The heading of this posting was used on a letter that appeared in this month's issue. Page 112 to be precise. It is the first letter you come to and concerns the relative value of vinyl LPs. Written by a man with a strange name. Elessar Merlyn Tetramariner. No, he did not have hippie parents with a taste for the exotic, he chose it himself.

Elessar has been a frequent correspondent in The Word and a member of this blog for 3 years and 42 weeks. He was my friend for at least 14 years from a time when the internet was still a young and exciting place to explore and we both shared an interest in Stackridge. When they reformed to play some gigs he was straight on a plane from America to see them in some tiny venue in the south-west. I could not get down for the gigs but was able to attend a band rehearsal and met him for the first time. Not long after he moved to England permanently and remained an enthusiastic supporter of Stackridge and all forms of rock music.

One of his projects was to produced CDs of lost Stackridge recordings gathered from other fans and to sell these privately, ensuring that the band members received monies due. In later years he gathered together likeminded individuals around the world to be part of his CD Swapathons, sharing in his love for all forms of music. I was to be the guide on his first outing to Liverpool and, when posing for a photograph outside The Cavern, fate would draw our attention to the brick engraved with the name STACKRIDGE, the group that brought us together in the first place.

Once met, never forgotten, Elessar was a character, a stout vegetarian and lover of volcanic chilli sauces that he carried about with him at all times. I would be proud to call him my friend but I had not seen him since he came back to Liverpool last year on a short visit. I was invited to his house warming party in August but could not go. I wish I had now.

I received an email from Mike Tobin, Stackridge's manager, at the weekend to say that ET had died. The circumstances are unknown and the lady he mentions in his Word letter, and the reason for moving to England, is dealing with personal matters. I was gutted when I read the news, as are many of his friends around the world. It would only be right for me to play some music he would appreciate.

Stackridge -Teatime