I am cross with myself. I am cross with myself because when Davy Graham died three years ago, I decided I would make a conscious effort to go and see all the musicians I love best who I’ve never seen live and who won’t be around forever. High up on that list was Bert Jansch. I could have seen him performing with Pentangle at Glastonbury, but it clashed with something else, so I didn’t. And I could have seen them at the Festival Hall in August, but I had promised to go and see a friend’s band that night, so I didn’t.
And now Bert Jansch has died, and I could have seen him, and I didn’t, and now I never will. What an idiot. Here’s what I missed:
I am going to make a list, now, today, of people to see before they, or I, die. And I am going to post it here, and if you see any of them coming to London, please shout at me and tell me to go and see them. And if I say I’m busy that night, tell me I’m an idiot.
Glad All Over 
Oh, I hadn’t heard that – such sad news. I did see him – years ago, doing a guest spot at a Beth Orton gig. He was wonderful, as you’d expect.
we saw him live a very long time ago – and it was a big mistake. He was obviously going through something bad and had a kind of minder to keep him upright. Looks like he has had a renaissance since then and the clip was lovely.
He’d been in severe financial and health trouble for a long time. A lot of shows he played in the last couple of years were effectively benefits in his own honour to pay for cancer treatment. Even Neil Young – not usually known for his generosity – took him on tour as co-headliner (co-headliner!) on his last US tour. The whole point being that Bert, who was then in remission, could afford to simply keep living. He had almost nothing to his name.