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Suggs: Music prevented me ending up in prison
Madness frontman presents awards to creative prisoners
MADNESS frontman Suggs visited Pentonville Prison this week and revealed how his love of music helped keep him out of jail.
Suggs made his way through countless gates to reach the prison’s education centre, where he presented certificates to inmates in recognition of their work in creating guitar-themed art for charity.
Prisoners made miniature guitars and added their artistic touch to a 10ft Gibson guitar, signed by Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits, which will be auctioned for the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy charity, based in Gospel Oak, at the O2 arena in November.
Suggs, who revealed that a relative of one of his musicians was enjoying a stay at Pentonville, said: “I didn’t do well at school. Lots of paths were opened to me but creativity is something that stopped me from ending up in a place like this. Music has been my life.”
He added: “In the background I came from there was sport, music or crime, that’s the way it is.”
Two prisoners, who cannot be named, then stood up and spoke of their experiences.
One man, who was sent to Pentonville in June last year, said: “When I came here I was OK but I saw a lot of suffering in the prison.
“One of the problems is boredom. When you go into the education wing, you leave the corridors and it’s a different world. It’s like the calm away from the storm. The prison teachers don’t want to know why you’re in prison, you’re a student to them and you’re there to be taught.”
He added: “When we were told we were getting a 10ft Gibson guitar I was a bit dubious. Thinking about the guitar took me away from prison. It kept my mind occupied. I got so energised. It was a challenge to me. It was a great pleasure to see it exhibited.
“Music is very important in prison. I lie in my cell and listen to Suggs on the radio.”
Another inmate, who has been making miniature guitars from bits and pieces collected around the prison, said: “When you’re behind that door and left to your own devices a lot of people sink into the reality of sitting there in your cell. It’s very difficult to get out of that.”
By looking at the rubbish left outside his cell on its way to the skip, he was inspired to go looking for things to make his tiny guitars from.
“It’s not just the building it’s actually the foraging and looking around for the components,” he said. “There’s a lot of talent within people in prison.”
Governor Nick Leader congratulated staff and prisoners, adding: “When I saw the guitar. It was outstanding art work, the sort of thing I’ve never seen coming out of any prison I’ve ever worked in.” |
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