I only met Bryan on a few occasions between 1988 and 1991. I first time was at the Green Room on Whitworth St in 1988, it was the first CC/Funbox Manchester Busker night, both myself and a friend (we were both 15 at the time) had read about Bryan in the evening news, he had just been crowned Piccadilly Radio's busker of the year (whatever that meant!), we had a schoolboy band of our own at the time and were intrigued. What we heard (Bryan, Johnny Dangerously, Darren Poyser, Henry Normal, Clare Mooney) that night changed our lives forever. I remember meeting Bryan after the gig, he was selling his tapes at a table in the bar area of the venue, we approached him just to tell him we loved his set, it was near the end of the night and by this time neither myself or my friend had any money left, so we felt a little embarrassed when Bryan asked me if I liked his stuff enough to buy a tape of him, when I drunkenly explained I had no money he just smiled and handed me a tape anyway. That tape was called "The kid who saved your life" it contained five other songs as well as the title track, another track on it was "Bicycle Corncob Tuesday". I remember playing the tape almost constantly that summer and beyond. Unfortunately a fascist tape machine decided to chew up the tape a couple of years later and has been lost to me ever since (if anyone out there has this tape, I would be eternally grateful for a copy)
When I heard the news of Bryans death the first thing that came to mind was this story and the chorus of the kid who saved your life has been going round in my head ever since. Truly one of the most beautiful songs ever written and for me the song that best encapsulates the mood of Manchester during the late eighties and guaranteed a place on the soundtrack of my life.
"...and in this smokey town, where the washed out pavements are
mirroring the lord mayors frown,"
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