Nik Turner Tribute by Marco ‘Frenchy’ Gloder.

Nik Turner:

Master of the Universe

Tribute by Marco “Frenchy” Gloder.

In the history of Hawkwind and Space Rock, Nik Turner stands on his own because he wasn’t a guitar player, a bass man or an audio-generator player: he was a sax player ... and a free jazz sax player at that. To make such an impact as a sax player, in a Rock environment, takes someone special. And Nik was special. Like he always said, “I only wanted to play Jazz in a Rock band” and that will, that vision gave birth to Space Rock.

With the help of his friends Bob Calvert, Lemmy and DikMik, Nik created a new genre of Rock. Those four were pivotal to the success of Hawkwind: even Dave Brock, with all his talents and vision, could not have made it happen in the way it did, not without Nik, Bob, Lem and Mik. But primarily, it was Nik’s vision and disposition that allowed Hawkwind to flourish: he brought Lem and Mik into the band, knowing very well that neither could play bass and synths. But it didn’t matter and like Punk Rock seven years later, your attitude was more important than your ability to play an instrument: make some noise in E!

Nik understood that instinctively: investing in people was his greatest strength because it inspired loyalty and not just because of what he might have done for you, but because he was such a thoroughly nice geezer; a decent, lovable, happy, loyal, forgiving chap. I am not going to go into what Nik and I did together and the adventures we shared because this is not the time, but what I will say is that of all the Hawks, he is the one that made me a better person and for that alone, I will be forever grateful. In my bad days, he never preached, never judged, never walked away and afterwards, he was still there, welcoming as always. I might not see him for a couple of years, but when I did, he always made me feel like it was the most joyous occasion!

The history of Hawkwind and Space Rock in general is well documented. Many a book has been written about the band by better writers than me and since the digital age, everyone knows almost everything as it happens, sometimes before it does happen even! So, I won’t go into all that. What I will

talk about is the ‘who owns the name’ affair, because at the time, many sided against Nik. I remember one bright spark saying that Nik was on seven Hawkwind albums and Dave is on all of them, therefore Dave should have the right to the name. That same person wrote a touching tribute to Nik in the past few days. Another said, “Who the fuck does Nik Turner think he is?’ and I remember answering that whoever he was by saying that he deserved respect for what he had done and kept on doing. I always thought that Dave deserved to have the name, but my loyalty to Nik never wavered, especially when we were the minority. And that’s what Nik inspired in others who knew him well enough to call him a friend: loyalty and love. Yes, my head said Dave should own the name because he’s been through all of it, but Nik was still the Spirit of Hawkwind. And because of that, who cares who owns what? His name, Nik Turner, the Thunder Rider, was more than good enough to see him alright: fans are not so shallow that they can be swayed by a name alone ... and the following Hawkwind releases proved that!

I truly and really loved Nik in a way that I don’t feel for Dave, although I have huge respect for and am very grateful to Dave. Always will be. Maybe Nik was the yin to Dave’s yang, two sides of the same seven-sided coin. I like to think that they all loved each other, all of them, and that the arguments and the spats were part of the mighty Hawkwind show! I know, I know, just indulge me!

Nik was REAL, nothing about him was ego or self-importance, it was always about music, having a laugh, sharing an hour ... being together in a way that mattered. I will miss him and it’s difficult to remember him without tears welling up: but he wouldn’t want that, he would want all of us to remember him for his music and for the man he was. He would want us to keep on hawking and winding!

Nik, wherever you may be, thank you. Thank you for the music, thank you for the memories, but most of all, thank you for your friendship: you are truly the master of the universe.

Nik Turner: 26/08/40 - 10/11/22.

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