Who the Devil is ...........John Otway
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 23 июн 2021
- John Otway is an English singer-songwriter who has built a cult audience through extensive touring.
Although his first single, "Gypsy"/"Misty Mountain" was released in 1972, Otway initially received some coverage on the back of the punk rock and a performance on The Old Grey Whistle Test. His sixth single, the half-spoken love song "Really Free" reached number 27 in the UK Singles Chart in 1977. It would be his greatest success for some time. The song earned him a five-album deal with Polydor Records, who viewed him as a punk rather than merely an eccentric. His first album, recorded with Wild Willy Barrett, was produced by Pete Townshend but sold only fitfully. The follow-up singles fared no better despite some imaginative promotion, which included an offer for Otway to come to a buyer's house and perform the 1979 single, "Frightened And Scared" if their copy was one of only three copies from which the vocal had been omitted. Otway's and Barrett's only other UK chart success came in July 1980 with "DK 50/80", a modest No. 45 hit.
When Otway turned solo, his audience remained loyal despite poor record sales. In the mid-1980s, he often appeared on Vivian and Ki Longfellow-Stanshall's showboat, the Old Profanity Showboat, in Bristol's Floating Harbour. He also appeared as the musical guest in the final episode of the British sitcom The Young Ones, "Summer Holiday".
His 1990 autobiography, Cor Baby, That's Really Me (subtitled Rock and Roll's Greatest Failure) was a study in self-deprecation, and his touring continued to sustain him.] In the 1990s, he toured as "Headbutts and Halibuts", with Attila the Stockbroker with whom he wrote a surreal rock opera called Cheryl. In 1992 Otway appeared at GuilFest. In 1993 he was able to draw 2,500 fans to a gig in London and, in 1998, 4,000 celebrated his birthday with him at the Royal Albert Hall, coinciding with the release of Premature Adulation, his first album of new material for over ten years.
By then, Otway had realised he could use his fanbase, who were in on the joke, to engage in minor publicity stunts. A grassroots campaign saw his "Beware of the Flowers Cause I'm Sure They're Going to Get You Yeah" voted the seventh greatest lyric of all time in a BBC poll. In 2002, when asked what he wanted for his 50th birthday, he requested "a second hit". A concerted drive, including a poll (scrutinised by the Electoral Reform Society) to select the track, saw "Bunsen Burner" - with music sampled from the Trammps song "Disco Inferno" and lyrics devised to help his daughter with her chemistry homework - reach number nine in the UK Singles Chart on 6 October, and earned Otway an appearance on Top of the Pops, BBC Television's flagship popular music programme. To encourage fans to buy more than one copy of each of the single, he released three different versions. The flip-side of "Bunsen Burner - The Hit Mix" was a cover of "The House of the Rising Sun" recorded at Abbey Road Studios and featuring 900 of his fans on backing vocals, each of whom was credited by name on the single's sleeve. Thanks to this second hit he has now been able to release his Greatest Hits album. Commenting on the fact that the title of this album is now in the plural, Otway said that he was very proud of it, having "finally got it (the 's') on the right side of Hit".
In October 2012, to celebrate his 60th birthday, Otway booked the Odeon Leicester Square to show the documentary about his life. Titled Rock and Roll's Greatest Failure: Otway the Movie, the screening saw cinematic history made with the final scenes of the movie being filmed from the red carpet on the morning of the film. The film was funded by fans becoming producers who, as with the Hit campaign, were all individually credited in the movie credits. Following the success of the producers' premiere, 2013 saw Otway take the completed movie to the Cannes Film Festival.
He delivers occasional (humorous) lectures on the theme, "Making Success Out of Failure", and the sequel to his autobiography, I Did It Otway (subtitled Rock and Roll's Greatest Failure) was published in May 2010.
In 2016, Otway set up an online Kickstarter campaign for 'A New Album of Otway Songs'. The campaign was successful, raising £38,916 from a total of 838 individual backers. The resulting album and DVD, Montserrat, was recorded at Olveston House, Montserrat, in September 2016and released in March 2017, to those who had supported the Kickstarter campaign, followed by a general release on 1 May 2017.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Otway started a series of Facebook live concerts on 28 March 2020. These receive around 10 thousand views per stream. He performed nine such between March and May 2020.
On April 2nd, 2022 Otway plays his 5000 gigs in London.
I have always loved this man.
I love this guy. Doesn’t take himself seriously and has such passion and energy.
Saw this guy last night in Colchester for the umpteenth time.He's approaching 70 and his 5000th gig.Treat yourself and go and see this punk icon while you can.There will never be another.
He's a national treasure - as you say there will never be another - Here's to gig 5000 in London in April.
More punk than most punk bandz
My first introduction to John was around 1986-87 i think it 2as the 2nd run of the run of the legendary British comedy The young ones and he played body talk with guy on a Telecaster, it sounded brilliant and me and my mate were in bit.
Class, he did it Otway!
On the whiskey here!
@@harrymacintyregood man, single malt or blend
In 1979 (when I was 19), I went along with 4 or 5 friends to a show at the (700 seat approx) Roxy Theater in Pacific Beach (San Diego). John Otway opened for Pere Abu and I had no idea who he was. I remember asking one of my friends who Otway was and he responded "You know, John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett." That was really helpful. Over the decades, I've re-remembered that experience many, many times and decided it was the best gig I ever attended in that late 70s/early 80s time period. Pere Ubu and Otway did two shows that night and we went along to the second one... at which the 5 or 6 of us were at least half the audience. The small theater was basically empty. John Otway couldn't have cared less (or at least he came across that way)! He was magnificent, especially for his musical version of "The Highwayman." I remember him leaping off the stage... "As the highwayman came riding -- riding -- riding!", dark hair and white shirt flying in the dark empty theater as he ran up the aisle to where we were sitting two-thirds of the way to the back while delivering those dramatic lines before returning to the stage. He must have had an incredibly long mic cord (or maybe he just dropped the mic when he ran out of cord). I couldn't get over what a show he put on to a virtually empty theater. Pere Ubu, on the other hand, were completely and embarrassingly, bent out of joint and couldn't stop complaining (and belittling the people who actually showed up) between songs. I remember wishing that us 12 people (or less!) in that theater had boo-ed them off the stage and demanded Otway come back. Otway would have performed for a much larger audience that night if the headliner hadn't been Pere Ubu but his performance might not have been half so fantastic.
Great story - thank you for sharing it.
I saw him at the oval pub in London years ago and he threw up a sm58 microphone and whacked it with his Gibson sg over our heads,,, absolutely brilliant 😎 I'm in Ireland but will try to make it for his 70th in Skegness 30th September
Good to hear your story Brian - he is certainly a one-off. Skegness sounds fun.
what an infectiously positive person!
He's fab isn't he. Glad that came across.
@@Britclip the world definitely needs lore like him!
Brilliant
Only the greatest two-hit wonder in music history!! 😲
Agreed.
I'd like to contact john and Willy?
I believe they are ripe for the Ghetto bienale!
An arts festival in the lovely slums of Puerto prinz in Haiti.. great selection of international artists and locals alike.
The beautiful hotel Olafsen is a supportive oasis and Hemingway to the stones are among the guests. it's only one of the venues.
It's a very special place and the event is founded by my friend Leahgordon..
The prolific sculptors of the gran rue are a mind blowing mix of Haitian voudou and found objects
The carnival is amazing and the Ra ra bands and rum entrance.
Arte oouzes from every hand.
John Otway is a fan of the carribean already?
Haitians are a force of nature and like Otway freedom and an anarchic streak
Check out the ghetto bienale online, see Leah Gordon's films
I was going to say "Otway ... brilliant", but someone 4 months before me said that. So now I'm just speechless.
Fabulous!!! Love you John
This video should have been much longer!
I have another one planned soon.
Used to watch him and wild Willy Barr at on the London pubs circuit, brilliant
Hes so beautiful
Love it! Brilliant.
John is the best!!
Genius
I agree.
Didn’t know he’s still alive. My dad is a big fan of him.
Bless ya John :)
House of the rising sun