 By Ian Reynolds
Many of you will know that Rank Strangers host a regular Tuesday night picking jam session, organised by Dave Pope, at The Rising Sun in Mossley. I’ve been a regular supporter these past six months or so, and I’m forever telling people I meet how good the music is, how much fun, etc., etc., and inviting them to come along. Consequently, a few new faces have turned up and tuned in. At best, new players bring new techniques, new material and new life. At worst, they miss the point and upset the fragile ecology of the session. But beware a new danger - invite a stranger in and you might end up on TV in Russia. Like I said, truth is stranger.... TV Producer Paul Egglestone made his first visit to an ordinary, regular session. Next day he called me up, saying he was ‘knee-deep’ in putting together a pilot ‘roots music’ show for Russian TV, and could he come and shoot the session? One ‘you’ll-never-believe-this’ phone call later, to Dave Pope, and it was agreed that ‘The Russians were coming to Mossley’. I arrived leading a cortege of vehicles to discover that Dave hadn’t mentioned the programme for the evening to anyone, not even the landlord. But the situation - bloke from Preston brings crew from Russia to shoot bunch of people playing American music in Mossley - was so surreal that no-one thought of complaining. There was the minimum of disruption, surprisingly enough. The lights were bright and the director asked us to do one of the songs again, but it was over by 11 leaving us the last hour (or so) to ask each other ‘What was that all about?’. It was fun whilst it lasted. Then, the next phone call. “We loved it” said the Producer, “could you come to Preston University on Saturday to record a live set in front of four cameras?”. “Right after I’ve done the dishes”, says I who can recognise a break when I see one. Unfortunately, Dave - and therefore Rank Strangers - couldn’t make the date. I called Pete Chafer of Middleton, who played banjo in the group Salty Dog and he filled in the gap. We got a set together and did the show..... It was more fun while it lasted, then The Producer phoned up and said “we loved your set, can you come and do some shows I’m doing for Granada in the New Year?” And that’s where I’m at now. The moral of this story is lost on me. But beware Russians bearing cameras, you never know what’ll happen next!. Ian Reynolds, Higher Blackley |