I first met Paul when I was 16. I was born in Southgate, Pennard, but my parents moved to Cardiff when I was seven. So I didn’t know Paul in our very early years. I saw him for the first time in Southgate when I was 16. By this time I’d become a huge Bob Dylan fan and bought a cheap and virtually unplayable acoustic and twisted a wire coat hanger into a harp holder, a forlorn attempt to emulate my hero.
When I saw Paul I though I was seeing the living embodiment of Dylan himself. The angular face, nose and corkscrew, vertical hair were all there.
Of course, I had to stop and introduce myself. My opening line was: “ Do you play guitar?” A question about as absurd as asking George Best if he’d ever kicked a ball as a kid.”
In his innately modest way,?he said: “Yes, a bit.”
Later that evening we met up again and he brought along his Hoyer 12- string.. We sat on the cliffs overlooking Three Cliff’s Bay and at my request he played some Dylan tunes, and some of his own stuff. One song he’d written was called Angelique - just three simple chords but as those octave strings on his twelve rang out over Three Cliffs Bay I though I’d died and gone to musical heaven.
Over the next few years I made frequent visits to my Southgate home and saw Paul many times. By this time I’d bought a playable Yamaha acoustic and was able to add my own bits to the musical mix
Our paths diverged when I was in my early 20s after I set off to London to begin my career as a national newspaper reporter. It was a hard decision to make. I’d tried to make a career out of music, playing with a few three-chord bands, but although being in a band opened the door to lots of pretty girls, the limos and riches weren’t forthcoming.
Over the ensuing years I saw Paul sporadically, and usually by chance. The last time I saw him we were both around 60..
“ Still playing, I asked.
“ A bit,” he said.
Be seeing you farther on up the road, my friend.
Robert Skellon
15/08/2024
