The Rock and Roll Star
David Sutch, as he was born, was a plumber who was caught up in the rock and roll revolution in 1950s London. He developed a very distinctive stage persona presenting himself as slightly crazy, with his band’s name ‘The Savages’ reflecting this. It included growing hair much longer than was the period’s norm, dressing at different times in leopard skins, fur-covered Viking helmets, a top-hat or, in his early years, with a toilet seat around his neck.
David Sutch’s defining moment, however, came when he changed his name by deed-poll to Screaming Lord Sutch and this new name matched perfectly his stage act. Pre-dating Arthur Brown (of the Crazy World of Arthur Brown) by a decade, Sutch would wear head-dresses which would be set on fire. His songs were about ghost, ghouls, cemeteries and infamous characters such as Jack the Ripper.
First Forays into Politics
While Sutch was a good performer, he is best known for his forays into politics, the first of which was in 1963.
When John Profumo, Minister for War in the Conservative government resigned because of his involvement with prostitutes Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies, causing a by-election, Screaming Lord Sutch decided to establish the National Teenage Party and stand as a candidate in the election. While Sutch gained few votes, losing his deposit in the process, he gained national publicity and from that point on remained in the national psyche.
What is most interesting about the National Teenage Party is that over the four decades since it was announced, almost all of its manifesto has been implemented by other parties.
The Monster Raving Loony Party
Sutch continued to fight by-elections under a number of party names, betting successfully on the number of votes he would receive to fund the campaigns, until in 1983 he established the still extant Monster Raving Loony Party.
In 1987, the Monster Raving Loony Party won its first elected seat with its candidate being unopposed in a local election in Ashburton in Devon and over the next few years amassed as many as six local councillors.
Screaming Lord Sutch’s Record
Screaming Lord Sutch stood for parliament 39 times and altogether amassed over 15,000 votes. He established a very successful national brand and, on occasion, beat mainstream party candidates. In 1992, he mounted his most audacious challenge to the British political system by standing simultaneously against each of the three major party leaders (John Major, against whom he gained 728 votes, Neil Kinnock – 547, and Paddy Ashdown – 338).
He died in 1999, having taken his won life, a victim of the depression which had dogged him during his life. He appeared to have been very badly affected by the death of his mother the year before. His political party the Monster Raving Loony Party, however, lives on and provides a political legacy which will almost certainly outlast his music.
