Jerry Dammers: " I never give up hope of some sort of reconciliation"

Not since the family feud involving Ali Campbell and UB40 last year, has a musician used the media to air his dirty laundry more than Jerry Dammers. His ongoing, pull out the stops, all hands on deck media blitz continued today, this time in the Comment Is Free section of The Guardian (which is the equivalent of a letter to the editor in the U.S.) which had published an interview with Terry Hall, Lynval Golding and John Bradbury a few weeks ago. The NME also carried coverage of Dammers open letter.

While Dammers recycled more of the same that we have heard from him over the last few weeks, in even greater detail (we now know the intricate details of discussions between the band which should have been kept private) today's new message was one of reconciliation: Terry says: "Hand on my heart, this is what I feel is a bit sad for Jerry. He's fucking missing out." Whether that is supposed to be his way of trying to say I'm still welcome in the band would be hard enough to work out if, at our meeting, he had not also said to me of the reunion: "I promise I won't do it without you, hand on heart." Despite all this I never give up hope of some sort of reconciliation

Sadly this is all starting to smell very desperate. Indeed, Jerry may want to consider ending his daily media barrage and pick up the phone to make nice with Terry Hall and his band mates. Too much fighting in the media!

One comment following Dammers letter in The Guardian nicely summed up the whole tawdry affair. It was a parody of Dammers 'Free Nelson Mandela" called "Feel Sorry For Jerry Dammers".

Feel sorry for Jerry Dammers
Feel, feel
Feel, feel, feel Jerry Dammers
Feel sorry for Jerry Dammers

30 years without a song
Shoes too big to fit his feet
His body abused, but his mind is still free
Hes so blind that he cannot see

Feel sorry for Jerry Dammers

Promotes his cause on CIF
Only one man in a Small army
Hes so blind that he cannot see
Hes so deaf that he cannot hear you
Feel sorry for Jerry Dammers

30 years without a song
Shoes too big to fit his feet
His body abused, but his mind is still free
Hes so blind that he cannot see.