|
Richey Manic discovered in tar pit
Tony Strachey
Entertainment Editor
IT’S A MYSTERY that has puzzled scientists
for over seven years - what exactly happened to Richey Edwards,
the bassist and lyricist for the Manic Street Preachers? Now
that mystery has been solved, as palaeontologists excavating
a tar pit in Chepstow uncovered the Welsh musician, who went
missing near the Severn Bridge in February 1995.
“This is a tremendous find,”
said Jerry Moroder, a senior excavator from the Natural History
Museum. “In a tar pit, we’d usually find a sabre-toothed
tiger, or a boring old mammoth, but a rock star - not even
the Smithsonian’s got one of those!”
The bassist has been preserved in near-perfect
condition, owing to the tar’s pickle-like qualities.
The scientists have even found Edwards’ last meal - some
nuts, berries, and half a Star Bar. But how did the musician,
a regular on Top of the Pops, end up in a tar pit? “A
tar pit isn’t always easy to notice,” explains Moroder.
“It’s sticky, and gets covered in dirt, leaves and
sticks. So Richey could have just wandered in, especially
if he was thinking up some new lyrics at the time. Or, he
may have come across a buffalo or a giant ground sloth caught
in the tar, and, taking advantage of what he thought was an
easy meal, become stuck fast before he knew what was happening.”
While the scientific world was rejoicing in
the unique find, there was sadness from the music community.
“Although it’s good to know what happened, it’s
a bit of a shame that the mystery ends here,” said Steve
Lamacq. “He was kind of a Lord Lucan for the Don’t
Forget Your Toothbrush generation.”
Manic Street Preachers fans can watch as Richey
is carefully towed out of the tar by a scientist with a Land
Rover in a special edition of Newsround this Wednesday
at 5.10 pm.
|
