Bonzo Blog Blah Blah

Yet another friend of the sixties who still has his own hair is this gentleman, who's name escapes me. If anyone can help me out - he is Neil Innes, Roger Ruskin Spear, Rodney Slater, Sam Spoons, Vernon Dudley Bohay Nowell, Bob Kerr or "Legs" Larry Smith - collectively known as the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. I briefly worked with him in a children's home in North London. I remember he came to work on a bicycle and was quite reserved. I guess that was his day job!

If my appalling memory serves me rightly (unlikely, but stranger things have happened in the Band) they had already become quite well known by then and had certainly been on the telly, yet no one treated him as special. No one asked for an autograph or went into hero worship mode. I guess this was before the mass hysteria of fame fame fame which seems to haunt so many today. As I recall it, living in Hampstead, he had competition. As students we often went for a wander across Hampstead Heath and commented on the possibility that we might see some pop groups also going for a walk. And we did! I could never work out who was who but I daresay there were some pretty famous names in there.

Students in those days were quite snobbish about who was "in" and "cool" (a word resurrected) and I think Bonzo Dog was not "cool" at that stage. I remember liking them but keeping quiet about it. I had already wrecked what little street credibility I had by playing "I'm a Tiger" by Lulu at a Westfield College gig we did. Someone much more savvy rushed across and quickly changed the record. I was never allowed to be a DJ again! However, I did bump into Tony Blackburn in Kilburn one Sunday morning and I thought about asking for an autograph but all I had with me was a loaf of bread so I just said "Hi". No one was very impressed about that either. Sorry, Tony, and that was before The Goodies got their teeth into you.

Well Bonzo Dog are still on the touring circuit, almost as cheaply as the geriatric trips to the German Christmas markets. More info HERE. As for me, all this excitement has brought back a load more ALMOST FAMOUS memories which I will post another time. Perhaps I could re-write my life in the sixties around the bass guitar I played and finally gave as a present to another friend, Shastri (otherwise known as Mike Hall from Colwyn Bay, read medieval literature at North West London Poly) . Giving up the guitar was a huge symbolic gesture for me. I made my mind up that day that I was not going to be a pop star (a wise decision) and I knew how much Shastri wanted to be one - for all the right reasons - he was totally immersed in it. I hope he got what he wanted and I hope my donation helped along the way. Trouble is, we have all lost touch with him (yes, another one) so if anyone out there can find Shastri let me know.

Pierre

Tags: Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band bicycle Hampstead pop cool Lulu Westfield College DJ Tony Blackburn Kilburn Goodies sixties ALMOST FAMOUS Shastri Mike Hall Colwyn Bay North West London Poly