Remembering Glen Sweeney: 19 years ago, the farewell ceremony.

Glen in Greece in the '70's. (photo: C. Looker)

 

19 years ago today, on August 17, 2005, after five years in the Royal Star & Garter Home in Richmond (London), GLEN SWEENEY went into the Duat.

As Carolyn kindly wrote me on a postcard two weeks later, on 3 September, "(...) It was a beautiful ceremony rather than a conventional funeral, Steve Pank read from the "Egyptian Book of the Dead" and tracks from "Alchemy" were played, incense was burning, Glen was in a raffia coffin with sunflowers on top. Everyone said what a wonderful experience it was and some were reminded of being at an early Third Ear Band concert. I'm sure Glen would have approved."

Glen smoking pipe at the Isle Of Wight festival, August 26, 1990.  (photo: C. Looker) 

Months later Steve sent me the full text he read at the ceremony, which I recently found in my archive. In agreement with Carolyn, I like now to share it in memory of Glen (to commemorate him as you read, light an incense and put on your favorite track of "Alchemy"):

The names of the Gods of the Great Company:

1. Ra Harmakhis, the Great God in his boat.
2. Temu.
3. Shu.
4. Tefnut.
5. Keb.
6. Nut, the Lady of Heaven.
7. Isis.
8. Nephthys.
9. Horus, the Great God.
10. Hathor, Lady of Amentet.
11. Hu.
12. Sa.

The Prayer of the Osiris Spirit Soul Glen Sweeney.

My heart, my mother; my heart, my mother! My heart Whereby l came into being! May naught stand up to oppose me at my judgment, may there be no opposition to me in the presence of the Tchatchau Chiefs. May there be no parting of thee from me in the presence of him that keepeth the Balance. The God Khnemu who knitteth together and strengtheneth my limbs. Thou art my KA, which dwelleth in my body.

Mayest thou come forth into the place of happiness whither we go and may no lies be spoken against me in the presence of the God. Let the Listener god be favourable unto us, and let there be joy of heart at the weighing of Words.

Let not that which is false be uttered against me before the Great God, the Lord of Amentet. Verily, how great shalt thou be when thou risest up in Triumph.

The speech of Thoth, The judge of right and truth, of the great company of the Gods who are in the presence of Osiris saith:
Hear ye this judgment. The heart of the osiris Glen Sweeney has been in very truth been weighed, and his Heart-soul hath borne testimony on his behalf. His heart hath been found right by the trial in the Great Balance. There hath not been found any wickedness in him; he has not wasted (or stolen) the offerings which have been made in the temples; he hath not committed any evil act; and he hath not set his mouth in motion with words of evil whilst he was upon earth.

The speech of the Dweller in the Embalment Chamber (Anubis).

Pay good heed, O righteous Judge to the balance, and support the testimony thereof. Turn thy face to the weighing in the balance the heart of the osiris Glen Sweeney, whose word is truth, his heart in the seat of truth in the presence of the Great God.

The speech of the Gods.
 

The Great Company of the Gods say to Thoth who dwelleth in Khemenu,That which cometh forth from thy mouth shall be declared true.

The Osiris the spirit soul Glen Sweeney whose word is true is holy and righteous. He has not committed any sin and he has done no evil against us. The devourer Ammit shall not be permitted to prevail over him.

Meat offerings and admittance into the presence of the god Osiris shall be granted unto him, together with an abiding habitation in the Field of Offerings (Sekhet-hetepet), as unto the Followers of Horus.

The speech of Horus to Osiris in introducing the spirit of Glen Sweeney to him.

Horus, the son of Isis, saith: I have come to thee, O Un-Nefer, and I have brought unto thee the osiris Glen Sweeney. His heart is righteous, and it hath come forth from the Balance.

It hath not sinned against any god or any goddess. Thoth hath Weighed it according to the decree pronounced unto him by the Company of the Gods, and it is most true and righteous. Grant thou that cakes and ale may be offered unto him, and let him appear in the presence of the god Osiris, and let him be liken to the Followers of Horus for ever and ever.

The speech of spirit soul Glen Sweeney, who saith:

Behold. I am in thy presence, O Lord of Amentet. There is no sin in my body. I have not spoken that which is not true knowingly, nor have I done anything with as false heart.

Grant thou that l may be like unto those favoured ones who are in thy following, and that I may be an Osiris, greatly favoured of the Beautiful God, and beloved of the Lord of the Two Lands (Pharaoh of Egypt), I who am a veritable royal scribe who loveth thee, the osiris Glen Sweeney whose word is true before the God Osiris.
 

Amen. 

 

Glen playing at the Cambodian Embassy, London August 1987. (photo: C. Looker)

After the ceremony, Glen was cremated and Carolyn took the ashes to her flat. When I told her this year I intended to celebrate Glen, in June 2024 she wrote me: "He always believed (I think I do too) that the body is just a shell and when we die its our spirit/soul that is important. So over the years I've thought of many places for them but somehow couldn't do it. Now I think maybe the right time though so l'm thinking of discreetly setting them free in the streets of Soho near Ronnie Scotts and Soho Square. Alternative would be a druid monument on the south downs but far more complicated to get to... and very isolated lonely. I will let you know the day. Linda Kattan will share the experience with me..."

 

On August 13th, Carolyn made her choice...

 

"Dear Luca, today I scattered Glens ashes in the wild flower gardens at Poets Corner in Richmond park. Its a beautiful place encouraging nature, butterflies, bees etc... I hope the photos can be of interest. The ashes were so heavy l had to put them in a shopping trolley! No way l could have discreetly distributed them in Soho! Anyway this place is far more suitable."

 

So she sent me the following photos, which I now like to share with you.  

Ciao Glen!  

I love you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The bench "Reasons to be cheerful" you may recognise... it was a memory for Ian Dury. Actually, he and Glen knew each other..." (Carolyn Looker)

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The last years of Glen Sweeney's life.

Before he "pacefully died" (Carolyn Looker's words) on 17 August, 2005, Glen Sweeney lived his last years at the Royal Star & Garter Home in Richmond (London), a place founded in 1916 "devoted to the care of disabled sailors and soldiers". As we know, Glen was an airman of the RAF and he was involved in WWII as a fighter in Egypt, where it seems he had been fascinated by the view of pyramids.(1)

After two heart attacks and a stroke, in Spring 1999 Carolyn admitted Glen to the very expensive Garter Home where he lived until his death and where I got to visit him in 2004. In his single room, in bed, he listened mainly to Indian music, as one would expect. 

What follows is the House's official flyer outlining the services and activities also followed by Glen.

 

Notes

(1) Manager Andrew King's amusing recollection, published by "Uncut" magazine in 2019 (#261, February 2019), concerning the possibility that Glen defected after parachuting into the swimming pool of an Egyptian bourgeois home, where he was to be host until the end of the war, has never been confirmed by Carolyn or others, and appears to be one of Glen's many mythomaniacal tales.

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The "underground" movement according "Disc & Music Echo" and John Peel in 1968.

On November 2nd, 1968 a five-pages article about the "underground music" edited by Hugh Nolan was published by "Disc & Music Echo" with a short profile of the Third Ear Band by legendary DJ John Peel. Title: "Underground  - not so much pop music more a way of life".

Peel writes: "Another I've not heard yet. I must rectify this as such authorities as Pete Drummond speak well of them."

A little-known fact is that Drummond was a great friend of Glen and Carolyn since the beginning, so much so that to this day he still uses to have a lunch or take a walk around London with Carolyn... 

 

 

 

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"The Crab & the Crescent Moon" original poster!

With Steve Pank, one of the eyewitnesses to TEB's early years in the role of tour manager, it was always that way. His memories come up a little at a time, over the years I've gotten used to it.

A week ago, totally unexpected, he wrote me an email with a magnificent poster of the band attached, one of the best ever made (Carolyn thinks so too), and told me the anecdote that follows:

"There is a story with this. The Third Ear Band was doing a gig on the evening when Apollo 11 landed on the moon.
I was staying in Richard flat, when we got back, we turned on the TV and watched live footage, of Neil Armstong walking on the moon. A short while later, later Glen said to me that he had had a dream the night before about the Crab and the Crescent Moon. 

I said, 'That would be a great title for a concert!' Dave Loxley agreed to do the poster, and this is the result."

Held on September 20, 1969 at Queen Elizabeth Hall (London), the evening was promoted by Blackhill Enterprises and also featured Bridget St John, Sam Hutt and DJ John Peel. 

About Sam Hutt, Steve writes that "he was a friend of Peter Jenner . He's a qualified doctor, who at time prescribed medical cannabis. Later he became a spoof country singer under the name of Hank Wankford."

 

International Time ad (April 1969)

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Blackhill's manager Andrew King continues to sling mud on Glen...

As I wrote in the book recently published by Recommended Records, Glen was a really funny chap, sometimes a comedian, but he had a huge spirituality and a rare deepness for the typical worn rock standards. With a very ugly memory, pulled out of his usual hat of cheap falsehoods for the bad "Mojo" magazine, Blackhill's manager Andrew King says: "Glen always claimed that he was a junkie who cured himself of heroin taking lots of acid".

Apart the ethic question of talking about a dead person in such horrible way, this memory is totally false, there's nothing in Sweeney's personal story that can be related with heroin or other hard drugs. 

Glen always claimed... what?!

I was so pissed off and outraged that I sent to the magazine this short letter:

"Dear editorial staff, on page 102 of your latest issue (issue 331 of June 2021), in an article dedicated to Third Ear Band's "Macbeth", Ian Harrison manages to write more than three thousand lines without mentioning yours truly, curator of the CD booklets remastered by Cherry Red, author in 1996 and 2020 of the only two volumes dedicated to the band (the last one published by Recommended Records), curator since 2009 of Ghettoraga, the band's official online archive.

Add to this some questionable recollections of Andrew King, one of which was even insulting to Glen Sweeney, related to his alleged heroin addiction.
Is this your idea of journalism?"

Asking Glen's partner and my friend Carolyn Looker what she thinks about it, she writes me: 

"Ciao Luca. Brilliant letter to Mojo! I'm debating weather to write to them also. I was furious at first by Andrew Kings ridiculous words about Glen but actually its such a stupid and unbelievable thing to say that l'm sure no-one will take it seriously. Its such a pity that he gets interviewed for his memories as they are now ramblings of a senile old man. In interviews with other band members things have been said which were totally untrue also and made me very angry. I guess Glen did annoy a lot of people and also talk nonsense and put them on!!! He was a very strong personality and the guys were all happy to follow his ideas at the time.

Peace love and freedom...

Carolyn".

All in all, this is a typical cynic way to make music journalism for the most magazines, disinterested in providing objective information to their readers. It's better to gossip, to feed falsehoods and clichés, to exaggerate things as an adolescent would do in his bedroom in front of the poster of his favorite rock star. This is the rock imagery on which rock magazines speculate (and I've ever detested it!). 

As long as they have readers....

no©2021 LucaChinoFerrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first).

KRIS NEEDS' piece about the TEB for Shindig!

One of the best piece about the TEB ever written, this special feature edited by Kris Needs for Shindig! magazine is very good one; a real qualified tribute to the band, "remained the most intriguingly strange and mysteriously evocative of all"...

 

 

 no©2020 LucaChinoFerrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)

The TEB book outtakes - part. 2: Carolyn Looker.

This sequence is about Carolyn Looker, Glen Sweeney's missus. She has cooperated really much to the book, opening her family album and writing a brand new piece on Glen.

 

 

 

 

 

no©2020 Luca Chino Ferrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)

The TEB book outtakes - pt. 1: Glen Sweeney.

As promised, these below are some pictures not included on the TEB book. The first gallery is about Glen Sweeney, portrayed in  different places. Pictures are taken from the family album, courtesy of my friend Carolyn Looker.

Glen at St. Ives (Cornwalls).

A stoned Glen.

Glen in Greece in 1978.

Glen on Paxi (drawing by Carolyn Looker, 1984).

A Glen portrait by Carolyn Looker (1990).

Glen, Carolyn and Celia Humphris (Trees' singer) in London at the beginning of 70's.

 no©2020 Luca Chino Ferrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)

New TEB book publication date: March 21th, 2020!

At last the TEB book will be available on March 21th, 2020... such a perfect TEB day! 

120 pages for £15 with a 10% discount for advance orders at the ReR web site.

Read the press release here:

http://www.rermegacorp.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=TEB+BOOK&Store_Code=RM 

 no©2020 Luca Chino Ferrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)

Carolyn Looker about Andrew King's interview with "Uncut".

In his recent interview with "Uncut"'s Tom Pinnock, Andrew King told a funny story about Glen:

"(...) He was a lot older than anybody else – allegedly he had taken part in the Second World War, which makes him 20 years older than me. My favourite [of his war stories], which might be completely fictitious, is that he bailed out of an aeroplane over Cairo, floated down in a parachute, landed by the side of a swimming pool surrounded by half a dozen rich Egyptian ladies, and stayed there being looked after by them until the end of the war."

Because I remember Glen told me a story like that, I asked Carolyn Looker to tell us how things really are.  She says:


"Ha ha!! Glen had some amazing stories from those days but that one... hmm l don't think so!!! He and another guy did spend a few weeks in a resort in Heliopolis enjoying themselves and forgotten about by the airforce... how it came about l'm not too sure!! You know Glen, he was a great storyteller. Really funny. In the Star and Garter home [last hospital residence of Glen in Richmond] he was visited one Christmas by some "bigwig" from the airforce who asked about his military experience. Glen gave him an amazing Biggleswade type story about flying his plane and being shot down surviving to battle yet again!! I was with him and found it hilarious. You see even then when he was really ill he still had that wonderful imagination. That should read BIGGLES as in boys own stories not Biggleswade!"


no©2019 Luca Chino Ferrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)

Carolyn says...

Glen Sweeney's life partner Carolyn Looker, graphic designer of many TEB covers, received the new remastered expanded 3CDs writes me: 

"Firstly, yes as always l enjoyed your writing. Some of the quotes from other band members were not quite as things were but l guess over time our memories deceive us! 

So far l've only listened to  CD3 which has tracks 1 and 2 which l cannot remember at all! 

Who is singing?

I realise I appreciate the music far more now as l'm able to be a listener rather than being involved in the reality and stressy times of the gigs.   Anyway I truly think it's absolutely brilliant!

Thank you for the link to Ghettoraga archive, I read it through and was totally engrossed! What a wonderful past we all had!  

Thank you so much Luca for collecting all those memories and writing about them with such love.

I will be in touch with any more that come to mind.

All the best for now."

no©2018 Luca Chino Ferrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)

Steve Pank writes about Ursula's concert, Glen, Carolyn and the Electric Universe...

"I was just sitting down to write a review of Ursula's concert in Burgh House when I saw that Will had beaten me to it. Good one!
I will just add that of the three pieces played, the ones sounding most familiar to Third Ear Band aficionados would be the two string trios by Schubert. The sound of the string trio (violin, viola, cello) is leaner than the more usual string quartet, and it also puts more responsibility on the individual musicians.
The other two string players in the group met when they were both in the orchestra of the English National Opera. Frank Cliff (viola) moved up to East Anglia some years ago, Jane Faulkner still plays and teaches in London. 

I am off to the Electric Universe conference in Bath, the first one outside Arizona USA. Glen would have loved the Electric Universe movement, he was a big fan of Velicovsky, whose theories about the evolution of the solar system were an inspiration to the movement.
I have been in touch with Carolyn regarding a collaboration to write an account of Glen's early life, before he formed the Third Ear Band.
Good wishes
Steve Pank."

no©2018 Luca Chino Ferrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)

Will Hulbert tells his evening at the Burgh House meeting Steve Pank and Ursula Smith!

Here's an exclusive report for Ghettoraga Archive of the evening Will Hulbert and his wife Veronica (who took the wonderful pictures) had at the Hampstead Burgh House where they met Steve Pank and Ursula Smith, who played her cello at a classical concert.

"So! To try to put a story to those photos, Sunday does not start well! I forget to charge the camera and we find out that there are no trains running on our line up to London.
I start to think that we are never going to get there! Who would have thought a short trip across London would be so long and complicated?
After a couple of hours, my wife and I find ourselves at our destination, the leafy suburb of Hampstead.
I promised my wife Veronica that I would buy Sunday lunch. Think Sunday lunch, wine, followed by a classical recital in a Georgian house in a very select part of town.
What’s not to like?
Well! Lunch took forever to turn up and was somewhat cold when it did. During the interminable wait I did notice someone pacing the grounds around the house who I was sure was Steve Pank.

After lunch we head upstairs to the Concert Room, Steve was standing alone, so I thought to reintroduce myself.
To clarify, some forty years prior (albeit a couple of weeks) Steve had introduced himself to me, in the bar downstairs at the Roundhouse (by coincidence a couple of stops on the tube from Hampstead).
The 1978 incarnation of the Third Ear Band (not the best in my opinion but not as bad as later incarnations) at a time when punk and new wave where at their height, TEB’s musical direction of folk songs seemed to be somewhat out of touch with the late 70’s zeitgeist with minimal guitar, violin oboe (Paul Minns hiding in the background). It really needed a cello to give it balance (Oh! and drop the folk singing).

So nearly forty years into the future, my chance at last to see and hear 25% of the Third Ear Band live for the first time. So a classical recital, we sat in the second row with Steve Pank and Sue Rose (she was at the Cambodian Embassy squat with Dave Tomlin, she is now his landlady). Dave couldn’t make it due to ill health. Also, Carolyn was on holiday in Greece and also couldn’t make it.
Shame we nearly had another TEB reunion!

Ursula looked just as she does in that TEB French TV video (I did try in my mind to block out the classical stuff and do a TEB soundtrack, but gave up after a bit).
During the intermission Steve suggested we go backstage and he introduced us to his other half, the rest of the Quartet seem a bit puzzled by the fact that Ursula seems to have her own fan club! She explains that she “once used to be in a pop band”.

We return for the second half, my wife taking photos and videos.
Then after that, we head downstairs for some refreshments and a long chat. I can’t stress enough how friendly Steve and Ursula were, it was as if we had known them for years, I think you can tell by the look on my face in the photos that I had a day to remember.
Anyway, I swopped e-mail addresses with Steve and we all headed off to catch the Tube, Steve & Ursula and the Cello having a long drive back up to Norfolk."

 

no©2018 Luca Chino Ferrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)