Archie Fisher made a huge impression on me then and still does today. I first met him on the backstage stairs of our local theatre when I was 19. He was carrying an old Gibson Kalamazoo which he let me play before he went onstage to quieten and then mesmerise an over-refreshed, late night, Dundonian audience… pure Gandalf. I wanted to be Archie McPaxton.


really


In 1972 I had a ‘Damascene’ moment when I supported Fairport Convention at The Younger Hall in St Andrews and they instantly became my favourite band. 25 years later I was the fan who got to tour with the band as the special guest on their 30th anniversary winter tour – 35 dates nationwide with no night off – puredeadbrilliant!


After university you moved to London.


Until the late 70s I was making a reasonable living playing Folk Club scene in and around London then, quite suddenly, a large number of clubs closed and I started getting cancellations.


What I hadn’t realised was that ‘folk’ had been young people’s music and, at 28, I was no longer a ‘young’ person. Tastes had changed and we were getting booted up the arse by the younger generation of Punk, New Wave and New Romantic bands.


T'was ever thus.


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