It´s Micro Stardom – But It´s Still Stardom - John Otway´s Fascinating Rock and Roll Odyssey

For this episode, Danny is joined by the legendary cult singer-songwriter John Otway. John gained recognition in the 70s with his collaborations with Wild Willie Barrett, with whom he made his legendary appearance on The Old Grey Whistle Test, famously hurting himself rather dramatically in the process. He is known for his unpredictability on and off stage, his incredible relationship with his fan base and his famous double guitar. Over the course of 5,000+ gigs and TV appearances, he has worked with performers as diverse as Wild Willie Barrett, Attila the Stockbroker and Richard Holgarth. His autobiography - Cor Baby That's Really Me - Rock and Roll's Greatest Failure is available on Amazon and Otway - The Movie is also available to watch online. If you can´t get enough of these podcasts, head to https://www.patreon.com/DannyHurst to access my exclusive, member-only, fun-filled and fact-packed history-related videos. KEY TAKEAWAYS John has played most of London´s rock venues, including The Roundhouse and The Rock Garden. As well as the London Palladium and The Albert Hall. Throughout his career he has continued to play pub gigs. Elton John introduced John on Top Of The Pops. Unlike many London performers, John “crossed the river”. Being left-handed is part of the reason John is able to play his unique double-necked guitar. John´s excruciatingly painful accident on The Old Grey Whistle Test led to overnight stardom. John appeared in Heartbeat. John had to wait 25 years for his 2nd hit single. John uses crowdfunding to do things no record label would pay for and to gig in some weird places. During Coid, his Facebook Live gig got 10,000 attendees. That gig´s T-shirt sales kept food on the table. BEST MOMENTS “My life or career has been gigging. In about 2022, I did my 5,000th gig.” “I celebrated my second hit at the London Palladium and headlined the Albert Hall.” “Being shocking and sounding awful became in vogue.” “By leaping on the amp and crushing my testicles on it, I also unplugged it, which basically ruined his (Willie´s) guitar.” “It's micro-stardom, but it is stardom.” EPISODE RESOURCES Movie - https://vimeopro.com/otwaythemovie/movie/video/403710383 Book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cor-Baby-Thats-Really-Me/dp/0956434304 HOST BIO Historian, performer, and mentor Danny Hurst has been engaging audiences for many years, whether as a lecturer, stand-up comic or intervention teacher with young offenders and excluded secondary students. Having worked with some of the most difficult people in the UK, he is a natural storyteller and entertainer, whilst purveying the most fascinating information that you didn't know you didn't know. A writer and host of pub quizzes across London, he has travelled extensively and speaks several languages. He has been a consultant for exhibitions at the Imperial War Museum and Natural History Museum in London as well as presenting accelerated learning seminars across the UK. With a wide range of knowledge ranging from motor mechanics to opera to breeding carnivorous plants, he believes learning is the most effective when it's fun. Uniquely delivered, this is history without the boring bits, told the way only Danny Hurst can. CONTACT AND SOCIALS https://instagram.com/dannyjhurst facebook.com/danny.hurst.9638 https://twitter.com/dannyhurst https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-hurst-19574720 This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/