World Mental Health Day
October 10, 2024

Dear Friends, 
And now for something completely different ……

You probably don’t know it but almost certainly you are acquainted with at least one person who has bipolar. Indeed, THEY may not know it since diagnosis is hard to come by and can take some time. About 1 in 50 live with the condition and 1 in 12 are affected through family and friends. One of my closest friends in music is lyricist and songwriter supreme, Nicky Chinn (well he says he is but Noddy Holder says HE is ).

For the uninitiated he teamed up with former waiter Mike Chapman in the early 70’s ( forming Chinnichap) and produced one of the great “runs” in British pop music ..the so called glam rock era with artists like Sweet, Mud, Suzi Quatro, Smokie, Toni Basil, and later on Tina Turner, Exile, Huey Lewis and many others. Their “mentor” was producer and owner of RAK records Mickie Most RIP. Currently a cover of one of their better efforts “ Stumbling’ In “ by Cyril, has been a top ten hit wherever it’s been a top ten hit ( North Wales and Malta ).

As a manager I represented Gerry Rafferty RIP during the most commercially successful successful period of his career ( “ Baker Street”, “ Right Down The Line” , “ Night Owl ” and so on ). It was a very difficult relationship. His daughter Martha has confirmed in an interview that Gerry lived with bi polar which I didn’t know at the time ( and wouldn’t have known what it was anyway) which belatedly explained much. Although I never met him I was an altruistic supporter of Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club when Ronnie and his partner Pete King were with us. Ronnie lived with bipolar.

But it wasn’t until I met Nicky and we fell madly in love that anybody explained to me what used to be called “manic depression” actually is a terrible disease that for many years was misunderstood and ignored because we as a society have a very ambivalent attitude to mental health.

Thursday October 10 is World Mental Health Day and Bipolar UK have organised a chat between Nicky and myself which you can watch –  you lucky people (It’s 12-1pm UK time for those of you overseas, at least east of Chicago and west of Hamburg). And before you think ‘oh I don’t want to spend an hour getting depressed listening about people who are depressed’, it will informative AND entertaining , I promise you that and there’s a 15 minute live Q and A at the end for those of you who want to know what “ Can The Can” is about.  

All you need to do is sign up, its free (and please send on….)

Sign up for free here

Thanks so much, 
Ed Bicknell.