Scots aside

Being English born but with some inbuilt desfunction as far as patriotism is concerned, I for instance support Scotland when they play England, support Brazil when they play against anyone, now heaven knows what I will do about supporting France, I still got a really rough introduction to living in Scotland and in some ways it as not been too easy starting life afresh in Brazil as one white Gringo.
I cannot remember the first time I visited Scotland but it was probably to the feastival in order to watch the Incredible String Band, that is for all intense and purposes now virtually lost to history, I will try to recover some info for this post. My memory of the band was from my school days and that John Swift, he lives in Scotland now and I hope still plays a lute made by my friend Stefan (Hexhamshire) was a friend of Robin Williamson. The groups simple and elfish style, also I was fond of Tyranasaurus Rex with Mark Bolan who sadly died young in a car accident, do you remember the 1968, 1969 and 1970 Isle of Wight feastival. Well on 26 June 1970 I got married and Jacky and I lived in a tent, well friends of mine went to the 1970 Isle of Whight feastival and let us stay in their caravan which was near Exeter, on a fixed site, absolute luxury, shower, kitchen and a double bed with sound system and lots of records, you can image what two young love birds did there. Heaven I tell you.

Isle of Wight Festival was held on August 26 - 31, 1970. It was held on Afton Down an area on the Western side of the Isle of Wight. It was the last of three consecutive music festivals to take place on the island between 1968 and 1970. It was widely acknowledged as the largest musical event of its time (until Summer Jam at Watkins Glen in 1973), greater than the attendance of Live Aid, Woodstock and Rock in Rio. The Guinness Book of Records has cited its attendance as 600,000, this is just above the organisers' estimate of 500,000.

The Isle of Wight Festivals had already attracted a massive reputation in 1968 and in 1969 by attracting acts such as Jefferson Airplane, T.Rex, The Move, Pretty Things, Joe Cocker and Bob Dylan (in his first performance since his 1966 motorcycle accident) and The Who in its foundation years. The organisers Fiery Creations (apparently alias brothers Ronald Foulk and Raymond Foulk) were determined to make the 1970 event a legendary event. In this aim they enlisted the mercurial talents of Jimi Hendrix. With Jimi confirmed artists such as The Doors, The Who, Joan Baez, and Free willingly took up the chance to play on the Island. The event had a magnificent but impractical site, a strong but inconsistent line up and the logistical nightmare of transporting 600,000 on to the Island with a population of less than 100,000. The aftermath and commercial failings of the festival ensured it would be the last event of its kind on the Isle of Wight for thirty-two years.

Mark Bolan changed his group to T Rex and they became popular whilst i was still in London, I met Mark when I was in Exeter and actualy arranged digs for him for one night, I had asked him back to my friends flat but they stupidly refused, what a hell of a contact I lost because of that.

I reckon that Jacky was part smitten with me because I arrived at college with long hair and a beard, at one time my hair was over half a metre in length and I dressed in unsual clothes that I bought from the charity shops or at the local auctions, clothes from the 1930's along with ex naval and fire brigade clothes, I could easily have fitted into the Incredible String bands photo without any problem. Sorry there are no photos of me from that time, another loss to three times divorced, Edneide one day burnt all the photos of Jacky and Susan! When we moved to London we used the back garden as a mini alotment and became yet another of John Seymores self sufficient bohemians.

If any one is interested to hear about John Seymore, photo John with whisky I reckon and not home made beer, after the 70's there is a web site for his school of self sufficiency at Killowen, Ireland. http://www.self-sufficiency.net/History.htm
and here is a short extract that shows the results of one divorce and not three.......................

John had retired from farming in 1980 when he sold his farm to his children in Wales. He had got into terrible debt after his divorce from his first wife Sally. He was unable to buy another home for himself because of his debts but he had heard from a friend that there was a small cottage in Ireland which he could rent for £10 per week. This sounded perfect to John, here was a rural idyll in which to devote some time to writing. It was then he asked Angela if she would like to go along with him. Angela was one of the young students who had been working at the farm. She had already been doing secretarial work for John and, being Irish, she was deemed an ideal companion.

Take care with marriage and it may take care of you.