maddude16 Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 (edited) hello, firstly i havent been on in quite a while, been having some problems my end but this is irrelevant to below. I don't know if any of you spoke to him, he was a member on this forum....and he hasnt been on in ages, due to the fact i found out the forum user [u]jimmypreston[/u] died January 28th. You may not recognise the name but perhaps if i said he was extremely dyslexic that might ring a bell? I only found out 2 nights ago as he usually txts me every couple of days and i was a bit curious why he hadn't after 2 weeks so I called up his house.... I became quite close mates after speaking to him on here. We got talking after I found out about his dyslexia. After quite a while of constant MSN'age and txts he told me he was eager to learn more bass. Being from the Channel Islands there wasn't much in the term of live music venues compared to where I live so he packed his bass and stayed with me for a week. Literally when he arrived we grabbed some 'London' grub and we went out with our basses! I got him jamming in several open mic nights and even at a gig with a 1 night makeshift temporary cover band! I've never heard Thin Lizzy ina punk/metal way before, and they played it off pretty well. The place was packed solid, he got free booze and even a bit of cash! I must say he left at the end of that week with red sore hands, a severe hangover and couldn't speak! He told me that was the best time of his life he ever had. I even gave him one of my protoype basses to take home with him because he just glared at it....and literally a life time supply of strings the cheeky sod! Must of done me out of 10 packs! He was really polite and curtious, even offered me the money he got out of the gig as 'rent', cleaned the house like crazy (couldn't stop him!) and I even woke up one morning to find him cleaning my basses when he was cleaning his. Because of his dyslexia and stutter people used to mock him constantly. He got it at school constantly, could not get a proper full time job and even had his house terrorised a few time by thugs outside. The police are keeping this extremely low key due to family wishes but after speaking to his sister on the phone they are treating it as suicide (i think overdose on painkiller drugs and alcohol). He reminded me of Gareth Gates...he stuttered near enough every word but when he sung there was none at all and he actually had a pretty decent voice. When he was here NOT ONE of my mates took the mick out of him, had a few people at a couple of the venues try it on but when I tell them how far I believe a Fender Jazz neck can go up a colon they soon back off. I thought I would post this on here for a) to people to realise what prejudice can do b ) i know somebody on this forum did take the piss out of him - FEEL BAD ONE OF THE REASONS HE STOPPED COMING ON HERE WAS DUE TO YOU and c ) just if he had made any other mates on here if they didn't know now they would. What has really upset me is that one of my female mates actually liked him for his sweet nature, and he was due to come back in March for a long weekend. In the short amount of time we'd known each other (only several months) he had become a good mate. Absolutely f***ing gutted. I don't know if there is going to be an open/family funeral as of yet. The police only recently released the body. All I do know is that the service isn't until the end of February and I will not know for a few more days. If it is public, I will post the details of the service on here, and I will add that person on here who took the mick out of him isn't welcome. If I see you there, we'll test my theory of a Fender Jazz neck up a colon. Even if the funeral is private, I will be asking if anybody would like to make a donation for flowers soon. If you'd like to before I ask on here, please PM me. Even if you didn't know him, just a couple of pounds out of respect for a fellow fallen bassist will be appreciated. I'll keep you updated on the details. RIP James Preston. Sorry I couldn't make your life a better place for you in time man. Edited February 13, 2010 by maddude16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingPrawn Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Very Sad News. May he rest in peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Tragic news, my thoughts are you and his family Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 A sad loss of life if suicide due to taunting is the case; condolences to his family and friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Very, very sad. Too many of these lately Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sk8 Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Very sad news Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voxpop Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 so so sad...RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 That makes sad reading indeed. RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witterth Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 (edited) very sad news ....Glad at least, you were able to share a really great time with the man.Shame there wont be more like you describe. sounds like he was a real "gentelman" condolances to all Edited February 13, 2010 by witterth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS73 Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Very sad indeed and so much so for the real mates he had, condolences to family and friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrenochrome Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Yes, I do remember his presence on the forum. That's very sad news indeed; my condolences to his family and friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 That's tragic - condolances to all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 That's very sad news indeed. I've dealt with more instances of suicide than I care to remember and it's a totally devastating time for everyone involved. "Suicide is not chosen; it happens when pain exceeds resources for coping with pain." Thanks maddude for helping him cope for at least a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huge Hands Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 I remember the thread where his dyslexia was discussed. If I remember rightly, he was only a young lad. Tragic news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clauster Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Sad news indeed.... My condolences to his family and friends. I remember him joining the board and him saying that he was from Guernsey and had trouble finding people to play with. My eldest stepson lives there and plays guitar and drums. I kept meaning to ask him if I could give Jimmy his email address or mobile number. Could've been something positive for both of them. I'm kicking myself for my procrastination now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arsenic Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 My heart goes out to all concerned. Maddude - My utmost respects to you for all you did for James - the world needs more people like you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRadford Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Very sad news. I remember seeing one of his first posts and thinking, what most of us probably thought.. Another txt speak chav. Soon after he posted about his problem, which took some balls, and he seemed like a genuine nice guy. I have known and still know some dyslexic (sp? why do they make that word so hard to spell?) people, and all of them try really hard to spell right, but its just one of things they cant do. Its sad that people feel the need to make thier lives harder, especially to the point where the person feels the need to take thier own life. Maddude.. I dont know what to say. All I can say really is, I wish I had friends like you. What a proper gentleman and pure nice guy to take him under your wing like you did. I can honestly say I wouldnt have done what you did, and I cant commend you or say enough nice things about what you did. Im sure Jimmy really appreciated it, and at least you can rest in the knowledge he had one true friend out there, even if everyone tried to drag him down. I hope Jimmy rests in peace, and I hope we all take a moment to think before we type a response to someome who may not be as good as spelling and grammar as some of us are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddude16 Posted February 13, 2010 Author Share Posted February 13, 2010 (edited) hello all, im going to pass on all condolences left on here to the family. im still unsure yet whether the funeral is private or open, but from the phone conversation i had a minute ago i do believe flower donations will be taken. if this is the case if people would like to send a couple of quid i think the best way will to be for paypal i'll sort it out with the florist over there (as I am going over there to attend the service.) I'll try letting people know within 48 hrs. Thankyou. Edited February 13, 2010 by maddude16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wil Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 RIP. Very sad news indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Sorry to hear that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Sounded like a genuinely nice guy which makes it all the more upsetting, RIP Jimmy and condolances to his friends and family Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 [quote name='arsenic' post='743790' date='Feb 13 2010, 10:40 AM']My heart goes out to all concerned. Maddude - My utmost respects to you for all you did for James - the world needs more people like you[/quote] +1 [quote name='Hamster' post='743761' date='Feb 13 2010, 10:21 AM']"Suicide is not chosen; it happens when pain exceeds resources for coping with pain." Thanks maddude for helping him cope for at least a while.[/quote] Well said. A very sad day... Dyslexia is one of the most debilitating disabilities to have in this 'information-driven', 'social-networking' obsessed age of ours.. We have some volunteers at work who are dyslexic and one of those has a severely damaged spine as well. Though she's in a wheelchair as a result, she always says the dyslexia is more of a barrier for her in life.. which kind of puts it in perspective! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Very sorry to hear this. I can't understand people who poke fun at others for something they can do nothing about. It's a terrible thing and this appears to be so often where it ends. So very sad... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tech Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 RIP Jimmy ... so easily prevented - it only takes a moment to put yourself in someone else's shoes before you say something. when will people realise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Really sorry to hear this - and glad that someone was at least trying to help him. Thanks for the post, Maddude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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