Jet Black 1938 - 2022

 

Early evening my Facebook newsfeed went into overdrive for all the wrong reasons. It was May 2020 all over again and once again, it was our daughter Mo who broke the news which a note on Messenger, 'Sad news about Jet!'. So the thing that we all knew would happen some day has happened. Knowledge of the ill-health that Jet has endured over many years now does not counter the shock of him finally going. These people that we have grown up with, admired and looked up to, musicians, actors, comedians, even politicians, that we always known to be there, are slipping away. In the case of someone like Jet Black, he was a part of my life, admittedly from afar, for more than 40 years, that is incredibly more than three quarters of my life... and I certainly wouldn't consider myself to be a spring chicken!!

Jet was the elder statesman in a band of elder statesmen who had become considerably older still by the time that Jet reluctantly passed on his sticks and his stool (that sounds wrong!) to a younger man. Sure,  he retained an omnipresence in the band even when he wasn't physically present. But he did more than simply guide the band and steady the Stranglers' longship on what were more often than not extremely turbulent and choppy waters. His interest in several esoteric topics, perhaps most notably the UFO story and even more niche, the phenomena within a phenomena of 'The Men In Black', gifted us some of the quirkiest, madcap, brooding and sinister music of the early 1980's. Porky meat sandwich anyone?

I always loved in issues of 'Strangled' that this band of four independent thinkers would address issues that in some way shaped the music of the band and in this respect Jet was always very articulate in presenting a given case. A point in case, although not within the pages of 'Strangled' was the BBC West piece that Hugh and Jet collaborated on about the significance of the colour black and its use as a tool of control and intimidation.... I have worn nothing but black since first seeing it... but I cannot carry off the intimidation part of it!

I am glad that Jet is no longer locked in a head to head battle with failing health, but of course feel greatly for Ava and his family for their loss. But I also think that it is fair to say that Jet, in exactly the same way as his band brother Dave, lived a full life and they lived it well. To be in a band is the dream of many. To be in a band that has success is something that is enjoyed by few. To be in a ground breaking band having one or more of their songs known and loved globally is wonderful. To have lived a life doing something you love across the globe for over 40 years is a rare, yet deserved, privelige.

So thank you Jet Black for the beat and the great memories.