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Wednesday, 25th January 2006: Bryan Glancy RIP

Bryan Glancy
1966 - 2006

"yihiyeh zichro baruch"
"may his memory be for a blessing"

During the very early hours of Saturday, Jan 21st 2006 my close friend Bryan Glancy passed away in his sleep at his home in central Manchester. All us of us who knew him and deeply loved him are still in shock - he was thirty-nine years old. Bryan was a singer/songwriter of exceptional talent and he had admirers all around the world, but he was never quite able to find the formula that would enable him to break out beyond Manchester to a wider audience. Nevertheless he was highly regarded by many that did and was one of Manchesters most influential figures. Bryan knew which way the wind blew with regard to the kind of world we live in and what directs it and he was never afraid to take it on and do battle. My world is darker and emptier without him and the city of Manchester has paid for this New Year with its dearest blood. You fight valiantly on the side of the angels brother and I love you very much.

The photograph above was taken in the summer of 1991 in Manchester. Together with Manchester artist Mark Kennedy, Bryan and I had just returned from Rotterdam where we'd been recording demos for an album on which we all featured called Zima Junction. The audio track that accompanies the photo above was playing on the boom-box when the photo was taken. We were so excited by the track that wed wanted to immediately visit other friends who were working in banks, shops and offices in the city centre and play it to them, which we did, much to the bemusement of senior supervisors, secretaries and the like. One bystander even asked us if were filming something for Granada television, as we danced between rows of desks or around Albert Square while other onlookers ate their lunch, smiling at us broadly. Sadly this particular version of the song was destined never to be released after the original master tapes went missing and very few people have actually heard it.

Visit Mark's personal site for more pictures and to listen to the tune

Bryan Glancy Blog spot: A Tribute to Bryan Glancy; Singer, Songwriter, Driver of Vans

Mark