Magazine Articles
Organ Grinder of the Millennium?
Following footballer of the millennium, personality of the millennium, pop-star etc, Peter Jones and I felt we should make everyone aware of an organ grinder of the millennium. We would like to put forward our nomination but first we should perhaps for the benefit of all the organ grinders not at Llandrindod Wells explain the events that warrants this honour.
In May 99 it was the second street organ festival in Mirecourt, France. There were to be eight of us from this country flying the flag and again showing the Europeans that we are the best at organ grinding. However a few days before we were all to converge at the Channel ports disaster struck, one of our contingent had an accident resulting in an arm injury. He was out on his mountain bike (we are given to understand demonstrating the finer techniques of mountain biking to the local youngsters) when he fell off damaging one of his arms. Despite whispered remarks from the onlookers of "some people never grow up" he managed to crawl home to embarassingly explain to his long-suffering wife. We need to add that his wife at this time was suffering and in a lot of pain from a back problem. However she was able to hide this by putting on a brave face knowing full well that due to the absence of any hospltal adornments that an organ grinder with his arm in a sling is bound to get all the attention. Was the trip to Mirecourt to be cancelled being as he could not drive? It seemed so.
However all was not lost, a damsel from Wymeswold came to the rescue and volunteered to drive the injured grinder to Mirecourt You all know about certain people coming up smelling of roses.
Once in Mirecourt and after receiving all the symathy possible from the European participants our determined grinder sorted himself a prominent playing position in the middle of the closed off riverside location. The kind-hearted Peter and Pat Jones decided to play nearby ( not too close as to steal the limelight with their Welsh flag) but to keep a motherly eye on our intrepid grinder, who with a pained expression on his face, his arm in the biggest sling you could find, bravely entertained the French visitors who looked on with sympathetic and admiring glances.
This continued all weekend. Each morning he started the day fortified with a breakfast of muesli, none of your continental breakfast for him, (this was really his protest against the ban on British beef.
On the final night at the close of the organ festival there was the presentation of the certificates to all the participants. On calling out his name our battle-scarred hero dragged himself across the floor supported by his poor wife. As they crossed the floor big brawny continental organ grinders were to be seen surreptitiously sliding handkerchiefs across their eyes. Somewhere from the back, above the deafening applause, a voice was heard to say, "that man deserves a medal".
On return to home soil we decided that his fortitude and determined bulldog spirit could not go unrecognised and at Llandrindod Wells organ festival Peter Jones presented him with a certificate.
Should there ever be a need to rocognise outstanding devotion to organ grinding we would like to nominate John Harrold, not completely for his organ grinding, but for his acting ability as well (hence "playing to the crowd").
Joking aside, poor John was badly bruised across his chest and down his arm which was confirmed by Pat Jones who looked - with Angie's permission of course.