JOHN MICHELL IS DEAD

John Michell, a dear friend of us all, and one of the major figures in British Forteana over the past half century has died of cancer. He was 76. I am not going to do a proper obituary of him; I am atually too upset at the moment, but I would like to remember the kind and gentle man who looked at my manuscript for "Owlman" way before it was published and gave constructive criticism, who got mildly tiddly after the launch for Merrily Harpur's big cat book, and flirted charmingly and sweetly with Corinna (who then was still my fiancee). I want to remember the man who popularised forteana in the 1960s, who taught me ribald limericks, who introduced the hippy culture to earth mysteries, and who now is never going to appear at the Weird Weekend or buy me the pint he owes me.

Rest in Peace John.