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Artist News
Dammers denies Specials’ reunion claims
By CMU Editorial | Published on Thursday 5 March 2009
The Specials’ Jerry Dammers, who, as previously reported, claimed that he has been excluded from the band’s upcoming reunion despite being a founder member and main songwriter, has responded to counter-claims by the group’s Terry Hall that it was Dammers’ own decision not to get involved.
Last month Hall told reporters: “I’ve read Jerry’s statement and I just don’t get it. ‘They’re trying to kick me out of the band’ – not at all mate, not at all. I spoke to Jerry night after night all through 2008. He wanted to do one date, in Coventry, in front of 30,000 people, at the football stadium. I thought that was a bit of a Take That thing. We wanted to play 2,000 to 3,000-sized venues. I don’t think he likes the idea of touring, to be honest”.
“I think he hid that a bit in his statement. But apart from that, I have no idea why Jerry isn’t doing it. Hand on my heart, this is what I feel is a bit sad for Jerry. He’s fucking missing out. He’s missing out on being in this incredible band. We haven’t changed that much, we still take the piss out of each other, there’s an understanding that hasn’t gone away. And he’s missing out on that, and it’s sad for him, to be honest”.
Now Dammers has written a response in a letter to The Guardian. Dammers said: “The fact is that I would not have been invited to the first ‘reunion’ meeting at all had John Bradbury not told me about it. Terry’s manager circulated emails from which I was excluded. Rehearsals were held without me, and I only managed to attend two – one of which was attended by only four people”.
On Hall’s claim that he was “missing out”, Dammers added: “Whether that is supposed to be his way of trying to say I’m still welcome in the band would be hard enough to work out if, at our meeting, he had not also said to me of the reunion: ‘I promise I won’t do it without you, hand on heart.’ Despite all this I never give up hope of some sort of reconciliation”.
