Now, in case anybody is interested, here are my answers to the survey and, if I have learned anything at all during this exercise it is that it is easier setting questions than answering them!
First ever gift record:
Switched on Bach - Walter Carlos
First single with your own money:
Lily the Pink - The Scaffold
First LP with your own money:
Piledriver - Status Quo
Favourite top three singles ever:
No Matter What - Badfinger
Mexico - The Les Humphries Singers
Black Betty - Ram Jam
Favourite top three LPs ever:
Play Don't Worry - Mick Ronson
Wishbone Four - Wishbone Ash
Focus 3 - Focus
Three LPs that you own that you think nobody else will have ever heard:
El Cid Symphony - Ernie Fishbach & Charles Ewing - a three LP box of sitar
Self-titled - Mom's Apple Pie - got two of these; one with censored cover, one uncensored
Somebody's in My Orchard - Anita Harris
Favourite top three artists from 'The World of' series:
Val Doonican
The Les Humphries Singers
Jacques Loussier
Favourite top three LP covers:
No Pussyfooting - Brian Eno and Robert Fripp
Wishbone Four - Wishbone Ash
Led Zeppelin 3
Favourite record label:
Embassy
First gig:
Jack the Lad - Amersham College - 1974ish
Most recent gig:
Jeff Beck - Albert Hall - 2012ish
Favourite gig:
Bruce Springsteen - Wembley Stadium - Summer 1985ish
Other gigs that you attended that you consider notable:
Bob Dylan - Albert Hall - 2012ish
Thin Lizzy - Hemel Hempstead Pavilion - 1970s
Wishbone Ash - Hemel - 1970s
Cream - Albert Hall - 2005
Al de Meola - Ronnie Scott's - 2010ish
Favourite book (fiction):
The Gormanghast Trilogy - Mervyn Peake
Favourite book (non-fiction):
A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson
Favourite comic when you were a kid:
Beezer
Favourite top three films ever:
Easy Rider
The Deerhunter
Kill Bill(s)
Favourite painter:
Henri Rousseau
Favourite painting:
The Execution of Lady Jane Grey - Paul Delaroche
You may remember Ian asking, towards the end of his conversation section, 'Have you ever met a musician?' Now, assuming that he meant a 'well-known' musician, my answer would be, 'Why, yes I have!'
Ahem! It all happened many, many years ago ... I used to be a season ticket holder at Watford Football Club and so, on this Saturday afternoon, where else would I be? Well, it was a third division game against Carlisle so even I can come up with several answers to this question now. So, anyway, I bought my programme from the usual seller (who, incidentally, worked for Harrow Council coz I saw him driving one of their dustcarts) and made my way to the ground and my usual standing position on the North East corner, and began to peruse my prog. Imagine my chagrin when I realised that I had a 'lucky' programme winning third prize in a draw run by the sponsors of this particular game, Hoover! Chagrin because I was requested to decamp and muster on the the pitch at half-time. Still, the thought of returning to my spot with a pocket full of cash rendered it bearable and I enjoyed the first half. At the half-time whistle, off I went, just knowing that everyone I passed knew exactly where I was going. It was something in the way that they all completely ignored me that gave it away. Anyway, soon I was waiting on the pitch with two other blokes looking anything but lucky. We were chatting about the roar of the crowd as we came out when all of a sudden there was a real roar as the club chairman joined us. Now, those footy fans amongst you might be ahead of us here but the chairman of Watford at that time was, as George Michael imaginatively referred to him as during his live recording of 'Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me', Mr Elton John! Yep, so there I was, hobnobbing with The Rocketman, proudly clutching my steam iron! Well, I say hobnobbing - the conversation largely centred upon his dislike of John Travolta's tune that was playing out of the speakers, 'Sandy'. He was cursing as he thought that they should be playing his tune, 'Part Time Love'. If he'd asked me, I would have said they were both rubbish!
So, that's my two pennorth on the subject. You might be pleased to know that I will now crawl back under my stone and await your bigger and better stories of your brush with fame.
Until next time ...
Now, in the absence of any new 'brush with fame' stories, I have another for you. When I was at Northwick Park Hospital, which is where I met Ian, incidentally, he was cricket club captain and bothered me to join in the Sunday sessions throughout the summers. Couldn't bat, couldn't bowl but I could catch a ball ... Oh, and I had an estate car which comfortably took the kit bag! I was in! Anyway, we were playing away in Finsbury Park or somewhere in North London on a nice, sunny afternoon with opponents comprising an even more motley bunch than ourselves - particularly their wicket keeper. He was quite a bit older than the rest of us and looked unnecessarily dishevelled. Still, he was in jovial good spirits ... clearly it was the good spirits that were keeping him jovial but heck! It was a sunny Sunday afternoon. Any road up, we were fielding and it was normal for the batting team to supply umpires for their innings so with me being positioned in my usual position of anywhere between point and silly point I was facing their square leg umpire, who was ... guess who. I had plenty of time to keep an eye on him and slowly it began to dawn me ... and you know how a tune creeps up on you and attaches itself to the brainiacs, well, on a quiet afternoon in the Shurey dome, it was the shuffling jump of Resurrection Shuffle that began to take over and then it rather suddenly, rather rudely, I thought, crept up on me that there was 160g of ferocious red orb on its way. No problem. It would have missed me by a good two metres. All the more surprising, then, that it ended up in my right hand after a stupendous diving catch. Now, just as I had a good view of their ump, he must have had a good one of me coz as we were leaving the pitch at the end of their innings, he threw his arms to his right in mime of the highlight of the game so far to me. And in that moment, with the Shuffle still shuffling around on the internal beat box, it came to me - Tony Ashton of Ashton, Gardner & Dyke! We might have been soundly beaten as he wasn't required to bat and nor was he in the bar later. That was a shame as I reckon I may have had a few more memories to impart, legal restrictions permitting.
Ian responded:
I too remember Tony Ashton. I don’t know why I ignored him in favour of the Melly Meister in my recollections.
Well it's correct to tell us your Melly story coz he is a 'World of' star!
Apart from the smell of his (Tony Ashton) beery breath from behind the stumps, I recall chatting to him in the social club, and him saying “I had a hit record a few years ago, which you might remember: Resurrection Shuffle”. Remember!? Of course I did. I wanted to hear every detail of the recording process, every gig they ever played, and what they had for breakfast, but sadly, awestrukiness struck me down again and I said very little in reply.
Predictably, Ian and I have different recollections and it rather sounds like we came up against this adversary more than once. Perhaps I was dropped from the team for one of those times.