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I was working for a couple of nights (Filling in ) at Madisons ,and Brookes did a guest spot ,still at his hight on Radio One (Which wasn't very big cos he was a midgit......LOL) and insisted that as I introduced him, I gave him a big build up ,and the last words out of my mouth had to be shouted "Bruno Brookes" I gave the big build up for a minute or so and (on purpose) only said his name in a nearly normal tone !! Well he came on spoke to the crowd for a second 'looking daggers' at me, he gave a signal to me to play the next record (Which he forgot the title of !!) and stormed out the boothe. His P.R. girl was getting it in the ear when I asked if he was coming back on , he said "You have one last chance" and reminded me to shout his name . I duly obeyed and he came back on spoke to the crowd one more time , gave some old tat away,(No not Anthea Turner) and was gone within three quaters of an hour of entering the building!! For that he got paid 2 grand. In about 1987 that was a fair bit of dosh!!

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Beefy, you had a spell at Madison too? Strange coincidence, when I was on Trent, the PR girl from Madison came down to the station to ask if I could judge a Miss HMS Nottingham I think it was, I did, and also somehow got roped in to cover for Paul Gadsby cant remember his made up dj last name....or can I? was it King? I then did a regular guest appearance on a Thursday night, Insisting that Paul, or whoever it was gave me a big build up, and shouted my name!........sorry I jst made that bit up about the intro! Anyway, cut a long story short I married the PR girl!

Oh, and you know how I do the thing at The Regency Suites, Gary, one of the Madison doormen is a regular there.

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I only filled in for Taz Cortez or Dave Allen at Madisons , I was employed elsewhere but Madisons paid a lot more and they were mates of mine (If they had other things to do they asked me to fill in (Was Zivenares boss when you were there)

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I only filled in for Taz Cortez or Dave Allen at Madisons , I was employed elsewhere but Madisons paid a lot more and they were mates of mine (If they had other things to do they asked me to fill in (Was Zivenares boss when you were there)

Beefy, weve taken this off topic, but, yes Tony Z was there, but it was mainly John Smart that I knew, as for Taz...well! heres a story...I was on holiday in Torquay, and was walking by a place that id often been past, Bar Med, this time, and I dunno why, I looked at the licensees name..and it was.....Taz Shah! Mr Cortez's real name....and I thought.....no.cant be.but.cut a story short......it was!

We then met up each time I went down there, with Taz wanting me to do some gigs for him, and as Iwant to move down there, it would be great.......except.......earlier on this year, Taz gets laid off and they shut Bar Med down, and he goes off up to Blackpool, where he still is.

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Any idea which bar?? Blackpool aint a million miles away from me and it would be nice to catch up.

If I remember his full name was Mumtaz...............................................Shah (He had about 10 middle names) I knew him and his ex wife Sharon and family very well (In the olden days ,Ronnie ,Deano and the gang) I'll split this topic if I can

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John Smarts brother , Mike I think, was boss at Madisons in Leeds ,all owned by Midsomer leisure. Sunset and Vine downstairs there too (I filled in there for a while too. 1986 it was !!)

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Beefy, it looks like you made a whole topic thing , so it aint off target anymore!

Ill phone Taz and ask him where he is doing now, and youve just reminded me of someone id totally forgotten, Deano! He was a regular at Harpers/Michael Isaacs at the same time as you were doing Madison, and whats more, it must have been the same time that I was there!

There was John Smart as the manager, (obviously Zivanaris in charge ) Kev, Gary, and a mixed race guy whose name has gone, on the doors (prob more but I cant remember them at the minute ,

My wife to be(as then) doing pr, (Maxine,) oh actually she might have just quit round about then, but I still had an involvement there,

Marcellia , a beautiful black girl on the bar, went out with Steve Machin (Get your jeans down at Machins) for many years after, and was there a Steve? there who was bar manager, but became under manager?

I remember the "play list" and having to play Dire Straits Money For Nothing, and Madonnas Into The Groove, and giving out the bubbly on a Thursday night (when I was guesting there)..............

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As I said I only filled in a couple of times so I don't really remember names just faces. We always had to finish with "This Guys In Love" by Burt Bacharach for 'The Boss' and I was there once when the D.J. played "Pump up the volume " by M.A.R.R.S. for the first time and he went wappy, demanding to be given the record , finding he was too weak to break it ,and, in a real paddy now, screeching for some one to fetch him a hammer !! (I don't think , A, that he liked it and, B, that he had any taste or ,C, knew anything about music !!! and he was boss of a musical venue!!

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I certainly remember having to do the "This guys in love" ender! (It was Herb Alpert though) In fact, me and er indoors would often have a smooch to it, with the guys off the door taking the p1$$!

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...lots' of birds who thought they were too good to av a dance with me...

Hmmmm......

Doesn't that describe the entire female population - of the entire world?

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I remeber going down to Madisons, lots' of birds who thought they were too good to av a dance with me....left after a couple of hours.

I'm sure I turned you down at least THREE times !rotfl!

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The last I saw of Taz ,he was managing the Durham Ox at Six Hills (After a spell at Micheal Issacs) .

I know he moved on to the south coast (Eastbourne I think) . But Dave started dating his ex wife and things sort of fell apart between us (He was more Daves mate than mine) I just remember him for that great 'Mid Atlantic' accent he used to talk with, and taking me for the strongest curry I ever had (and believe me I've tried a few)

Toilet paper in the fridge after that one!!!!

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  • 7 years later...

Interesting read. It was Paul Gadsby - aka Paul King. I was resident there with Paul too - John Cooper - no need for a 'DJ' name, 1983-85, until Tony Zivanaris asked me to go to Leeds and take over Madison there which was struggling. That became a roaring success.

John Smart was the manager while I was in Nottingham, and Larry Lloyd (Nottingham Forest) was assistant manager for a while. I think he also had a pub across the road. I recall Larry doing an interview for Central, I had to pretend to be mixing records in the background of the shot.

The cast and crew of Auf Wiedersen Pet used to frequent the club, and many celebs used to come in from the Theatre Royal.

Paul Shaw who used to run the restaurant now has his own restaurant - Encounters - on Mansfield Road - well worth a visit!

John Smart went into TV production, specifically filming football matches for Sky.

Paul Gadsby, now his 'stage name' can be heard on Oak FM, as well as many stints as a sports presenter for the BBC. He was always practicing radio presenting making lots of demo tapes - perseverance paid off!

I moved to Spain, where I too was a Radio Presenter.

I believe I followed Taz Cortez - it was the Madison PR girl that got me in as I used to be DJ at Food for Thought on Hurts Yard where she and her friends frequented.

Happy days, and lots of memories.

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I certainly remember having to do the "This guys in love" ender! (It was Herb Alpert though) In fact, me and er indoors would often have a smooch to it, with the guys off the door taking the p1$$!

I still have that as one of my favourite tracks in Spotify! Oddly, I never got bored of playing that. And it was also followed by a beer with the staff...

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Beefy, it looks like you made a whole topic thing , so it aint off target anymore!

Ill phone Taz and ask him where he is doing now, and youve just reminded me of someone id totally forgotten, Deano! He was a regular at Harpers/Michael Isaacs at the same time as you were doing Madison, and whats more, it must have been the same time that I was there!

There was John Smart as the manager, (obviously Zivanaris in charge ) Kev, Gary, and a mixed race guy whose name has gone, on the doors (prob more but I cant remember them at the minute ,

My wife to be(as then) doing pr, (Maxine,) oh actually she might have just quit round about then, but I still had an involvement there,

Marcellia , a beautiful black girl on the bar, went out with Steve Machin (Get your jeans down at Machins) for many years after, and was there a Steve? there who was bar manager, but became under manager?

I remember the "play list" and having to play Dire Straits Money For Nothing, and Madonnas Into The Groove, and giving out the bubbly on a Thursday night (when I was guesting there)..............

Maxine got me my interview to be DJ with Paul, do thank her for that!

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  • 7 months later...

I too went to Spain (Ibiza) for 4 years as an 'entertainer'. and funnily enough, I worked at what was "Food for thought" too although by then it was called "Chaplins" although I wasn't a DJ there I just worked on the door.

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  • 1 year later...
  • 2 years later...

I know I've come in late to this conversation but regarding the last song at madison's, the DJ had two copies of this guy's in love with you and I loved the song so much I bought one from him in about 1985 and still have that single in the loft. Had so many slow dances to that song and has great memories attached. 

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