RIP Reg Presley

[bickster]

Lead singer of the Troggs, Reg Presley has died aged 71 (cancer)

 

[snowychap]

Sad news.

 

Edit: I vaguely remember him recounting a story about working on a film that had Bob Dylan in it and the aforementioned Dylan wandered past him while he was playing guitar, complemented him on his playing, and said he might have something to run with. Reg said, "I did write Wild Thing."

Apocryphal it may be but it's nice all the same.

Edited February 5, 2013 by snowychap

[rjw63]

I preferred him to his brother, Elvis

[bickster]

There's someone called Elvis Ball?

[PauloBarnesi]

 

I believe that all the money made from Love is all around went on him investigating crop circles?

[TrentVilla]

Indeed it did, bonkers.

[mjmooney]

Sad news.

 

Edit: I vaguely remember him recounting a story about working on a film that had Bob Dylan in it and the aforementioned Dylan wandered past him while he was playing guitar, complemented him on his playing, and said he might have something to run with. Reg said, "I did write Wild Thing."

Apocryphal it may be but it's nice all the same.

 

I doubt if even Reg would have the effrontery to tell such a lie. "Wild Thing" was written by US singer-songwriter Chip Taylor - and Dylan would have known that.

[snowychap]

Sad news.

 

Edit: I vaguely remember him recounting a story about working on a film that had Bob Dylan in it and the aforementioned Dylan wandered past him while he was playing guitar, complemented him on his playing, and said he might have something to run with. Reg said, "I did write Wild Thing."

Apocryphal it may be but it's nice all the same.

 

I doubt if even Reg would have the effrontery to tell such a lie. "Wild Thing" was written by US singer-songwriter Chip Taylor - and Dylan would have known that.

Fair enough - I did indicate that my recollection was vague.

He may well have said had a hit with or something like that then. I think the point of his story was to indicate that Dylan didn't know who he was rather than to lay claim to something by such an outlandish lie.

 

Edit: According to the Torygraph obit, he didn't mention Wild Thing at all.

In 1987, when his fortunes were hardly at their zenith, Presley was hailed by Bob Dylan on the set of Richard Marquand’s film Hearts of Fire, in which the leader of the Troggs was appearing as an extra. “I had this guitar around my

neck,” Presley told a reporter. “Dylan recognised me. He came up and said: 'How long have you been playing the guitar?’ I said, 'All bloody afternoon, mate.’”

 

Moral of the story is, in an internet age, try not to recount anything vaguely recollected before researching throughly.

Edited February 5, 2013 by snowychap

[mjmooney]

There's a similar scenario in Dylan's "Don't Look Back" film - made during his 1965 UK tour.

 

Dylan was surrounded by sycophants and hangers-on, sucking up to him at every chance. The only one who came out of it well was Animals organist and later solo star Alan Price. The Geordie was a big Dylan fan, but not afraid to stand up to him when necessary.

 

All through the film, there was a running gag about how shite Donovan (then the new British Dylan clone) was. Dylan was laughing at Donovan before he even heard him - but Price said: "Say what you like, but he's a fookin' good guitarist - he's way better than you, man". That stopped the conversation in its tracks.

 

Mind you, when the two finally met there was something of a singer/songwriter's cutting contest which left Donovan metaphorically bleeding on the floor.

[John]

Sad news. From the interviews I heard from him over the years he seemed a down to earth decent bloke. The Troggs also produced some good music.

[mjmooney]

“Dylan recognised me. He came up and said: 'How long have you been playing the guitar?’ I said, 'All bloody afternoon, mate.’”

To be fair, that's a much funnier line.