Several hundred people were tuned into my Sample Simon DJ set last night across social media, when I dropped the Muhammad Ali vocal in this clip.
It was a total coincidence but a delightful one. I was mucking about really, having recently acquired some new music I hadn’t listened to yet. I was just chucking records on, curating live sort of thing, as opposed to a proper performance. I pulled up this track, heard the vocal and dropped it in having never listened to it before.
The coincidence was that a few hours earlier I’d been holding a Muhammad Ali fountain pen.
An acquaintance has acquired the Montblanc Limited Edition Homage to Muhammad Ali and I bumped into him yesterday afternoon at the Viaduct. Thrilled that he had it on him and kindly allowed me to examine it.
It is truly special. Over the years Montblanc has produced quite a variety of their limited edition Great Character pens but the Ali stands out amongst them. If I were to chose one word to describe it the adjective would be thoughtful: the design of this pen encapsulates many of my perceptions of the person.
It’s difficult to describe how much Muhammad Ali means to my generation. One can try to explain to youngsters that he transcended sport without them gaining an appreciation for how profound his impact was upon the world.
A world diminished without Muhammad Ali in it. I miss him, and yesterday was a good day meeting his pen and hearing his voice again.
-SRA. Auckland, 22/xi 2025.
(The track is ‘Louisville Lip’ by Nico Garreaud and a recording of last night’s set is here. Gutted the recording glitched at a crucial moment.)
