I loved that guy. His books. His music. His journalism. His performance. his surrealism.

I particularly love his interpretation of Cole Porter's Lets Do IT! he used to bunny hop across the stage, despite his great age and ludicrous physical condition, as a graphic illustration of the line:-

EVEN COURAGEOUS KANGAROOS DO IT!

Now that is commitment. You wouldn't find any of these bloody old farts singing trad music that would PERFORM so vividly. They think they've they've made an artistic statement if they take their finger from one ear to the other, and smirk occasionally.


I did get an offer to do a gig with him from Paul Mackenzie of radio Derby. I was a life long admirer of George's salacious reading of Jelly Roll Morton's Winding Boy. That and Ian Buchanan's masterful guitar transposition of the same song - sold me on folk music a million years ago.....

see the album notes on my website for my first album, if this intrigues you. I believe believe basically that folk music is about living people, rather than rubbish from some folk museum.

However I was supply teaching so I never got to work with my hero. No doubt if i knew how the Arts Council worked , I would never have been in that situation of financial shit. They DO pay you to go round village halls singing songs on a subject - a bit like a twelve year old's classroom project, I've been told.