Monday 23 August 2010
Remember Cat Stevens?
It's a long time since I've listened to my Cat Stevens LPs, but he did write some classic, unforgettable songs, like Rubylove (very Greek), How Can I Tell You, Bitterblue, Peace Train, Wild World.
I met him in Addis Ababa in the early 1970's, when he was guest-of-honour at a UNICEF reception. I think he must have been there as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, or in a similar role.
We chatted about Ethiopia and its children, and about the songs of Bob Dylan, which he much admired.
The offspring of a Greek-Cypriot father (Stavros Georgiou) and a Swedish mother (Ingrid Wickman), his real name is Steven Demetre Georgiou. He's better known these days as Yusuf Islam.
I'm glad to see that he has resumed his music-making- he's a fine British talent, a great singer-songwriter by any standards.
I must dig out my copy of "Teaser and the Firecat".
That's how I'll remember him.
BBC, 1971
On the Rushdie affair.
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