huge mistake,” he added. “If we legalise them (all drugs) and then provide the information and services to help people fight their addictions fight their heroin and their opioid addictions, fight their cocaine and crack addictions, speed crystal meth addictions.
“We really need to help these people and until we supply and provide the services and the facilities to help these people we’re not going to get rid of the problem of addiction which is a massive massive problem.
“The sooner the whole world says lets legalise drugs, that takes away the crime – almost all crime is based on drugs”.
Tickets for the Summer Love Festival can be purchased by clicking here.
If you want advice or help with drug addictions in the UK, visit Frank.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
