Jools Holland has revealed that his mother nearly killed him and his drummer Gilson Lavis when she detonated a car explosion during a 1985 documentary shoot. The incident occurred while filming a Channel 4 special called Walking to New Orleans, which featured performances from music legends including Fats Domino.
The 67-year-old musician explained that a props man, known as “Italian Joe”, had rigged the 1970s Oldsmobile Delta 98 with explosives. Joe enlisted Holland’s mother, June, to press the detonator, reasoning that if something went wrong, Holland would not sue his own mother. “I wasn’t entirely happy with the health and safety arrangements,” Holland told the Mirror.
Holland and Lavis were instructed to walk towards the car and were told it would explode when they reached a twig on the ground. However, they passed the twig and continued walking. The blast threw them off their feet. “Another few footsteps, I think, it could've gone badly wrong,” Holland reflected. “But because we were young, we just kept going. And we survived.”
The original documentary and a new retrospective film, airing on BBC4, mark the 40th anniversary of the road trip. Holland also recounted meeting Fats Domino, who initially could not understand his South London accent, but the pair bonded over music. “That, for me, is one of the highlights of my musical career, of my life, really – playing with Fats Domino,” he said.
