Off the top of my head, I can only remember
ever meeting a mere handful of my youthful
prog-rock heroes in the flesh, usually while
bagging post-gig autographs in the 1970s.
One, who shall remain nameless, was,
disappointingly, an utter arse, the combined
membership of Van Der Graaf Generator were
very amiable and Rick Wakeman, who was
friendly and extremely funny.A couple of evenings ago, round at our local petrol station, I was surprised to see Rick Wakeman walk across the forecourt in front of me, from the shop back to his car. I've no idea what might have brought him out to my neck of the woods, but was suddenly taken with the urge to go over and renew our brief acquaintance of nearly 40 years earlier. Halfway out of the car, though, I changed my mind. What could I possibly say to him that would justify invading his privacy?
In retrospect, perhaps I could've quizzed him about his involvement in a short-lived group, Dib Cochran & the Earwigs, which also featured Tony Visconti on bass and vocals, drummer John Cambridge (from the band Juniors Eyes) and a certain Marc Bolan on guitar. Dib Cochran & the Earwigs issued one single, 'Oh Baby', in September 1970, a month before T.Rex released 'Ride a White Swan'. What if 'Ride a White Swan had bombed? What if 'Oh Baby' had been the hit? The 1970s might have been a very different place.
The b-side of 'Oh Baby', a short instrumental sketch entitled 'Universal Love', features Rick to the fore.
