Apologies for my late reply, I am just back from a week in Harrogate.
I take my hat off to Nigel and Ian, as I think Mercury said, they were always available and more than willing to perform for charity - and that goes back to before 3Cs and AA etc. I told the story before on here but here goes again (short version)...
In earlier days there was the Starfish charity - many will remember - who did amazing work with disabled kids down in Yaniklar. We (CBF) raised money many times for them - one of the biggest was a night of various local singers doing a turn for charity. Gordy (GordonA) and I took it so seriously we even did a soundcheck in the afternoon of the big evening event - everything perfect and ready to go.
When we arrived for the evening nothing worked - backing tracks, microphones, you name it, it had gone pear hsape since the afternoon soundcheck.
Performers were dropping out like flies dropping out of something.
Ian was having nothing of the sort - after a couple of songs battling with a Norman Collier microphone, he dumped that too and sang without amplification, backing track or indeed anything technological at all - just Ian and his big voice.
He saved the night then and we raised loads.
We went to Kismet quite a time after that - more than once - and Ian always took time to come and sit and chat - even though we weren't regulars (well once a year is regular) and he is simply a lovely man. Nigel is a nut but puts smiles on faces and an equally good chap.
I was saddened to see that the end of Kismet finally came after several stays of execution, and hope (and expect) their new episode will be as colourful and interesting as their Turkish one.
All the best fellas
