Happily Ever After
Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running
Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.
The Rock and Roll Survivor
by admin - 20:15 on 24 May 2010
One of the fringe benefits of my part-time employment with the Great Northern Media Empire (I'll think of another one eventually) is access to the occasional book sent to the features desk for review.
Which is how, this weekend, I came to read the second volume of autobiography by John Otway – the would-be rock star who shot to overnight fame in 1977 when Really Free soared to No27 in the charts following an appearance on The Old Grey Whistle Test.
I remember it well. I even bought the album on the strength of it.
His second hit, Bunsen Burner, came twenty-five years later when fans plotted to manipulate the chart by all buying the single on the same week The result was a 50th birthday present for their hero of a No9 smash and a memorable appearance on Top of the Pops.
If John Otway is a name new to you, check out the videos – what a showman. He styles himself as rock and roll's greatest failure, but a man who's spent all his life making music for a living, and who still loves it, is anything but.
His book is called I Did It Otway. Hilarious and highly recommended.
Animal Update: Peanut butter and Nutella was consumed at around 10am today, in perfect light for photography. So it's a pity Matchgirl was shopping and I was delivering a new rear tyre to RM Motors for fitting to Kawasaki San on Friday. Our pine martens are teases.
Bess and Spider continue to exist in cautious neutrality. Matchgirl continues to scour the internet for tips on how to bring the two together. Time will tell.
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