Let's try to pool some positive memories of Dave Greenfield for a moment. Undoubtedly musically brilliant it is also fair and unoffensive to say that he marched to the beat of a different drum. An enigmatic character happy to stay in the background whilst keeping guard over his omnipresent bag of mysterious content.
That is not at all to say that he was ever aloof or unfriendly. Far from it and that is the point of this particular post. I know that it is a bit awkward to feedback on the blogger platform but quite a few people did when I posted the band's comments on the terrible news of his death.... so it can be done with a bit of effort.
We know full well that JJ and Baz are men of the people when it comes to the public persona of the band but what of Dave?
What are your recollections of meeting the man? What did you discuss?
I'll start. I first met Dave at the stage door of the Astoria in London's Charing Cross Road after a Purple Helmets gig that ran into the small hours in April 1988. He signed my ticket, 'To Ade with his split trousers' as this is indeed the misfortune that befell me on the evening.
The next notable encounter I recall was at the Marquee, once again in Charing Cross Road (a year or more after the famous venue had relocated from its better known site in Wardour Street). The occasion was another Purple Helmets gig, the date the 9th October 1989. Dave entered the venue with Pam. I, now considering myself to be well acquainted with the maestro of the keys, quickly introduced, then girlfriend, and since wife of 26 years, Gunta to our favourite organist. Gunta jokingly invited the Purple Helmets to put on a private gig in her bedsit room in Ealing Common. Dave considered her proposal and then entered into a detailed reply as to why this would not work, from the difficulties of getting a PA system into such a limited space as well as the challenges of accommodating Manny Elias's drum kit in the room!
Hello Adrian
ReplyDeleteThe first time I met Dave was at the Kenilworth Hotel,when the lads were doing their Aural Sculpture residency there in early 1985.
After flying around London for years attending Stranglers gigs,Jet and Dave were the only two I'd never met.
Id met the enigmatic Mr Black the night before and he was polite and very taciturn :) .
My memory of Dave has been one of a friendly chatty guy.I remember most fondly he and Hugh's brother talked Hugh into a picture with myself ,my brother and two mates. A picture I had framed and disappeared with many other cherished artefacts when the divorce moved me out of the house.
More amusingly,I chatted to Dave for nearly 30 mins on PPG Wave synths and medieval history.At every opportunity this young lady tried to get his attention by interrupting and thrusting her "wares" in between us!
The way Dave dealt with the situation with her i.e moving her along to talk to one of the brass players was gentleness and kindness itself.
Imagine my surprise when he then came back and we completed our conversation and had the photo taken by Hugh's brother.
In my limited experience a true gentleman.
I met Dave at the soundcheck for the Decades Apart tour (I think that was the nane) on the stage at Hammersmith Odeon in 2010. I'd taken over design of the official website and helping them navigate social media. Part of the street team. I knew JJ very well, and after they did their bit we all congregated on te stage chatting, and I remember going up to Dave and introducing myseld, 4 year old daughter in arms. He seemed to know who I was when I mentioned the website .. and he was complimentary, saying, yes it's very good. Didn't have an in depth chat but he was easy going and happy to just stand around and listen as long I wanted. I can't remember what we talked about... but he struck me as a contented chap! RIP Dave!
ReplyDeleteMet Dave on a few occasions including when they recorded la folie in the manor in Oxfordshire
ReplyDeleteExcellent and very polite guy.
I was also on the winning quiz team at one of the conventions when Dave was quizmaster I still have the plastic rat which was part of the prize. Stranger from another planet rip