DAVE'S DIARY
This journal of the comings'n'goings and musings'n'enthusings of Dave Ling
will be updated daily - except after days of stress and nights of excess.
Thursday 19th September
Here's the only photograph I have of myself with Tony Mills, but it's a goodie... conducting an interview with Shy for the pages of RAW magazine in the boardroom of MCA Records for the 'Misspent Youth' album in 1990. He's on the far right.
Like others I had many a private conversation with Tony over the past several months since his illness was announced, and shortly before he went public. It was impossible not to be blown away by his bravery, honesty, dignity and sheer gung-ho, fuck-the-world spirit.
Such a loss at the age of just 57 is profound and I must say it's causing me to confront some important questions of my own.
Over the coming weeks and months, when the time arrives, I will be encouraging my two sons to enjoy and savour every second of their youth, before life turns into a long, depressing waterfall of deaths, illness, mortgage payments, obituaries (I'm just about to write one of these for Mills) and those wretched brown paper envelopes.
It's what Tony would have wanted me to remind them.
Sleep well, sir, and I'm glad the pain is over. You will be missed.
Friday 13th September
I didn't want a dog. My now ex-wife banged on and on about getting one but I never liked them. I told her: "No, definitely not. I don't want one. Over my dead body."
So the following day she came home with a Great Dane puppy. A GREAT FUCKING DANE! It ate steak and knocked over the living room table. I made her take the bloody thing back, and she and Arnie returned with something smaller, cuter and far more manageable.
Bob had beautiful facial markings and he was great with the kids. He was no bigger than a fur ball. Eddie and Arnie both adored him. I grew to love him too. He became my running pal and we often went on long walks together, When the ex-wife opted to leave the family home I realised that had she taken Bob, I'd have missed him even more than her.
So I'm extremely sorry to have to report that this afternoon we had to have the much loved family pet put to sleep. He had been ill for a while and at the grand old age of 17 human years (approx) there was nothing more the vet could do for him. He probably wasn't in pain but he was certainly in discomfort. It was the humane thing to do.
His corner of the living room is very, very quiet.
God, I'm *really* gonna miss my furry friend.
RIP Bob... xxxxxxxx
Thursday 12th September
My first time at the Prog Awards, where I had great natter with Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater. What a fabulous, inspiring, classy evening. Celebrating 10 years and 100 issues of the genre that they just couldn't kill. But as we were reminded by the event's brilliantly raucous host Al Murray: "By God they tried!" #progmagazine
August 2019
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