Ǎr soñ wz Crisṃs No 1 n w wontd t woć it on TV. So w noct on a strenjr’z dor
(Transcription of a Guardian article of 24 December 2021)
It wz Crisṃs Īv 1968 n Lili ɖ Pnc bî ɖ Scafld wz top v ɖ ćarts. W wr a loñ we fṛm hom – n despṛt t si ǎr pformns
Rojr MGof, Frîde 24 Dsmbr 2021
Sm rīdrz me rmembr, phps wɖ a srtn fondnis, a soñ cōld Lili ɖ Pnc bî ɖ Scafld (ełs Jon Gormn, Mîc MGir n mslf) ɖt wz No 1 in ɖ ćarts in 1968. Ɖ soñ wz best on an old Americn focsoñ, n seḷbretd eḟceśs krz fr mîld eilmnts. Bacñ voc̣lists includd sm lesr-noun figrz fṛm ɖ wrld v ḿzic: Greym Naś (v ɖ Holiz), Eltn Jon (ɖen Rej Dwît) n Tim Rîs. Jac Brūs (v Crīm) pleid beisgitar. It wz ɖ nît bfr Crisṃs Īv, ɖ yir ɖ soñ hit its pīc. W wr drîvñ t Liṿpul fṛm Lundn aftr rcordñ it fr an Emn Andruz śo rlịr ɖt afṭnun.
Ɖ śo wz t b brōdcast ɖt nît on ɖ BBC. Tîm wz vri tît.
In ɖoz dez, v cors, y cd’nt pres rcord or sev on ɖ rmot, y cd’nt “woć agn.” Wns ɖ program wz trnzmitd, ɖt wz it. F y míst it, y míst it fr evr. N w wr runñ lêt.
Wd w gt hom in tîm t woć ǎrslvz on teḷviźn? Unlîcli, az w wr stl on ɖ fogi ǎtscrts v Nantwić. Sudnli, siyñ a lît on in wn v ɖ hǎzz, w parct ǎtsd, ruśt t ɖ dor n rañ ɖ bel.
A man in hiz lêt 20z opnd it. “Xkz m, d y hv a teli?” asct Jon, p’lîtli elbowñ hiz we intu ɖ livñrūm.
“Blîmi!” ɖ man sd, “It’s ɖ Scafld! Bt y c’nt b hir – y’r ɖr on ɖ TV scrīn!”
Śr inuf, ɖr w wr, bǎndñ on t ɖ set at Lîm Grov in ǎr ẃît sūts.
Ɖ man ran t ɖ ft v ɖ sterz. “Janit,” h cōld. “Ges hu’z dǎn hir? Ɖ Scafld!” Fṛm upsterz cem a mufld scrīm.
“Janit z yr bigist fan – ś’l b dǎn az sn az ś’z ćenjd n pt on hr mc-up. I’m Dev bî ɖ we.”
Ẃn ɖ soñ endd, w tc a bǎ in ɖ livñrūm, ʈanct Dev fr hiz cîndnis, śǎtd ǎr gdbîz upsterz n drouv bac hom t Liṿpul.
Mni yirz lêtr, ɖ ẃît sūts loñ sins huñ ǎt t drî, I wz aproćt aftr a powtrirīdñ at a hedtīćrz’ confṛns in Covntri bî a ledi hu intṛdyst hrslf az Janit. Ś tld m ɖt ś hd nvr b’livd hr huzbnd ẃn h tld hr abt ǎr flayñ vizit. “Wz it tru?” ś asct.
“Ɖen ẃ dd’nt y wêt a fy minits, nwñ ɖt I wontd t mīt y?”
“W wontd t, bt w hd t b bac in Liṿpul bfr it clozd fr ɖ nît.”
“It dz’nt matr,” ś sd. “At frst I wz tmtd t bin ol yr recordz. Ɖen, rmemḅrñ it wz Crisṃs – a tîm fr gvñ n fgivñ – I fgev y.”
Az I wōct awe, sūṭbli reprimandd, I rmembrd mor clirli hǎ Jon, Mîc n I flt az w drouv hom ɖt nît. Ʈrild at siyñ ǎrslvz on teli, v cors, bt olso gilti abt nt seyñ hlo t ǎr bigist fan. W olso vaud ɖt nxt tîm, w wd asc ɖ BBC t bc s intu a dīsnt hotel fr ɖ nît.
• Sefti in Numbrz bî Rojr MGof z publiśt bî Penḡn, £9.99
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