LS: There was a seriously sweet man, often came to French’s to eat early evenings (took his life in his hands there alone), I think he played in some band BUT the important factor was he had a pet fruit bat called Cricket and he used to keep it hung inside his jacket. Beautiful creature he’d saved from some unjust urban insult.
PT: polly from the reels is the only person i know who had a flying fox
LS: YES Polly !!! You’re a legend Phil, thank you. I adored him and you’re right of course it was a flying fox. He’d let me perch it on my fingers.
LS: Long before this group was even the vaguest perception of an idea I’ve thought of Polly with some affection. Not for the life of me would my brain give up his name.
PT: he came to M2 a bit and once or twice helped myself and p.gibson in mixing our little tracks
LS: He really would come and eat dinner at French’s all alone in the early evenings when Jary and I were pulling together more than a semblance of a restaurant to try and keep the Liquor Administration Board from placing another fine on the place. I’m not surprised he helped out, the man had depth.
VC: Wow, I think I may have met that guy.
Went to visit him in a squat to see about doing a demo. Fairly dimly lit room. He had what I thought was a glove in a large cage by his desk and, suddenly, the “glove” started eating a banana. Gave me quite a turn, as they say.
JN: Oh yeah Polly. What a great chap!
JR: Polly from the Reels. Used to take the bat on stage with him.
MS: My kids love the legend of cricket le fruit bat!
MM: I remember Polly and the flying fox. I ended up at a warehouse one afternoon. I think Rats Bander held auditions for the dreams there and I auditioned… Or maybe I have my warehouses crossed…but I distinctly remember the flying fox following Poly around I was overwhelmed at how beautiful the creature was.
LB: Polly and bat came to a party we had at Crown street… The bat was so quiet and Polly was so gentle with it.. I could tell he had a real affinity with the creature…
BT: I remember that guy … and his bat.
PA: Colin Newham (Polly) ?
JN: Yeah that’s the chap Paul Abrahams are you still in contact? We remember him very fondly.
JMcG: Sure remember Polly and his bat in the Reels. Loved that band…