...I'll See You on the Next One...

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We said goodbye to John today at Lodge Hill, Birmingham: the remainder of John's family, The Lads that are left who could attend, and other friends of John's considerable orbit. After a bugger of a drive from home here in North Wales - temporary traffic lights, tailbacks around Shrewsbury and a bloody tractor for about five miles I picked up outside Bridgnorth, all conspired to turn a three hour drive into a three-and-a-half-hour drive, resulting in my reaching the door of the crematorium just as they were about to close the doors on the Covid-restricted throng.

A very nice, humanist service accented by some beautifully curated favourite music of John's and personal observations from us Lads, a short period of private reflection: altogether a fitting tribute to my old mate. Afterwards at the Bell in Harborne, I had a chance to catch up with some very dear friends, some of whom I haven't seen in a very long time - Brooker, N take a bow as the person I haven't seen for the longest (well over forty years and still as mad as a box of frogs!). Great to see everyone, a pity it had to be under such sad circumstances.

In the pic above is the second guitar John ever bought, kindly given to me by John's nieces and Dawn, and retrieved by Neil (thanks so much also for the Drive-By Truckers CD's - I've got much to listen to!): the Eko Ranger 12 was added to his original Eko Ranger 6 in the mid-seventies, and most of his songs were written on these two guitars. It obviously hasn't been used for some time and it looks like John was last using it as a six-string, so it needs a bit of TLC and some new strings to get it ringing again like it used to back then. It is featured against two of my most recently completed projects: Project Pew and the ORC. I think I've got my next project in the twelve-string - I'll try and do it the justice it deserves, in John's memory.


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