John Otway – Micro-stardom, 5,000 gigs and how to capture a crowd in 20 seconds

John Otway – self-billed as “Rock And Roll’s Greatest Failure” - has played 5,260 gigs in 53 years, a record possibly only beaten by BB King. There are more this autumn of course. He simply can’t stop. “People buying me drinks and telling me what a good bloke I am? Why would you stop?” We talk to him here about the art of shambling stagecraft and a life lived almost permanently on the road, which involves …   ... a burning desire to perform from the age of nine.   … “Don’t think before opening your mouth!”   … the rhythm of life when you play two gigs a week for five decades. And the value of ‘Micro-stardom’ - “I’m at the bar when they walk in”.     … seeing the Move, Free and Mott the Hoople in Aylesbury.   … how people always noticed him – not least because “I was idiot-dancing by the bass speakers”.   ... his first performance, a massively overwrought version of Peter Sarstedt’s Where Do You Go To My Lovely.   … best-selling Otway merch - “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Better! It’s Nearly Rock And Roll But I Like It!” etc.   … “You have to capture an audience in the first 20 seconds.”   ... why playing the same size venues every night doesn’t challenge you.   … a recent three-month ‘trial retirement’.   … when he estimates he’ll play his 6,000th gig.   … and his planned and bank-breaking 2026 World Tour.   John Otway tour dates here: https://www.johnotway.com/gigs.html Find out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.