Together with his younger brother Fred, Richard Fairbrass was a fixture of music TV throughout the Nineties and beyond, thanks to the massive success of his band Right Said Fred’s singles ‘I’m Too Sexy’ and ‘Deeply Dippy’. As he recalls, the duo were often dismissed as ‘gym queens’ by critics – but the truth is that the brothers had earned their stripes as musicians in the Eighties, touring in support of Joy Division and Suicide and working with Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan. He also appeared as a bass player in three David Bowie videos: ‘Blue Jean’ (1984) – also released as a Grammy-winning 20-minute film called Jazzin’ For Blue Jean – ‘Loving The Alien’ (1985) and ‘Underground’ (1986). Right Said Fred continue to record and tour to this day, although no-one has ever asked Fairbrass about his bass playing... until now.
How did you become a bass player?