Gary Glitter

Paul Gadd changed his name to Paul Raven and recorded several singles during the 60s (when he was a regular at the 2I's and the Safari Club in Swinging London) but without much success. He also tried his luck as Paul Monday and Rubber Bucket (truly!) before, in the early 70s, another name change occurred and Gary Glitter went to number one with I'm The Leader of the Gang (I Am).

Gazza succeeded because he was more of a showman than a rocker, and he refused to take his image seriously. He took his music seriously however, and worked and worked and worked on getting his music and his image across.

Gary was probably the most unlikely teen idol ever. Paunchy, past 30 and with a 50's throwback bouffant quiff, he took Glam Rock's job description to its giddy limit with a an outrageously hairy chest encased in a rhinestone and glitter jacket, painfully tight silver foil trousers and the flashy and orthopaedically dangerous high heels which made Mr Glitter the most imitated act of the time.  But nobody could get near to the exciting productions of Mike Leander which showcased Glitter's talents so well. 

Gary enjoyed many chart hits during 1973 and 1974, the biggest of which were ; I Love You Love Me Love, Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah) and Leader of the Gang.

His backing group The Glitter Band (the first pop band to feature two drummers) also enjoyed a couple of top five hits with Angel Face and The Tears I cried. But the most remarkable aspect of Gary Glitter's varied career was his incredible capacity for survival. He came through drug addiction, alcoholism, bankruptcy, numerous youth culture revolutions, baldness, a suicide attempt and allegations of kiddie porn, to become the darling of the advertising and late night TV industries. 

He also consistently sold out 10,000 capacity venues with his annual Christmas tour - and apart from getting a bit porkier and exaggerating everything, he never did change the act from the one he did that first time on Top Of The Pops, wobbling and throwing his arms around and asking, "Do you wanna touch?" over and over again, remembering to never physically point to where. 

If it had been anyone else, the BBC wouldn't have let it through. They would have said it was obscene or filthy or something. But it was Gary and obscene really didn't come into it. Not then, anyway. Later is a different computer hard disk altogether.

Do you wanna be in my gang? er, we'll get back to you . . .