SPECIAL YEAR COMES TO A CLOSE
The fortieth year of the George Formby Society came to a close
with the final group 'thrash' on Sunday 25th November 2001.
Once again the whole weekend was full of good sounds and fond
memories of the great George Formby.
FILMS
Films over the weekend were two of George's best, "Let George
Do It" and "Trouble Brewing" plus an extra feature on London
member Von Hoffman's fantastic George Formby themed motor-
bike. This was well received by all the members who attend the
film shows.
Some brilliant performances from the stage, especially from John
Shreeve who is always a welcome attraction on the stage of the
Winter gardens.
MEMORABLE MEETING
The meeting was especially memorable for yours truly when I
finally met face to face with a good friend from the States, Eleanor
Dugan who has contributed so much to the Society magazine
over the last few years, all the way from San Francisco. Eleanor
was scheduled to visit us at the September meeting but because
of the outrage in New York and at the Pentagon her flight was
cancelled and sadly she couldn't be with us. She certainly made
up for it in November though and didn't miss one minute of the
whole weekend. I know that Eleanor has taken special memories
of the people, sites and sounds she experienced over the
weekend, back with her to San Francisco but let me invite Eleanor
to describe the weekend as she experienced it, over to you
Eleanor.
MY FIRST CONVENTION
By Eleanor Dugan, San Francisco Member
"Are you having a good time?" everyone kept asking me, sociably
but superfluously. A daffy, euphoric grin hadn't left my face since I
ascended the stairs and heard the first uke chords coming from all
sides. From a staircase, a soul-stirring solo riff, mixing with a
heart-pounding sequence of rising chords in another corner and a
blast of harmonies from a small group, heads bent together in
concentration. Heaven in stereo! My grin didn't fade until the final
dying notes of the last thrash on Sunday night.
Of course, nothing was quite as I had imagined it would be.
Everything was MORE: More talent, more compelling musical
moments, more congeniality, more of my favorite offbeat Formby
songs, more to talk about with more people, more just plain fun.
My immense frustration at missing the September convention
(due to theair travel ban in the U.S.) no longer mattered. I have
been told that the September conventions are usually the liveliest,
but it is hard to imagine a better gathering than the Winter 2001
Convention in Blackpool.
The level of individual performances was astounding. The
younger
members, especially, were terrifyingly talented. They combined
technical excellence with enormous charm and stage presence far
beyond their years. It was like sitting in on an early jam session of
the Beatles. I'm sure I was watching future stars, should they
choose show business over chartered accountancy or piloting
SSTs.
As the member who had come the farthest, I got royal treatment,
butI think everyone must have felt equally special in this unique
environment. It was great at last to meet the GFS members I've
corresponded with over the years. From their photos in the Vellum
and on the GFS web site, I felt I already knew them well, but now I
was really there!
My eternal gratitude to my generous host/chauffeur, Vellum editor
Tony Thornton; to President Dennis Taylor for his overwhelming
kindness and consideration; and to webmaster Peter Pollard
who ran through the rain to greet me, shouting, "Welcome to
Blackpool!" They all made an American member feel truly at
home.
A disappointment? Well, yes. One. During the screening of Let
George Do It, no one stood and cheered when George popped
Hitler on the nose. I guess they all knew how World War II
turned out. The element of suspense has been lost. "Turned out
nice again" as George would say.