My name is Mrs Mavis Tompkins and I’m the widow of the late Derek Tompkins, who owned Shield Recording Studios in Kettering, and Beck studios in Wellingborough.

It was my husband who recorded Bauhaus’ Bela Lugosis’s Dead in one take at Beck, and also several of their L.P.’s and singles, both at Beck and Rockfield. We became great friends of the group and I am still in touch with David and Kevin Haskins.

I remember when Derek went to Rockfield Studio’s in Monmouthshire, to engineer several of Bauhaus’s recordings. They liked to think of him as a kind of Guru, mentor, and father figure! We took our caravan, and it was a nightmare to negotiate the long and winding dirt road up to the farmhouse, with a very steep gradient. We dined each night with the boys in the farmhouse, together with much hilarity and wine.

It was here that they decided to buy the hearse, and Derek was not pleased as they were tearing around the countryside in it while they were supposed to be recording. One time at Rockfield, they were sitting in our car, meditating and theorising on life with the help of certain substances, when smoke began to pour from below the seats. They had set fire to the carpet!

I used to sit and sketch the farm buildings and David J was very kind in his criticism of my attempts. I wasn’t present when they recorded Bela, but I gather it was a magical experience; they were thrilled that even if Derek was a ‘father figure’ in his late fifties, and unconventional in his attire, (old carpet slippers and baggy trousers, cigarette butt
stuck to his lips) he was definitely on their page and knew exactly how to interpret their needs.

Many more details of the way Derek was involved with Bauhaus, and later Love and Rockets, can be found in the following books: Bauhaus Undead by Kevin Haskins, Who Killed Mister Moonlight by David J and Bauhaus and Beyond by Ian Shirley. Both David and Kevin have contributed to my recent books Back Street Genius, and about to be printed C-c-c-come ‘an ‘ave a listen.

The photo provided is the original black and white photo I took of Derek, which was subsequently colourised and used  by Love and Rockets – formed by Daniel Ash, David J and Kevin Haskins when Bauhaus split up – for the front cover of their 1988 album ‘Lazy’.

I have recently turned 89, but still very much enjoy their music.