Captain Sensible

Raymond Ian Burns (born 24 April 1954), known by the stage name Captain Sensible, is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He co-founded the punk rock band the Damned in 1976, originally playing bass before switching to guitar. He is known for his distinctive appearance including a red beret and sunglasses, typically with white frames. Sensible embarked on a solo career during the 1980s, achieving a UK number one hit with his version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Happy Talk" and further hits with "Wot" (1982) and "Glad It's All Over" (1984). In 2006, Sensible founded the Blah! Party. He continues to perform in the Damned.

Early life Raymond Ian Burns was born in Balham, London, on 24 April 1954.

His father hailed from the Gorbals in Glasgow.

His brother, Phil Burns, was a vocalist in Johnny Moped.

The Damned Originally a member of the Johnny Moped band, Captain Sensible joined the Damned in 1976 on the suggestion of his colleague Rat Scabies, the band's drummer. He filled a number of positions during his tenure (including bassist, lead guitarist and keyboardist), and eventually becoming the band's main songwriter following the departure of Brian James.

The nickname Captain Sensible was ironic, as he was known for wild antics and mischievous behavior. Early in the Damned's history they toured France with singer Sean Tyla during 1976. Tyla observed Burns covered in food scraps and reeking of spilt beer after a particularly busy evening and commented: “You’ve got a right bloody captain sensible there”.

Captain Sensible left in the 1980s to concentrate on solo projects, and studied in West Sussex but rejoined in 1996 after Scabies left, and co-wrote Grave Disorder, the band's first new studio album for eight years, in 2001. He continues to tour and record with the band.

Solo career Captain Sensible's first solo release came in 1978 with the single "Jet Boy, Jet Girl", He followed this in 1981 with the This Is Your Captain Speaking EP on Crass Records.

Other Captain Sensible songs that became hits in the UK and Europe were "Wot", "One Christmas Catalogue" and anti-Falklands War "Glad It's All Over", and the Sensible Gray Cells with current Damned mate Paul Gray.

Politics

In September 2006, Captain Sensible formed a new British political party known as the Blah! Party, saying, "We believe that voting is an important part of the democratic process, and we want the Blah! Party to be the party of protest, a channel through which the people of the U.K. can vent their dissatisfaction at nonsensical everyday things, and protest against the government and the current crop of political parties."

The Blah! Party was largely modelled on the principle of direct democracy, with suggestions being made by anyone on the party website. These suggestions would then be voted on by the membership, resulting in a "rolling manifesto." The party was launched on 24 September 2006 at a conference in Manchester. The party also received non-financial support from PR company Propaganda. The party received £168,309 in the last quarter of 2006. The party was debt-free in 2008, with a membership of 8,544, up from 5,000 in 2007.

The first Blah! Party candidate was Carl Finlan, who stood in the 2007 local elections in Thornton and Allerton ward, Bradford. He gained 69 votes (1.6%). Deputy leader Melodie Staniforth stood in the Holme Valley North ward of Kirklees as 'Boney Maroney' in 2008. She gained 38 votes (0.68%). She resigned shortly afterwards. In December 2008, Propaganda closed the website. The party ended its association with Propaganda and Seabrook, launching a new website. At the same time it de-registered from the register of political parties, deciding to instead be a protest group. The couple have three children together.

Burns adopted his stage name Captain Sensible ironically because he described himself as a "debauched maniac" who had fun "regardless of the consequences." However, after living at Dial House (the commune where the anarcho-punk band Crass lived) for a week to record an EP in 1981, his life changed and he became a vegetarian who adhered to Crass' pacifist and creative aims. Captain Sensible has written several songs about animal rights, including "Torture Me" and most notably the 1985 single "Wot! No Meat?".

Burns is a trainspotter, particularly enjoying diesel locomotives after being rescued from a stranded service in cold weather by one as a child. The Universe of Captain Sensible (1998), Jarmusic [contains 5 tracks from Revolution Now and The Universe of Geoffrey Brown]

Singles YearSinglePeak chart positionsUK AUS AUT BE GER IRE NL NZ SWI 1978"Jet Boy, Jet Girl" (Netherlands-only release)—————————1980"Millionaire"—————————"Disco Girls" / "Blu Shoes"—————————1982"Hey Jo"—————————"Happy Talk"135—36—13724—"Wot"2630434241463"Croydon"—————————1983"Stop the World"82———72————"I'm a Spider"177————————1984"Glad It's All Over" / "Damned on 45"6————6———"There Are More Snakes Than Ladders"57————————"One Christmas Catalogue" / "Relax"79————————1985"Wot, No Meat?"—————————"Come On Down"116————————1987"Revolution Now"120————————1988"The Snooker Song"—————————"The Toys Take Over"—————————"I Get So Excited"—————————1990"Smash It Up (Part 4)"—————————1993"Holiday in My Heart"—————————"Wot '93"—————————1994"The Hokey Cokey"71————————1995"Flip Top World"—————————1997"While Wrecking the Car" (Germany-only release)—————————1998"Cigarette Sandy"—————————1999"Missing the Boat"—————————2005"Wot (I Say Captain)"————80————2014"Wot"—————————"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released