Bones Biogs:

Word-Gunner Bones  (AKA John Bently)- A Potted Resume

                                    

Sept 1957. Born Hexham, Northumberland

1960-1973. Travelled the world with army director of music dad, going to eleven schools in five countries, including Cyprus, Germany, Singapore and Hong Kong.
1964-66.Building dens, rafts and  weaponry  in Germany
Summer 1968. Poaching trout from River Otter in Devon. Falling in love with Mandy Sampson. Passing Eleven Plus. First appearance for school football team. Break arm falling out of tree.
1971. Form Illydre with Ian and Andrea Mckean and Paul Trew. Play first gig at Church of  Scotland New Years Eve under 14 party. Thrown out after three songs for lewd behaviour and incitement to riot

Aug 1974. Windsor Free Festival. Accompanied friends band White as White  and Twice as Dirty  who played through an ice cream van generator. I  got arrested for nothing and lived on scrounged  lentils  and pure love for  ten days. Returned home to find I’d failed all my O levels except English.
1975. Wordz. Create poetry mag  /fanzine with school friend Sherlock Reid. First live performances, sometimes with band Plumrose.

1976-1980. Art School. Don’t remember, usually drunk

                                            


1980.Moved to London. On the dole in Thatcher’s No Such Thing As society
1982. Bridget Riley. Employed as a studio assistant and sacked within six weeks due to inability to draw or think or  walk in a straight line
1983. Deptford.Discover the long lost kingdom of Deptfordia; a mythical ‘inner’ city, invisible to politicians.

 1984- Liver & Lights No 1 published. An exploration  of the possibilities of art in book form…47 episodes in 29 years so far….
1986. Met Andi McGarry in the pages of the Artists Newsletter Publication Supplement reviewed by Stephanie Brown, who champions both our work, and the art of the book in particular
1993 Create Artist Book Year Book with Stephanie Brown, Tania Peixoto and Stefan Szczelkun . Later, we pass it on to Sarah Bodman at UWE
2002. The afterrabbit/ Bonesandtheaft.  First live Afterrabbit gigs and beginning of collaboration with Alan and Phil Outram. Later morphing into Bones & The Aft with Ian Mckean and Admiral Lord Biscuit…..
2005. Buy camper van. Head for the coast, guitar in  back with Arthur and Freya (kids), Kathy in front with map.
2012. Grennan Mill Thomas town Ireland.  Big show  of 30 years work and sharing the stage with fellow traveller Andi Mcgarry