How do you solve a problem like Charlie Stubbings? Legions have tried yet all have failed. Psychiatrists, hypnotherapists, counsellors, faith healers, witch doctors, well intentioned lady friends, all shake their heads and concur "there is no helping this man".
Terminally anxious, stress ridden and dangerously obsessive Charlie, was born in London to a supremely dysfunctional and unfit Mother and Father way back in the late fifties. Beaten from pillar to post by said parents and a succession of school bullies alike, battered and bruised Charlie found his only real solace in writing songs.
Shut away in his bedroom with just an old acoustic guitar for company, only child Charlie was happy, he dreamed his dreams and penned composition after composition, some excellent, some OK and others diabolicly bad but it was this pursuit which kept him off the streets and probably prevented him from losing the plot entirely, for a while at least!
Writing highly individual songs with catchy melodies and unusual words was always something Charlie found easy to do, getting them to a wider audience or making any money from them was something he found virtually impossible, "I've never been any good at self-promotion" he confessed somewhat modestly.
Throughout the 70's, 80's, 90's and naughties Charlie fronted a succession of popular local bands and even today, at the grand old age of (do the math) he can be found whipping the crowds into a dancing frenzy at the helm of the highly original and critically acclaimed Heartland Reggae, a band destined for great things provided they can all manage to live long enough.
Whilst definitely partial to a bit of crash, bang, wallop Charlie's musical heroes mainly come from the quieter side of the street, James Taylor, John Martyn, Nick Drake, Ron Sexsmith etc and just as with the aforementioned, there is seldom a dry seat left in the house at the end of a Stubbings performance.
Although hugely unsuccessful Charlie has not been without his plaudits over the years, Folk Roots once wrote "Never Say Never is one of those rolling Albion melodies that most would give their eye teeth to write - nice one Charlie Stubbings" high praise indeed but is it deserved? "Yes" says Charlie in a rare upbeat moment.
So judge for yourself as you listen to these tunes, Charlie is convinced that one or two of them could be massive if only the right person got to hear them, perhaps with the advent of this, his MySpace profile, the right person might at last get to lend him an ear, who knows? stranger things have happened - right?
Unmitigated loser or closet genius? that of course is for you to decide but if any of his songs touch you or evoke long forgotten memories, please be so kind as to drop by and let him know, he might just shrug off your huzzahs in his normal self effacing manner but deep inside I know he'd feel a warm glow and love you for it.
So how DO you solve a problem like Charlie Stubbings? - shoot him is the answer that instantly spings to mind but that would be such a waste because one fact is steadfastly undeniable, Charlie Stubbings does write exceedingly good songs.