I was always mad about John Martyn and I played the guitar too and went to see him whenever I could. I remember sitting in my bedroom in the ’80s and trying to learn to play May You Never. It took me weeks but eventually, I got it almost exactly how he played it. The bit at the end of the song, where he plays the descending notes, I used that to tune my guitar into an open tuning. I was chuffed with myself but it was one hell of a slog and there were countless times when I screamed in frustration and looked up to the ceiling and wished that John Martyn was sitting in front of me to show me how to play it. Of course, that was never going to happen.
Fast forward to 1991 and I am at Nottingham Trent University in my first year of a degree in Photography. I wanted to become a Melody Maker photographer. I had already photographed some bands and had a picture printed in the Melody Maker. I took my pictures to the entertainment secretary of the student union and asked him if I could photograph all the bands that played at the college. He said ok under the condition I always gave him one colour and one black and white print of each gig. I was off! The first gig was John Martyn. No way. Brilliant.
I went down really early as I didn’t know the ropes yet. I watched the guys from the entertainment committee build the stage and then the kerfuffle that followed when they realised that the PA wasn’t turning up. John Martyn turned up for soundcheck but didn’t come into the building because he was told there was no PA, it was on its way still. He went down the pub, about 100 metres down the road. I didn’t know that at the time so I hung around the venue. The PA turned up and eventually so did John Martyn.
I was at the downstairs bar area when he walked in and went to the bar and ordered something like vodka and orange. I walked over and was going to ask him if I could take his picture. The girl handed the drink over and he looked at it and started shouting “Mice, Mice!!!’ at the top of his voice. The young girl serving looked horrified and scared. I leaned forward and said to her “Put some 
ice in it, he wants ice.”
She obliged and I asked John if I could take his picture. He looked at my old Rolleiflex and said: “Yeah, sure, that’s a nice looking camera.”
I got him to follow me to the corner of the room where there was a chair. He had his Martin guitar with him and sat down o the chair opposite me and I took a couple of pictures. I daren’t ask him to pose or move his head, I just kept grinning and smiling at him. Then I took my chance. I kneeled down in front of him and said: “Any chance you can show me how to fucking play May You Never?” He laughed and just said “yeah!” He then sat right in front of me and played it. As soon as he started singing he turned into John Martyn, eyes closed chin in the air. His fingers were like sausages, incredibly strong. He finished and he could see me looking at his hand like a crazy person. I looked up at him and said: “I can show you a completely different way to play that song, fuck, it’s just in D?!!!” He laughed his head off like a naughty boy. I told him I like Big Bill Broonzy and he immediately launched into a Big Bill Broonzy song. I asked him to show me The Easy Blues, which he did. He then suddenly stood up and shouted “Boys boys” and walked off towards the stage. The last thing he said to me was…
“That’s my son there doing front of house.”
The gig was great and the first thing he did was apologise for it being 1 and half hours late and that it was no fault of the University that this had happened. Someone shouted, “Play Solid Air now please John, I’ve got babysitters!” He literally fell over laughing.
Here is a picture from that gig. Sozzled! I’ll dig out the picture I took of him sitting playing May You Never.
I hope you like the story. I’m glad I met him and that happened. His music meant so much to me.
Chris Olley
