Well, I'd love to help you out, but frankly there's not too much out there.
Come on now, respect the guy's privacy, eh? :)
Meanwhile, as long as you're here, feel free to read on as I attempt to fill your head with some virtually useless, yet sometimes stimulating, *ahem*, tidbits about our beloved Stu. Considering how Stuart can be quite the comedian, I can't guarantee that all of the following is completely facutal ;) Plus there's plenty of visual aids to help during your journey...
Meaning of the name Stuart: Keeper of the Estate
More on the name Stuart...
Stuart was born on October 22, 1969 (making him a Libra... something which he told me himself!)
This also makes Stuart the youngest in the band (and in his family).
He attended high school at Sandwich Secondary in Windsor ON, along with Jeff Martin (then known as Jeff Brill??) and Jeff Burrows. All three are natives to the Windsor area. (Awwwe... Stu has ALWAYS been the cutest...)
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A few different bands were had by the boys throughout their school years, both separately and collectively. JM and JB used to be in a band around the age of ten, and later, at the age of about seventeen, Stu and JM were in The Stickmen together, in which Stuart used to actually sing and play guitar. 'I Like It Like That' is a fine example of this venture.
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Shortly after these high school years, and failed band chemistries, Stu, JM and JB got together and The Tea Party was formed (in 1990 to be exact).
It is apparent that Stuart is of British descent...
"I played golf for 14 years, I'm English actually... Never professionally or anything- I get so serious on the course, national pride is on the line, you know?"
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Eh-oh! I have come to learn that this quote (taken from the October '99 issue of Buzz Magazine) is wrong... Stu has informed me that it wasn't golf, but soccer that he played for 14 years. Also, I've received confirmation on the British descendant part... Stuart was in fact born in England.
Some of Stuart's mentionable musical influences include: The Jam, Echo & the Bunnymen, Led Zeppelin, Jeff Buckley, Dead Can Dance, Morcheeba, Lamb, and Moby.
Stuart displays an obvious interest in Eastern philosophies, such as Buddhism and Taoism.
Oh, Stuart is also a vegetarian (hence the "Vegetarian Stu is m'm m'm good!" deal on the main page...), but he also mentioned to me that, "I try and eat vegetarian, but fall victim to seafood in Australia." Thanks for that little bit of info Stu! :)
"Yarra Yerring! It's a Victorian wine--one of my favourite wines in the world. It's expensive."
This here photo was taken whilst the boys were doing some German radio promotion in January of 2000. In Stu's hand, you see a small square package... but what is it? It's a Ritter Sport, which is a brand of a German chocolate bar. The kind that Stu is 'displaying' is Alpenmilch (pure milk chocolate), and a clear image of it is displayed below. Just a little more virtually useless information ;)
In a J-Files installment on Triple J (October 7/99), Stuart and JM were talking about The Stickmen and their 'mod phase'. This leads into a conversation about still owning Lambrettas, and Stu states, "He's (JM's) a Lamby guy, I'm a Vespa guy." So, of course I decided to link Vespa's Official Site below...
Now, I should definitely mention just exactly what Stuart does within the greatest band ever known to mankind...
Originally, he was merely the bassist, back when The Tea Party was more of just a meat and potatoes kinda band. Back then, the rhythm and soul of his technique was much more dominant. Then, with the arrival of Splendor Solis, yet more prominant on The Edges of Twilight, Stuart started to dabble on the keys amongst various other instruments of far off lands. With over 30 instruments used on Edges, Stuart certainly had quite the role to play. Some of the instruments included in his experimentation are; the Santoor, Sarod and Sitar. Alhambra presented some fabulous musical exploration, remixing some of The Edges contents. The apparent "electronica" sound of Transmission, was actually natural sounds, filtered or distorted, all readily available on his keyboards. The band's latest venture, TRIPtych, sees Stuart writing most of the music for Underground, Taking Me Away, and Great Big Lie.
I personally find Stuart thrilling to watch live (along with the amazing feats of the Jeffs). "We're prepared to do whatever it takes... [even] if I have to use all my limbs to create [the] sounds live." And he could probably do it to. With Stuart and the Jeffs, you know you're getting everything they've got to give.
Stuart has said that the most difficult, yet rewarding instrument to learn has been the cello. "I'm left handed, so that was the hardest thing." And the most enjoyable? "The most enjoyable was piano, and the hammer dulcer."
The Tea Party are very involved in the visual aspect of the band, Stuart in particular. Art co-ordination credit goes to Stuart for the Splendor Solis LP, partial credit for the concept of Transmission's artwork as well as creating the painting that can be found on its cover. The painting is entitled 'The Earth We Inherit', which was inspired by a work by Turner. Once again, cover concept credit went to Stuart for TRIPtych.
Stuart, like the Jeffs, has certainly changed his look over the last decade in the public eye. Hair seemingly plays quite the role in appearance. Let's take a look, shall we?
Those good ol' indie days...
The natural long-haired brunette...
The long-haired blonde...
Parted at the side... hey hey...
The early tx look...
The tx promo look...
The i&i look...
The hat look...
The look of the now...
Another look at the now...
Ever notice that since the indie days Stu has ALWAYS been clad in black pants? Hmm...
Here's an interesting pic I came across :) White stripy pantalons!
(Mind you, Stu looks good in anything!)
Oooh... here's another look at those stripey pants...
And now a look at Stu's signature item... those ever-sexy shades...
Stuart claims to have very sensitive feet...
If you desire a taste of Stuart's intelligent, humourous, and overall witty character, may I suggest my Quotes Page.
this is the way...
Damn Stu is fine!
It should also be known that Stuart possesses the biggest feet in the band :)
Wanting something a little more specific? Well you asked for it! He wears size 10.5 to 11 :)
If you have any information about Stu that you would like to share, send 'er my way!
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