It’s one of those clichéd questions we all ask each other, ‘If your house caught fire, what would be the first thing you would save?’ For most musicians the answer is easy, ‘My guitar’, ‘My Laptop’, ‘My Drums’, ‘My PA’, ‘My Decks’.
On the night of Sunday 10 April, musician Bobby Pook didn’t have time to save anything. A fire started shortly before an explosion claimed the house and everything he owns with it. He made it out alive but was taken to a specialist unit in Preston with third degree burns to his hands. His contents insurance had just expired.
A friend returned to the house to film what’s left. This is the video.
The music is Blanket, one of Bobby’s many projects.
Bobby is a Blackpool-based professional guitarist, vocalist, DJ, film producer and all-round good guy. A member of the now defunct Me vs Hero, he has most recently been found as resident DJ in Scrooges and as lead vocalist in local buzz group, Downers. In addition to this he helps run Sumo Crucial video production company and collaborates with just about everyone on the Fylde in projects as diverse as Dubstep and Post-Rock.
In short, Bobby is a self-employed, multi-talented guy who has just lost his house and over £10,000 of equipment, including items such as his beloved Fender Jazzmaster. Situations such as these are when a guy needs support and Blackpool is showing its true colours in this respect.
Whilst he was unconscious in hospital, Bobby’s girlfriend, Doris Lam, set up a Go Fund Me page to help raise money to help him replace his equipment. £4,515 of the £10,000 target was raised in the first day.
Today Bobby blagged a nurse to let him dictate a status update on Facebook:
“I should say that at first, I felt so awkward about this and felt lame depending on people’s hand outs… I came to realise that people actually wanted to help and I can honestly say I’ve never felt so loved and cared for in my whole life. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve all these amazing people in my life. I’ve experienced human kindness on a next level. You’ve basically all played a part in saving my life in a way and this experience made me realise how close I came to being a dead whopper.”
Though a great start has been made, the immediate circle of friends have already donated and there’s still a long way to go to raise the next £5000. This is where I hope Alt_Blackpool readers can make a difference. Please help us celebrate Bobby Pook not being a ‘dead whopper’ and donate whatever you can. If you can’t afford to donate yourself, please share this article on social media. When the burns have healed you’ll hear the results.
Show Comments (0)