RIP Pip Pyle

Pip was a lovely bloke and a great drummer.  I saw him many times through his long career.  Here's a few words I wrote about him on my blog.  

Awful, awful news, I just checked my email and read the Canterbury scene Yahoo posts.

Another great, gone

I know that the Gong site and a couple of other sites have been reporting this.  But it is now more than 36 hours since it was first alleged, and still not a single news source - not CNN, not The New York Times, not even BBC or The London Times, which one would assume would know by now - has had a single word on this.

No official announcement or confirmation, so I hope the stories are wrong... but I suspect not.

    

Another fine musician goes

Maani, I don't think he was (unfortunately) a large enough presence on the more popular music scene, so I doubt it'll get picked up by the bigger news reporters.  Having said that, I think maybe the BBC would have mentioned him, but only in passing.

But anyhow, I don't believe it to be a hoax.  I am sure in the next few days, we will know more, especially with the upcoming Montréal gigs, which will probably be cancelled (any news on this?  I know Bern was looking forward to seeing them).


Edited by Geck0 - August 30 2006 at 07:17

There have already been changes announced for the Gong Unconventional Festival in Amsterdam in November. There will now also be a tribute to Pip Pyle, in addition to the already planned tribute to Pierre Moerlen. Two great drummers gone within 16 months, and both from the Gong family. A sad loss indeed.

maani wrote: Geck0:   Underground or not, when a musician who had just appeared in concert dies in his hotel room, that is news, and is bound to be picked up.  As well, music critics and others who regularly write about music - and I am thinking particularly about Jon Pareles at The New York Times, who is as familiar with Gong as he is with The Beatles - would also have picked this up.  Again, I'm not saying it didn't happen.  But the complete lack of any official confirmation seems highly suspicious.   Peace.

Maani,I agree with Gecko. You need to experience how European media deals with anything other than mainstream pop/rock to understand that if,for example, someone relatively "famous" like Bill Bruford died it wouldnt be mentioned on the News never mind a giant of Canterbury like Pip Pyle. Seriously.
    
    
    
    

Edited by Tony R - August 30 2006 at 13:12

Trickster F. wrote:  ^ If Britney Spears died, they'd pick that up though!

    Indeed...but at the end of the day you have to ask yourself this: for every single person that is familiar with Pip Pyle how many more have heard of Britney...1000x ? 10000x ?

Unfortunately the cult of celebrity wins over the true artist every time.

Note: this is not intended as a slight to the memory of Pip Pyle merely despair at "how things are". One musician is worth a million Britneys..
    

Edited by Tony R - August 30 2006 at 13:09

Tony R wrote: Trickster F. wrote:  ^ If Britney Spears died, they'd pick that up though!     Indeed...but at the end of the day you have to ask yourself this: for every single person that is familiar with Pip Pyle how many more have heard of Britney...1000x ? 10000x ? Unfortunately the cult of celebrity wins over the true artist every time. Note: this is not intended as a slight to the memory of Pip Pyle merely despair at "how things are". One musician is worth a million Britneys..

I wonder if you'd say the same thing if she were your daughter...

Then again, if she were your daughter, you probably would've raised her properly and made sure that she became a prog drummer.

Rest In Peace Pip Pyle.