Under the heading, 'THE RISE OF THE SUPERFANS', the piece begins with a the following intro, "It might be a band, a TV programme or a celeb, but most of us are fans of something. Here MITYA UNDERWOOD meets two men who have taken their fan status to another level by setting up their own clubs." When ALAN TAYLOR isn't working as a lead technician for a tyre company, he is indulging in his favourite hobby - MUNGO JERRY. The dad-of-two, from Fenham, Newcastle, is the man at the top of the MUNGO JERRY fan club tree. He first became involved more than thirty years ago but set up - www.mungomania.com - which is backed by original MUNGO JERRY frontman RAY DORSET three years ago. It has already amassed more than 40,000 regular visitors and is the official source of information on the popular band, famous for hits like 'IN THE SUMMERTIME' and 'BABY JUMP', which both went to No.1. Alan, 52, has been a fan of the group since they first became popular in the early 70's. Alan said, "When I first joined the club, it was awful (pre-1972 - Al) because it was run by an agency rather than true fans, but people joined because you could buy tapes and things you couldn't buy in the shops. "When the band started out they were quite unusual and they didn't have the standard set-up, it was something new so attracted a lot of attention. "I pestered them when I was about 16; ever since I could travel I've hounded them. I'm still in touch with them all now, so it paid off. I got to know them when I started going along to all their shows." In the 70's and 80's Alan was a typical fan. All he could think about was seeing MUNGO JERRY perform;issues like how to get there or where to sleep for the night were mere details. "I've followed them all around the country and spent many a night sleeping rough in fields and station platforms. There were nights when you just didn't have anywhere to stay but wanted to see the gig. "There was one time when a group of us were frozen, it was awful. It got so bad we tried to get arrested so we could spend the night in the cells in the warm. "I think the police knew what we were up to and they weren't having any of it. One person still hasn't spoken to me since it happened, they weren't impressed at all. "The tramps there ended up giving us newspaper to keep us warm." Alan is still in contact with all four original members of the group - RAY DORSET, PAUL KING, COLIN EARL and MIKE COLE - and likes to keep them updated with how the site and band are doing. Since the launch of the website, Alan has been able to stop printing fanzines for thousands of members on his home computer to send out all over the world. "Before we were online I was spending all day working then every night working on the fanzine magazines. I managed to do 18 in total, but everything goes straight on the website. "I was printing them on my home computer, spending £300 or £400 on printer cartridges to make sure I had enough for everyone on the mailing list. Now everyone can access the information on the net." Currently there are rumours of a reunion gig and Alan is sure to be at the front of the queue for tickets. "There is talk at the moment that they're going to get back together. I would be overjoyed if they did," he smiles. "I'll keep my fingers crossed ."