A punk rock singer who was written off both at school and during his working life is using his love of music and art to start his own business.
Tony Houghton, (48) from Cramlington had the worst possible start in life when as a toddler; he was almost killed in a road accident resulting in a full year of his formative childhood being spent as a hospital patient.
Tony’s school life was no better, regarded as a trouble maker and given no support for his favourite subject, art, he was told by his teacher that he would achieve nothing in life and that he was a drain on society.
The lack of self-confidence caused by the accident and his school experiences led him to a series of low paid jobs including a toilet cleaner and a Christmas grotto painter, all of which enabled him to buy materials for his passion in life – art.
Another passion of Tony was the new music phenomenon that was sweeping the nation – punk rock.
“For the very first time in my life I had a purpose and an outlet for my artistic flair,” said Tony.
“In the late 70’s I was in a punk band called Collision and I’m pleased to say that 35 years later we are still gigging now and filling venues all over the North East. The band has helped me in a number of ways both with my confidence and as an inspiration for my art.”
After being made redundant from his job as a cleaner, Tony suffered from severe depression and locked himself away as a recluse for three years.
Tony’s recovery from depression came from an unlikely source. Reading an American Marvel comic, Tony was fascinated by the distinctive art style of artist Alex Ross who was praised for his realistic, human depictions of classic comic book characters.
This style gave Tony the idea to use his love of music and in particular punk, to paint pictures of his heroes including Sid Vicious, Joe Strummer, Debbie Harry and David Bowie.
Tony has now formed a business called Sewer Rat Art and his paintings are currently on display in two outlets, Paper Cuts and the Loft Gallery in Whitley Bay.
“Things are really looking up for me, I’m selling my work, I’ve disciplined myself to a work ethos and my health is a lot better. To top it all off, I’ve just become engaged.
Everything looks set to be on course for a great future for Tony despite these very apt, personal and relevant lyrics “no future for you” that he sings in the band when covering the Sex Pistols track, “God Save The Queen”
“I hope that I’ve shown that anyone can turn their lives around despite adversity and illness and use the talents they were born with to make them a better future.”
