Mojo - The Music Magazine

The MOJO Honours List 2008

The theme was: Aggro!

The Specials saga will perhaps never end, but the evening of June 16, 2009, was special chapter of weirdness. Jerry Dammers was there; so were Terry Hall and co, subsequently to tour without their former, illustrious leader. The pre-awards tension had centred on whether they’d actually speak, let alone share a stage, but we needn't have worried. Professionalism held sway and Specials fans were tickled pink to see them put their differences aside for the day. Less tickled were Welsh Songbird™ Duffy, who stumbled across a refreshed and boisterous John Lydon, somewhat to her detriment, and the otherwise indefatigable Ryan Jarman from The Cribs, who co-presented Mark E. Smith with his MOJO Maverick award, only to discover that Smith deemed him surplus to requirements in the photo shoot (the rude version of "go away" was used). Luckily, healing vibes were also in the area, as Edwyn Collins touched the hem of his hero, Creedence chooglatollah, John Fogerty, My Bloody Valentine basked in the glory that they had always merited and Al Murray was able to convince Phil Collins, if only for an evening, that Genesis were in fact quite good. Pushing the star count into dangerous overload: Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones (proving that at least they were getting on), Paul Weller having a rare old time, John Martyn making jokes about his missing leg, Nick Cave and Neil Diamond. Neil bloody Diamond! At what other awards ceremony… et cetera!?