The man behind one of Swansea's most famous ever cult songs has been remembered fondly by his daughter who has paid a heartfelt tribute to her dad after he sadly lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. Paul Allen is best known in the city for his hilarious The Mosh Song, known and referred to by many as simply 'Oi Mush'.
Featuring more than two dozen uses of the f-word, and delivered with the thickest of Jack accents, the song, despite coming out during the fledgling years of the internet, made its way across the globe, largely through word of mouth, and in 2019, we reported how, 20 years on, it had managed to rack up more than a million hits on YouTube. You can read more about that by clicking here.
Mr Allen sadly passed away at home in Mount Pleasant, surrounded by his family on Monday, October 31, aged 66. He had been battling pancreatic cancer, having been diagnosed at the beginning of August.
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Paying tribute to her dad, his daughter, Leanne Ellis, said: "He was hilarious, loving, so generous - he'd give you the shirt off his back if he could. He was my best friend. We always had a really close bond, and felt like we were a team. He was loving to everyone and lived to make people laugh. Growing up, he knew that he wanted to be a stand-up one day. He loved comedy all of his life, he loved the Goons, there was lots, so when he came out of the merchant navy, that's what he did." Get more stories straight to your inbox with our newsletters.
She added: "He was lots of fun growing up. We used to go down to the seafront, and the waves would be crashing in and my dad would narrate the seagulls! We also used to love going to Singleton Park. He never forgot what it was like to be a kid and he made even the simplest things feel magical and a big adventure. That's what my dad was like - everything was an adventure."
Born in Swansea and raised in Townhill, he began performing at the once famous Swansea club run by flyweight champion boxer Jimmy Wilde, before running away to learn clowning with Chipperfield’s circus aged 13, then becoming a roadie for Welsh rockers Sassafras. He joined the merchant navy as a cook, and during his time there managed to accidentally set fire to the first ship he sailed on, and fell into Athens harbour with a fridge after jamming his hand in it.
Realising where his talents lay, he moved into stand-up, performing at the Swansea Fringe in the mid eighties, followed by appearances at Glastonbury and the Comedy Store in London. With friend Viv Kenning, better known as Spiv, he opened a comedy club in Swansea at the Singleton pub, where he created a character called Wayne Champagne, ‘a deluded cabaret singer who had delusions of inadequacy he would never fulfil’.
Ms Ellis added: "He was really proud of The Mosh Song, and the reason why was I think he felt he'd really made a connection with the people of his home town. He travelled around a lot for his comedy, but with that song he was amazed by how much people took it on and claimed it as their own. He had a lot of experience and knew a really broad range of people. He had an ability to connect with anyone.
"There was a lot more to him than the Mosh Song, it would be easy to get one impression of him, but he was really intelligent, really articulate, loved to read and think and was very philosophical. He just wanted a bit of fun with that song and loved how everyone got so much pleasure out of it. He knew that it was going to be a funny song, but I don't think he had any idea it would become as it has been. He would be stopped all the time and people would sing at him in the street.
"I knew my dad had a big social circle because of his work, but seeing the comments about him and all the posts, and all the lovely things people have been saying about him, and not just about his comedy, but about who he was. People have said he would always make them smile, and that he was always a good friend, and a gentlemen. He always made an effort with everyone and was compassionate.
"He was just so unique, he will be desperately missed. There was nobody like him, and you could call him for anything at any time, he'd done so many things and whatever was going on he had words of wisdom. He'll also be remembered for his work and for being a great guy, a lot of people had a lot of nice times with him."
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