Isherwood,Nelson and Disley

Subject: RE: Isherwood,Nelson and Disley
From: Geordie-Peorgie
Date: 01 Feb 07 - 04:41 PM

Aah've got 'Vision Weaver' on cassette

Aye Annie! At that memorial concert my young daughters got to sing 'Lankety' in front of Jon's daughter (for whom it was writ)

Big Mark Williams told how Fitz had decided that the best thing for Mark's rehab was learning to play the guitar - Only two chords and one song but played for five days until Fitz thought it was OK

Subject: RE: Isherwood,Nelson and Disley
From: GUEST,Guest Anne
Date: 31 Jan 07 - 06:24 PM

Miskinman, I'll see what I can do. So you're still spilling most of it then, well thats one way to cut down on drinking. Annie

Subject: RE: Isherwood,Nelson and Disley
From: Andy Jackson
Date: 30 Jan 07 - 08:42 PM

If you have a supply of Jon's books Annie I'd love a new copy of each. I seem to have soaked both mine in beer!!!
Andy

Subject: RE: Isherwood,Nelson and Disley
From: GUEST,Anne
Date: 30 Jan 07 - 03:49 PM

Yes bubblyrat its the same Jon Fitz, and agreed Georgie Porgie, Fitz was great off the booze. In the old days he used to do Bobby McGee often with Brian Hooper, and Brian and I did a one off duet of it at Jon's memorial concert at Catisfield Folk Club. Its been a few years now since he left us but there may still be tapes available of his songs and there also exists two books of poems - I'll take to Miskin for any interested parties.

Subject: RE: Isherwood,Nelson and Disley
From: Geordie-Peorgie
Date: 30 Jan 07 - 12:58 PM

By Heck, Annie!! You're reet - Aah dee hev the vid somewhere - If aah remember rightly Ish did a spot and so did Shep W. The evening wez MC'd by the lovely Lenny Betts who upended the raffle ticket barrel ower his heid but somebody had poured their beer intiv it!

What a crackin' neet - Aah'm ganna luk for the vid noo.

Jon Fitz! "Tek nee prisoners - Leave nee tracks" - When he wez a drinker and managed te get a bookin' somewhere they'd run a 'sweep' te see what time he'd start a fight !

BUT! When he'd dried oot he was an angel! I met mair than a dozen young men who owed him their lives coz he'd talked them off the booze an'aall

Subject: RE: Isherwood,Nelson and Disley
From: bubblyrat
Date: 30 Jan 07 - 08:49 AM

Andy ( & Anne ) ---by Jon Fitz,do you mean Jon Fitzgerald ? Used to live in Gosport down near Haslar somewhere ? Always doing stuff like "Bobby McGEE " ??

Subject: RE: Isherwood,Nelson and Disley
From: Andy Jackson
Date: 30 Jan 07 - 06:28 AM

Ahh Annie, that's my poor old memory playing tricks on me. I had been listening to a Jon Fitz cassette the day before and obviously it stuck. Now Jon isherwood I remember well. I gave him a lift all the way back to Pompey after a night in one Southampton's several folk clubs. In my little Austin Seven with the roof down and him singing all the way...See my memory works when it wants to.

Andy

Subject: RE: Isherwood,Nelson and Disley
From: Scrump
Date: 29 Jan 07 - 08:10 AM

Sadly, I don't remember those, bubblyrat. I never visited the Gosport club. I was based in Basingstoke at the time, and played regularly in the clubs in Basingstoke, Hook, Swaythling and one more I can't remember now! The Basingstoke one was in the Hop Leaf Hotel near the (old) town centre, but I can't remember the details of the others. I think they were all run by the same bloke - I forget his name but he often used to wear dark glasses indoors (a bit of a 'shady' character - I'll get me coat!) Any of this ring any bells with anyone? It would be good to see if anyone else from those clubs in those days is around! (I stopped playing those clubs when I moved up to London).

Subject: RE: Isherwood,Nelson and Disley
From: bubblyrat
Date: 29 Jan 07 - 07:23 AM

Hey Scrump !! We"ve opened up the nostalgia front with this one !!Try these names as well----Sean Kennedy ( "Fareham--Gateway to the South ")--- Campbell & Reid ( we did some gigs with them--one was RAF Thorney Island,I think !! )----And who was that bloke who used to sing
" I"ll get by with pie in the sky,
   and a bottle of strawberry cheese:
   A clockwork orange in each hand,
and a kiss every time I sneeze.

    You just never forget lyrics like that !!!

Oh yes !! And that eccentric guy who used to turn up at the Den of Folk, couldn"t sing or play & was rumoured to have an anti-aircraft gun in his garden !!   Funny place,Gosport !!

Subject: RE: Isherwood,Nelson and Disley
From: GUEST,Laz
Date: 28 Jan 07 - 07:28 PM

Try this site:- http://www.jon-isherwood.com/

Subject: RE: Isherwood,Nelson and Disley
From: GUEST,Guest Anne
Date: 28 Jan 07 - 05:59 PM

I knew all three, but can't recall ever seeing them play together. I have done spots on the same nights as Diz and Pat, and remember once having a long chat with Jon at the India arms Southsea, on my return to Portsmouth after a few years 'up north'. Pat Nelson once borrowed my guitar at the Den of Folk Gosport, and he was very encouraging to me then, when I was a young teenage folkie just starting out. Many years later, after several years of not singing, I made my 'comeback' at a Pat Nelson evening,in Westbourne, when once again he was very supportive. The evening was videod by someone so I have a nice memento to keep. Bet you've got one too Georgie Porgie 'cos you were there!

Miskinman how did Jon Fitz get into this conversation? Knew him too though although as you know he passed on a few years back.

Subject: RE: Isherwood,Nelson and Disley
From: Geordie-Peorgie
Date: 28 Jan 07 - 03:59 PM

Aye!! Aah remember the three of them well! They used to (rarely) gig as a threesoem caalled 'Father, Mother & Son'

Aah wez lucky enough to have Pat & Jon as friends for a very short while before they left and when Pat wez diagnosed with his cancer it wez mooted to have his Memorial concert early with him as the headline - Pat thought it wez a brilliant idea but unfortunately it never transpired.

Colin Pearce (Half of 'The Pearce Brothers' who played extensively with the three of 'em) has remixed all of Jons songs onto one album and done the same with Pat's album too and aah am proud owner of both (vynil wore oot years ago)

Lovely te knaah that Diz is still with us though!

Subject: RE: Isherwood,Nelson and Disley
From: Andy Jackson
Date: 28 Jan 07 - 02:48 PM

Pat Nelson singing "Red velvet steering wheel covered dri-iver"
Written I believe by Jeremy Taylor, but always Pat's for me.
Too numerous Jon Fitz to single one out.

Andy

Subject: RE: Isherwood,Nelson and Disley
From: Scrump
Date: 28 Jan 07 - 02:21 PM

I remember all 3, but I don't think I ever saw them together. Diz Dizley was probably the best known.

Pat Nelson was the first person I heard sing "Streets of London", which I thought was a great song when I heard him do it. He was a pretty good guitarist (played a Gibson then, from what I can remember). I don't particularly remember him as a 'funny man' though - I thought he was more in the 'serious' vein. This would be about 1969-70.

I played several gigs with Jon Isherwood in Hants - I was a resident at four different folk clubs in Hants and he was a frequent guest at them all.

He was always a laugh and I considered him to be in the same vein as Frew Wedlock, Mike Harding, Billy Connolly, etc., i.e. a 'folk comedian'. Sadly he never had as much success as any of that lot.

I didn't know he and Pat were no longer with us and I'm sorry to hear that. But I have happy memories, especially of Jon!

Does anyone remember a bloke called 'Mister' Chris Shaw, who also used to play those Hants clubs in those days? He was another singer/guitarist. For some reason I thought of him the other day, and this thread reminded me of him.

Subject: RE: Isherwood,Nelson and Disley
From: Leadfingers
Date: 28 Jan 07 - 10:50 AM

Diz is NOT a well man , not having made a good recovery from his heart operation ! I took Diz to Steve Benbow's funeral and he is VERY Frail , though quite upbeat about getting fitter all the time .
Sadly , he cant play at the moment , but IS improving slowly !
!

Subject: RE: Isherwood,Nelson and Disley
From: Alec
Date: 28 Jan 07 - 10:03 AM

For what it's worth Jon Isherwood's Apple album was "Old Time Movies", (Apple Pie R5753)

Subject: RE: Isherwood,Nelson and Disley
From: GUEST,Terry McDonald
Date: 28 Jan 07 - 09:56 AM

I remember Pat Nelson from the mid sixties - he was the compere (and had a spot of his own) on a couple of radio shows (BBC West of England Home Service) that we (the Biddles) did. Nice chap. We met Jon (I think it was Jon rather than John) Isherwood a few times, probably at clubs in the Southampton area. And in case anyone wonders why 'Biddles' - it started as a joke, Biddle is Dorset dialect for Beetle......

Subject: RE: Isherwood,Nelson and Disley
From: GUEST,Graham Bradshaw
Date: 28 Jan 07 - 09:46 AM

Oh, yes I do. Great memories. Derek Sarjeant probably knows more about all 3 than anybody else I can think of.
They all used to appear regularly at Derek's Surbiton Folk Club in the 60s, where I was one of the junior residents. I also remember John playing 2 whistles at the same time, one up each nostril. And doing somersaults off the top of the piano (pre-dating Otway by years). But, at the same time he was a fine guitarist and singer, and wrote some good serious songs as well as the funny stuff. Also got signed up by the Beatles' Apple organisation in the 60s, but nothing came of it.
Pat Nelson was a real gentleman,more at the Country end of things. (In fact I have a feeling he may have guest-presented 'Country Meets Folk' on BBC Radio). He certainly had a regular show on both TV and Radio on the South Coast. I even got to play a bit of guitar on one of his records once!
Diz, of course, is a legend in the true sense. He's not playing anymore, but is still going reasonably strong (Last I heard) after a a bit of trouble with the old ticker in the past couple of years. He'll be 78 this year. In the late 60s and early 70s, he single-handedly regenerated the career of Stephane Grapelli, who was distinctly unfashionable at that point. Recreating the old Hot Club repertoire, with Diz in the role of Django, they went on to become one of the 'hottest' acts on the planet, touring concert halls all over the World. And surely everybody remembers that performance on Parkinson when Grapelli wiped the floor with Yehudi Menuhin, with Diz in the background with the band, clowning around just as he always did. Diz always did the folk clubs, and for years was the biggest crowd puller bar none.

Graham

Subject: RE: Isherwood,Nelson and Disley
From: Zany Mouse
Date: 28 Jan 07 - 08:27 AM

I don't know the other two but Diz was one of my favourite guests at The Punchbowl in Tunbridge Wells. We used to ache with laughter.

Rhiannon

Subject: Isherwood,Nelson and Disley
From: bubblyrat
Date: 28 Jan 07 - 07:23 AM

Does anyone have any memories of these three, Jon Isherwood, Pat Nelson, and Dizz Disley performing together ?? I remember them doing it at various venues in the Portsmouth area in the early seventies---They were amazingly funny,regularly reducing audiences to tears ! Of course, Diz Disley was the most famous of the three, but Pat Nelson,with his bottle-green 3-piece corduroy suit,was a good solo act,I thought, and Jon Isherwood ("The Cucumber Song ") was---well, unique,to say the least !! I believe that both Pat and Jon have moved on to doing celestial ( or infernal !! ) gigs now, but Diz Disley is still going strong ,isn"t he ??