David Harvey

David………… Dave Harvey

It is with great and heartfelt sorrow that I inform you
of the passing of Dave Harvey at his family home
on Wednesday December the 5th 2007
The news was out of the blue and a shock to all of us.

At the time of writing the cause of death is unknown, in many respects it becomes immaterial anyway to me.

I’m certain that our thoughts are with Dave and his remaining family.


Immediate Thoughts

The funny thing about life is that we often forget ……. One day we will not be there anymore…….
When people we know and love are around us we take it for granted that they will be forever and available anytime we choose to contact them.
The sadness of this is that we forget just how fragile existence can be… We live on a knifes edge?


Quark, Strangeness & Charm

Each and every one of us probably knew a slightly different version of Dave Harvey, but in each case you would never have failed to find something in him that you liked and loved.

At times he may have caused you despair, but whatever the difficulties you could not help but love him deep down.
Dave had charm and a certain charisma….. He would have loved me saying he had ‘Quark, Strangeness & Charm’
He was a complex person searching for answers…. Like all of us.


Everybody Has Their Personal Demons

Yes…….. No shock there…… Dave was always aware that he had his, as I’m aware of mine….. It may be fair to say that Dave ignored his
You could not help but love him deeply despite his faults.


Buddhism (Or table Tapping as we often joked)

Dave was searching and I had so may chats with him regarding his belief in and following of Buddhism
Over the years I always hoped that he would be able to find the personal answers he seemed to be chasing.
He did believe in something and it seemed very spiritual…… Dave being Dave he shared that part of himself with us all

People….. Don’t tread on that ant and be nice to people…… it may be Dave ‘Born Again’
Truth is Dave would have been happy to be a blade of grass blowing in the wind……. The philosophical side of him often went beyond the ‘Hard Boiled’ exterior


Dave Supported Tottenham Hotspur FC


So Many Good times

The good times out weigh the not so good
When Dave was on form, which was often, you would cry laughing……. And we did!



Dave & Music

I used to play Dave my favourite tracks and musical influences at various point in time
Dave would then fire these back at me a few years later & being a collector he’d have every version 7” , 12” re-mix, album, cd and Edison Wax Cylinder.

Then there were the bands that Dave turned me on to…… Many of which I love to this day…………. Music was a very big part of Dave and I thank him for the time we shared listening, talking about and travelling to see bands….
It was always a very big part of our friendship over a 27-year period.


Dave & My 18th Birthday

This is the approximate stating point really…… Dave was around before then but this has to be the start.
Dave attended my 18th Birthday Party and he gave me a packet of cigars……………. Shortly afterwards he and my little brother disappeared upstairs with a bottle of wine.

Our friendship developed through the connection with my little brother and continued up until the shock news of Dave’s death.

Dave Phases (He always liked the moon and howling at it)

Dave was a Punk Rocker but was even younger than I was at the point of being one…… he then was a reborn Mod followed by some sort of New Rumanian, as our joke at the time went.
By the 1980’s the little band of friends inclusive of Dave were producing the ‘Back Of The Bathroom Tapes’
These were cassette tapes, which were taking the mickey out of music, things in general and each other.
My main contribution being ‘Harvey’s Curve’ a loving sideswipe at Dave and his Scooter…… basically Jan & Deans ‘Deadmans Curve’ but with ‘Harvey’ dubbed in where the deadman bit would have been……………. Dave loved it and it was at that point I found out Dave could look inward and laugh at himself…… just one of the gifts Dave had


Missing Him

The last time I spoke to Dave was the week before his death……… we chatted generally about life, love, music and swimming…… yes swimming of all things and what strokes we each did
Many moons ago we used to regularly go swimming together. The conversation was very upbeat and he mentioned things he would tell me when we next met up.

I never missed Dave when he was there……. Because he was always there, like a thread that held things together in the very fabric of my family and friends lives
Now that he is not there I am finding it so hard and I cannot hold back the tears………. I miss him so much right now …. I’ll never forget Dave

I’ve been reading the emails he sent me and you feel like you want to reply again and he will come back to you like he always did.

Dave was and remains one of my true friends and very few people other than my close family know me that well…….. Dave did over the years we shared so much


On the Day 5th December 2007

Dave called in to see my Mum & Dad, he often did this as over the years he had become like an addition to our family and a friend to us all.
He talked to my Mother about his health, her health and the usual chitchat.

Dave told Mum that he had fallen off his mountain bike and had had to see a Doctor to get stitches to a head wound (for acuracy this may or may not be the case?) On saying his goodbyes he kissed my Mother on the cheek and said, “Take Care” she replied that under the circumstances it was Dave that should take care and he deserved the comment more…… Dave left on foot from the house and made his way back to his.

Dave walked home and once back there whatever happened happened.


On the Day 6th December 2007

I was at work when I received a phone call from my Mother, she was tearful and I could tell very distressed… I knew something big had happened but I was totally unprepared for the news that I was about to receive. Dave had been found dead by his Mother at his family home.

It did not sink in at first…… It was more like I was being told that he had had a bad accident but would be okay like he always was in the past.
By the end of the conversation the first wave of reality hit me and in truth it has not got any easier.

A little piece of me died with Dave but the hardest part is I miss him now because he’s not there anymore, I know it’s selfish but it is how I feel
I’m not very good at doing selfish…… it does not come easy to me ….
I probably mean he is not there for ‘Us’ really?


The Future

Dave now knows far more than any of us, he is truly enlightened the life spirit has been released back into the universe
He knows far more than the wisest living man but for those of us that remain we will never forget him as long as we live.

At the core of Dave was a loving, warm and funny person that cared about others but maybe he didn't always show it in the right way?
I would like to think that Dave would be reborn and bring the loving friendship he always had for my family and me to some other human beings.

There is so much to add and so many things left unsaid

I hope I have done Dave justice and that we all have a friend like him to guide us when our time comes.


5th December 2008

A year later and the tears have passed but the thoughts never stop.... doubt they ever will.

Some things seem to make more sense, others do not, but it never ceases to amaze me just how much people touch the very fabric of your life... Dave touch mine and many others.

I for my part spent the evening with the living at the place where Dave Harvey passed away and I hope that in some small way it helped.....The living that is, because what people forget is that life does go on.... the support for those left behind is more tangible?

We are all part of the greater story, Dave Harvey
and his love-life & friends, certainly have been an interesting chapter....... and it's not over yet :)

We hold the memories close to our hearts.

Dave Harvey we will always love & remember you.



December 5th 2009

Another year and in reality another year of thinking and talking about Dave
It strikes me that I talk and think about Dave a lot but hey you would do the same if you knew him.

There has been so much that I would have liked to tell Dave this year, loads of music that I would liked to have played him and all the usuall stuff.

Mainy evenings I have sat outside looking at the night sky and everytime I see a shooting star I know that it was Dave......... Okay maybe he set it up for you too but hey....... we can all enjoy a shooting star!

The events, what happend due to them, still make me feel sad for all concerned but in the end you come to terms with it and the most sad part is Dave paid the ultimate price.

On a lighter note........

I recall a group of us going out and when Dave showed us he had some tatooes on his arm in Chinese Text....... the best suggestions we came up with were that they read as

1.Best Before (date)

and

2.This way up

Laugh we did ...... laugh Dave Did....... Happys Days!

Goodtimes