Raised in The North East, Dr Rod started playing hairbrushes in his youth, swiftly moving upmarket to tennis rackets.

His dad bought him his first guitar, allegedly pre owned by Robin Hood, as you could have fired an arrow from the neck. After much customising, fret filling, bridge lowering and restringing, Rod  shed  his green tights and started to play for real.

Suprising his dad by actually getting a decent noise out of the thing, Rod was then presented with a Burns Trisonic with Wild Dog pickup setting, which he promptly sprayed white. "It looks the dog`s bollox!"  quoth Rod, wasting no time in forming his first band "Habit" with close school friends Willy Boy James, Marty Metcalfe, Mick Abson on virgin drum kit and Colin Eastby-chosen for his resemblence to Rod Stewart and hence bird pulling factor.

Saturday afternoons saw them making the pilgrimage to Middlesboro to stare at Fender Strats in Hamiltons and chill out eating ice cream at Rea`s Coffee Bar where a young Chris Rea alternated serving coffee with strumming guitar in the corner...magic.

The band lasted 200 rehearsals and 2 gigs before Dr Rod was head hunted by local band Eade, notable for the drummer Graham Eade sleeping in for an audition with Hawkwind. Bassist Phil Brown went on to join London band The Records and Rod gained notoriety for throwing his guitar across the car park of The Yorkshire Dragoon Public House in Northallerton after one too many sniffs of the barmaids apron.

The uncharacteristic Spinal Tapesque tantrum was triggered by the fact that the other guitarist had started turning his new 100w Simms head and cab up to eleven and drowning Rod out. At sixteen years old, Rod vowed musical celibacy and went off to college.

It wasn`t long before he got bored and formed another band "Downtrodden Codger and The Hangovers", with Karl Altdorfer on bass and Andy Webb on drums. The name was shortened to "The Codgers" as the posters were to expensive to print at Prontaprint.

Organised an outside concert in South Park, Darlington with 5 other bands, went on Radio Tees to review record releases with DJ Roger Lewis, now of Radio One fame.

NEXT.. of Vic Reeves, Jimmy Nail and Marillian...