In tribute to Neil Kulkarni, the Chart Music crew - Al Needham, David Stubbs, Taylor Parkes, Simon Price, Sarah Bee - have pulled together a eulogy-episode of the podcast dedicated to their late friend and co-conspirator.
The four-hour special is woven out of each member's personal memories and thoughts about Neil as a man and as a writer, interspersed with a selection of the most entertaining and incisive Kulkarni contributions to Chart Music, drawn from across its 70-plus episodes to date.
As you'd expect, the result is fond, funny, and painfully poignant.
Highlights of the Neil flashbacks include a paean to Cov's own Lieutenant Pigeon; a harrowed account of the final days of Melody Maker (I hadn't realised that Neil had been on the staff, as Gossip Editor, during that grim twilight); and a rhapsodic celebration of lifelong love Marc Bolan + T. Rex.
Neil sounds so alive.
You can listen to Chart Music #74 - Neil at Acast or Spotify
The fundraisers for Neil's kids are still ticking upwards.