Yesterday I bumped into Knox of punk legends The Vibrators at Rock and Roll Rescue in Camden. I was chatting all things local and he mentioned that Yogi (real name John Frederick Plumley), who lived on Manor Park Crescent had passed away recently. I was saddened to hear this. Although I've not seen Yogi for at least 30 years, he was a feature of the late 70's/ early 80's music scene in and around Edgware. He was also a regular at the Beehive. Us young punks used to refer to him as Edgware's last hippy when he turned up. He was an intelligent guy who had probably taken too many recreational drugs for his own good. On several occasions, I'd see him and start a conversation, only to be told "Man, I've just dropped some Acid, I can't talk now". He'd been to Orange Hill School with a couple of members of The Vibrators, so was quite well known in punk circles as well. He lived with his parents in a large house, although he never really invited anyone around for tea. I went once as I was buying some musical equipment from him. He used to occasionally deal a bit of cannabis, usually very high quality resins such as Nepalese temple balls. He told me he'd buy in bulk and only sell enough to ensure his supply was free. He wasn't a gangster and he was doing this in the days before the world of cannabis dealing became involved with more organised and violent crime groups. He certainly wasn't living the high life on the proceeds of crime. We only knew him as Yogi until his name appeared in the local paper after being apprehended for possession. As I recall, I may be wrong, he was charged with dealing, but explained to the judge that he bought in bulk to avoid having to spend too much time around dealers. The judge took one look at this small, unthreatening hippy and believed him. As I recall he got a small fine.
In the early days of the False Dots he helped us out on occasion with gigs, but we soon realised he was too unreliable to form part of the bands team. I'd always chat to him and I am genuinely saddened to learn he's gone. Many thanks to Christian Marks for the photo and pointing me to this video. You may find this offensive, but I am sure friends of Yogi would love to see this
