|
Very little is known about Alan McNeil - as the third guitar player in
Johnny And The Self Abusers, he was already adding to
an overfilled position. But as a friend of
John Milarky's, his inclusion was natural, and allowed
John Milarky to play sax and/or
Charlie to play violin.
He also added to the general chaos of that summertime of madness in Glasgow. In August 1977,
the Abusers were sharing a flat, and a drunken McNeil, waking
in the night and urgently needing a piss, relieved himself in the bell of
Milarky's brand new saxophone.
He left the first line up of
Simple Minds at the same time as
John Milarky.
"Both Charlie Burchill and I were saddened to hear about the
recent passing of our former school friend and ex-band mate Allan McNeil. It may have been very many
years since I last met Allan, however the memories of him both as a classmate - and as one of the original
Johnny And The Self Abusers - remain absolutely vivid.
It is possible that it was Allan who initially encouraged us to join him and his friends in what was
to become the infamous Glasgow punk group. In doing so he without doubt set us on a path that six months later led to
the formation of Simple Minds. For that alone we owe Allan much
for his involvement in our still on going career. As for Allan, among other things he went on to have
some prominence within the Scottish music scene - particularly in discovering and managing the classy and successful
Hue And Cry. Today however our thoughts are less about ourselves and much more about
Allan and the friends and family that he leaves behind." - Jim, 24th September 2016
discography
family tree
Johnny And The Self Abusers
Simple Minds #1
live appearances
Johnny And The Self Abusers
Simple Minds #1
|
