Colin was always very entertained by this, and in particular the way bassists would do business with their gear, meeting up by the roadside to exchange instruments and cash and do swaps, so that wasn't the only time he did that. He thought all that sort of stuff, all the wheeling and dealing, was brilliant. One night he left home with a Jaydee, got in the car, drove to somewhere random on the A30, met a bloke a in a layby, and came home with a Status instead (at least I think it was a Status, although anno domini is dulling the memory slightly).
He was also a fantastic rock bassist who, through genuine modesty, had absolutely no idea how good he was. When I met him about a thousand years ago, he was playing in a 4-piece rock covers band in Exeter called Goliath and they were really well-respected on the local scene; their gigs were always packed and his personality, both on and off stage, had a *lot* to do with that. If talent was anything to go by he would have been a lot more successful in the business than he was. But it wasn't about that for him - he always loved being a weekend warrior. He was the embodiment of that meme: "A musician is someone who loads £5k worth of gear into a £500 car and drives 50 miles for a £5 gig". To him, gigging was about the local scene - pubs, bike rallies, great crowds and great times - but most importantly his mates. The absolute flood of tributes that have poured in since yesterday, not only from his bandmates past and present but from people he met and made happy in the course of his playing is testament to exactly who he was in that respect, and it's been heartwarming to see all the lovely things people have said, although I can't believe we're all talking about him in the past tense.
He was the life and soul, the salt of the earth, a gentle giant who everyone loved, and I loved him dearly too. Below is my favourite picture of him, taken at a Goliath gig in 1993 at Vines in Exeter. We tie-dyed those leggings with bleach in the washing up bowl and the t-shirt had a giant duck on it, which sums up his approach to stage gear quite nicely
Throughout his last illness he was determined to get well enough to resume playing. He was also due to get married to his long-term partner, Kim, who he adored. I'm beyond sad for him that he never made it out of hospital to do either, and I shall miss him more than words can say.