Lovely, lovely bloke, though it was best not to engage him in coversation about the Jehovah's Witnesses, for whom he was an enthusiastic canvasser.

Pete was also the co-songwriter and drummer Bongo in the kids classic Animal Kwackers ( "Rory Rory tell us a story, Rory Rory tell it like it is"), a show never repeated because the creators had negotiated too good a deal for themselves.

He leased the record shop from Barrie in the bookshop next door (who was my best friend's dad) and Barrie, a pretty good guitarist in his day, used to claim (for one gig only) to have been in Procul Harum at a gig at Club Riga in Westcliff, and also claimed - highly unconvincingly - to have contributed a chord or two somewhere in the chorus of Whiter Shade of Pale!

Other bands to have played in crappy(ish) venues in Southend include Quo and Thin Lizzy at the Kursaal and the Yardbirds at the Odeon. To be honest, there were quite a lot of soon-to-be-big bands down our way once upon a time.

Would have to say Dave Hill from Slade, who is sometimes seen in the supermarket 'round the corner from work. Mostly incogneto wearing an electric blue leather jacket and cowboy hat.
also the house up the road used to be a record company, where the stone roses got a bit slap happy with the gloss paint.

...of Joy Division/New Order - went to school with him. He was a full card carrying greatcoat wearing nice middle class hippy Hawkwind fan till 1977 got hold of him.

However I did have one pre famous encounter worth repeating here. I usually use this as proof of how quickly things move in the music biz.

In the early 80's we went to our local Thursday night hangout. The band had already started, we went to pay the usual cover charge and the man at the door said "Don't worry about it" and waved us through. We walked in and the place was empty. I don't mean sparsely populated, I mean there was not a soul inside except the four of us, the band and the bar staff. We listened for about ten minutes but being the only customers in a fairly big venue we felt so uncomfortable we left.

The band playing was Men at Work. Less than a year later they were number one all over the world. I remember at their peak they headlined a festival in Brazil of 250,000 people. Not long before I saw them for nothing and walked out.

I have a friend who tried to buy a used car off the Minogue family! When he went around to the house both sisters were there. He says it was that long ago Kylie was known as "Dannii's sister." Dannii having been on a kiddy singing show called Young Talent Time.

For me, there is only one. Sorry it's not the late Tony Wilson but Bruce Mitchell. I used to bump into him all the time in Manchester city centre when I worked at an events centre. Always jovial and happy to talk and tell a tale. Saw him first in Greasy Bear, then the Albertos. Now he drums for Durutti Column when not cycling precariously around the congested streets of Manc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Mitchell_(drummer)

Pretty much the perfect thread, so far. Never knew that Bongo the drumming dog was the group's mastermind. Animal Kwakkers I mean, not Depeche Mode.

A pre-fame Eddie Izzard used to compere at a local comedy night most Tuesday nights. He was very funny but didn't stand out as having particular star quality at that time. He got much funnier as he developed his persona, I think.

I went to a Kosovan benefit at Manchester Ritz sometime between 1999 and 2002 or so, on the bill were Elbow, a girl called Jane Weaver, and I think Tom Hingley of the Inspiral Carpets. I remember thinking that I quite liked Elbow...

Roman Jugg (ex The Damned )is now a local artist, and exhibits annully as part of the Leigh Art Trail..

In December 1989, he stood in with local pub rockers (and police officers) The Man In Blue as they played a charity busk in Kiddy Shopping Centre

It was captured for posterity at

Initially he looks somewhat embarassed at doing his 'Percy moves' in front of a local haberdashery shop but he seems to get into it soon enough then, job done, he picks up his newspaper and walks off to finish his shopping