In 2008 our good friend Hugh Hopper asked if we could put up a one of his musician friends; He turned out to be Daevid Allen of whom I had vaguely heard but knew little about. Infact Daevid and Hugh were founder members of Soft Machine and he subsequently went on to form Gong, a band that still plays in various guises around the world and continues to have a big influence on young musicians today. There cant be many people around the planet who have performed beat poetry and played with William Burroughs’ house-band in Paris in the 50’s but Daevid is one such. He is an extraordinary character, a real free-thinker and prankster. Before Hugh died in 2009 they played together with drummer Chris Cutler in Brainville, a truly original and powerful band that is well worth catching up with. This photo was taken in my house and I think captures something of Daevid’s lively spirit.