went out for a few drinks earlier as my friend was doing a pre club gig. Hadn't planned on drinking much; a couple of pints and a few JDs.   Then I met my friend Nik. Hadn't seen him in a while so went and sat with him for a chat.Initial pleasantries dealt with, he turned to me and said; 'Have you heard about Tailz?''No'. I said. 'What about him? Has he finally got a record deal?''No' replied Nik. 'He died 3 weeks ago. Took a seizure in his house. Was dead before the ambulance got there'At that moment, the world seemed to stop; I couldn't hear the music in the pub, could not hear the people. Shock set in.I hadn't seen Tailz in 3 years (his real name was John, but other than his mum and dad, nobody called him that!) I'd kept meaning to head through to Edinburgh and see him and his wife Gypsy (real name) but things just kept 'popping up'.I first met Tailz around 1994 in London. I was playing at a squat party and had got into an argument with some cockney munter who had spilled beer on the mixer. He homed in on the loud angry Glaswegian voice, we introduced ourselves, and a friendship was born. To look at, tailz was one of the scariest guys you could meet; dreadlocks, a lot of serious inking, and a hell of a lot of piercings; in fact, that was his day job, working as a piercer within a tattoo studio. But once you spoke to him, you realised he was one of the nicest, most gentlemanly, most honest and sincere guys you could hope to meet. So we stayed in touch, met up at gigs and parties, and even did a few nights together, coming up with the idea of a semi-regular Glasgow v Edinburgh soundclash, alternating between the 2 cities. I got to trust him so much that when I decided to get more piercings, it was Tailz I went to, and it was Tailz who wet himself with laughter as I screamed like a stuck pig as the needle went through my nipple!!Even when our musical styles diverged, with Tailz veering towards the very hard edge of techno, we still did the odd night out together, usually for classic djs or old skool nights.He was a hell of a guy; he was offered regular gigs down in London, but it meant moving down there and 1) he didn't want to leave his family and 2) He wasn't that fond of London other than as a weekend visit destination.So, I have spent the night toasting Tailz, in the way he would have loved; tequila slammers and bourbon chasers...and now I'm f**king angry - angry that I always had something else to do rather than take a 45 minute train journey to see an old friend - angry that one of the nicest guys I have known has fled this mortal coil far too young (he was 38) while so many a**seholes still walk this Earth.So, if there is an old friend, who doesn't live too far away, and who you keep saying you will pop down and visit, get off your lazy ass and go and see them. Because we can never predict what a new day will bring; it may bring smiles and good news, but equally a phone call or e mail or chat in a pub may shatter your night and make you think how you really should have got on that train or bus...

Very Touching !

Sorry to hear about your loss, Iain - I hope your anger and remorse will pass in time, and your friend can live on in your memories.

very true Ian .... we should make more time for the ones we care about !!

sorry to hear about your mate. been going through the same thoughts. my best mate died a year ago after i got back from thailand. from alcohol related problems. out of all my mates i was probably last to see him. we had a great time having a beer like old times listening to led zep and peter frampton. kept saying to my mates we should go see him as it had been 7 months since i seen him. just keep thinking of the good times. remember the good.

regards

gav

strongly agree!!

agree with stegee (steve)!!!

Sorry to hear that Ian.

Your Journal has made me think about some good friends!

Sorry to hear this , n yes what you write here is true ..should always take out the time for the people who have got important places in our life...better then regretting later..

Thanks for all the kind comments guys (though I do wish people would spell my bloody name correctly lol) Yes, the lesson I think we should all learn is never to put off seeing old friends, especially when they are not that far away. Have spent today writing some e mails off to people I havent chatted to in a while - thne organise some meet ups... : )

Language Timothy.

You know the thing about friends, real friends that is, is that you can leave it years before you contact them, and they're as happy to hear from you as you are to contact them.

The ones who aren't, of course, are real friends.

Are they?

Stay frosty Ice Man.

OopsI meant "aren't".

I know you know.

Ok, but I said it anyway.

Ok, ok don't labour the point.

**Resists temptation to make a big nose comment**

sorry to hear that but can't get rid of that the very true thing in life.