Sad another one bites the dust. I was pleasantly surprised by the use of The Groundhogs 'Cherry Red' whilst watching episode 2 of 'Gallows Pole' last night. Shane Meadows industrial revolution drama includes beginning and ending titles by neo psych bands The Mystery Lights and Goat as well.
Just found out about the passing of Tony Mcphee,whos recordings with Herbal Mixture maybe more interest to some than The Groundhogs catalogue,which can be an accquired taste,as much of it is blues based,though they moved into more prog territory.
Unfortunately as we get older,the people we admire for their creativity,musicianship,and songwriting WILL leave BEFORE most of us,as like myself i was born in 1968,so like other people,this type of news unfortunately will be a regular thing,i DONT know those creative musical people personally,so i dont't get bereft with sorrow or sadness,how could i,as i've never met them,but i do like any caring human being,have sympathy for those they leave behind,and have respect for the work they have left for enternity,well after it's my time to leave this dimension.
Its known that an individual can be hugely talented,write,play and record great music,but can be a horrible human being,so not to sound heartless,i can't get emotional or bereft when another musician whos music i enjoy passes on,i absolutely had deep admiration for ex Beatle George Harrison,as he was the ONLY Beatle to keep with his spiritualism,and eastern philosophy,but even though i'd saw him constantly on TV and heard the music throughout my life,he WAS a stranger to me,so when George did pass,i DID feel a tinge of sadness,but i've never got the hysteria people feel and show when their favoirite pop star,movie star etc passes,as they are strangers.It's the image they have in their minds that is causing hysterics i'm sure,but the celebrity obsessed times we NOW live in,people are hysterical with grief whenever someone "famous"passes.
I've felt real grief,real sorrow and been bereft and inconsolable,when losing my mum in particular,Uncle,and passed pets i had a close bond with....as i spent most of my days and life with them,i even lost my Dad,but i was not bereft or grief ridden,as i hardly knew him,how could i be with a man i barely knew?He had no part of my life for the vast majority of it,its only because i tracked him down after decades,that i had a image in my brain of him ,as id not saw him since i was 7 years old,but after finding him,quickly after he passed away with cancer.I was disappointed of course that i never got time to create a bond,but i wasn't in grief,as in truth,he may have been our Dad,but he could have been anyone.
So i'm ALWAYS puzzled with scenes of hysterical grief for strangers,who are musicians,actors etc,maybe its the bond of the music or their work,but still the individual is a stranger,where we only know them through their works.maybe it's more to do with the image we have of them in our heads?Who knows.