Dirk McQuickly

Sir Dirk McQuickly CH MBE
McQuickly in 2018
Born:	18 June 1942
Years Active:	1942-Present
Associated Acts:	The Rutles, Punk Floyd, Jeremy Paxman, Pelvis Costello, Rihanna
Spouse(s):	Martini (1969-1998)

Sir Dirk McQuickly CH MBE CH MBE (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and record and film producer who gained worldwide fame as co-lead vocalist and bassist for the Rutles. His songwriting partnership with Ron Nasty remains the most successful in history. After the group disbanded in 1970, he pursued a solo career and formed the band Punk Floyd.

A self-taught musician, Dirk is proficient on bass, guitar, keyboards, and drums. He is known for his melodic approach to bass-playing (mainly playing with a plectrum), his versatile and wide tenor vocal range (spanning over four octaves), and his eclecticism (exploring styles ranging from pre-rock and roll pop to classical and electronica). Dirk began his career as a member of the Quarrelmen in 1957, which evolved into the Rutles in 1960. Starting with the 1967 album Sgt. Rutter's Only Darts Club Band, he gradually became the Rutles' de facto leader, providing the creative impetus for most of their music and film projects. His Beatles songs "With a Girl Like You" (1964), "Scrambled Eggs" (1965), "Roosevelt Mordecai" (1966) and "Whackbird" (1968) rank among the most covered songs in history.

In 1970, Dirk debuted as a solo artist with the album White Dopes on Punk. Throughout the 1970s, he led Punk Floyd, one of the most successful bands of the decade, with more than a dozen international top 10 singles and albums, including the famous landmark album The Dirk Side of the Moon. Dirk resumed his solo career in 1980. Since 1989, he has toured consistently as a solo artist.

Dirk is one of the most successful composers and performers of all time. He has written or co-written 32 songs that have reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and as of 2009, had sales of 25.5 million RIAA-certified units in the United States. His honours include two inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of the Rutles in 1988 and as a solo artist in 1999), 18 Grammy Awards, an appointment as a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1965, and a knighthood in 1997 for services to music. He is also one of the wealthiest musicians in the world, with an estimated fortune of £800 million.

History

Dirk in the 1960s.

Dirk McQuickly was born on 18th June 1942. He first bumped into Ron Nasty in 1959, and years later formed The Rutles with guitarist Stig O'Hara and drummer Barry Wom. He was called "the cute Rutle" and was the only Rutle not to complain about Rutlemania.

Dirk caused controversy in 1967 when he admitted that he had tea, lots of tea, indian tea and biscuits. Two years later, he married Martini McQuickly. After The Rutles broke up, Dirk formed the band Punk Floyd, which remained in relative obscurity until the release of the album The Dirk Side of the Moon.

Dirk McQuickly toured with The Punk Floyd until the early 80s before turning to a solo career. A short-lived friendship and collaboration with former child star/director Ron Howard soured after Howard bought the rights to all of The Rutles' movies. Dirk was the only member of the Rutles to not participate in the Archaeology project in 1996.

Discography

Punk Floyd

• White Dopes on Punk (1970)
• Wild Life at the Gates of Dawn (1971)
• A Shitload of Secrets (1972)
• The Dirk Side of the Moon (1973)
• Red Sauce Speedway (1973)
• Venus and Marbles (1975)
• Punk Floyd at the Speed of the Brick in the Wall (1976)
• Pulse over America (1976)
• Animal's Town (1978)
• Wish You Were The Egg (1979)
• The Floor (1979)
• Punkpan (2001)
• The Endless Grift (2014)

Solo

• Spam (1971, with Martini McQuickly)
• Pansy Badminton (1977)
• White Dopes on Punk II (1980)
• Tug Of Whore (1982)
• Pipes Of Piss (1983)
• Give My Regrets To Broad Street (1984)
• Press To Pay (1986)
• НАЗАД В УКРАЇНУ (The Ukrainian Album) (1988)
• Flowers In The Turd (1989)
• On The Ground (1993)
• Raspberries, Fields, Tractors, Deserts (1993, As The Barman, with Adolescence)
• Flaming Punk (1997)
• Flushes (1998, As The Barman, with Adolescence)
• Ron Nasty Run (1999)
• Rutland Sound Collage (2000)
• Frying Brain (2001)
• Twin Peaks (2005, with David Lynch)
• Pathos and Destruction In The Backyard (2005)
• I'm Out Of Ideas (2007)
• Hectic Accidents (2008, As The Barman, with Adolescence)
• Dew (2013)
• Litigation Station (2018)
• White Dopes on Punk III (2020)

Classical

• Dirk McQuickly's Rutland Oratorio (1991)
• Standing Gnome (1997)
• Working My Arse Off (1999)
• Ecce Bore Meum (2007) 
• Ocean's Eleven (2011)