One Step Beyond

So the late Tony Wilson stood on my mate's toe once. I was only literally a step away from being maimed by a famous local celebrity.


Tony presenting 'So it Goes'

We were in Jilly's on Oxford St, Manchester in late July 1977 to see Sad Cafe and Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias. The week before Elvis Costello had debuted at the same venue, after appearing on Tony Wilson's 'So it Goes' ahead-of-it's-time early evening music programme.

Mr Wilson and Elvis were climing over a sofa that was being used as a largely ineffective crush barrier and he stood right on my mate's toe! 'Sorry mate' he mumbled before scuttling off into the wierdly inappropriate daylight of Oxford St.

A couple of weeks later I was passing a news stand in Fort William and saw the headline, 'Elvis is Dead.' Well, as you can imagine I was gutted. He had seemed such a nice chap in the few moments he spent following Mr Wilson out of Jilly's. And his career just seemed to be taking off too.

Imagine my relief when I discovered that it wasn't Mr Costello who had met his maker, but a washed-up fifties rock&roll star in the twighlight of his career. Phew. Another near miss, just like Tony's big clumsy foot.