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Privacy NoticeRicky Gervais is famed as a comedian and for his roles in TV sitcoms like The Office, Extras, and After Life, but he once had a stint as a musician. During his time, attempting to reach for the stars as a pop star, Ricky looks completely unrecognisable in unearthed snaps. The 63 year old previously took a trip down memory lane where he discussed his early dreams and in turn, revealed some photos that show him in an entirely different light. Ricky confessed that initially, “first love was science, learning and having a laugh” were his passions, but music quickly “dominated everything for a while”. At the tender age of 14, he purchased his first guitar, which proved challenging to play due to his “soft hands”, often leading to expletive-laden tirades of frustration. The comedian shared: “I was so annoyed… I would hit the guitar, ‘For f*** sake! ‘ like that and hold it down again… the more you held it down the more your fingers hurt”, reports the Express.
Ricky Gervais looks worlds away from the comedian we know today in snaps from 1983
(Image: Getty Images)
He persevered and said: “So I had six months of that and then I could sort of play, again it’s no revelation that if you try your hardest at something you’ll probably get good at it.” Drawn to the “beautiful folk” genre and influenced by artists like Cat Stevens and Simon and Garfunkel, Ricky tried his hand at writing songs but conceded that he didn’t quite hit the mark. Reflecting on those days, he said: “It was a very sort of secret pursuit, I don’t think I even played to anyone because I knew I wasn’t good enough and the songs weren’t good enough.” He confessed that initially, he was too shy to perform but later, during his time at University College London, he formed a band with his mate Bill Macrae. They named their band Seona Dancing and after creating a 16-song demo tape, they were signed by London Records. Photos from that era show Ricky sporting a gelled quiff and Mr Macrae rocking long spiky hair sometimes dressed in suits and other times in more casual outfits.
The comedian donned a short-sleeved shirt with an oversized scarf wrapped around him
(Image: Getty Images)
Sign up to OK!’s daily newsletter to get updates sent to your inbox for free The promotional snaps, taken in 1983, feature the comedian in a short-sleeved shirt with an oversized scarf wrapped around him. Ricky struck a number of serious poses for these shots, which were taken against a tie-dye-esque blue and white backdrop. Two of the keyboard pop duo’s singles were released, Bitter Heart and More to Lose, but neither managed to break into the UK Top 40 Singles Chart. Seona Dancing soon disappeared but their song More to Lose became a massive hit in the Philippines and was reported to have been a “teen anthem”.
Before finding fame as a comedian, Ricky pursued his love for music
(Image: Getty Images)
Ricky reflected on his stint as a “pop star” during a chat on the Stuff of Legends podcast back in 2020. He claimed their success was “beginner’s luck” and while they released “a few songs”, they only performed live once at the Camden Palace, now known as KOKO. He added: “But again, it was all over as quickly as it started, I think that whole thing was two singles and we were out. I realised in retrospect when it went away that my mistake was that I should have wanted to be a musician not a popstar.” He revealed that the experience changed his perception of fame, which led him to write The Office. Ricky said: “Then when I came to do this, the second bite of the cherry so to speak, I knew that I wanted to be a writer-director. I didn’t just want to be a celebrity, the word still embarasses me, I still say I’m not because I think it’s charged with something else. I know I’m a known-person, I know I’m a famous person but I’m famous for something and the word celebrity still embarrasses me.”Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnRicky GervaisComedy
