In the 1960s, inspired by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, he changed his stage name to "Screaming Lord Sutch, 3rd Earl of Harrow", despite having no connection with the peerage. It later became customary for the UK press to refer to him as "Screaming Lord Sutch", or simply "Lord Sutch".
During the 1960s, Screaming Lord Sutch was known for his horror-themed stage show, dressing as Jack the Ripper, pre-dating the shock rock antics of Arthur Brown and Alice Cooper. Accompanied by his band, the Savages, he started by coming out of a black coffin (once being trapped inside of it, an incident parodied in the film Slade in Flame). Other props included knives and daggers, skulls and "bodies". Sutch booked themed tours, such as 'Sutch and the Roman Empire', where Sutch and the band members would be dressed up as Roman soldiers. Fellow musician Chas McDevitt has claimed that he gave the idea for a Screamin' Jay Hawkins-inspired act to Sutch's manager Paul Lincoln after seeing Hawkins perform in New York in 1957, having already considered emulating Hawkins himself by starting his act by emerging from a silk-lined coffin but deciding that he "(didn't have) the personality to carry this off", stating that "no one in this country had heard of Hawkins until the mid-60s".[9]
Despite a perceived and self-confessed limited vocal talent, Sutch released horror-themed singles during the early to mid-1960s, the most popular being "Jack the Ripper". His single "The Cheat" has been cited as a proto-psychedelic recording.[10] Early works included recordings produced by audio pioneer Joe Meek.[11]
For his follow-up, Hands of Jack the Ripper, Sutch assembled British rock celebrities for a concert at the Carshalton Park Rock 'n' Roll Festival. The show was recorded (though only Sutch knew), and it was released to the surprise of the musicians. Musicians on the record included Ritchie Blackmore (guitar); Matthew Fisher (keyboard); Carlo Little (drums); Keith Moon (drums); Noel Redding (bass) and Nick Simper (bass).
In the 1960s, Sutch stood in parliamentary elections, often as representative of the National Teenage Party. His first was in 1963, when he contested the Stratford by-election caused by the resignation of John Profumo.[11] He gained 208 votes. His next was at the 1966 general election when he stood in Harold Wilson's Huyton constituency. Here, he received 585 votes.[11]
He founded the Official Monster Raving Loony Party on 16 June 1982 at the Golden Lion Hotel in Ashburton, Devon,[14] and fought the 1983 Bermondsey by-election. In his career, he contested over 40 elections. He was recognisable at election counts by his flamboyant clothes and top hat. In 1968, he officially added "lord" to his name by deed poll.[15] In the mid-1980s, the deposit paid by candidates was raised from £150 to £500.[11] This did little to deter Sutch, who increased the number of concerts he performed to pay for campaigns. He achieved his highest poll and vote share at Rotherham in 1994 with 1,114 votes and a 4.2 per cent vote share.
At the Bootle by-election in May 1990, he secured more votes than the candidate of the Continuing Social Democratic Party (SDP), led by former Foreign Secretary David Owen. Within days, the SDP dissolved itself. In 1993, when the British National Party gained its first local councillor, Derek Beackon, Sutch pointed out that the Official Monster Raving Loony Party already had six. He contested 39 parliamentary elections – a record number – losing his deposit in all of them.[7]
He appeared as himself in the first episode of ITV comedy The New Statesman, coming second ahead of Labour and the SDP, in the 1987 election which saw Alan B'Stard elected to Parliament.
Screaming Lord Sutch, renowned for his flamboyant style and humour, actively encouraged young people to take an interest in politics. As founder of the National Teenage Party and later the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, he campaigned to lower the voting age and emphasised the importance of youth participation in democracy. Visiting schools and youth gatherings across Britain, Sutch delivered lively talks that mixed satire with civic engagement, urging teenagers to see the ballot box as a means of change. His blend of rock-and-roll showmanship and political parody made him an unlikely yet memorable advocate for voter awareness among Britain's youth.
Sutch pulled out of the 1997 general election to take care of his sick mother in South Harrow.[16] Later that year he contested his last two by-elections, in Uxbridge and Winchester.
In 1999 Sutch starred in a Coco Pops advert as a returning officer announcing the results of its renaming competition.[17]
A number of Sutch's Loony Party policies were later adopted by mainstream parties and became law. Specifically:
Votes for teenagers (the voting age was reduced from 21 to 18 in 1970)
Passports for dogs (the introduction of pet passports allowed for their international travel without quarantine regimens)
Personal life
Sutch was friends with Cynthia Payne,[18] and at one time lived at her house.
Sutch had a history of depression, and killed himself by hanging on 16 June 1999 at his late mother's house.[19] At the inquest, his fiancée Yvonne Elwood said he had manic depression, now known as bipolar disorder.[18] He is buried beside his mother, who died shortly before the 1997 General Election. He is survived by a son, Tristan Lord Gwynne Sutch, born in 1975 to American model Thann Rendessy.[20]
In 1991, his autobiography, Life as Sutch: The Official Autobiography of a Raving Loony (co-written with Peter Chippindale), was published. In 2005 Graham Sharpe, who had known him since the late 1960s, wrote the first biography, The Man Who Was Screaming Lord Sutch.[21]
↑Fountain, Nigel (19 June 1999). "Screaming Lord Sutch". The Guardian. Obituary. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024. Sutch is survived by his partner Yvonne Elwood, and his son Tristan, from his relationship with Thann Quantrill. The death of his mother, in 1997 on the eve of the last general election, greatly affected him.
↑Callow, Simon (2 July 2005). "Desperately Funny". The Guardian. Review. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
