Franny Griffiths

Franny Griffiths (born Francis Griffiths, 1 July 1968, Liverpool, England) is a keyboardist, producer and remixer, who is best known for being a member of the band, Space. He also plays guitar, melodica and piano. [http://www.spacetheband.com/interviews/fans/june-2002-franny/ Question: "Which musical instruments do you play and how/why did you decide to learn them?" Griffiths: "Keyboards/Piano, Guitar. I'm still learning to play them."] His main influences are Kraftwerk, hip-hop, Can, various electro bands and Crass. Despite being a self-confessed dance music fan, he also admits to liking heavy rock bands such as System of a Down and Marilyn Manson.

The strange noises produced by Griffiths' keyboards (contrary to rumours, he does not use a Theremin) are one of the trademarks of Space's sound. Unlike his other bandmates, Griffiths has never performed lead vocals on a Space track, with one exception - "I Am Unlike A Lifeform You've Ever Met", a B-side on the "Avenging Angels" single. However, on the first two Space albums, "Spiders" and "Tin Planet", as well as the B-sides of various singles, he has contributed instrumental tracks.

Griffiths met Space singer Tommy Scott as a teenager, and the two were both members of The Australians and Hello Sunset. Griffiths also used to be in a band called BB And Me. At one point, he left England for Spain, where he worked as a bouncer and often went clubbing in Ibiza. On his return to Liverpool, he was handed an empty cigarette packet with Scott's telephone number written on it, and the request that he help the nascent Space record a demo. Naturally curious, Griffiths dialled the number, and the rest is history; he became the fourth member of Space in 1994. [http://www.spacetheband.com/interviews/press/1997-rocknet-franny/ Untitled interview with Griffiths in RockNet magazine by Gerry Gallipault.]

Along with Scott, Griffiths is one of the two original members in the most recent Space line-up.

As with his bandmates, the stress of touring America in 1997 minus guitarist Jamie Murphy - with whom Griffiths seems to have a love/hate relationship - took its toll on the keyboardist. He came down with a particularly nasty case of stomach ulcers, ["The body of keyboardist Franny Griffiths was riddled with ulcers." Q Magazine, March 1998.] as well as succumbing to tonsillitis on Space's second U.S. tour with Murphy.

Griffiths is currently making R'n'B music under the name Subway Showdown. [http://www.myspace.com/subwayshowdown] He lives with his partner Karen - who has performed backing vocals on some of Space's songs, including a remix of "Neighbourhood" [Karen Marsh credited with additional vocals on the remix 'Welcome To The Neighbourhood (Remix by Franny Aspirin)' on "Neighbourhood" Disc 2 (CXGUT5).] - and their two sons, Ellis and Christian.

References

External links

* [http://halogen.note.amherst.edu/~bgjohnson/space/spiders/franny.html Franny Griffiths fansite]
* [http://www.myspace.com/sifinoisesculptures Si Fi Noise Sculptures, Franny Griffiths' other current project]

References