Thursday, February 16

Delight

It may appear that I am the only person in the UK who delights in Leo Sayer being number one again. It makes me feel like dancing. Although the thought occurs that if I am indeed the only delighted person, then how come "Thunder In My Heart (Again)" has sold in enough quantity to top the charts? Or am I naive (don't answer that, it's rhetorical) and it's all cynical record execs artifically creating a hit for its low royalties.

I'm delighted because I like Leo Sayer. There's more than one song of his I really do quite like: When I Need You, and One Man Band to name two, but some of the others I can take or leave.

But mostly I like Leo Sayer as a person. Or I used to. You see I used to work in pub just down the road from Olympic studios and we got a lot of the bands and their crews in. I won't go through them all now, because I would be shooting myself in the foot for further posts, but little Leo used to come in. And he was a bumptious character, all jokey and mouthy. The kind of chap that many dismiss with 'small man syndrome'. But when you're the barman you can't dismiss people, they tell you stuff, and you see stuff, like his problem with money. So that's how come I know he was bullied for a long time. And that's how I know that the persona is just that, and underneath is a simple, ordinary and likable man with a prodigious talent. And from here, I am just delighted that this guy, who has seen a lot of the wrong side of life, is enjoying a renaissance and, hopefully, a pocket full of the money that he can't even count because of his learning difficulties.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

i like that song too.

the Beep said...

Hi Scott: welcome

Anonymous said...

I met Leo Sayer some years ago and indeed, he is a very likeable chirpy chappy. At the time, I was in the midst of having a fling with his bass player and saw Sayer live a few times - he was good, an excellent voice and entertainer.

the Beep said...

Not Frank, by any chance?

Anonymous said...

I was in a recording studio once, and Madge herself entered. . .

I had to leave shortly after that, which was a shame

somehow I don't think she's writing a comment on someone's blog saying "once upon a time, I went to a recording studio and Don't Chase It was there"

and therein lies the difference between us (well, one of them)

Anonymous said...

*sticks fingers in ears*

Let me know when Sayer is no longer in the charts.

the Beep said...

DCI: I went to the cinema with Madge recently. So I take your studio and raise you a cinema ...

Fuckkit: Don't do that, you only get wax on the end of them. And be honest: he's better than the Artic Monkeys, but so are most things (they are but Paul Weller and Blur's love children after all - and NO GOOD). Mwah

Anonymous said...

It's always good to learn that someone who's had a hard time has managed to do well anyway.
And I hate it when people dismiss other people they don't know.
And I used to like Leo Sayer quite a bit so I'm pleased he's got another hit.

Anonymous said...

Nope

Anonymous said...

OK, I can raise it (or take it in another direction, anyhow) - swapped phone numbers with little Madge's nanny in a park once as our two girls had had such a nice time playing. . . (and I'd talked to her in french)

we phoned her a couple of times and the two girls had a few lovely conversations

(they never phoned us)

my little one wanted to fix a playdate but her little one always seemed to have something else on: tutor/ballet/tap/french

I'm not that kind of mother, I take my kids to the park, arrange playdates, odd museum trip at half term perhaps, bit of art n craft, baking. . . otherwise I just leave them to it (seeing as they are children n all)

I take my hat off to anyone who has the energy to fix up all that other stuff

(the little boy's nanny was very scary, wouldn't have swapped number with her!)

over to you, Beep! (but d'ya know what, I suspect you can out-celeb me anytime. . .)

Anonymous said...

oh, one more thing, have been humming When I Need You incessantly. . .

and for some reason, You Make Me Feel Like Dancin' - was that Leo, or some other person with a high pitched voice?

I'm sure he's lovely, but why do I keep thinking of skin-tight hot-pants when I think of him?

the Beep said...

DCI: D'ya know, I think I can. Back to Leo: yes that was him. He had a surprising number of hits, and I suspect we may be in for every single one o fthem as they all get re-released. he won't be backward in coming forward (again). He does rather think of himself in terms of the second coming, so maybe it will be now.
I can only imagine the hotpants would be Pans People or Legs and Co. With Leo it's the air and a clown that comes to mind.

the Beep said...

oops, 'bends down to pick up dropped h'. It's the hair one remembers, although he had a certain air too.

Anonymous said...

knew you would, I'm quitting now - while in my own mind I am ahead! (kind of like those ice-skatery people who look like they are at the top of the leader board, but only because the really good skaters haven't skated yet. . .)

mind you, lots of the really good skaters fell over, didn't they?

I love watching the skating, my dad used to be an ice-dancer so I grew up with tripple toe-loops and the inside edges of your blades

(funny how noone in Blogland seems to have commented on the Winter Olympics, or do I read the wrong blogs?)

OK, now I'm humming a Leo Sayer number segue-waying (have no idea how to spell that) into a Madonna number as the background toon to some bloke in a tight lyrca suit and a huge fuzzy barnet doing an gold medal winning icedance

see, it always comes together in the end!

Anonymous said...

Ok, I wasn't sure whether this love for Sayer was just a result of excessive drug taking... but then seeing your odd theory with regards to Weller + Blur=Arctic monkeys, it becomes clear. May I recommend the priory.
Hello, by the way ;-)

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
the Beep said...

Hello, your Ladyship, and welcome along. I've seen you around other places, and am most honoured that you have decided to ask your driver to stop here for a moment or two.