RIP + David Farrant 1946 - 2019 +

The Human Touch Blog ~
David Farrant

He Heard A New World …

Joe Meek in 1966; photo copyright David Peters

All been fairly peaceful after the long holidays.  In fact, its 6.30 in the morning now, and all is pleasantly quiet.  No cars or buses – that will all start in a couple of hours,  with the stir of human existence;  just to remind you, they’re not really all dead – they’ve just been sleeping.  Problem is, I’m not really tired right now; just taking advantage of the quietness.

So what of any relevant news?  Well, I was pleased to learn earlier today (or was it yesterday?) that the new film “A Life in the Death of Joe Meek” directed by Los Anglers based, Howard Berger,  is still all on schedule and apparently getting some good reviews in America where a pre-release has been shown to some selected audiences over there.  The film tells the story of the Life of Joe Meek, the creative Rock Icon of the 1960’s of Telstar fame, the start of a series of major hits that topped the charts leading up to his tragic death in early 1967.  Fame caught up with Joe very quickly: in fact, so quickly that his success somewhat obscured his fame in later life, and caused some conflict among his associates in the music industry.  Some of these were opposed to the new sound he had introduced . . . or was it perhaps because this ‘over-night boy’ had hit upon success too quickly to please the acceptance of  his old style  contemporaries?  That is perhaps another story, and might best be left for explanation in Howard’s film when it hits our screens in the near future.

I first met Joe in the early to mid 1960s.  He lived fairly close to my Highgate home in a small flat he was renting in Holloway.

Looking back at it all now, I seem to remember Joe had written me a hand-written letter introducing himself and asking for a possible meeting.  Couple of letters followed exchanging phone numbers (we should perhaps remember that there was no Internet or emails, in those early days).

He came to my home one evening, and I learned that he had a profound interest in things of an occult nature; indeed all things spiritual.  He had learned about my own involvement in things occult; not least from David Sutch (“Screaming Lord Sutch”) a Rock associate of his that I had met a few years earlier.  I remember that he was completely dedicated to contacting (and recording) ‘spirits of the dead’ and, to this end, he told me he had some very interesting recordings of ‘spirit voices’ he had recorded in London’s Highgate Cemetery.  He had spent the night there on several occasions, he told me, and if we could meet again, he could let me hear some of these.

We did meet again, and he played me a couple of tapes.  And not long after that, we both visited Highgate Cemetery.  It was open by day, in those days, but I was interested in finding the locations he told me he had made these recordings.

I had listened to these recordings with interest; but again, although made at night, with the absence of any London sounds, it was difficult to discern some distinct ‘voices’ from the sounds of owls calling in the distance or the wind as it made its passage through the still trees.  But Joe was convinced that one high-pitched female voice on one of the tapes, was trying to convey some message to him personally, and he was convinced this was a message hat had been given to him as it was meant to convey some guidance from the ‘spirit world’ that could affect his life personally. I really didn’t know.  But I was sure at least he was sincere.  And I was sure, at least, he would not have spent several night in the darkened Highgate Cemetery, unless these recordings were of essential importance to him.

But that explained, those were my early meetings with Joe Meek.  And I look forward to hearing further accounts from other witnesses in Howard Berger’s completed film, which may provide some more exact information about the turbulent life of this legendary music producer. . .
On another matter, the 6th episode of “Tulpa” will be released on YouTube later today.  I will put a link to it up here later.  Joe would certainly have been familiar with some of the locations shared in this film – not least those that might have inspired him so much in the eerie grounds of London’s Highgate Cemetery.

All for now everyone, anyway.

Hope you enjoy the latest episode,
David (Farrant).

POST SCRIPT:
Almost forgot!  Here is the link to Part 6 of Tulpa:

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1946 - 2019

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