The 'band' 'Rapid Pig' derived from a handbrake on/ handbrake off mentality, which was to
characterise their 'music', their 'style' and their 'life'.
The Pigsters were formed in 1066, after the Norman Conquest destroyed the then vibrant soft folk rock scene and were probably one of the first nu-prog-metal-apethy bands to come out of the Granada region. Celine Dion was not part of the starting line up, nor was Kayse Kaysem, the long dead 'presenter' of America's Top Ten but the gang may have found solace in his words of wisdom, "Keep your feet on the ground and keep shooting for the stars". Indeed, they kept their feet on the ground for most of their lives.
John Pigfucker Moran
met Eoin in Iceland in Stretford Arndale. He was, as usual, hiding behind a fridge on a Saturday afternoon shouting nonsensical abuse at single mothers when Eoin heard him, mistaking his blither for Cheroke made a pact with Jon to trade Teletext anecdotes and form a relationship not unlike that of the ITV series 'Minder'.
Richard 'Richard' Pharaoh
Began experimenting with Lavender in '67 with some quite lovely results, but his passion for delicate fragrances began to cause a rift between himself and his band at the time 'Five Villages' who preferred more robust smells such as mincemeat. After he left he made a modest income making novelty hats for disadvantaged ogres.
Eoin OConnor
Known as 'The Voice' in the mute colony on the Isle of Man where he grew up. Used to tape conversations, finishing them off himself then sent them off to the FBI to be used as 'evidence'. Reckons he knows Stephen Hawkings' butcher - Andy.
Phil 'Bass' Lewis
the band's bass player but actually a highly trained pianist and taxidermist, only plays bass because of his unusual middle name which the rest of the 'guys' thought to be a lucky omen. Word has it that John tried to change his middle name to 'Farfisa' but was told not to be so silly and to get his hair cut or at least singed. Phil was commissioned as a result of his advert in Johnny Roadhouse selling his kidneys.
Joe Cordingley
a great guitarist with his own sound (which went "wongongongong") and an excellent ear, though less is known about his other ear which he refuses to discuss in interviews. Learnt guitar on the Open University but previously spent years plucking at bits of string, wire and elastic, just for the sensation.
The Thundercats
were John and Eoin's first taste of showbiz and the life of rockers, on stage they would dress up as Lion-O and Snarf. Even in these early days they were constantly innovative, whereas other bands at the time would have dancers, they would have an elderly woman sobbing at the side of the stage and the band would pat her on the back in between songs.
Their humble beginnings
began, as the group we know now, performing in day care centres for the elderly around Eccles as a 'Yes' tribute band called 'Of Course' but the dilapidated relics couldn't get enough of their swirling fantasy soundscapes and outrageous scarves. This period has been likened to the Beatles' time in Amsterdam, playing in front of people who didn't know what they were going on about.
The first gig as pig
was at the Cheadle Young Farmers Annual Dinner Dance in 1989. The atmosphere was somewhat rural as the lights went down and the mighty Pig launched, amateur-rocket like into their first number, the indivisible '179'. The second track they laid down was Pure British Steel and Joe hurt his back in the process. Soon after they actually plugged their instruments and started playing songs, which ignited a fight between a seedy gang of Jewish Numerologists and some limp-wristed Railworkers. The local constabulary were called in, but soon left complaining that Rapid Pig's music left them wondering if they should have listened to the careers officer in school. The last song of the night, as always, was the haunting 'Knights in White Satin' and there wasn't a dry eye in the house, some were even sticky.
The first album
was a Proclaimers tribute-concept album in that no one ever had the concept of doing a tribute album for the boys but because no one bought it (as it wasn't for sale) they went back to heckling the people who do soundchecks at local concerts.
The Second Album
made in the late 70's 'Corriander' was to be applauded by the critics for its methodology, using an old school recording equipment - two yoghurt pots connected by a piece of string and downloading the tracks onto an upturned egg box. This was real, not like that MP3 shite.
The Sweetcorn Tour
was a heavily thumbed page in the history text-book of rock, where, legend has it, they would emerge from a giant cob and John would eat from a tin while he played. The band almost split due to the pressure of the tour doing 28,000 gigs over six months and their irritation from Phil cheating at draughts backstage. There were yet more problems as the arguments between John and Joe got more intense of who owned more fircones and whether high ones were better than wide ones.
