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

The first record I ever bought - single or LP - was Fire, by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. We'd only just got a record player when it came out in 1968. As a matter of fact it was one of those old radiograms that were virtually a piece of furniture. I'd recently seen that legendary Top of the Pops performance with the flaming headdress http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOErZuzZpS8 and I thought to my 12-year-old self 'I'm having some of that', so I saved up enough pocket money and headed off to the music shop.

Several years later I'm in Texas and working at a used CD store when of the regular customers that I'd often chat with at the listening stations reveals that he's Arthur Brown's son. It turns out that Arthur lived in Austin for several years, returning to the UK around 1996 or 97.

And now, some years after that, it turns out that Arthur Brown is playing a little coffee bar, not more than a mile from Castle Gosho, tomorrow night, tickets $12

The coincidences here are almost too numerous to list. Me buying that single and eventually moving to Austin, Arthur Brown having lived in Austin, me working at a shop and meeting his son, him playing at a place I can walk to in 15 minutes, and most of all, the friend who gave me a heads-up about the gig having only just discovered Arthur Brown a week or two back and asked me if I know anything about him.

Do I know anything about Arthur Brown?

I reckon I'll take along my old, worn, battered and just about unplayable copy of Fire along with me, just on the off-chance he's hanging around the place before or after the performance

I saw him some years ago in London.
A good show and a good
Enjoy.

I've just realised, with some surprise, this means I own a single that's getting close to 50 years old. I don't know for sure why I find that so astonishing. Perhaps it's that the person who made it is still gigging.

May it be a long time till he flames out.

I think this is a wonderful story. Almost moving.

I've never heard of him (read nothing into that: there are plenty of famous people I've never heard of, especially in music), but that headdress is indeed impressive.

He's definitely something of a leg end in British music, especially for that song and that... performance Of late I believe he's been working with Hawkwind. Who are probably a little younger than him, but not by much.

Wow, that was everything I hoped it might be, and more He played 'I Put a Spell on You'. he played 'Kites' (Simon Dupree and the Big Sound), and yes, he played 'Fire' The bloke's 72 and he's more sprightly than I am at 58! And nutty as a fruitcake

And he signed the sleeve of my 47-year-old copy of Fire

The average age in that small room was definitely on the high side Lots of old heads for sure. His mind's as sharp as a razor. He extemporised a little piece of... I suppose you might call it word jazz, although not exactly in a Ken Nordine stylee, about Wholefoods. He wasn't exactly complimentary But in a nice sort of way.

that's great. What did he think about you proffering a single for signature?

Kites - what an absolutely gorgeous song. Did he sing it inna Fire-stylee?

No, he kind of reggae-d it up a bit and slowed it down a bit. It was a very nice arrangement.

He was quite surprised to see the record, I think. I was close to the end of the queue of people wanting to talk to him, renew an acquaintance with him (the average age in the room was somewhat elevated - plenty of old heads), get him to sign things, and he was happy to talk to everyone who wanted to, which probably irked the band who went on afterwards. And he still wears make-up on the boat race, although it's a good deal more colourful these days, as is his stage costume. My friend took some pictures which he's going to send me. I'll post links to them when they arrive.

Oh, one thing I discovered last night - I've lost the ability to whistle by putting my fingers in my mouth and pushing my tongue over Y'know, that loud whistle. It doesn't come out anywhere near as loud as it used... or at all.

I never could do that.... however, I didn't know the tongue was supposed to go over the fingers...


Nope, still can't do it.

The way I've always done it is to put my fingers under the tip of my tongue and push it back over, then the whistle comes out between my fingers, and it was always very loud. These days it's more a whoosh than a

After my surgery a few years ago, the one where they cut that flap of skin under my upper lip, I had a hard time whistling and absolutely couldn't "trumpet". I found out after buying a drinking horn at the RenFest, one with a cork in the bottom that could be removed so the horn could be used to trumpet a call. I'm sure dijeridoos were off for me as well.

That flap eventually grew back, but I still have trouble doing my Roger Rabbit impersonation. "P-P-P-Please? Eddie!?"