Thursday, January 5, 2012

I went down on 31st street to pick up a jug of alcohol (Rory Gallagher)

First thing I did when I returned to the apartment in Al Ain after being in NZ for a few weeks was pop on a Rory Gallagher live DVD.

It's always good to meet up with old friends and as readers of this blog know, Rory is definitely that.

The DVD is a compilation of his appearances at the Montreaux Jazz festival.

The best stuff comes from 1985, by the 1990s he starts to show signs of wear and tear (noticably bloated I'm afraid, a year before he died in 1995 from an infection he picked up in hospital after getting a liver transplant).

Everybody loves Rory.

I love him for his loyalty - the great Gerry McAvoy on bass played with him from 1970 to 1991; Rory stuck by his battered Stratocaster throughout his career; he also stuck by his haircut AND the sidies even during the eighties.

I love him for his selfless dedication to his art - he never married and there were no children.

I love him for the stories - Brian May (of Queen) relates: "so these couple of kids come up, who's me and my mate, and say 'How do you get your sound Mr. Gallagher?' and he sits and tells us. So I owe Rory Gallagher my sound."

Jimi Hendrix was asked in an interview shortly after Woodstock, "So Jimi, what's it like to be the best guitarist in the world?" Jimi: "I don't know, ask Rory Gallagher".

But of course I love him best for the music. His version of Too Much Alcohol always (ALWAYS) brings a smile to my face.

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