Passing into Air: John Martyn
Jan 30th, 2009 by Donagh
I don’t mean to pre-empt Seán Báite on this one, especially as he’s the master of music obits around here, and not especially wanting Dublin Opinion to only publish posts about the recently deceased but I couldn’t let the passing of John Martyn to go by unnoticed here.
I’ll admit that my appreciation for Martyn comes courtesy of my wife. She was the one with a copy of Solid Air, which we played regularly in the house we shared without a TV back in the early 90s. That, along with countless other vinyl records were played as we sat around drinking gin, the most depressing of drinks, while playing cards or reading books.
Listening to this now I’m immediately reminded of the breakfast room with the tall ceiling and the thick stone walls with rising damp where we would spend our evenings. We had only hard wooden chair to sit on and because the gas central heating was too expensive to use in such an old damp house we would only have a small wood-fired stove for heat. Jesus, it was cold and uncomfortable, which would explain the gin.
But Martyn’s music was capable of creating a unique atmosphere that I have always loved anytime I’ve heard it, even if I didn’t listen to too much of his music after I moved out of that house.
Pre-empt away Donagh.. In fact - John Martyn wasn’t very often (or even at all) on my radar. My list of English folk-rock guitar virtuousos sort of begins and ends with Richard Thompson (I see Danny Thompson (no relation), that played with him a good bit, is in your first clip).
Never remember knocking any back.
I remember that house alright - in Dundrum, wasn’t it ? You must’ve well stashed the bottle of gin though, the few times I managed to make the arduous journey out from the Northside
Rest with yer plectrum at the ready, in anywaze, Mr. Martyn.
My list of English folk-rock guitar virtuousos
Don’t think either would be entirely happy with ‘English’ - Thompson was born and grew up in London but of Scottish parents; Martyn was born in England too, but spent most of his childhood in Glasgow and certainly saw himself as a Scot.
always felt I should know more of his music than I did: I did meet him though twice, and each occasion fits pretty well - in different ways - with what I know of him. The first time was in the Bailey, in the late ’70s (the Bailey then was about the only place I could get served with my colouredy punk- rock hair and earrings - hard to believe you could be refused for such things then). He joined our party - all much younger than he, though i think Bill Graham might have been involved somewhere, and was charming and funny, and completely un- Rock star, though he was pretty big even then - I had him down as a fey folkie at that stage but in person he was anything but…. there was some incident with a bag being stolen and Martyn retrieving it by confronting or persuading the tea- leaf - while all of us punk- rock menaces to society were too chicken to give chase…..
The second time was when we supported him in the Town and Country -as it was then - in Kentish town about a decade later. We arrived at the appointed time for our soundcheck to find his band noodling jazzily awaiting his arrival. After one bass solo too many, I wandered out the big double stage door - which was wide open on a summery afternoon - and saw a large, balding, man carrying a plastic bag of cans banging on the much smaller other door and shouting at whoever to ‘let me fucking in’ - it was, needless to say, Martyn.
At the gig that night, which was being recorded, he stopped the first song just to inform the sound man that he was a c__t…….
Like I say, not a fey folkie at all.
Eh, SOS, I might’ve said ‘English’ (on which I stand corrected) but did I ever say ‘fey’ ??…
To the detriment of my musical education, being born about a decade after yourself, I never had enough patience to trawl through early 70s folk-rock (whether English or not).
Only managed to interest myself in RT due to a couple of covers by your good selves.
Great couple of firsthand recollections though… and how did youse compliment the Town + Country soundman on the night in question ??
A Man blessed with a golden voice and a certain style with guitar and technology, but could somewhat lacking in people skills and women skills more especially.
That house in Dundrum was the coldest, coldest house I have ever stayed in. If I remember correctly I was only about a month into my five year sentence as a clerical assistant in the Dept. of Social Welfare and whatever the reason for the party the next morning we were all standing around in the kitchen and I asked Min to ring in sick for me. Then we carried on drinking. Start as you mean to go on, I always say.
I never got into John Martyn, though. and I have to thank Sean for getting me into Richard Thompson. First time I heard “I want to see the bright lights tonight” I fell in love with it immediately. Still one of my favourite albums. In fact, two of my other fav. albums are down to Sean as well - namely Daydream Nation and Nation of Millions. Baite, thy name is eclectic.
“Eclectic” - well if yer man from Enniskillen had an Eclectic Ballroom - I must have an Eclectic Scrapyard
It was Dundrum indeed Sean, all the gin was drunk before anyone else got there, and I remember that too Conor, but had forgotten that it was only a month into your job at SW - funny that. I was also introduced to a lot of excellent music after shifting through Sean’s eclectic scrapyard. Though the memories that John Martyn conjures seems somewhat inadequate next to SOS’s.
Myself and Sean had to share a bed that night as well. It was all very John Candy and Steve Martin. Yeah I finished that job in 1997 and it took me another seven years to sober up. Yep. Civil Service is hell.
A bed ? - I thought it was a freezer cabinet with springs…
There were a good few dacent bukes around it on the shelves though…
Civil Service is hell
Looks like a lot of people are going to be released from hell in the coming year thanks to those nice Sodgers of Destiny trying to keep up appearances for the IMF :-
I always thought John Martyn was a bit ‘far out man’, usually played to death [ooops] by my fellow squatters, how anyone stayed awake was beyond me. If it was’nt for John Martyn I’d probably never have listened to Jackson Browne. His Grace & Danger album gave cause for thought tough. I saw him in what was then The Town & Country in Kentish Town in 1985, maybe 6. He had the full band up. The gig kicked off late, difficulties with setting up to record the gig it later turns out. When he eventually appeared he began by firing handfuls of joints into the crowd. Good start Johnboy .. What followed was extraordinary. It stands among the best I have/will ever see/hear. It was some band too; two keyboards, Foster Patterson & Jeff Page, who did a guitar solo on a Mirage Ensoniq most guitarists only dream of. The bass was Taef Evans, hot as a hoor on & off frets. If I recall right, & I do, Colin Tully, late of Stagalee, was on sax. It was a feast to the ears. Relentless quality & command of music. Martyn’s rendition of Angeline was chiiling, I think the bar stopped serving. It was so good I went back the next night for more, on which night I was jumped out of my shoes to see I was standing beside Sting. Yeah him .. he had a beard & he was taller than me, confusing until I figured beside Stewart Copeland everyone’s a midget. I kept the ticket stubs for years, evidence I’d been there & seen true greatness. All this happened a couple of years after I’d heard of him around Windmill Lane, where he had run away with Annie the manageress, who was a frosty nosed yeah right but when the recording was done & he was gone, so was she. No postcard, no note on the mirror, just gone. To see the faces you’d have thought Garret FitzGerald had died [or joined U2]. After or around about that Kentish Town gig time he followed with a few haymaker albums, Well Kept Secret but one. The ‘live gig later appeared on vinyl, one album when a triple album would have done more justice to that night. It was amazing. I can still see it, so powerful the delivery it stuck in my head forever. I’ve not yet taken in the idea he is dead. Large as life people make that a problem. I’ll leave it go with this one .. a sound engineer I knew, Niall Shorthall [don’t tell me he’s dead too][please] told me of another sound engineer friend of his, a big fan of Martyn’s & thrilled to be mixing him, dared to offer him a toot. Martyn looked at the Bohemian Blade, an old Dublin implement, chopping the dust con gusto & says ‘Hey you .. this is what you need’ &, producing a bowie knife the length of your elbow, scoops up the lot & revs up the lot in one go. We all have stories that strain the belief system but for such a character, such a man, it’s only right to know. To speak of him since was like asking if you knew The Bohemian in Phibsboro, so ignored & unappreciated it never existed. Now he is dead he’ll get a retro on BBC2absolutely, with the usual ‘expert’ shites telling us he was really playing World Music. Was he phuq .. Best gig I ever saw bar none. It was a performance like you cannot imagine, on some lines it seemed his head would explode with the passion of the voice. On May You Never everyone had a nice little singalong, probably cringing, England being that kind of place. By the time he got to John Wayne you knew where you were. That’s quite something for those times, any times really; that music let’s you know where you are. Seen MTV lately? Elvis either one]? The wife wonders will there be a ‘Tribute to .. ‘ gig, featuring Bono of course. I hope not. That would be the pot & the kettle gone arseways plus ultra.
I remember going to hear John Martyn when I was a callow youth back in 78/79 probably in the Exam Hall in TCD, must’ve been around the time of One World or so, but I became a fan there and then and have remained so ever since. Wonderful voice, sad passing.
It is Hugh. Nice to see you back here. I was thinking of your recipe suggestions just the other day, and its good to see you’re still loving Loveless.