Jonathan Smeeton
Jonathan Smeeton is a British lighting and production designer who was active in the UK from the late 1960s, and then in the US from late 1970s up to his retirement in 2018.
Smeeton started out in the UK underground scene in the late 1960s. By 1971, he had become involved with Hawkwind, using the alias Liquid Len and the Lensmen (a reference to the Lensman space opera books), and remained with them for seven years developing his craft.[1]
He was name-checked in the Genesis song "The Battle of Epping Forest" from Selling England by the Pound (1973), later going on to work for the band's singer Peter Gabriel:
And his friend, Liquid Len by name,
Of wine, women and Wandsworth fame
He's name-checked a second time in the same song : "And Liquid Len, with his smashed bottle men is lobbing Bob the Nob across the gob"
He retired from the business in April 2018, his last official show being for Diana Ross and the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl in June 2018.[2] In 2018, he received the Parnelli Visionary Award.[3]
List of acts he has worked for:
- 1970s: Bob Hope; War; Captain Beefheart; Free; Traffic; Hawkwind; Motörhead; Fairport Convention; Black Sabbath; The Commodores; Frank Zappa; Average White Band; Van Morrison; Colosseum II; Peter Gabriel.
- 1980s: REO Speedwagon; Al Jarreau; WHAM!; Journey; Graham Nash; Rod Stewart; The Pointer Sisters; Tina Turner; Mike Oldfield; Jefferson Airplane; Sheila E; Mike and the Mechanics; Yoko Ono; The Thompson Twins; The Pet Shop Boys; Peter Gabriel; Amnesty International; Tears for Fears; George Michael; Paul Simon; Lou Reed; Miles Davis.
- 1990s: Robert Gallup - Extreme Magic [Fox Television]; Sinéad O'Connor; Phil Collins; Stone Roses; Barry White (video); TLC [video]; Kylie Minogue; Toni Braxton [video]; Def Leppard; Dwight Yoakam; Billy Idol; Adam Sandler [HBO]; Peter Gabriel; Jane's Addiction; The Human League; Yes; Jim Brickman; Chris Isaak; Sammy Hagar; Bryan Ferry; Richie Sambora.
- 2000s: ELO [PBS Television Special]; Jim Brickman [PBS Television Special]; Marilyn Manson; Jim Brickman; Chris Isaak; Deftones; 3 Doors Down; Plus One; Electric Light Orchestra; Incubus; Sammy Hagar; Miranda Lambert; Keith Urban; Jack Ingram; Great American Country Television; Joe Satriani – G3; Asia Sounds, Film and Television; Kids on Stage Summer Academy.
- 2010s: Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds; Gloriana; Kellie Pickler; Taylor Swift; Bridgit Mendler; Toni Braxton; MAGIC!; Yes/ARW (Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman); Michael McDonald; Diana Ross.[4]
See also
References
- ^ "A Chat with Jonathan Smeeton". Projection Lights and Staging News. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- ^ "THE NEWS, CURRENT AFFAIRS. Winter 2018-19 - Jonathan Smeeton". Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- ^ "2018 Parnelli Winners « Parnelli Awards". Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- ^ "MY RESUME - Jonathan Smeeton". Retrieved 23 May 2019.
External links
- Official website
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- Dave Brock
- Richard Chadwick
- Magnus Martin
- Thighpaulsandra
- Doug MacKinnon
- Nik Turner
- Dik Mik
- Huw Lloyd-Langton
- Thomas Crimble
- Del Dettmar
- Simon King
- Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister
- Robert Calvert
- Simon House
- Alan Powell
- Paul Rudolph
- Adrian Shaw
- Harvey Bainbridge
- Steve Swindells
- Keith Hale
- Ginger Baker
- Andy Anderson
- Robert Heaton
- Alan Davey
- Clive Deamer
- Bridget Wishart
- Ron Tree
- Mr Dibs
- Tim Blake
- Niall Hone
- Hawkwind
- In Search of Space
- Doremi Fasol Latido
- Hall of the Mountain Grill
- Warrior on the Edge of Time
- Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music
- Quark, Strangeness and Charm
- 25 Years On (as Hawklords)
- PXR5
- Levitation
- Sonic Attack
- Church of Hawkwind
- Choose Your Masques
- The Chronicle of the Black Sword
- The Xenon Codex
- Space Bandits
- Electric Tepee
- It Is the Business of the Future to Be Dangerous
- White Zone (as Psychedelic Warriors)
- Alien 4
- Distant Horizons
- In Your Area
- Spacebrock
- Take Me to Your Leader
- Take Me to Your Future
- Blood of the Earth
- Onward
- The Machine Stops
- Into the Woods
- Road to Utopia
- All Aboard the Skylark
- Carnivorous (as Hawkwind Light Orchestra)
- Somnia
- The Future Never Waits
- Stories from Time and Space
- The Weird Tapes
- Hawkwind, Friends and Relations
- The Text of Festival
- Zones
- Bring Me the Head of Yuri Gagarin
- Space Ritual Volume 2
- Hawkwind Anthology
- Out & Intake
- BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert
- The Friday Rock Show Sessions
- Hawklords Live
- California Brainstorm
- Undisclosed Files Addendum
- The 1999 Party
- Glastonbury 90
- Choose Your Masques: Collectors Series Volume 2
- Complete '79: Collector Series Volume 1
- Atomhenge 76
- Live 1990
- Roadhawks
- Masters of the Universe
- Repeat Performance
- Angels of Death
- Spirit of the Age
- Stasis (The UA Years 1971–1975)
- Tales from Atom Henge
- Epocheclipse
- Future Reconstructions – Ritual of the Solstice
- Masters of Rock
- Spirit of the Age Anthology
- The Dream Goes On
- Hawkwind Zoo EP
- Sonic Assassins EP
- The Earth Ritual Preview
- Quark, Strangeness and Charm
- "Hurry On Sundown"
- "Silver Machine"
- "Urban Guerrilla"
- "Kings of Speed"
- "Kerb Crawler"
- "Back on the Streets"
- "Quark, Strangeness and Charm"
- "Psi Power"
- "25 Years"
- "Shot Down in the Night"
- "Who's Gonna Win the War?"
- "Spirit of the Age"
- Sonic Assassins
- Hawklords
- Space Ritual
- Hawklords (2008)
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