Morto Matthew Seligman, bassista nei Soft Boys. Un ricordo di Robyn Hitchcock

Matthew Seligman, bassista nei Soft Boys, è morto a 64 anni per complicazioni dovute al maledetto Coronavirus. A darne notizia sui suoi canali social, Robyn Hitchcock, che della formazione art-wave-psichedelica britannica era invece il frontman.

«..Nessuno di noi si aspettava che ci lasciasse così presto e in un modo tanto improvviso – scrive Hitchcock su Instagram a proposito dell’amico – lo incontrai nel 1976 a Cambridge, appena prima della nascita dei Soft Boys. […] Bassista dal passo funky e assai gioioso, rese Underwater Moonlight un LP vitale, sia nel momento di registrarlo che da ascoltare. […] Matthew credeva profondamente nei Soft Boys e in quel disco. Erano i primi anni Ottanta e la Guerra Fredda si stava intensificando. Ricordo con affetto che, camminando verso il pub dopo una session, lo sentii dire: “potremmo anche saltare in aria tutti quanti a questo punto [il riferimento era ovviamente alla bomba atomica, ndSA], ma almeno avremo la certezza di aver registrato un album che diventerà un classico”. La band non sopravvisse molto in quegli squallidi anni Ottanta, ma Matthew in seguito suonò con alcune grandi formazioni e con grandi artisti: The Thompson Twins, David Bowie, Morrissey e Chrissie Hynde furono tra i fortunati beneficiari dei suoi grooves intuitivi e circolari. […]. Sono profondamente grato per il fatto di aver potuto suonare musica con lui […]».

Di seguito trovate il post Instagram completo di Robyn Hitchcock, mentre sulle nostre pagine potete recuperare la recensione di Underwater Moonlight. Nella foto dei Soft Boys in testata, Seligman è il secondo da destra.

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I am writing this as Matthew Seligman slips out of this life and into wherever souls go next. Everybody goes, but none of us were expecting Matthew to leave us so abruptly, forever. It is strange and very sad to be talking of him in the past tense. I first met Matthew in 1976 in Cambridge, just before the beginning of the Soft Boys. He had nice dark hair and was very charming, with a slight break in his voice. A joyous and funky bass player, he made Underwater Moonlight an exuberant LP to record and listen to. His manic bass run at the end of "Insanely Jealous" and his stately propeller dive into the last chorus of the title track, as well as the insistent groove he brought to "Kingdom of Love" are some of the finest bass playing I have ever witnessed. Matthew truly believed in the Soft Boys and the record. It was early 1980 and the second Cold War was intensifying. I fondly remember stomping over to the pub after a session and him saying through the dismal spring wind, "We may all be about to be blown up, but at least we'll have made a classic album." The band didn't survive too long into the bleak 1980s, but Matthew found a home as a bass player in many great musical shells. The Thompson Twins, David Bowie, Morrissey and Chrissie Hynde were all lucky beneficiaries of his intuitive and circular grooves. As well as bass playing, he specialized in one-liners. “Pop music is about over-stating the obvious” and “What you’ve proved to the music industry is that you can’t sell records” are two of my favourites. I’m profoundly grateful to have played music with him – you could really see his face light up like a full moon when he listened back to a take he enjoyed. Onstage he would lope and lurch and pace when the music moved him. Matthew is, was, and always will be one of the greats. My heart goes out to his partner, Mami; his children Daisy and Lily, and all who were close to him and his lunar intensity. Photo is The Soft Boys L-R @morrisdrums, Kimberley Rew and Matthew Seligman ❤️ photographer is Curtis Knapp

A post shared by Robyn Hitchcock (@robynhitchcockofficial) on Apr 17, 2020 at 6:50pm PDT