Jon was a postman in
Manchester in the 1970s and later spent years travelling and in various other jobs. He attended the
4 June 1976 Sex Pistols gig at the
Lesser Free Trade Hall and was described as "a committed and omnipresent figure on the punk and post-punk scene in Manchester." He first became known for waiting until headline bands had finished their set (sometimes before they had finished) before mounting the stage in a drunken state, grabbing the microphone, and performing his own versions of rock 'n' roll classics such as "
Louie Louie". which he described: "I think the Buzzcocks left the stage and the microphone was there and a little voice must have been calling, 'This is your moment, Jon.' I've no idea to this day why I sang 'Louie Louie,' the ultimate garage anthem from the 60s. And why I did it
a cappella and changed all the lyrics apart from the actual chorus, I have no idea. I suppose it was my bid for immortality, one of those great bolts of inspiration." "For some reason it appeared to go down rather well. I suppose it was taking the punk ethos to the extreme – anyone can have a go. Before punk it was like you had to have a double degree in music. It was a liberation for someone like me who was totally unmusical but wanted to have a go." He also became known for his eccentric behaviour at local rock gigs during the late 1970s, including those of acts such as
Joy Division and
the Fall. He attracted a cult following and became a Manchester celebrity. He played his first gig on May 29, 1977, in support of Warsaw (later
Joy Division). (which was the first record to feature
Mark E. Smith, who introduced "Louie Louie." A version of the song by The Fall with Jon on vocals appears on The Fall's
Live 1977 album) and ''Jon the Postman's Psychedelic Rock 'N' Roll 5 Skinners Steppin' Out of Holts' Brewery'', both released on Dave Bentley's Bent Records. The first featured an extended version of "Louie Louie," which was described by
Stewart Home in his book
Cranked Up Really High: Genre Theory and Punk Rock as taking, "the amateurism of the Kingsmen to its logical conclusion with grossly incompetent musicianship and a drummer who seems to be experiencing extreme difficulty simply keeping time," while the second included a similar treatment of
Van Morrison's "
Gloria". After he lost his job with the GPO, Jon travelled around Europe and spent five years living in San Francisco, before returning to Manchester. Jon died in 2015. == Legacy ==