STRICTLY’S JAMES JORDAN GETS BUM GROPED IN GLASGOW, FREDDIE MERCURY WORKED IN SCOTSMANS SHOP, DJ IRONIK AND MORE

STRICTLY’S James Jordan encouraged Glasgow punters to grope him at a charity night in a Scots hotel.
James had his bum pinched at least three times while he performed with his wife Ola at the Hilton hotel for the Rainbow Calley charity ball.
And after one woman began the touching trend he told her: “Thankyou for that Madame. It was rather lovely. We’re not very PC up here are we? There are children here so I’m not going to swear, but I like that one. What I mean is, a lot of people would complain, but grope me all you want.”
James was then challenged to some dance moves by one man who pinched his bottom at the end of the routine, while another man asked if he could see who had a better bottom  - and pinched it again.
James and Ola helped to raise thousands of pounds for the charity inspired by the late Johanna MacVicar who passed away after a lengthy battle with leukaemia.
James said of his Scots visit: ”I’m known for being very outspoken, some people say gobby. I like to say honest, you might laugh.
I’m a little disappointed in the Scottish audience. I could drop her and she could potentially die and I  have sweat pouring down my brow and not one person was watching me. I understand the catsuit was lovely and I love the catsuit.”
He added: “Maybe I’m part Scottish cause I don’t take myself to seriously either and maybe that’s why I love coming up here. I bloody love Scotland. You’re up for a laugh you’re amazing.” 



I had the real pleasure of catching up with 60s Scottish boybander Alan Mair of the Beatstalkers.
Alan and I had chatted earlier in the year about his involvement with Freddie Mercury and after seeing Bohemian Rhapsody and I remembered and gave him a call.
Alan employed Freddie in his Kensington market shop selling boots and leather clothes for four years and admitted he got emotional when he watched the movie about Freddie’s life.
He told me Freddie was a great salesman and added: “Fifteen people were working for me and I never needed to do a stock check with Freddie. I could tell I could trust him.”
He also told me Freddie wanted him at come  gigs because he had been a musician.
He admitted: ”I did say to him once, early on, that he pushed his voice quite hard at gigs, just being excited by it all. He’d go a bit sharp and I’d say it in the nicest way, not after the gig in his dressing room, but later on in the week when we were back over at the shop unit. I just told him: ‘Be a little careful because you are going sharp a bit-hold back a bit’. You could be honest with him.”
Told you a few weeks ago I was obsessed.

DJ Ironik was at Parkhead for launch of the Christmas nights when he told me of his strong desire to work with Calvin Harris.
Ironik who has worked with Elton John and Snoop Dogg reckons he could and Xalvin could both learn from one another’s worlds.
He told me to write: “Calvin,  if you are reading this, give me a shout. You recently did a record with my friends De Neyo so let’s do something.”
He added:  “I would like to go into Calvins world and step out my comfort zone. “
Ironik loves Glasgow and I’ve partied with him before after the Mobos here. One time we ended up with a bunch of music makers at the Crowne Plaza and another time in the now defunct club Kavali.
He told me: “The best Mobos were in Glasgow because I remember going to Nando’s for dinner and I was recognised. There were queues of people outside and I  never realised it was like that here for me.”


Entertainer Edward Reid reckons he now has to practise what he preaches.
Ed has been inundated with requests to perform ahead of the festive season.
He teaches mindfulness in his spare time bit admitted to me at the Rainbow Valley Ball: “I need it - I’ve had such a busy time that my mindfulness is helping my life because I’m getting in the zone and just chilling. When you perform in front of a room of 500 people it’s very easy to get caught up  in it and it’s good to get chilled and own it.”


I have turned into a wee piggy this cold weather and it’s not being helped by all the parties. Moxy hotel Merchant City opening on Tuesday saw me and some pals including Emma Mykytn from Foodie Explorers, Everyday Man, The Gentleman Select and more stuff our faces from the free sweetie table. It was like something you’d see in Wilkie Wonka. We filed ourselves eating in slow mo just to see how gross it looked. The hotel boasts goodies 24/7 for party animals who get hungry in the night as well as lots of funky features including giant artwork, lots of plugpoints for mobiles, a pool table in reception, and check out via social media.

Sent from my iPhone

FREDDIE MERCURY WAS EMPLOYED FOR FOUR YEARS IN SCOTS SHOP

THE Scot who employed Queen star Freddie Mercury for four years in his London market shop says watching new film Bohemian Rhapsody made him well up because it was just like reliving the past.
Glasgow born Alan Mair, who had huge success with sixties boy band The Beatstalkers, owned a leather clothing and boot stall at Kensington Market when he first encountered a long haired Freddie at the end of 1969.
He said: “It was late 69 when I got the clothing stall and Freddie and Roger got a shop unit there a few months after, three doors away from me in the upstairs section. Freddie was selling his art as well as second hand clothes but his shop wasn’t busy.”
Alan, whose leather trousers, skirts, jackets and matching boots became sought after by London’s cool kids including David Bowie, and Noddy Holder offered Freddie a job.
He said: “By 1970 I had my stall in Kensington, another on Kings road and a factory.  I said to Freddie ‘Can you look after the shop in the morning?’ because I was busy at the factory. Freddie’s shop hadn’t taken off, so he could come to my place  and keep an eye on his along the passageway.”
Although no mention was made in the movie of Freddie’s market days, Alan, who was called by researchers for the film early in the process, felt like he was reliving his past when he saw Rami Malek play a young Freddie.
He said: “Mary was in Kensington market with Freddie and although they didn’t mention it and almost glazed over Biba, when I saw Rami with his long hair at the start of the movie it was like a step back in time.
“Freddie’s affection for Mary was spot on. He definitely only had one person in life at that time and that was Mary. If we were hanging out on Saturday night it was him and Mary. In the market they were known as girlfriend and boyfriend and Mary was a very sweet and lovely person. Developments regarding Freddie’s real persuasion came later.”
Smile’s first gig is something Alan recalled fondly.
He said: “I went to the first gigs by Freddie’s Smile band -including Imperial College and they were fantastic. Roger and others were students there so would get gigs there. That is where the film really portrays Freddie. He was perfectly flamboyant if not a bit awkward. Freddie developed over the years and he would change his style so much it was hard to get a sense of what he looked like at the start so it was a real flashback.”
He added: “Freddie wanted me to come to the gigs because I had been a musician. I did say to him once, early on, that he pushed his voice quite hard at gigs, just being excited by it all. He’d go a bit sharp and I’d say it in the nicest way, not after the gig in his dressing room, but later on in the week when we were back over at the shop unit. I just told him: ‘Be a little careful because you are going sharp a bit-hold back a bit’. You could be honest with him.”
Alan employed Freddie for four years and said he was articulate and honest - although, as the film suggested, he was known for being a little late at times.
He said: “Fifteen people were working for me and I never needed to do a stock check with Freddie. I could tell I could trust him. Some people in Kensington market would tell me Freddie opened the stall at eleven amnot ten am, but in the shop the stock was always sold so I didn’t mind whether he was there at ten am or not.”
Freddie and Alan would often have a soft drink on Saturdays after work at the Greyhound pub in Kensington.
He said: “Being married with a son, I didn’t go out much. Freddie and I would get soft drinks and play snooker.”
Freddie worked in the shop until ‘74 even after getting his record deal and Alan, kept in touch with him, occasionally popping into his big house for an ornate cup of tea.
Alan said: “We’d reminisce. I was backstage at the sold out Hyde park Concert and I saw him in LA in 1980 when I played with The Only Ones. In ‘75, I saw him after the Hammersmith Odeon show when it was all going to his head and he was a different Freddie. For want of a better expression he was being an a***hole. When we supported the Who for six nights at the Forum all of Queen came in. I went to say hello but remembered how he was, changed my mind and walked away. I heard some heels clip clipping behind me and it was Freddie who said to me: “I know I’ve been a bit of an a***hole but I’ve put all of that behind me.” We spent the rest of the night having a drink and chat.
“ In the film Freddie eats humble pie and that shows the true heart of the person. He was very kind and thoughtful and I got emotional when I saw the hardships he’d been through. It was like a tapestry of my life - but through Freddie’s eyes.”

Sent from my iPhone

THE BEATSTALKERS WERE SCOTLAND’S BEATLES

Beverley Lyons
THEY were known as the Scottish Beatles,  mobbed at airports and train stations and having their clothes ripped by thousands of frenzied female fans, closing down Glasgow’s George Square, selling out fourteen nights at the iconic Barrowland Ballroom, and even having three songs penned for them by David Bowie.
Now, almost fifty years on since their sudden split in 1969, mod band The Beatstalkers have lifted the lid on their incredible encounters with the Fab Four, Bowie, Freddie Mercury, The Kinks and even the notorious gangster Arthur Thomson.
In a brand new book with writer Martin Kielty, then ‘boyband’ members singer Dave Lennox, bass player Alan Mair, rhythm guitarist Ronnie Smith, keyboard player Eddie Campbell and drummer Jeff Allen talk of a five year long period of Beatstalkermania which saw them perform on TV’s Ready Steady Go! and sell out a six week residency in London’s Marquee club before splitting suddenly after their van was stolen in London with all their musical gear inside.
Alan Mair, 70, who started the group at Shawlands Academy with school mate Eddie Campbell in 1962 ages sixteen admits: “We were the only band back then that could match the mass hysteria of the Beatles, actually being banned from venues because of the mayhem.”
Introduced as ‘the Scottish Beatles’ to John Lennon and Ringo Starr at London’s Scotch of St James Club, Alan added: ”Ringo told us to come over and we sat down with them for five minutes. John indicated he had heard of us and was very civil and wished us good luck.”
Filling miners clubs, nightspots like the Lindella club, run by Betty Allan, Lulu’s aunty, Baillieston Cafe Club and Shawlands Scout Hall where they had their first ever gig, the group’s reputation for blasting away the competition like The Yard birds (Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck) who they supported at Paisley Ice Rink, was solidified - but the real recognition from the press came after they managed to close down George Square,  Central Station and even Glasgow airport with Beatstalkermania.
Alan recalled: “We’d blast other bands off the stage - like Herman’s Hermits at the Barrowland. The Pretty Things were hard to blast off the stage, but we stood our ground. The English bands were starting to say, ‘Watch out for the Beatstalkers – make sure they’re not supporting you because you'll have a tough time.’
The band’s life changing jam packed  George Square concert in ‘65 followed quieter gigs there by Chris McClure, and Dean Ford and the Gaylords .

Alan said: “There was hysteria. People were going mental, screaming, and the two policemen there were on their radios calling for backup. That was before we’d even played! Suddenly there was a helicopter above us and the press were there. People were getting crushed. The chief of police said, ‘You need to stop playing. The stage is going to collapse.’ “

The police got the band into the City Chambers, where they had to escape through underground corridors from the 7000 strong crowd of hormonal fans.
The incident made the front page of most papers and Alan said: ”The Scottish press were like, ‘Finally we have our own rock stars, we don't have to keep writing about English music.’
Similar situations occurred at Central Station where the band’s manager was called up by a concerned chief of police who asked them not to depart from Central Station again. An alternative of Glasgow Airport saw thousands invading  the tarmac.
The band even had to employ major security in the form of the notorious Arthur Thomson.
Alan explained: “After George Square the gang thing got really bad. A lot of the gangs were getting aggressive because their girlfriends were watching us and screaming, so they didn’t like us.
Backstage, some gang members would turn up and quite flamboyantly show you the latest razor they’d bought. We hired Arthur Thomson, who was known in Glasgow as ‘The Godfather,’ and one of his associates. For our protection we put hammers, big files and things inside the amps – things that couldn’t go down as weapons.”
“Those riots started going on everywhere we played. In Coatbridge a show was stopped and we were banned. We were paid in advance for six concerts and they paid us not to come back after the first one.”
Recording Ready Steady Go! saw the creative Scots perform first single Everybody’s Talkin bout My Baby alongside The Who, and meet The Small Faces who loved their homemade clothes. Alan said: “They were all over us – ‘Where did you get the clothes? You can’t get them in Carnaby Street.’ We went, ‘We made them!’ To save time we were all using Gerry and the Pacemakers’ drumkit, but then The Who went on, and what does Keith Moon do at the end? He kicks the drums all over the place. So big Freddie Marsden was kicking Keith’s head in. ‘My drums!’”
Signed down south with Decca and then CBS, the boys were assigned a songwriter by their manager - in the form of David Bowie - then known as Davey Jones - who wrote three tracks for them - and they were not impressed.
Alan said: “Ken Pitt our manager brought in Bowie. We were thinking, ‘What’s he got to offer? He was just a budding writer, writing kind of slightly odd songs at that point. Silver Tree Top School For Boys is not really a Beatstalkers-style song. That was a very strange time. He was trying to teach Davie to sing ‘When I’m Five’ in an English accent.”
Davie added: “It was embarrassing to sing a song like that. I felt like Bernard Bresslaw from the Carry On movies. I had to actually act it. I remember Bowie trying to get me to sing the line ‘Silver Tree Top School For Boys’ in a particular way, and I just couldn’t get it. The feeling stays with me till this day: ‘Bowie, I’m going to lamp you. Your song’s rotten. School for boys? I’m from f****in’ Govan!’”
I mean, the song’s reflective of a story about boys smoking dope in a posh private school. It was quite clever – but no’ mah thing. All Bowie’s songs were nightmares. We should never have recorded them.
The management were totally wrong to even consider Bowie as our songwriter.”
Alan who remained in touch with Bowie during his post Beatstalker career - as clothes designer  - said: “In retrospect I like the idea of David Bowie being around at that time – but only with history. At the time we thought, ‘He's alright for B-sides...’ and that’s how we approached it. But Bowie had unbelievable confidence. He would come in and go, ‘I’ve got this song,’ and he’d sing it like he was on stage, and he’d sell the song by being so confident.”
Marc Bolan also agitated the band and their friends The Kinks  during a TV gig in Germany.
Alan remembered: “Mark Bolan would sit playing guitar on the floor for soundcheck. And he said ‘There’s a spider - someone take the spider away’ and we thought ‘Are you serious?’ It was too affected for us and he left the stage and the Kinks were like ‘Get on with it.’ We had to hold them back.”
Despite Scottish success with seven singles  and regular trips to London where they performed well, the band felt they were delivered an unfair hand by management regarding song choices and a jaded Alan admits the theft of their van and equipment coincided with a feeling that at 21 he was becoming too old to be in a boyband.
He had a real passion for making clothes and his band mates also felt it was time to move on.
He opened up a stall in Kensington Market where he had none other than Freddie Mercury work for him.
He said: “After The Beatstalkers  broke up I made clothes and leather trousers for Bowie and The Marmalade, and Freddie Mercury who I met at Kensington market, became my full time manager.  He talked about  getting a band together called Smile then changed the name to Queen. He’d ask me to go to his early gigs because I’d been in a successful Scots band  and the rest as they say is history.”
The Beatstalkers reformed for reunion gigs in 2005 and 2013 and following his fashion career Alan went onto perform in The Only Ones while his bandmates pursued their individual careers.
Jeff Allen stayed in music bands like East of Eden and John Martin while  Eddie campbell went into events management for the Queen, Pope and Prime Ministers. Ronnie Smith became a tailor and David Lennox was singing and performing in various places too.
Alan said: ”We all ended up self employed which was quite funny. We’d all bought flats in Scotland, at seventeen or eighteen years old, which was remarkable really. So that was something. We’d achieved everything we’d hoped for and more in our homeland, which was the most important thing to us.”