by Dr. Iain
Corness
One of the well known personalities around town is Rick
Bryant. Often seen behind a guitar or a bottle of Heineken, he is actually
a professional engineer who concluded the interview saying, “If I wake
up in the morning it’s a bonus. Every day is there to be lived to the
full.” Having been out with Rick, he definitely does live life to the
full, but his life has not been marked with irresponsibility, despite the
first outward appearances!
Rick
was born in Poole in Dorset in the UK. His father was a motor mechanic and
he has one older sister. Family life he described as unusual, just in the
fact they had a stable upbringing and, “I always got along with my
mother and father and still do. They have always supported me in
everything I have done, though not always agreeing with what I have
done.”
His interest in music surfaced when he was 12 years
old, and with the advent of the ‘Super Bands’ like Led Zeppelin some
of his classmates bought guitars and began to play. Rick was not jealous,
just impecunious. “I didn’t have enough money to buy one so I used my
woodwork classes to build one - with reasonable success.”
He stayed at school until he was 16 and did his O
levels, but left because he had other interests he wanted to pursue, such
as guitar and sport. The way to combine all this was called an
apprenticeship and Rick and his handmade guitar became indentured for the
next four years as a draughtsman.
Musically he progressed from playing in his bedroom to
joining up with other ‘apprentice’ musicians to form a band. They were
short one bass player, so working on the principle of supply and demand,
Rick became the bass player. This band, Idle Hands, began playing in pubs
and the members started get paid for the gigs. 40 pounds for a night per
musician was good money for junior engineers whose wages were 100 pounds
for the week.
After successfully completing his apprenticeship, he
stayed with the same company for another three years as a junior engineer,
but then made a big break. He set himself up as a limited company and
contracted out his services. This was spectacularly successful. “I was
out of work for three days in 10 years. Financially I was a lot better off
than being employed.” So much so that he bought a house.
The band was doing well too, so much so that he bought
more guitars. “It’s always a problem, because you never get rid of the
old ones!” Currently Rick has around 20 guitars at home.
Those 10 years were busy ones for Rick - travelling
everywhere as an engineering consultant and playing gigs at night,
eventually moving into being a promoter of new young bands. He also got
married and they had a daughter.
On the surface it was looking good. A good income, all
the trappings of success, wife and child. A young personal success story.
However, factor in a marriage that did not work out, and an iniquitous
divorce settlement and our young successful engineer-muso suddenly had
nothing to show for his 10 years of work. Other than legal bills.
Rick had reached another crossroads in his life. “I
have absolutely no regrets in life. You come to crossroads and I’ve
always been lucky to take the right turning.” That correct turning was
to lead him to the Foster Wheeler Company, with whom he is still working
today, and a young lady called Harpic, with whom he is still living today.
They met a young couple who had a pub and Rick and the
husband formed a band, but they needed a girl up front, Rick having found
many years previously that to be noticed, the band needs a woman. Rick had
the answer - Harpic! “I’d heard Harpic singing in the bath and I
convinced her that she could sing in public. The only problem was that she
was eight and a half months pregnant at the time.” How ‘out front’
did a girl have to be? Despite worries about labour being induced by 4:4
rhythm the debut was successful and Harpic continued on with them for
another two years.
Another crossroads appeared in the form of another pub,
to which the musical duo said yes. This was another correct road to take,
with the takings going up 500 percent in three years. The success of the
pub was also its downside for Rick. He was still doing his ‘day job’
and decided to sell the pub. “I decided I really should concentrate on
my engineering profession.” Harpic also wanted an easy, stable life. As
part of that, they got married, a seven year engagement being one helluva
long gig in anyone’s language.
Stability was yet to come, however, as Rick was sent to
Thailand for a week, which became a month, which became six months. “I
had to go back to Harpic and convince her to move to the other side of the
world - and we’ve been here ever since.”
So the engineering side of his life was here - but he
did bring a few guitars. He became friendly with Ib Ottesen (Captain’s
Corner and Jomtien Boathouse), a man who had also arrived in Thailand with
a guitar slung over his shoulder, and the idea of a musical evening became
reality. “The idea was to introduce new people and give them the
opportunity to perform in front of others.” Of course, the ‘pros’
Rick and Harpic also played, and are still playing today.
These days they have teamed up with local guitar
virtuoso Pop and his Allstars band and Rick has a project to raise money,
through his playing, to sponsor young talented Thai children with music
scholarships, believing that music is one of the main things in life that
can bring cultures together.
It also seems to keep Rick and Harpic together too!
