Randy - This Thing Of Ours

On Sunday afternoon I lost one of my best friends. For a man who led such a rich, varied and, at times, indulgent life, anything less than a ‘trilogy’ would be an injustice... but i’ll save that job to the more eloquent and qualified of his pals. For me, a good enough place to start is the day I met him in 1998. Sitting across from me in a cafe one sunny morning after the 100 Club, he asked if I spoke Spanish and if so, could I translate an article that had been written in a Spanish soul fanzine. I laughed in genuine disbelief that this ole chancer was the Randy Cozens who I’d heard so much about. The very same one whose article on Paul Weller had upset me at the age of 9! (... but that’s another story).

To cut a long day short, our friendship was sealed over several bottles of red wine as we spent the next 16 hours discussing his four great passions - Music, Mods, Maxine and the Mafia,...oh, and arguing whose turn it was to put on the next record. A moment that seems all the more poinient now was the pair of us sitting in floods of tears listening to Doris Troy’s “Somewhere along the way”... sentimental drunks to the end! Thankfully the rest of the day and the years to follow were far outweighed with tears of laughter. I won’t deny that many on the scene were wary of Randy. He could be down right stubborn and fiery at times; and never suffered fools gladly. However, to those who didn’t know him, it’s impossible to convey in words the impact that he had on the lives of those he did allow into his heart. I spent my last evening with Randy just before the Cleethorpes Weekender, doing what we always did best together, giggling and playing records... only on this occasion it also involved us subjecting Ady to an hour long lecture on our favourite ‘enders’; some of which I have infront of me now... Brenda Holloway’s ‘I will always love you’, Lou Johnson’s ‘It ain’t no use’, Theola Kilgore’s ‘ I can’t stand it’ and Coco Cozenza’s ultimate ender - Arthur Alexander’s ‘I need you baby’. Despite the emotional rawness of the songs and indeed the occasion, Randy was reflective in an very positive and upbeat way. Friends can take comfort from the fact that he truly LIVED his life and did it his way - right to the end. The funeral will take place this Friday, 20th June. Meeting at the White Horse Pub at the top of Chase Road, Southgate N14 from 2pm onwards. And then New Southgate Crematorium (Brunswick Park Road N11) for 3.30pm

As a celebration of his live, Randys family still wish the Southgate all-dayer to go ahead at The Rising Sun on the 28th June. --------------

Photos below:- (1) Randy was a talented cartoonist.

Thought Taff and the Letchworth crew would appreciate this one.

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(2) Me and Randy - Soulgate all-dayer 1999

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(3) The italian-american connection - with Sonny and Tony in Mulberry Street, Little Italy NYC (and on brooklyn bridge)

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