Four men

Four men have basically shaped who I am throughout my life, though obviously not those shown above: it just seemed like a good header. In chronological order…

My father, of course: in so very many ways he (in tandem with my mother) made me who I am today, more by example than actual instruction. He imbued in me basic good manners, an inquiring mind and a love for, and reverence of, the natural world and so much more. That he also taught me how to use firearms responsibly – I had an air rifle at eight and a single action .410 shotgun at ten – is in no way contradictory, for he was a countryman of the old school (think Jack Hargreaves) and saw the wider picture. That said, he vehmently opposed fox hunting long before it became fashionable. Above all, he supported me when needed and his approval was all I needed: that it was sparingly, almost imperceptibly bestowed made it all the more precious. One of my proudest moments was when, having read my first book in one sitting, he put it down, gave me a small smile and said, simply, “well done boy”. I was always “boy”, even in my thirties, and that meant the world to me. I’d give anything to hear that just once more…

Mike Foster, my English tutor at Farnham Grammar School 1967-74: as he said, more than once, “Andrew, if you’re got to break the rules of English grammar, at least have the decency to learn them first”, and amazingly I did. From him I learned the structure of English and, much more importantly, how to apply it effectively. Even so, I don’t think he ever quite “got” me: running into him one day some 20 years after leaving school, I proudly told him I’d had a book published: with considerably incredulity he asked the subject and on being told it was about The Doors rock band, he grinned widely and said “oh, so not a proper book then!”… and I took no offence. I went to his memorial service, and wasn’t in the least surprised to see it was packed.

Brian Wilson: this one’s a bit less obvious but bear with me. Had I not read an long article by the justly legendary Nick Kent on Brian in the NME in summer 1975 and been entranced by it, I’d not have met John Tobler (see below) nor have taken a running dive into the often turbulent waters of serious Beach Boys fandom, from which I’ve still yet to emerge. Simply, since 1975 the wonderful music of Brian Wilson has taken me down paths I’d never have trodden otherwise: I doubt I’d ever have gone to the US, nor made friends (online in the main) with other fans/writers and imperceptibly become something of an authority on the band. It’s also led to friendships and relationships and to Facebook. It’s not always been a smooth ride and some of those friendships/relationships have foundered… but as I always say, the soundtrack is peerless. More importantly, I’ve been lucky enough to spend time with Brian on a social level and that’s been all the recompense I need… that and being able to tell him what his music means to me.

John Tobler: outstanding rock journalist and co-founder of the legendary Zig Zag magazine, for reasons unknown to me (and I suspect him too) he decided we’d make a fair team after I interviewed him for a Beach Boy fanzine in 1978 and as he lived literally three stops down the rail line, I started helping him research various projects until one day in 1982 when I was summoned to start a new project. On arrival I was presented with a stack of albums and cassettes, and a pile of press clippings… and informed I was writing a book on The Doors. Which I duly did, more by luck than judgement, and using the invaluable rule he taught me: always write as if you’re talking to a friend and never assume they know what you’re talking about. The book was well-reviewed and sold well, I strongly suspect because everyone thought JT had written it. He once told me “I think you’re a better writer than I am now”. Utter tosh, of course, but still good to hear.

So, four men who in their different ways have shaped this thing I call me. There are others of course, but these are the leading cast. I think I’ve been very lucky.