h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Sang 'Really Free' - one hit and then a life on the pub circuit.

Any more info? Are you going to write an entry on him? Was he any good?
I've popped him up there for his little bit of H2G2 fame...

Do you play an instrument Peta?
If you would like to have a jam come over to the newly built World Wide Jam Room!
http://www.h2g2.com/A195581

He may have disappeared, but last month his song "smell the flowers" - (at least I think that was the title) was voted the 7th best song of all time. The poll couldn't explain it and they tried to call it a fix but the entries were all (apparantly) kosher. Strange things happen on the run-in to the millenium!

The John Otway song you refer to was "Beware Of The Flowers ('cause I'm sure they're going to get you yeh!

Although I suspect some vote rigging.

His home page is here:

http://www.doremi.co.uk/otway/

Although there are many un-official ones.

I raised the surprise result in one of the "Name that tune" forums here: http://www.h2g2.com/forumframe.cgi?forum=19739&thread=22330 within minutes of recovering after seeing the result. But to save you going thru a long thread I will quote myself:

"he can write the stupidest lyrics ("Saw three hippies saving a whale Gave them headbutts" - Headbutts), the sensitive (Geneve), the weird, (the above flowers song) and the spookily predictive (the early 80's "Mass Communications" where he predicts Web Cams, optical fibre internet connections and internet gaming). Still going strong after many years, I would advise any UK researchers to try and catch his live act at least once."

Chris

I used to hang out with John Otway in Hemel Hempstead years ago - before he did 'really free'... that's why I remembered him. Pastey told me he went to see him lately, so will have to call him over...

...if you can it would be great....could you give him an italiced name so we know it's realy him? I would certainly like to ask him how he came up with the "Mass communication" lyrics in the early 80's as they are visionary to a very great degree.

Cheers.........Chris