{"id":1189,"date":"2017-09-01T01:04:51","date_gmt":"2017-09-01T00:04:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timarnold.co.uk\/?p=1189"},"modified":"2017-11-11T19:45:34","modified_gmt":"2017-11-11T19:45:34","slug":"bernie-katz-my-soho-hero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timarnold.co.uk\/bernie-katz-my-soho-hero\/","title":{"rendered":"Bernie Katz &#8211; My Soho Hero"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_1209\" style=\"width: 894px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1209\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1209\" src=\"https:\/\/timarnold.co.uk\/\/data\/apps\/ta\/htdocs\/public\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/1564D156-15C3-44AE-8B68-F6D27A68C306.jpg\" alt=\"Bernie Katz by Andy Fallon, 2012\" width=\"884\" height=\"497\" srcset=\"https:\/\/timarnold.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/1564D156-15C3-44AE-8B68-F6D27A68C306.jpg 884w, https:\/\/timarnold.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/1564D156-15C3-44AE-8B68-F6D27A68C306-600x337.jpg 600w, https:\/\/timarnold.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/1564D156-15C3-44AE-8B68-F6D27A68C306-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/timarnold.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/1564D156-15C3-44AE-8B68-F6D27A68C306-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 884px) 100vw, 884px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1209\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bernie Katz by Andy Fallon, 2012<\/p><\/div>\n<h3>At least once a month for the last 3 years someone has always asked me \u201cIs that the final nail in the coffin for Soho?\u201d.\u00a0 First it was Madame Jojo\u2019s (before it was saved), then the working girl&#8217;s flats in Walker\u2019s Court, Berwick Street market, The Stockpot, The Colony.\u00a0 The list is endless.\u00a0 I have always given the same reply: Soho is not held in affection by so many of us because of bricks and mortar.\u00a0 It\u2019s not the places, but the <em>people in the places.<\/em><\/h3>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3>So now, if someone were to ask me if the passing of Bernie Katz is the last nail in the coffin for Soho, I would have to say that, if Soho really does have a beginning and an end, then yes, Bernie\u2019s passing is the bell that chimes <em>after <\/em>last orders.\u00a0 In fact, the day Bernie was released from his duties as both matriarch and godfather at The Groucho Club, it spelt out a most definitive ending for many of us whom are privileged to have grown up in the Soho community whilst the Groucho was under Bernie\u2019s tenure.\u00a0Spiritually, Bernie was passed down a torch that was carried by Soho\u2019s finest \u2013 Muriel Belcher, Ian Board, Michael Wojas, Norman Balon \u2013 all utterly unapologetic in their delivery of perfect <em>imperfect<\/em> humanity.\u00a0 A spirit that not only has no fear to offend, but in fact, thrives on the ability to inspire love by <em>being<\/em> offensive<em>.\u00a0 <\/em>The strength of character that is both rude, crude, entertaining and utterly lovable, all at the same time. \u00a0<em>That<\/em> is Soho, and that was Bernie.\u00a0He was also very humble.\u00a0 When I sat down at The Groucho in 2012 to interview Bernie for my book Soho Heroes, it was charming that he was actually surprised I wanted to talk to <em>him<\/em> about <em>his<\/em> life.\u00a0 I think he thought it was going to be an interview just about Soho. \u00a0It ended up becoming a very candid interview and it warms my heart that I can now listen to his voice whenever I want to. \u00a0And now so can you. It always makes me laugh when he admits to having a crush on my older brother Toby Tobias.<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/340383037&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Tim Arnold&#8217;s interview with Bernie Katz, 2012<\/p>\n<h3>Bernie possessed none of the polite blandification mapped out by Keynote kings and PowerPoint princesses that has infiltrated today&#8217;s Soho. \u00a0Bernie knew how to answer all of teacher\u2019s questions in class whilst giving teacher the finger at the same time.\u00a0 And the rest of the class adored him for it, because he was cute while he did it. \u00a0He was beloved to all who knew him, because he <em>loved<\/em> people. \u00a0He understood that his courtiers wanted to feel welcome and be given permission to misbehave together, hidden from the outside world.\u00a0 A popular Soho concept that goes all the way back to King Charles II and his dirty stop-outs with Nell Gwynne. \u00a0Bernie is and always will be indelibly connected to Soho history. \u00a0In my humble opinion, the greatest contribution Bernie made in Soho was that he genuinely treasured <em>artists<\/em>, and I know many of my fellow musicians and performers will be finding his passing practically impossible to accept. \u00a0For us, he simply <em>was<\/em> Soho. \u00a0In my own case, he literally swept me and my guitar off the pavement in Dean Street and gave me one of my first shows as The Soho Hobo on the Groucho stage.\u00a0 He spoke to me of the lyrics I had written about our little enclave in the heart of London, and when he did, I knew I was listening to an expert. \u00a0An expert on everything that Soho celebrates \u2013 individuality, fiery passion and the lust for life that each of us who have been drawn to the area carry in our hearts. \u00a0He shared his stage with artists of all shapes and sizes regardless of how far up the ladder they were.\u00a0 He championed character and gave not a fig for hierarchy. \u00a0And lets not beat about the bush \u2013 The Groucho was Bernie\u2019s theatre, and I for one feel blessed and privileged to have performed there during his artistic directorship.<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/W6Dp0Q3iiiw\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3>No one will ever replace Bernie. \u00a0However, to honour his legacy is to re-inject Soho with the crazed and beautiful character that he projected and shared with us in the time that we had him in our lives. \u00a0Soho needs it more than ever now. I wish more people promoted this fact.\u00a0 If they did, perhaps Bernie would have known just how important his presence in Soho was. \u00a0Perhaps he did know. \u00a0I hope he did. \u00a0His naughtiness was part Carry On, part Kray, part Pantomime dame and always classic raconteur. \u00a0He shone bright and now a great light has gone out. \u00a0I already missed Bernie after he left The Groucho. \u00a0Whilst Soho&#8217;s heart would appear to be temporarily lost, it hurts that with Bernie, it is a cast iron goodbye that I and many others will be coming to terms with for a long time. \u00a0The fact that I will not see him again is unimaginable to me. \u00a0My dear friend Steve Furst told me the sad news at midnight today. \u00a0I immediately got in touch with Stephen Fry, knowing how close he and Bernie were. \u00a0Stephen summed it up beautifully: <em>&#8220;Five foot nothing and a heart bigger than Soho Square.&#8221;<\/em><\/h3>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3>So rock hard comrades, suffer no fools and make your art out of the chaos we call life with hearts as swollen as Bernie&#8217;s.\u00a0 It\u2019s what he would want for Soho and all it\u2019s people, however orphaned we may feel in these transitory times. \u00a0Goodnight sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.<\/h3>\n<p>Tim Arnold, <em>1st September 2017<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Subscribe <a href=\"http:\/\/eepurl.com\/bc4yLf\">here\u00a0<\/a>to receive updates on more TA blogs<\/h3>\n<p><b>Follow Tim Arnold on Twitter:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/@timarnold\">www.twitter.com\/@timarnold<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At least once a month for the last 3 years someone has always asked me \u201cIs that the final nail in the coffin for Soho?\u201d.\u00a0 First it was Madame Jojo\u2019s (before it was saved), then the working girl&#8217;s flats in Walker\u2019s Court, Berwick Street market, The Stockpot, The Colony.\u00a0 The list is endless.\u00a0 I have&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1209,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[47,58,49,56,39,53,51,55,52,48,50,54,59,29,57],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/timarnold.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/1564D156-15C3-44AE-8B68-F6D27A68C306.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timarnold.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1189"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timarnold.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timarnold.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timarnold.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timarnold.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1189"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/timarnold.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1189\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1383,"href":"https:\/\/timarnold.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1189\/revisions\/1383"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timarnold.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timarnold.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timarnold.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timarnold.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}