Dom Kureen returns. Guest opinion articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the publication. Ed
How easy is it to perpetuate a lie without eventually being rumbled? For Messrs Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd, AKA Silibil ‘N’ Brains, it was simply a case of becoming immersed deeply within the fabric of the fib – something that earned them a lucrative contract with Sony and a lifestyle akin to wild eyed rockers.
Rapping Proclaimers
Hailing from Dundee, Scotland, the two college students instantly shared a rap rapport, bonding over their mutual appreciation of all things hip-hop. A shared ambition eventually persuaded them to pool their financial resources and trek to London, where in 2004 they took part in a competition aimed at unearthing gems of the genre.
Upon arrival at the site of the auditions, the two pale 21 year-olds from north of the border felt suffocated by the sea of wannabe Usher style acts in attendance, replete with enough tacky faux ‘bling’ to offend the sensibilities of a Ron Atkinson/Eva Longoria lovechild.
Worse was to come when they entered the small room designated for their try-out. A panel of three judges derided their efforts, as their tirelessly crafted lyrics were laughed at with contempt, one judge described them as ‘rapping Proclaimers’ in an astoundingly insensitive evaluation.
Bouncing back
Initially crushed by this insulting feedback, Bain and Boyd resolved to fight tooth and nail in order to shove the mean spirited criticism down the throats of their tormentors and set about relentlessly dialling their way through a who’s who of the UK music scene.
In many cases, as soon as the proposal of Scottish rappers was mentioned the line went dead. There was no call for such a thing in 2004, other than for parody or a short satirical stint, a’ la Welsh comedy musicians ‘Goldie Lookin Chain’.
United fakes of America
Disgruntled, Bain attempted to raise spirits by mimicking a generic American accent on the next call. To his surprise, the person on the other end of the line was keen to hear a demo album
The next communication received a similar response, whilst a third hit the jackpot; with the rappers invited to take part in an upcoming competition, again in London, this time at the behest of the organisers and with several major band labels set to be represented by talent scouts on the day.
The hip-hop hoax
Realising that it would take more than a simple change of lilt, the boys came up with fresh monikers: Billy Boyd transformed into ‘Silibil’, while Gavin Bain would henceforth be known as ‘Brains:’ Collectively they morphed into ‘Silibil ‘N’ Brains’.
Hair and clothes were outlandishly adjusted, famous Americans studied in order to get the mannerisms and accents down to a tee, geographical areas of origin considered (they settled on Huntington Beach, California) and a back-story formulated in order to authenticate their characters.
Most time consuming of all, every song on their demo CD was re-recorded in an American accent, the lie was in full swing and there was no turning back now.
Sony Contract
Arriving in London under their new identities, they performed at the showcase, impressing many in attendance with their energy and succinct, powerful wordplay. The chemistry between the two on stage was electrifying.
Eventually it was Sony UK who snapped them up on a lucrative contract for two singles and an album. It was the start of an amazing six month rollercoaster ride, in which the two partied like rock stars and fully embraced their new characters, also appearing in a bizarre interview on MTV show TRL, in which they expertly avoided answering any questions about their past, much to the obvious annoyance of the presenter Dave Berry.
Empire built on quicksand
Sadly, with ‘Brains’ refusing to allow the release of their first single, due to a combination of paranoia at being rumbled and anal levels of perfectionism for the track, his partner in crime, Silibil, headed north of the border once again to be with his wife and become legitimate, the two had by this time fallen out horribly and hadn’t spoken in over a month, despite sharing a tiny London flat.
The split coincided with Sony cutting over 60% of jobs with the company, including that of Jonathan Shalit, the man who had persuaded the corporation to sign this unheard of American double act. It was the final nail in an already slammed shut coffin.
Although unaware of the squabbles at hand, the company made it clear that they had no intention of releasing a single from the two, reneging on the deal in place.
While Billy Boyd got on with his normal life, Gavin Bain continued to pose as Brains, overdosing on drugs on more than one occasion and slumping into desperate depression and identity crisis.
Happily, a recent BBC documentary brought the duo back together and, nine years later than originally planned, they have released their first album, a five track EP called ‘Eat your brains’.
Deception of the masses
Most of us go through life with at least some level of deception, whether it’s compromise for the benefit of others, fear of showing our true colours or the public persona that protects a vulnerable core.
The difference with Bane and Boyd was that they were willing to take those fibs beyond the reasonable apex after being mocked for the way they talked by jumped up music execs. For that alone, I hope that they belatedly receive the acclaim they craved in 2004, anyone with the bravery to take such a risk at least warrants a few minutes of glory.
