...I'm really saddened about the news of his death. For many years I thought Jeremy Beadle was a blight on society but I remember the time when all that changed. It was on Danny Baker's late night chat show (Danny Baker After All) in the early 90's. He came on as one of the country's most disliked men but after talking at length about the many things he had achieved in his career (including the Bickershaw Festival) I remember the way the audience warmed to him. He got a great round of applause at the end and it totally changed my opinion of him. My thoughts are with his family.

The kneejerk gut reaction (huh? what a strange place for your knees) of the Great British Public is to be deeply suspicious of any man on the telly with a tidy beard, as Messrs Edmonds and Branson have learned to their cost. Messy-bearded blokes, on the other hand, like Kenny Everett and David Bellamy, are all set for Much-Loved National Treasure status as long as they play their cards right (those who play them wrong -- like Bill Oddie -- assume they have an automatic right to Much-Loved National Treasure status without having to do something to earn it first).

Or, to use examples a bit more up the Word blog's alley, who do you condider to be the more trustworthy of these two: Richard "Messy Beard" Thompson or Jeff "Tidy Beard" Lynne?

(No tales of close encounters with the Beadlebum from me except that the one person I know who'd met him said he was a top man, pleasant, witty and self-effacing, rather than the self-centred condescending slimeball he'd been culturally programmed to expect.)

is another TV personality who had his part to play in the history of rock n' roll. I wonder if there are any others?

Do tell.

I have an ELP book and someone called Lloyd Grossman gave the debut a glowing review for RS magazine; I could only assume it was him from Masterchef!

I read that William Roache- Ken Barlow of Coronation Street, no less- was a big Deep Purple fan!

It's Loyd

Yes, that's Loyd in his younger days. He started off writing for Fusion magazine, an underground music magazine based in Boston. Mojo did an interview with him in Issue 3 in which he remembers:

Publisher: "Where's that interview with John Mayall you were going to give me this week?"

Loyd: "Oh shit man I thought I told you Mayall didn't want to be interviewed... so I got an interview with Mick Taylor instead."

Publisher: "Who the fuck is Mick Taylor?"

Loyd: "Mick Taylor is his guitarist. He's really amazing, I can give you 3-4000 words on Mick Taylor by Monday."

Publisher: "Oh great, let's put him on the cover."

And later he went on to write for Rolling Stone.

played sax solo on Baker St, obv...:D

...what do you say?

...
is a big ELP fan, this could explain their lack of rehabilitation. Sticking with Generation Game hosts, when Bruce Forsyth did the record doctor thing in the Observer Music Monthly he was very enthusiastic about the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, particularly the bass player.
I also recall a story on the radio in which the Queen was reported to have expressed a liking for a Joni Mitchell song. Can't remember which one though.

Illya Kuryakin made two amazing albums with David Axelrod in the late sixties. He doesn't sing on them but arranged and conducted some of the pieces as he was a classicaly trained musician.

Dr Dre fans might recognise this one:

I used to really dislike Beadle until I heard him on the late Anthony Clare's programme on Radio 4 In The Psychiatrist's Chair. He came over as an intelligent, caring and thoughtful man, nothing like the grinning buffoon of his TV persona.

...indulging his Magma/Henry Cow type passions. Must confess, I never got into Henry Cow but I do quite like Magma- a VERY acquired taste though!

As an ELP fan I tend to ignore the fact that Jim Davidson likes them!

Didn't Peter Stringfellow make some of his start-up cash by booking the Beatles (cheap) when they were unknown, and the gig taking place when they'd just hit the charts (hel-lo, ticket money)? Could be wrong, but I seem to remember that. Should we blame the Fabtastic Four for Stringfellow's rise?

And Beadle, if memory serves, was a huge expert on magic and illusions. Saw him talking about it once and it was a genuine surprise - as someone said upthread, a contrast to his usual onscreen persona.

...Manning apparently booked The Beatles early on in their career at some club he worked at. Likewise, didn't Manning have something to do with the Hacienda club??

In 1946 Jimmy Saville was the first person to ever use 'Two Turntables and a Microphone' effectively inventing hip hop not to mention a Beck lyric.

Apparently Mr Beadle was a very pleasant chap, felt quite saddened by the news of his death. He once visited my local, The Nags Head and pushed over a massive pile of copper coins, that had been raised for charity. Trigger Happy TV owes a lot to Mr Beadle,quite an influential figure in TV.

That Beadle raised over 100 million pounds for charity in his lifetime. That's almost as much as Bob Geldof raised with Live Aid, isn't it?

Speaking of Jim Davidson, didn't they use an ELP song as the theme for the revamped Generation Game when Davidson hosted it? I think it was the one that begins "Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends..."

My dad has got a Jim Davidson album...it's produced by Greg Lake and is probably the worst record I've ever heard.

He wrote all those terrific lyrics for Pete Atkin. If anyone hasn't heard them I recommend starting with the Beware Of The Beautiful Stranger album.

I'm sure I've seen photo's of Liz as a teen wearing 'Oi' type togs in Basingstoke.

... but I'm sure I'd heard that when David "Sex In A Chelsea Shirt" Mellor was a barrister, he'd defended The Clash in a court case.

Plus,I'm almost sure I'd heard this tale from Danny Baker on one of his radio shows in the distant past.

It may have turned out to be a completely different MP/lawyer; band or story-teller - but I do have this lodged in my brain from somewhere...

Apparently Prince Charles is partial to a bit of Leonard Cohen esp I'm The (or is it Your?) Man and The Future. Not sure if that makes him rock exactly but it's maybe not what you would expect?

English cricketer Bob Willis added Dylan as a middle name to show his admiration for his idol..