Wilderness

I’m not going to dwell too much on the years where George was ill, it’s too emotional.  I had heard that he had had some sort of stroke and that it had caused some neurological damage and affected his balance. When I spoke to him a while afterwards, he said that it had affected the way he heard music and it “just didn’t sound right”.  He sounded awful subdued, and this was heartbreaking to hear. Music was his life and to have that taken away was the worst thing that could happen. He later said that he felt it was coming back, and his neurologist had told him that another part of the brain may be stepping in to compensate.

The next I heard was that there had been a fire at his house and that he was in intensive care, in a coma and very badly burned. A neighbour,  Anthony McCann, went into to the house and pulled him out undoubtedly saving his life. This man is the very definition of a hero.

It was touch and go for a while, and only close family were allowed in to see him even though there was a queue of folk wanting to go and wish him well. After things had improved and he was out of danger, Jon Fleming and I went to see him. After the initial shock of seeing him in a high dependency room, there were still glimpses of the old George.  At one point he looked around and said  “Do you like what I’ve done with the place?”

The staff must have loved him.

Bad news on the doorstep.

 I had just finished my backshift at midnight as usual, checked my mobile to find a text from Tam. ‘Can you phone me’.  I had a half an idea what it was about,  but was still devastated to hear that my old buddy had passed away.  When I got home, Facebook was starting to become a bit of a rumour mill although only a few knew for sure. Tam had some family issues to contend with so I offered to look after the BGB page. Typing up the news was one of the toughest things I had ever done, but in a way it helped.  Over the next few days and weeks, the page became a cross between a memorial and a support group.

           

There were also the beginnings of some press interest, so I again offered to speak to them as Carolynn and Natasha were taken up with organising things not to mention the shock of it all. I spoke to the local Clydebank press, Evening Times, Glasgow Herald, The Scotsman and Classic Rock Blues. They all published wonderful pieces. It was an emotional but therapeutic experience.

Saying Goodbye

I’ve never been at a better attended funeral. Literally standing room only.

Nor have I ever heard a minister include the words “Napalm Blues” in a eulogy.

Can’t say I’ve ever experienced such a spontaneous round of applause either.

It was unique.

The ‘aftershow’ was full of old faces. The Edinburgh team, Blue Angels and Pictish Delegations were there in force as were Jimmy Dewar’s girls, along with band mates from both centuries.

A fitting farewell, but there was more to come.

To be continued.

Bringing It All Up To Date (sort of)

I’ve been meaning to fill in the gaps in this story for some time.

 Since 2013 in fact.

It’s been difficult to look back on it all since George passed away without filling up,  but there are still some tales to tell.  I won’t dwell on what happened towards the end, as I don’t know the full story.  Suffice to say it was such a sad conclusion to what was a wonderful time in my life.

I don’t think there was a specific point when I stopped being part of the BGB entourage, though it was a foregone conclusion when I found out I was going to be a dad. Weans need roadies too.

There were a few memorable reunions though, mostly after I’d moved to the South Side. A phone call from Carolynn, George’s wife, got me worried when she said that she hadn’t seen him for days and had I heard from him at all.  This was not altogether unusual in days gone by, and I promised to get back in touch if I should hear anything. Next voice I heard was that of the alleged missing person who was delighted I had fallen for this wizard wheeze.

Might have mentioned this already elsewhere but George and Carolynn’s wedding was quite the event. George and Tam were resplendent in formal yet informal dress (“riverboat gamblers” as George put it) She kept him waiting a wee bit as I remember, and there was also a slight hitch with the ring leading George to ask in a less than subtle voice if anyone in the gathering had any Vaseline.  The couple were then piped out of the venue under crossed Claymores with assistance from Donny Brisebois, George’s Mohawk brother who had flown over from Montreal.

Birthday parties were another excuse for a get together, and not always in the ‘family’.  George called me to say that he and The Business had been asked to play at Fish’s 40^th and would I like to chum along. Needless to say I did, and needless to say it was quite a night. So much so that I forgot to remind the driver not to take me back to my old address.  Faither was very understanding, but it defeated the idea of him babysitting just a tad.

Shifty’s 50^th was also a good one, except he was only turning 49. He too was very understanding.

Gonna leave it there for now…stay tuned.