Wednesday, February 27, 2008





Only visiting this Planet


Larry Norman died on 24th February 2008.
Received a text from Sheila yesterday.
I wonder if the Sheilas remember him?


When we lived and worked in a club fpr leather jacketed Hells Angel types of humans - back in the days when I was 28ish I fell in love with Larry.
His music was so fresh. Music which related to my faith at that time - was non existent. It was all slushy folk music - and then this man brought some great lyrics and a real rock sound to my ears-soul-life ........... and we went to see him on tour in Liverpool our nearest city.

So there I was in a pokey little flat above the Club. Joan Joy (and Ann just born there) I played this LP (now called albums!!) plastic disc non-stop.

There is a good review of his life in the Guardian today and we will see others pop up in forthcoming weeks as the monthlies catch up.

I remember when I was at St Helens YMCA where I used to run big concerts in the sports hall all the time - adverts in NME and Melody Maker (remember that newspaper?)
I remember, in my old gig promoting era, putting on a concert with Larry Norman in St Helens at the Theatre Royal (big local gig venue - I thought in them days) and he did a storming concert. Ever so powerful - but at the end, the angry stage manager dropped the fire curtain on him because he just would not leave the stage.

He played Greenbelt a number of times. Some of his antics and comments were strange - but his music gripped.
The last time he was on the Rolling Magazine Show and The Very Stinking Late Show hosted by Martin and me - I remember almost pushing him off stage as he went into some strange long rambling sermon. He was great with his music but seemed, in his latter years, to just overkill the words.

I will do some scratching around for some of his stuff and give it a re listen.

God bless you Larry Norman.
Beautiful Imperfection like us all - only different.
Only Visiting this Planet.





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