I must confess, I didn't really get into them until after they'd split up, though I knew Plea From A Cat Named Virtute from one of the Punk-O-Rama collections. There's a part of me that's sad that I never got the chance to see them live, but I don't know as to how often they came to the UK anyway - if at all.

But yes, I don't think John's lyrics would have meant much to me when I was younger. At my age now though, I firmly believe that he's one of the greatest poets of his generation.