2016 has been a dark year for music. We've lost David Bowie, Frank Sinatra's son, Frank, and the artist formerly known as alive, Prince. But God doesn't murder a rockstar without opening a window, and this summer I stepped into the musical void for BBC Get Playing.
Now, I should point out that I didn't actually fill it myself as I've as much musical talent as our nation's leaders have Brexit strategies - none - but that didn't stop me from making a song with the stars of Game of Thrones, Star Wars and Match of the Day.
But why in the name of Bob Geldof would I do such a thing? Well, let me explain.
BBC Get Playing is an initiative to encourage a new wave of amateur music-making across the UK, and 6 Music's Breakfast Show host Shuan Keaveny decided to get involved by learning to play the drums. But let's be honest nobody in their right mind wants to hear just drums on their own, right? It was clear that Shaun needed a band to play with, an amateur band of fellow non-musical celebrities.
Step forward me. Me with my previous form in making a song with footballers, organising a mini olympics with rock stars and spending a year of my life tracking down forgotten Star Wars actors. Yes, me, the only one with enough time on his hands to help find Shaun a band.
I'd have no money - though, as the great philosopher Jessica J once said, "uh cha-ching cha-ching/ yeah b-bling b-bling/ it's not about the price tag" - but on the plus side I'd have a ragtag bag of instruments to thrust upon the celebs in the hope that they might respond by giving me a sample. I also had a willing producer in DJ Starfaker, AKA Ahmed Best - who you may know better as the actor who played Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars.
Whilst still acting, producing and directing, Ahmed is music through and through. Before his life as a Gungan, he studied at The Manhattan School of Music, was signed to Atlantic records with acid jazz group 'Jazzhole' and starred in the stage show 'Stomp'. He's now creating original tunes under the guise of DJ Starfaker and agreed to mix Shaun's drums along with my celebrity samples, to give us a tune to play in time for its world premiere on the 6 Music Breakfast show.
It was sure to be the greatest collaboration since Lennon and McCartney, or Warhol and the Velvets, or that goat and the pig that fell in the pond together. It was on YouTube. Look it up.
Anyway, aside from the deadline and lack of money, I only had one real problem: The celebrities didn't know I was coming. Here's a video of what happened...
And you can hear how Ahmed moulded my lump of clay here...