Being told about Jesus by his record producer made Marcus Pagnum, better known as MAX, give up music for six months. Now he records self-penned albums, gigs with Bliss and moonlights with a Beatles look-alike band! Ian Boughton reports.

Recording those backing tapes is the kind of work he is used to. As a singer/songwriter, Max records at home on equipment he dismisses as "laughable rubbish!", but has produced some well-constructed songs with quite astonishing multi-tracked work with the assistance of the Tribe set-up in final mixes.

His three self-penned tapes have each brought forth praise from Cross Rhythms' reviewers. "Here is a man who's explored the mysterious musical alchemy of blending voice, melody, lyric and arrangement," said CR14 abut '92's 'Max's Tape'; "The album...shines with a luminous innocence recalling the carefree glories of '60s pop with just a tad of the Hot House Flowers of today," enthused CR19 about '93's 'Wonderful Day'. Then CR33 spoke about this year's 'Plastic' and how "One day some clever record company will offer this consummate song craftsman a CD deal." In the meantime, Max continues with his do-it-yourself tapes. And his band Bliss.

"In Bliss, I take a bit of a back seat as a songwriter, but my songwriting does two jobs: in shows, it gives me the chance to explain a song before we do it, and I get the chance to sell my tapes, which means the audience takes them home - and then they get what it's all about."

There is just one big exception to his commitment to Christian music. "Oh, I was a Beatles fan from the day I learned to work a record player! My other band is The Beatles (Not!), which is a secular relaxation that funds itself, but it gets worryingly realistic. We bought a replacement drum kit from the '60s, we play replica Rickenbackers, we wear authentic wigs and we even used to have the screams on a backing tape, but we lost it!"

It's easier to keep a secular band going than a Christian band - the secular band can always turn its hand to a few pubs and social clubs to earn some money when things get tough; not so a CCM band.

And yet, grins Max, this could be just another misconception. "It's strange -Zarc and Mark tried for years to get somewhere with secular music and got nowhere. Now, the more they seek the Kingdom of God, the more things fall into place for them!

"Bliss did consider being a full time band and we considered mailshotting every church in the country... As it is, we do alright, even if we don't make any money. We're useful to God and that's why we do it."