Jeremiah Creosote

Jeremiah Creosote (born 4th June 1966), known professionally as Mr Creosote, is an English musician, businessman, media personality and restaurant patron. He rose to fame as the frontman of the rock band Creosote from 1982 - 1997, continuing as a solo artist after the band's dissolution. His eccentric personality and large size have made him an iconic figure in popular culture, and he remains a controversial figure in the UK.

His best known music is generally recognised as being the records released with his band Creosote in the 1980s, particularly their self titled debut and sophomore effort There's Still More, both of which were met with large commercial and critical success. The band's breakup saw band mates George Hudson and Howard Taft depart simultaneously in 1997 after long standing personal and creative differences within the trio. While the initial breakup appeared amicable, a fierce and public feud erupted between Mr Creosote and his former band mates after they formed their own band The Railway Kings, resulting in competing albums and diss tracks from both bands in 2003.

Creosote was widely considered to have lost this feud after his disastrously received album Eggs On Top in 2003, and became a figure of increasing criticism and ridicule within the music industry. After a muted 2005 acoustic album, Creosote announced a 'big break' from music, before the collapse of Creosote Inc. forced him into bankruptcy in 2010, causing him to retreat from public view. In the wake of his time in rehab that same year he announced he was 'reformed' and intended to 'return to music shortly'. This led to the release of Bringing it Home in 2012, which received more positive reviews and initiated a comeback in his music career. He has also re-established himself as a businessman with more legitimate enterprises in the late 2010s.

Early Life (1966 - 1982)
Mr Creosote was born Jeremiah Fallon Creosote on the 4th June 1966, an only child, and son of businessman and hereditary peer Fallon Creosote. After his parents divorce in 1974 Jeremiah and his mother moved to the affluent Manchester suburb of Altrincham, where he attended a local primary school. His teachers remarked on his high intelligence while singling him out as one of the schools worst trouble makers, once almost expelled for sending a paper aeroplane sailing into the headteacher's face during morning assembly.

In 1977 as Creosote began studying at Altrincham Grammar School For Boys, he came across The Sex Pistols album Never Mind the Bollocks and became engrossed in punk music. At age 12 he purchased an electric bass and began playing along with his favorite tracks, and wrote his first song at the age of 14.

In 1981 he began performing live in various local punk bands, cobbling together his own musical projects with whoever he could find, until a show around this period caused him to run into guitarist George Hudson and drummer Howard Taft, who were also trying to form a band. In 1982 the trio first performed as "Mr Creosote and his friends", with Jeremiah as the clear frontman and principal songwriter.

Mr Creosote and his Friends (1982 - 1986)
In their initial phase, the band struggled to find a definitive sound, sitting somewhere between traditional punk and new wave. This made them initially difficult to advertise in local venues and the members were seriously considering abandoning the project altogether due to the lack of gigs. However, by 1983 they had managed to attract some attention in the Manchester scene and had improved enough on their instruments to secure more dates. This era of the band was characterized by highly experimental use of synths and drum machines to create some dance-like backdrops to their songs which otherwise resembled more traditional punk.

In 1984 the band recorded an EP, which the members regarded as a disappointment, as their live sound was poorly captured and they could see how their strict adherence to the punk ethic was doing a disservice to their instrumental and songwriting talents, particularly those of George Hudson. Following this the band made an effort to change musical direction, more openly courting the sounds of popular music and traditional rock. This sound was quickly honed and defined the band's 1980s style.

The band continued gain popularity with their new sound over the next two years, until they opened for The Smiths in 1986 and were subsequently signed to EMI after record personnel witnessed the performance and spoke with Jeremiah Creosote backstage.

Peak of Popularity (1986 - 1991)
After signing with EMI the band released their first album Creosote to instantaneous commercial and critical success. All of its singles took top 5 positions in the charts and the following European Tour was wildly successful. A North American Tour somewhat muted the band's spirits, with poor attendance figures and unenthusiastic performances. It was during this period Mr Creosote began drinking heavily to deal with the poor situation.

Shortly after the conclusion of the 1986 tour it became apparent the band was actually in a large amount of debt due to Creosote's mishandling of the band's books, which had primarily failed to account for the debut album's failure to meet projected sales in the US. 'He had evidently just glanced at the projected figures, not the actual ones, and gone "ah dabble", and continued with his apparently studious pen strokes in the tables, but it meant just like that a loss of around half a million quid just wasn't accounted for.', Taft would later reflect. This led to the band's rapid recording of their sophomore LP, 'There's Still More'.

Despite the recording process being plagued by argument and conflict between the band members, it far exceeded its predecessor, with all of its singles going to number #1 in the UK. It was the first Creosote album to become successful in the US, going platinum within 5 months there. The album was promoted by an almost year long tour which left the band weary of their own music, with plans to take time off. However, they still found themselves compulsively writing music for the band while supposedly resting, resulting in a return to the studio to record Stained Tablecloth.

Despite its experimental approach, Stained Tablecloth was another commercial success, largely thanks to the radioplay of its lead single of the same name. This brought on another two years of touring, completing in 1991. By this point all band members were complaining of serious physical and mental exhaustion, with Howard Taft becoming addicted to sleeping pills and Hudson and Creosote's binge drinking descending into almost nightly arguments.

Hiatus (1991 - 1995)
In early 1991, the band announced they would be taking 'at least' a 5-year hiatus. With the full extent of their personal troubles not yet publicised, the announcement was met with confusion and some derision from fans and journalists. All 3 bandmembers took lengthy holidays, bought new homes and began to 'enjoy their earnings'.

Creosote used the early 1990s to begin his business and media acquisitions, which were further propelled when he inherited millions from his father, who died in June 1991. He began networking with editors of newspapers in London and it became a common joke on fleet street that Jeremiah had 8 luncheons a day simply to remain friends with enough important figures. It is unclear quite how Creosote grew his personal wealth to such an extent in in this period, but he subsequently claimed to have 'got lucky' on the stock exchange after ploughing his father's inheritance into an extremely diverse investment portfolio. He launched his record label, Big Boi Records, in early 1992 and called a press conference announcing his plans to rejuvenate British rock music as a businessman, producer and 'patron' of upcoming bands. The NME complimented his timing, but he was either unable or unwilling to capitalize on the emergence of Britpop the following year.

Reunion and Breakup (1995 - 1997)
The band was forced into re-recording their fourth album by EMI in 1995

Christmas EP (1999)
As soon as The Railway Kings formed in 1998 Creosote declared he would also be launching a solo career with "a new record in good time", he began recording for this record only a few weeks after, though progress was immensely slow and erratic. Finally the "Halloween Sessions" of October 1998 yielded a handful of songs, soon after discarded, however they eventually made it on to his solo debut Eggs on Top in 2003.

More songs were written in December, with Creosote claiming to have written the single "Mary Belle Rouge" on his living room grand piano on Christmas day morning. The release of The Railway Kings' first album in 1999 caused Creosote to hastily assemble his own record for a release in the same year, working around the clock to churn out enough tracks. Despite this, he still couldn't gather enough material for full length album, and his impatience at the progress of the project, as well as seeing the attention being given the The Railway Kings, forced him to cut it short.

Studio-perfectionism further delayed release into December, and Creosote decided to "put it off until Christmas", thus "5 Minutes With Mr Creosote" was released on the 24th December as a "Christmas gift for the kids". The EP received very mixed reviews, with a particularly unfavourable response from the NME's Herbert Dinkleferger, who had traditionally championed Creosote in the face of criticism.

Eggs on Top & Millenium Creosote Tour (2003/2004)
Eggs On Top was Mr Creosote's first full length album. It was released on the 7th May 2003 and competed with Railway Kings Ruinous Ways for peak chart position in the UK on its day of release.

The goal was to create comeback record for Creosote, with a heavy lean towards the catchy pop choruses which made his earlier works so popular. Most marketing focused on selling it as a "return to form" with a refreshed sound nonetheless. A few tracks experimented with alternative styles - most notably rap - in what Mr Creosote admitted himself was an attempt to further broaden its commercial appeal.

Eggs on Top is one of the most expensive albums ever made, costing an estimated £3 million, largely due to re-recordings and the employment of various classical ensembles. The album's dismal commercial performance at the time saw Creosote lose his contract with EMI by the end of the year, and met with overwhelmingly negative responses from critics and fans.

The ensuing tour was even more disastrous for Creosote, performances were sub-par due to his abuse of alcohol and anger at the audience responses to newer material. During this period he attempted to publicly withdraw himself from music, promoting his restaurant L'Elegant in London and claiming his 'greatest priority' was his newly independent label, Big Boi Records. The backlash to Eggs on Top dealt a serious blow to Creosote's reputation, with widespread mockery of the effort and increasing scrutiny turned on his financial struggles to explain the failiure. Creosote would later claim the experience led him into 'major re-evaluations'. And caused serious writers block and fear of creating original music throughout the 2000s.

Yesterdays Leftovahs (2005)
After completing the Eggs on Top Tour in 2004, Creosote was forced to attend to business matters as Creosote Inc.'s financial difficulties which had began the previous year worsened, and legal cases against the company mounted. He was able to stave off most of the legal troubles with out of court settlements, and managed to increase the company's income in several key areas to pay off some of its major debts. This coincided with Creosote's desire to 'put a lid on' his career as it struck him it would soon be 20 years since his first album was released.

Yesterday's Leftovahs consisted mostly of acoustic versions of previous songs, primarily his biggest hits but also featuring some more obscure fan favorites. The album was released through Big Boi Records and generally met with positive reviews on release. The reception brought back some confidence for Creosote, though he would remain inactive for the remainder of the 2000s due to business problems and alcoholism, for which he would enter rehab in 2009.

Bringing it Home (2012)
Mr Creosote filed for bankruptcy in January 2010, reportedly upon the realization that year's taxes were going to 'do him in'. Having first entered rehab a year earlier, Creosote underwent a series of relapses, with the most disastrous being triggered by his bankruptcy. He entered rehab in Edinburgh in February before escaping and embarking on a 5 day drinking session, getting as far as Kettering before his last credit card was cancelled. He was brought back to the rehab centre with a fresh desire to get sober, promising to release his new album The Sun Never Sets On Creosotes Empire later that year. However, therapists determined the stresses of the album - including the resulting media pressures - had contributed to Creosote's declining mental state over the last year, and after an argumentative period he agreed to cancel the album in May.

Additionally, he was forced to put aside any musical ambitions as part of his recovery, since studio work and deadlines were thought to be triggers for his drinking. Instead, Creosote turned his attention to other creative outlets, including writing his autobiography. He also made a series of uncharacteristically subdued interviews in humble locations, updating the public on his recovery and acknowledging his recent failings.

Finally, after 16 months sober, Creosote announced a new album in the summer of 2011. To avoid stress, Creosote set no deadlines for work and conducted a series of laid-back jams with session musicians for inspiration. Due to his financial situation, the album was funded largely by wealthy friends and family and it was later confirmed George Hudson and Howard Taft also helped fund the project. Creosote attempted writing on guitar for the first time, despite having long been proficient in the instrument, he had previously believed his creativity was rooted in the bass. This turned out to be untrue, as the first song he composed on guitar 'Memory Lane', would become a fan favourite. The song's folky atmosphere coloured the rest of the album, with a large focus on a 'barebones' sound, driven by acoustic guitar and piano.

The album was released on 25th April 2012 to mixed to positive reviews and good commercial performance, charting at number 3 in the UK. Fans and critics alike agreed the album included his best song-writing since Stained Tablecloth, with a freshness in his folk approach and sound.

Trolley Spokes (2014)
The positive reception of Bringing it Home led to massive boost in confidence for Creosote, who regularly claimed to be 'back in the game', in interviews during the supporting tour. While he never relapsed into alcoholism, his tour was noted for becoming increasingly excessive as money came 'back into the coffers', and he often encouraged his backing band to 'get a good night in', even if he couldn't. This had a slightly adverse effect on the band's energy and performances during some tour dates.

Overconfidence and his old penchant for excess led Creosote to re-enter the studio almost immediately after the tour, against the advice of his therapists and close friends and family. It emerged that he had been writing songs over the course of the tour, and wanted to 'go experimental' with what he had written. He claimed his main inspiration was Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures, which had been one of his favourite albums since he first heard it in 1981. This was most obvious in the immense reverb applied to the album in post-production. Insiders reported there was considerable enthusiasm around the recording initially, but arguments over production led to the expulsion of 3 different producers, before Creosote took over the task entirely.

Concerns grew after Creosote publicly announced the release date for the album to be 21st March 2014, then just 6 months away, despite only having half a dozen songs written and aiming for a 15 track LP. The Christmas season of 2013 yielded several more songs, but Creosote was immensely slow in making production choices, and frequently discarded tracks without justification. By the end of January he had come to his senses and cut the tracklist down to an economical 10 songs to begin the final mixing.

Trolley Spokes was released on the 21st March to mixed reviews. Most critics agreed the album had some impressively experimental approaches to tracks, especially the opener 'Banquet Hall', which began with extreme reverb and took on a cabaret swing with a distorted brass section to simulate the feeling of increasing intoxication. However, the lyrics of the album were widely derided as a regression into the 'food-based ramblings' of Smoulderin' Jambalaya and Eggs on Top, compared to the mature themes of Bringing it Home. The album was generally popular among fans due to Creosote's return to experimentation and psychedelia which had featured on Stained Tablecloth in 1989, though many acknowledged the weakness of some tracks. The album was a commercial success and further buoyed his financial recovery.

Too Big to Fail (2019)
Following successful lawsuits in 2015 against former business associates and consultants who had misled and defrauded Creosote during the late 2000s, Creosote recovered his reputation further and was able to 'pad the coffers a bit'. He hired the Manchester lawfirm repsonsible, Worthington&CO., to take full-time care of his legal concerns, keeping his desk clear of lawsuits for the first time in two decades. Creosote claimed the same firm had also advised him heavily on managing his wealth and by 2018 announced 'every penny' of his outstanding debts and fines had been paid, bragging he was now 'running a surplus'. Close colleagues have stated this led to a period of increased business proposals and attempted legal endeavours, partly in an effort to clear his name 'fully', which his law firm had to attend to.

Creosote regularly claimed he was 'saving up songs' throughout 2017/18, spurring fan interest in a forthcoming release. He finally announced he was entering the studio in late 2018, claiming to be taking on his most 'conceptually ambitious' album to date. The album's recording was initially stymied by his increasing business ventures and interpersonal dramas with his law firm, but progress improved when Jeremiah moved to L.A. in February 2019 to collaborate with A.C. Shaftesbury and 'catch-up' with his former bandmates, Hudson and Taft, who denied any musical involvement. In interviews Creosote claimed the album would simultaneously critique late stage capitalism while containing a personal allegory for his own rise and fall. He also claimed the setting of L.A. was increasingly infecting the album with a 'gloss', which he liked.

Too Big to Fail released unannounced on 15 June 2019 to an overwhelmingly positive critical reception. The album was Creosote's most lavish and polished production to date, with a variety of sonic textures and experimental sounds woven into modern pop. Most listeners had not anticipated how much of a departure from rock music the album would be, with the interventions of Shaftesbury and American producers creating a very up to date sound. One reviewer claimed 'when one hears the distorted piano chimes rattling through on Restaurante Casanova, as though we're hearing it through a 1940s wireless in some rural farmhouse, one can already see the TikTok memes. Jeremiah is worryingly aware of modern trends'.

The only criticism of the album was that it failed to deliver on its grand lyrical concept. As Herbert Dinkleferger wrote, 'I have scoured the lyrics day and night for a week now, and have yet to see what most of these tracks have to do with either modern society or Jeremiah's personal life. He seems to have got caught up in straight up bops and I wish I could prevent my feet from moving to them long enough to criticise him for anything, but the music is just too good.'. Jeremiah later admitted some of the album's lyrics were 'weak', but that the messages were there 'if you look close enough'.

Musical Influences
Creosote has described a wide range of influences, though citing the Sex Pistols as his initial inspiration to begin playing music and admitting he outright tried to imitate John Lydon's vocal style for many years. However, he has described Joy Division as having the 'biggest impact' on his early sound. During his band's transformation in 1984/5, Creosote began to listen obsessively to The Beatles for 'those tappin' your foot tunes' as well as The Beach Boys. He has also stated repeatedly Paul McCartney to be his 'favourite composer', and the 'best ever Beatle'. He regularly played an arrangement of McCartney's 'Blackbird' on bass in early live shows, as well as a punk cover of 'Too Many People'.

Despite publicly opposing Nirvana and grunge, Smoulderin' Jambalya's Shining Bright had a noticeable 'grunge tinge', and he later stated they were one of his favourite bands after hearing the MTV Unplugged version of On A Plain in 2010, claiming it became the 'theme of mah recovery'. In the 2010s Creosote admitted he had been increasingly 'reachin' across the pond' for musical inspiration, admitting he took inspiration from Elliot Smith's 'Say Yes' for Memorieh Lane, and later implementing the American post-punk revival stylings of The Strokes and Interpol. Other bands Creosote has praised as influences on his music include New Order, David Bowie, The Smiths, The Buzzcocks, The Specials, The Kinks, Queen, T-Rex, Slade and Rammstein.

Railway Kings Feud (2002 - 2006)
In the summer of 2002 George Hudson openly criticised Creosote for the first time following a particularly poorly sourced hit-piece in Creosote's UK Music Now magazine that week, in which alleged insiders made claims about The Railway Kings. The article was particularly acrimonious in its descriptions of band members from its unidentified sources, mentioning heavy drug use and alluding to extramarital affairs. Rumours about Hudson's promiscuity were said to be contributing to his marriage problems at the time, heightening his anger at Creosote's blatant hand in the matter. Hudson stated that from then on 'nothing was off-limits', and that he wanted to see Creosote 'fully shown-up for the fraud he is'.

Taft added to the flare up by publicly mocking Creosote's disastrous bridge opening in Gorton, stating he was 'not fit to open anything but a packet of crisps', which was subject to much gleeful quotation in the tabloids the following day. The embarrassment over this incident led Creosote to declare 'all out war', in The Sun, promising his upcoming full length studio album would 'put theirs to shame', and condemning Taft as a 'big bully who dis-respects the hard work of Manchester construction lads', contradicting completely the hand Creosote's elaborate celebrations had played in causing the bridge's structural failure.

What followed was a war of words in the tabloids, with Creosote turning out a hit-piece a week in UK Music Now, many of which drew libel lawsuits and caused the disintegration of the magazine by the next year. Many disputes arose over song writing credits, with Creosote claiming many Hudson penned tracks were in fact his, and Hudson claiming there had been several 'suspicious' attempted thefts of his written material over the last few years. On the 5th of December Hudson fought three men who attempted to force their way into his London home, using a coat stand to cause a concussion in one man, while the other two fled the scene upon the hurling of a Gretsch guitar from the top of the stairs. The remaining man was subsequently taken to hospital, where he was questioned by police the next morning. The man claimed amnesia prevented him from remembering the incident or his motives. Incidentally Creosote arrived at the hospital almost immediately following the man's hospitalisation, claiming he was concerned for Hudson's wellbeing, despite Hudson not being injured.

The peak of the feud is widely regarded to have come at the release of the single 'Buggers' by Creosote on 20th April 2003. The song was a hip hop diss track which took aim at The Railway Kings. While largely light-hearted, the song alluded to the upcoming release of Eggs on Top and the 'unveiling' of Hudson as a 'plagiarist'. When the two albums were released, Creosote was widely considered to have lost out, with Eggs on Top selling fewer copies than Ruinous Ways and being met with a critical backlash. Despite this, he had won a place headlining the pyramid stage at Glastonbury 2004, while The Railway Kings were relegated to the lesser 'other stage'. Amid drunken insults from Creosote - who was performing badly - there was an exodus of fans from his performance to see The Railway Kings.

Both Hudson and Taft increasingly made negative comments regarding Creosote Inc. throughout 2004/5. Several songs on Ruinous Ways were widely interpreted as references to Creosote and his business ventures, with some even suggesting this was central to the album's title and concept.

Support for The Labour Party
Creosote has been involved in politics throughout his professional career, he was famously critical of the Thatcher government during the 1980s, joining Red Wedge for various shows in the run up to the 1987 election. He was heavily critical of the process of privatization, and took part in a debate at The University of York in 1990 on the subject, arguing strongly in favour of nationalized industry.

Many at the time were genuinely surprised to hear such clarity and seriousness from the fun loving rockstar. Creosote went on to write a series of articles reflecting on the Thatcher years in the wake of her resignation that same year. He continued to criticise the Major government into the 1990s, spurred on by the ascension of Tony Blair to Labour Leader. He described Blair as being left wing 'enough for me' while still being 'proper', many noted his degree of eloquence when discussing political matters had declined steeply, and he struggled to find as many radio spots and newspaper columns to voice his opinions in as a result. This led to the creation of the short lived 'Rabble Rousahs' Radio' broadcast on AM frequencies towards the end of 1994, in which Creosote rambled about politics and brought on a variety of guests.

Creosote stated his support for Jeremy Corbyn, attempting to release a single called 'Jeremy Phwoarbyn' several times from 2017-19, from which he needed dissuading by friends and colleagues, who staged three interventions to prevent his releasing the track online. Creosote has claimed to be good friends with Keir Starmer, the current Labour leader, though this has never been acknowledged or confirmed by Starmer himself. In an interview for The Metro in May 2021, Creosote claimed to still be a 'reluctant' Labour member.

US Politics
In 2004 Mr Creosote endorsed John Kerry in the United States presidential election, appearing at a campaign rally in Boston, Massachusetts on 24th September. He fell under heavy criticism for handing out free CDs of Eggs on Top at the event, with some claiming the entire move was a stunt to promote his music. Despite mockery in the UK, Creosote was apparently popular with American crowds, with a very brief improvement in Kerry's polls in the state.

Creosote went on to voice support for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, then Bernie Sanders in 2016. Upon Sanders' loss to Hillary Clinton the primaries, Creosote claimed to have withdrawn his financial donations to the Democratic Party. He re-stated his support for Sanders in 2020 numerous times and condemned Trump as 'worse than me on mah worst day'. He subsequently Tweeted support for Joe Biden and photographed himself opening a 'Goliath' sized champagne bottle (27 litres) upon his victory on November 7th.

On Brexit
After the election of New Labour in 1997 Creosote became inactive in UK politics, distracted by his new band rivalry and setting up Creosote Inc., though he later commented he first formed Euro-sceptic views in the early 2000s. Finally in 2015 he claimed in an interview to be "contented" with the majority Conservative government, as they "seemed to have things on track". When questioned further on precisely what he meant, he simply replied "Look now, I've done the politics thing I've said me bits and bobs, but now I'm older I can recognise its time to make peace with the way of things and not cause too much of a stir...focus on a small specific achievable change you want to bring about, such as my green energy initiatives in Scotland, and see it through, if everyone did that we'd have a lot less bother.".

In under a year Creosote appeared to dramatically U-turn on this worldview, getting caught up in the Vote Leave campaign in 2016. He was booted out of Vote Leave on March 3rd 2016 for his erratic and raucous behaviour, and rejected from joining Leave.EU for similar reasons. Not one to be set back, he set up his own campaign, Creosote Says Leave!, and belted around the country in a second hand removal van with a PA system rigged inside. He would regularly use this to interrupt actual Vote Leave press visits to towns. A reporter for the guardian recounted one such event; 'As Boris dismounted his bus a spectacle occurred which was surely appalling for everyone involved, the Creosote Says Leave! van swung round into the same car park and the PA crackled. What followed were three minutes of ear splitting feedback, among which snippets of Creosote's bluster could be made out, reciting random statistics about public spending and the EU rebate'.

Creosote's uncoordinated fight for the leave option culminated in an appearance on Question Time on May 23rd 2016. He was placed on a panel with Nigel Farage, Dianne Abbot, Justine Greening and Russel Brand. Many noted that this was the only time Brand appeared on a political discussion and was not the on interrupting most. Creosote sat with a truly enormous pile of papers in front of him, and repeatedly whirled around in his chair to shout "Please sir now allow me to check some facts-", prompting David Dimbleby to interrupt, "Jeremiah pleeease, cease this business allow her to speak-", encouraging Creosote to flap his papers and exclaim "B-but I think the facts are important.". Besides this, Creosote's arguments varied from reasonable and articulate defences of the leave case to truly baffling points which seemed to bare no weight or meaning. For example, particularly elongated spiel about how his grandmother had originally moved from Germany, and that it would've been easier in the EU today, though he struggled to justify why he thought this would be a bad thing when pressed, simply responding "I'm not sayin' its a bad thing, its just worth bearing in mind, these things are always worth thinking about the trouble is many people don't and I dislike it.". The whole episode introduced a new generation to he bizarre personality of Creosote, and it is partly attributed to his continued notoriety in the UK.

Prior to the 2017 general election, Creosote claimed on Twitter that his Brexit campaign was actually an attempt to discredit Vote Leave through elaborate parody. The announcement met with a mixed response, with many sceptical of whether this was actually the case. A week later, Howard Taft claimed Creosote had told him as much in an email in May 2016.

Media Controversies
Over the years Creosote has attracted media controversy and criticism for provocative remarks and actions, his legal and financial wrongdoings were also publicised but are a large enough to have their own section in this article.

In 1988 and 1989 Mr Creosote was the only member of Creosote to publicly address the former bandmate Eric McShane, who was at the time doing a minor media circuit as the 'forgotten member' for his early gigs with Taft and Hudson. Creosote called him 'pathetic and 'a loser', and suggested he 'go back to thumping his tubs for the school band'. While some agreed with this view, others pointed out McShane was merely making use of this moderate publicity to provide for his wife and two children, and hardly seemed a person deserving of public abuse from far richer and more successful figures.

In 1994 he came under heavy fire for allegedly celebrating the death of Kurt Cobain, however he claimed the £10,000 fireworks display held at his mansion in Scotland on the 10th of April was purely incidental. There were claims he had played the song "Smells like Teen Spirit", during the 'carnival-like atmosphere'. He had previously criticised Nirvana as 'the bane of my radio, it plagues record stores and television with that dreadful noise'.

During his 1995 holiday to the Maldives Mr Creosote was photographed sticking two fingers up at a passing French cruise ship from his own private yacht. Later that day, he pursued the vessel in open ocean and fired flares at the ship's cabins, destroying 4 portholes and damaging at least 20. Though nobody was hurt this forced the cruise to be cut short in order to repair the damage. Creosote later evaded charges by claiming it was the result of misfired fireworks, and without substantial evidence nobody could prove otherwise. Many passengers claimed they heard Creosote yelling insults through a loudhailer at the time of the incident, and that'd at one stage entered the water and attempted to swim towards the cruise ship before giving up due to its speed.

In 1999 Creosote was criticized heavily for his claims to have 'come up from the rough parts' when talking about his upbringing in Manchester. Several tabloids circulated pictures of his house which he and his mother occupied from 1974 - 1985, a four bedroom suburban detached with a large drive and gardens. In response he attempted to claim the pictures were 'forgeries' and continued to fabricate stories about having to occupy small flats with his mother on various estates in the late 70s. The comedic 2003 Railway Kings' B-side "I Had it Rough (believe me)", is widely thought to be a remark on this incident, though its punching chorus is commonly used as a rallying cry against 'people who glorify the whole "slumming it" rubbish', as Hudson later put it.

In June 2003 Mr Creosote referred to his former bandmates as 'doley buggahs', alluding to Hudson briefly being on jobseekers allowance around 1984/5. Within a week, the Daily Mail published a story revealing Creosote himself took government welfare for a similar period, despite the support of his wealthy mother likely covering his living expenses. He was roundly condemned for this hypocrisy and actually made a public apology 2 days later, claiming he wasn't aware he had been receiving benefits at the time and would be paying 'every last penny' back to the Department for Work and Pensions. In a spectacular misfire, he had TV cameras follow him to Whitehall where he attempted to pay the sum in coins, only to be informed the payment could under no conditions be legally accepted by the department.

In March 2020 Creosote announced on Twitter that he had resumed drinking 'fun amounts', under close supervision from his doctor. The full extent of Creosote's sobriety had been questioned since 2011, and his wording was taken to confirm the fact he had simply reduced his consumption within those years, though his friends have insisted he had 'fully dry' periods. Throughout 2020, Creosote repeatedly claimed he had never been 'clinically diagnosed' with any form of alcoholism, as he had always been able to resist a drink when he 'really wanted to'. These statements were criticized by many for trivializing alcoholism and potentially spreading misinformation about the addiction. This finally caused the clinic which had treated him in L.A. in 2010 to confirm that Creosote was never diagnosed as an alcoholic, but criticized his statements and stressed to the public that 'in our collective decades of experience, we can safely say Jeremiah is an absolute exception to human medical rules'. Since the easing of lock down in 2021, Creosote has increasingly been sighted in public drinking large quantities, most recently in Italy. In May, his personal doctor echoed the statements of previous doctors by asking the public not to replicate Creosote's habits, before confirming Creosote's drinking had not yet caused any serious health problems.

Legal Troubles
Throughout the Creosote's career he had a reputation for bad behaviour, on and off the stage in the 80s, including run ins with the law over petty assaults and football hooliganism. This escalated into serious lawsuits in the late 90s and 2000s as his business practises were exposed.

Football Hooliganism
In late 1983 Mr Creosote received a police warning for 'pushing bystanders' at a Manchester United game. It was revealed the people involved were not fans of a rival club but simply pedestrians. Details of the event are scant, but Hudson and Taft would later claim Creosote began attending football matches simply to get into trouble, often becoming 'incredibly inebriated', and that he had shown no interest in the sport or supporting Manchester United until that year. Jeremiah would regularly wish United to lose simply to see them relegated from Division 1, so he could travel to the smaller market towns of Division 2 teams on away games and outnumber their support as they had in the 70s. After more 'trouble'. Creosote was banned from several stadiums and began to devote more time to his music, however, a large figure in a trench coat was sighted outside the Maine Road stadium shortly before modified fireworks were loosed over the stadium walls, interrupting an FA Cup match in 1985.

In July 2021, Creosote was sighted by several people at post-match violence after England's defeat in the EURO2020 final. Two days later, The Daily Mirror reported he had assisted in helping Harry Maguire's father into an ambulance after he fractured ribs, while also performing a citizens' arrest on a fan who threw a brick at an Italian restaurant. Investigations into the incident cleared Creosote of any potential wrongdoing in September. It emerged he had not been attending the game, but had watched it on television from a bar in the Wembley area, he announced all drinks were on him after England went 1 nil up in the opening minutes. After witnessing the drunken clientele stream out of the bar in anger at the final result, he went with them, claiming to feel personally responsible for their actions. He subsequently intervened to try and restrain the most violent fans, with the help of the boys, but fled the scene after mere minutes to contact his lawyers.

Driving Offences
Rabbish ahm a good drivah.

Bribery Allegations
The most notable allegation of bribery came when Creosote pressed several £50 notes into the hand of a police officer who was investigating a fracas with a reporter in 1990. Creosote then claimed he intended the money as a gift to get the off-duty officer 'a good lunch'. The police were unconvinced and began a prosecution. Creosote's lawyers argued the amount was genuinely what he considered a reasonable spends for a light lunch, bringing receipts from L'Elegance of his recent orders, going so far as to wheel out entire meals in the courtroom to make the point. Furthermore, they alleged the police were discriminating against Creosote based on his weight by failing to recognise his differing perspectives on meal spending as a result. The jury was convinced by the argument that Creosote genuinely did not intend a bribe after being shown the courses he himself would order for lunch.

Creosote Inc. Lawsuits
Bah

Assaults
Ah nevah laid a hand on Bob