rob_tributes@radiocaroline.co.uk
- From: Richard Lamont <richard@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2008 18:03:14 +0000
As another Staffordshire anorak, I was saddened by Rob's passing. I knew
him through various local RSLs we both took part in. Last year I was
lucky enough to spent a couple of afternoons with him putting the world
to rights over a quiet drink. Crohn's disease had been a terrible ordeal
for him for years, but mercifully he could still enjoy the occasional beer.
He told me an incredible story. Earlier in his life he worked as an RF
design engineer for a large British company. He was once given a gadget
to design without being told what it was for. It was all very secret. He
did the job, and thought nothing more of it until very recently when,
quite by chance, he visited a museum. There, on display, was the secret
gadget he had designed: it formed part of an obsolete nuclear weapon system.
As many have noted, Rob was a gentle and sensitive soul. The thought
that he had worked on "some pretty nasty stuff" appalled him. At least
the nasty stuff in question had become a museum piece without ever being
used in anger. It was the mark of the man that, despite his own
permanent and painful illness, he was more concerned about the effect
his actions could have had on others.
Rob had an encyclopaedic knowledge of rock. He chose the running order
for his shows on the fly, knowing instinctively what would segue
smoothly from the track already on air. This is of course the antithesis
of formatted radio. This freeform, unpredictable and spontaneous
approach was at the heart of his show.
It feels as if another dial lamp has gone out on the old valve radio.
The aether has lost a noble spirit, but one we can still hear in our
Imagination.
Goodbye Rob, and my condolences to Sharon.
--
Richard Lamont
.
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