They called him Hansi, I call him a legend

THE Gentleman of Music, The Emperor of Elevator Music, The King of Easy Listening or just ‘Hansi’, however you knew James Last, you couldn’t fail to ignore his ‘Happy Music’.

Born Hans Last in Germany in 1929, both he and his brother Werner made music their life’s work and both were anglicised for the international market and Werner became ‘Kai Warner’.

Hans became ‘James Last’ but before too long his friends, anyone who simply enjoyed his music, knew him as Hansi.

Over an incredible five decades, this German bandleader broke record after record and shattered the conceptions surrounding music.

Nothing was off limits as Hansi ‘borrowed’ music from Mozart to Madonna and adapted it to his own ‘happy’ sound. In the process he served up an entire musical palette to audiences who might never have heard of Rihanna, Lady Gaga or even LMFAO.

And that was the mark of the man, he made music accessible to all, I’ve been to concerts where members of the older generation loved a particular new track but looked puzzled when told it was by The Wanted!

However, last night The Gentleman of Music moved on to become part of heaven’s orchestra, leaving me along with many thousands of fans distraught.

Quite simply, Hansi was my music teacher, my first musical memories are of James Last which is no surprise when you consider my dear mum was going to his concerts while pregnant with me.

There is a picture of a six year old me sitting on Hansi’s lap, I hope once this grief has subsided I’ll be able to find it and look at it with a smile on my face.

I’ve travelled thanks to James Last, seeing countries I may never have seen and learned more about music than I may ever have known.

Much more importantly, I’ve got to know hundreds and hundreds of people united by the love of the music of James Last. No not friends, more like an extended family.

To be at the historic Royal Albert Hall to witness a James Last concert was something to behold, to see the warmth this German was greeted with in a quintessentially English venue year after year reminded us to always make peace not war.

To have known the music of James Last was to have experienced an education in song, in verse but also in life.

I have tears in my eyes as I write this as 14 hours on I somehow still can’t believe it to be true.

But I also raise a glass to toast his memory and in keeping with the spirit of the man, I will do so with a ‘Happy Heart’.

Sleep well Hansi, may you Rest in Peace

RIP Robin Williams

I SUSPECT I was not alone in shedding a little tear on the passing of Robin Williams yesterday, knowing he will no longer grace our TV or movie screens with his madcap humour.

But there is a great sadness in me that again someone who brought so much joy to others left the world seemingly feeling alone.

This is not a criticism of anyone in his life, especially not this wife or children who are clearly shattered by the loss of a loving husband and father.

Depression is not something I truly understand, I think if you do you are often a sufferer of it. But my empathy for those who do is immense. I hear all the time how 'How he is he/she depressed when he/she earns so much money/has such an easy life/has a wonderful family/career.'

But that is far too simplistic view of the illness and does not take into account the one person who matters, the sufferer themselves.

Imagine if you will life as a major movie star or sports star, you reach a huge high in your career with an Oscar or a huge movie role or the winning goals to win your club a trophy.

People around you then expect that every time you walk in front of a camera or on the football pitch and you put pressure on yourself to deliver.

Should things not go well, a movie fails or the sports star gets injured, depression can lurk in the dark corner waiting to pounce.

No amount of fancy houses and cars, a whopping bank balance or gorgeous wife and kids will offset depression, you can't fight the big black shadow off that easily.

Everyone who is lucky enough not to have met this shadowy figure needs to pledge to understand those who have and help in anyway they can.

We talk and understand cancer openly, it's time we did the same for depression. Don't look at person's wealth or fame, look at the figure in front of you.

Robin Williams touched the lives of many, made many people laugh and cry in equal measure yet felt so troubled he felt compelled to end his life.

We should remember his comedy, his wonderful range of acting and the moments which made you laugh so hard you almost wet yourself.

But also remember his depression, if we can stop just one person from replicating what happened in a mansion in California on Monday in a council house in Leeds next week then we might have a better and more understanding world.

RIP Robin, thank you for the memories, you were a comedy legend who has gone too soon. I hope you have found peace now and that in time so will your family and friends.

RIP Stephen, thank you for the memories

IN LIFE we have always needed people willing to go the extra mile, to wonder what is over the horizon and, most importantly, to make a difference.

Had we not had people like that, humans would still be stuck in caves - Stephen Sutton was one who made a difference.

At 19 and having being diagnosed with terminal cancer, it would have been very easy for him to lash out at the unfairness of such a horrid illness, go 'off the rails' and spend his final weeks and months fighting the injustice of it all.

I dare say there was probably anger within him that his journey in life would not reach many more stations on the route, it would be natural.

But Stephen chose to fight in one of the most unique, beautiful and memorable ways I can think of, he chose to raise cash for the Teenage Cancer Trust to help teens long after he had passed on.

It was an ambitious target of £1million.......no-one got the memo saying ambitious though and his fight and spirit and overall outlook saw Stephen raise in excess of £3MILLION!

Throughout he was both funny, engaging and at times brutally honest about cancer, all of which made people like me want to hear more.

I hope Stephen's efforts will of course lead us closer to ridding the world of this brutal illness or at least slow it down to keep loved ones with us much longer

But Stephen should be a role model for younger people, make a difference and life your lives to the fullest.

Too often young people are demonised by society when in truth there are many who are making a difference from a young age.

To Stephen's parents, family and friends I send my heartfelt condolences. I hope in time once this pain has lessened, the memories of a fantastic person will sustain you in your darkest memories.

RIP Stephen, you may only have been here for a relatively short time but the world was a better place for you being in it

Goodbye, goodnight and thank you - Sir David Frost 1939 - 2013

THE death of Sir David Frost last Sunday provoked tributes from across the world, not surprising really for a man that has interviewed most of the famous faces around the world.

One of the saddest feelings was that a man who made such brilliant television during his career was not in a high profile role at the time of his death.

From That Was The Week That Was, to the Frost Report and from Frost on Sunday to Through the Keyhole, there was a charm and panache to whatever Sir David did.

And of course there was the legendary interviews with disgraced former US President Richard Nixon, dramatised in the film Frost/Nixon.

Watch the film yes but watch the actual interviews as well, a gradual and forensic disection of a man about to fall from grace.

His BBC One show Frost on Sunday set the agenda on a Sunday like no other political show has since, people like Marr and Andrew Neil can only emulate what Frost achieved.

But they were journalists from day one, Frost was a satitrist in the early days and actually made TV shows not just plonked in front of a camera. I think that is what set him apart and allowed him to get to the heart of the policy and spin.

Reading a number of political memoirs shows how feared Frost was, in the nicest possible way of course. Politicians feared an interview because they knew whatever message they wanted to convey would be subjected to the severest possible scrutiny.

Something which is missing now, too often programmes have been briefed in advance by Number 10 or the opposition meaning our elected officials are exposed to the lightest possible scrutiny.

His programmes often included an element of comedy as well and often showcased the talents of Rory Bremner, a satirist as well as impressionist.

I always admired him and his interviewing style and the fact he was a huge cricket fan and Arsenal supporter helped greatly!

So it was only right his beloved Arsenal beat Spurs 1-0 on the afternoon Sir David left us!

Goodbye, goodnight and thank you Sir David, may you rest in peace.

RIP Lee Rigby – A brave soldier to the very end

Drummer Lee Rigby was 25, he had a two-year-old son called Jack, he was married, he fought for his country.

On Wednesday afternoon, he was savagely attacked and brutally murdered because he dared to wear a ‘Help for Heroes’ jumper outside Woolwich barracks.

Those are facts, here are some LIES – It was a taste of Baghdad or Damascus on our streets, it was a new front in the Muslim extremist war on the West and the day real Islamic fundamentalism came to the UK.

Drummer Rigby suffered at the hands of two irrational, spiteful and downright pathetic cowards. Not brave to fight properly, they armed themselves against an unarmed combatant and brutally murdered him ‘in the name of Islam’.

Except they didn’t – my Twitter feed was busy on Wednesday night of shock, horror and revulsion and abject condemnation.........from Muslim’s in the UK and beyond who stood and said ‘not in our name’.

Many quoted the Quran to make their feelings known about this pair while many simply just condemned the men verbally.

It’s that we need to focus on in the coming days, Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Sikh, Buddist standing together as one, as British people to condemn these men and hope they rot.

After 7/7 did we turn on our Muslim brothers and sisters, no, we stood tall and stood together.

These cowards want to divide us, to begin a Holy War. I’ve news for you guys, Christians and Muslim’s have been there for each other for a very long time.

During the Holocaust, the predominantly Muslim population of Albania shielded the Jewish population from Hitler’s army.

In the midst of a genocide in Rwanda in 1994 which saw 1.2million die, tens of thousands of Christian Tutsis fled into Muslim mosques to escape from the machete-wielding Hutu mobs.

They were shielded, many were saved.

Today, Muslims’ and Christians’ fight TOGETHER in the British Army and other forces around the world.

And that brings me onto the final point, the coward with blood on his hands called for ‘our troops’ to be brought home. That was nothing more than a pithy little statement to cover up a truly awful, abhorrent and cowardly crime.

Stand side by side with men and women of all faith’s today, tomorrow and for the rest of your time on this planet to show that cowards will never win.

My deepest sympathies go to Drummer Rigby’s family, friends and colleagues. He died a hero at the hands of cowards and together we will ALL remember that.