A SHORT CUT TO MUSHROOMS A short-lived musical project involving Danny Goring, George Goring and Mark Haffenden. Loosely based on the 'pixie' music of The Incredible String Band and early Tyrannosaurus Rex (of whom Mark was a great fan) the 'band' was a strange, self-parody which combined elements of Tolkien, pseudo-Arthurian legend and traditional folk ballad. The name was taken from a chapter in Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' and Mark and Danny also successfully put music to the lyrics of 'Tom Bombadil' one of the characters in the book. Ironically, although A Short Cut to Mushrooms was essentially a parody of the worst elements of an ostentatious late 60s musical genre, Mark, Danny and George succeeded in coming up with some rather good songs. They also received rapturous applause on the one and only occasion they performed live at a 'Day of Peace' held at the All Saints Centre in Lewes in June 1986. After the show an enthusiastic fan - somewhere in his 40s - came up to Mark, Danny and George with a gleam in his eye and announced 'That was better than mushrooms!' Back