Fastway - All Fired Up
Initially, Clarke believed that there would be a rapprochement between himself, Lemmy and Phil, but it was not to be. As a result, in 1983, he formed Fastway, recruiting then little known singer Dave King (now in Flogging Molly) and drummer Jerry Shirley (ex-Humble Pie). Their self-titled debut proved to be their most cohesive, but Eddie would keep that band going intermittently for the next 30 years. Their last album, 2011’s Eat Dog Eat, featured Toby Jepson on vocals and sported 11 tracks of classy hard rock that Clarke was justifiably proud of.
In later life, the guitarist divided his time between London and his house in Spain. He toured with Fastway sporadically and, following the death of both Lemmy and Phil Taylor in 2015, he pondered playing a set that reflected the entirety of his career.
The last conversation I had with Eddie was late last year. We were trying to convene for a night out in 2018 with a mutual friend. “There’s bound to be some kind of mischief!” he cackled. Sadly, his death on January 10, 2018, from pneumonia at the age of 67, has silenced his mischievous wit.
Farewell, Eddie. Thanks for those timeless songs, your unique ability to insert expletives into any given word at any given time, and for all those good times…
@philalexanderuk