General Chat

A BIT ABOUT BOBBY CRUSH FOR DONNA DOWN UNDER Few entertainers can claim to have had as varied a career as Bobby Crush .... famous in the U.K for over 30 years primarily as a pianist but also as a songwriter, broadcaster, actor and TV presenter. Bobby became known nationwide after six winning appearances on TV's 'Opportunity Knocks!', receiving along the way the Variety Club of Great Britain's award for 'Best New Artist of 1972'. This was presented to him by the late Lord Mountbatten of Burma and heralded the first of many appearances before members of the Royal Family. Bobby receives the award for Best New Artist Of 1972 from Lord Mountbatten live on 'Opportunity Knocks' with Hughie Green. West End successes include three seasons at the London Palladium co-starring alongside Jack Jones, Vic Damone and Julie Andrews; a year with Max Bygraves in 'SwingalongaMax' at the Victoria Palace and an appearance in 'The Royal Variety Performance' before Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Alvin Stardust, Bobby, Edward Woodward, John Le Mesurier and Arthur Lowe being presented to the Queen Mother after The Royal Variety Performance. More DAVEX

West Ham Donna pmsl! Dx

An illegal Polish immigrant in Italy has identified him as being a French street musician but the hospital staff have said they will only accept an ID when someone can give them a picture of the man or concrete evidence.

Bolton Donna I live near there Walkden! Dx

No Donna Man City for 48 years man and boy lol! Dave Wendy sorry for talking over your threadx

''The so-called Piano Man has been released from hospital after his condition improved. A national newspaper reported on Monday the man finally broke his silence, stated he was German, and flew home. West Kent NHS and Social Care Trust said it could not comment on the report because of patient confidentiality. The man, who it was claimed was an excellent pianist, was found wandering on Sheppey in April and has been in psychiatric care since then. A statement issued on Monday by the trust said the patient had been discharged following a marked improvement in his condition but the rules regarding patient confidentiality meant there would be no further statement.''

Anyone know of a country with better care services and hand-outs than ours ? If so, details please as I would like go there and have a spot of temporary amnesia. len

Yes Len, if you come here they will also offer you care, especially if you can play the piano. So do you want a nice holiday at our expense? Sylvia xxx

From SKY News...................... He was dubbed the Piano Man after the Trust said he 'played classical music beautifully for four hours' to carers. It has since emerged, however, he only played the same note continuously. According to the Daily Mirror, he finally broke his silence last week. The paper says a nurse went into his hospital room in Dartford and asked: 'Are you going to speak to us today?' He simply answered 'Yes, I think I will.' He told staff he was from Germany but made his way to the UK after losing his job in Paris. He yet to be named, although the German government says he is a 21-year-old Bavarian. A spokesman for the German embassy in London said: 'The hospital called us up on Friday morning saying that there was a man claiming to be a German national. 'We contacted his parents and his identification was confirmed. We gave him replacement travel documents and he left the UK using his own arrangements on Saturday morning.'

mmmmm Joy

I heard on the radio today that the man can certainly play the piano but how skilled he is is debatable. The Mirror story was very dodgy and came from a 'source'. They reported him as a fraud but I don't see how he is - he never claimed to be anything. Someone who voluntarily spends 19 weeks in a mental hospital (which are very disturbing places if you haven't been in one) without uttering a word was definitely in need of help of some sort. I hope after all this hooha he actually got what help he needed.

QUOTE .......SKY NEWS The identity of the so-called 'Piano Man' has finally been revealed. He has been named as Andreas Grassl, hailing from the tiny community of Prosdorf in Bavaria, Germany. His father Josef and neighbours confirmed that Mr Grassl was the gaunt figure whose picture had featured in media reports across the world over the last few months. The story of a man who did not speak but could play the piano with enormous skill prompted a worldwide search for his identity. The Grassl family lost contact with Andreas after he travelled to France and then eventually to the UK, where he was found wandering on a Kent beach in April. Josef Grassl said the family was unaware of the worldwide publicity and campaign to identify his son, who baffled health workers in the UK with his silence. Social workers had toiled for months in a bid to help Mr Grassl, and it is thought that thousands of pounds were spent in the effort to identify him. Mr Grassl was dubbed the 'Piano Man' by the media after carers described how he had 'played classical music beautifully for four hours' at the mental health unit in Dartford, Kent, where he was treated. However, his keyboard skills have now been thrown into doubt after an insider at the Little Brook Hospital told the Daily Mirror that he would often just tap one note continuously. Mr Grassl broke his silence last week before the German Embassy in London provided him with papers so he could return to his family home in Bavaria at the weekend. XX Sioux