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Francis Lickerish: Q&A

2025-03-11 | Q&A

The musician and addiction specialist answers questions about Dark Sun

 

What was your worst subject at school?

All of them! I was unteachable, but I could learn…

 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

George Aubrey Lyward OBE once told me: “Resist the strong pull of the herd.” It’s been a guiding principle ever since.

 

You wake up in 1976 again, what’s the first thing you do?

Stop drinking and drugging. Diligently and earnestly apply myself to learning about musical composition.

 

What’s the weirdest gig you’ve ever played?

An officers ball at RAF Scampton, the HQ of 617 Squadron, The Dambusters.

 

If you could be in any band in history (besides The Enid), which would it be?

It would have to be either Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band or TheRolling Stones

 

What’s the book you wish you’d written?

Lord of the Rings.

 

What’s a lie people often tell about addiction?

That the problem is just about the addict. It is a family/societal systemic condition. The whole family system gets ensnared and there is a powerful cultural aspect. People think if the addict stops, everything returns to normal. It doesn’t. The family has to recover too.

 

What’s your favourite guilty pleasure song?

Honky Tonk Women or Big Eyed Beans From Venus.

 

What’s the best thing about writing a book?

Getting to the last full stop and realising you’ve actually done it.

 

Who has been your greatest mentor?

Dr. Philip Groves and Dr Maurice Nicholl.