Bruce the Almighty!

This year's CILIP President, Bruce Madge, wants our profession to retain its mystery - so he told us at his Presidential Reception last week. Well, Bruce certainly practices what he preaches. We know him as a health information professional of international repute - but there's much more to this Man of Mystery than that...

He drives a classic Jag - an XJ40 designed and built in Coventry as the successor to the legendary XJ6 and launched at the Motor Show at the NEC in (no, not Birmingham) Solihull. So that gets my vote in my role as an adopted Man of the [West] Midlands.

From classic cars to rock guitars .... Bruce is also lead guitarist with the Bearded Pigs - the self-styled "world's first international, open access library rock band." Check out the website at www.beardedpigs.org where Bruce's comments appear under the pen-name of "Bruce the Almighty" - proving (if proof were needed) that, for CILIP, greatness is next to godliness!

The highlight of Bruce's Reception at Ridgmount Street was a cameo performance by the band - pretty impressive considering that all of the band members except Bruce hail from the US of A. The band were pretty impressive too in a "sweet home Alabama" kind of way - and Bruce's guitar work is finger-pickin' good.

So, catch them if you can - Memphis, Peebles and Quebec look likely tour venues in the months ahead. Yes, that Peebles! And, in the meantime, perhaps Bruce should add to his guitar repertoire that classic tune recorded by the Shadows back in the 1960s - Man of Mystery...