Bonnie Tyler - Bonnie went backstage at the Porthcawl gig in South Wales in August 1978 - the famous gig where Nod was beaten up by a bouncer. Bonnie was very nervous meeting the band - she had been a big fan when she was a kid. Jim was amazed because she asked for the band's autographs. You very rarely saw celebs getting Slade's autographs.
Bob Geldof and Johnny Fingers - The Boomtown Rats stars were at the Music Machine gig in 1980 and came backstage afterwards together with Paula Yates. Johnny Fingers was even wearing his trademark pyjamas - with a leather jacket on top! With the pair was Geldof's girlfriend, Paula Yates. Despite being the author of a weekly Record Mirror gossip column "The Natural Blonde Column" she was so quiet - she didn't say a word.
Geldof however raved about Slade's performance - he asked Nod how they could go through with playing small venues when they had previously been so famous? Nod explained that it happened to all big groups - everyone went through a fall. Within a couple of years the same fate happened to the Rats. Nod wrote about this experience in the lyrics of "Do You Believe In Miracles".
James Hunt - British motor racing champion came backstage at The Rainbow gig in '77. He was cool and casually dressed. Said he'd always been a Slade fan.
Roy Wood - Roy came backstage at one of the Marquee, Wardour Street gigs in the early 1980's. He was one of the nicest pop stars I'd ever met. He was very un-assuming but very friendly. He worked his way round the dressing room, introducing himself to everyone, the Road Crew, Families etc. He came to me, a young 20 yr old. I told him that I was a fan who run Slade's Fan Club. He was interested, asked all about it and sat with me and chatted for about 20 minutes. What a guy!
Rick Parfitt - I didn't meet Rick at a Slade gig - but I met him when I was out with Don at a Jets gig at the Dominion Theatre in Tottenham Court Road. Don had got free passes from Mel Bush - and I went with him to enjoy a free show.
Rick bowled over to Don - they were good friends from the "old days". Rick was full of himself - and said that we shouldn't let the evening end after the gig. He took us both for supper at "Witchitys" in Kensington - a flash late night restaurant.
Rick obviously liked Don and had great respect for Nod. He talked about when Quo supported Slade on their Australian Tour (in 1972?). He recalled how amazed he was at the sight as they arrived at Sydney airport - thousands of kids everywhere. Slade has received six Gold Discs for Slade Alive and they were bigger than the Beatles.
In 1982 Rick was heavily into drink and drugs. He was openly sorting himself out in the street as I used a cashpoint in Tottenham Court Road, before we jumped in a cab.
As the evening wore on - it became apparent that he had a disliking for Jim. Calling him aloof and arrogant. Don shrugged the comments off - but Rick was quite nasty. He made comments such as "look whose more popular now"? Anyway, he was playing around at the time - he called his wife Marietta to say that he wouldn't be home - and 10 minutes later Patti Boyd turned up at the restaurant. (Patti was the girlfriend of Rod Stewart - and she ended up being Rick's second wife when he divorced Marietta).
But what the heck? He picked up the bill!
However, Jim obviously didn't have a problem with Rick - as he guested on bass when Quo performed "Margarita Time" on Top of the Pops a year later. Maybe Rick's problem was all down to his over-indulgence.
Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) and Brian May (Queen) - They both turned up at one of Slade's Hammersmith Odeon gigs in 1982. Bruce Dickinson was scruffy - and I wouldn't have believed it was him. He was just interested in drinking the free beer backstage. Brian May was nice. He wore his famous clogs and talked to all the band. Slade had been big mates with Queen - and Brian updated Slade with what his band mates were up to.
Suzi Quatro - Suzi went to several Slade gigs.
The one that I remember seeing her at was the University of East Anglia gig in 1979. She turned up unexpectedly with her husband at the time, Len Tuckey.
I seem to recall Slade keeping her waiting before she came backstage - because her leather was smelly. (I think they were joking...)
Michael Jackson / The Jacksons - The late Michael Jackson and his brothers turned up at a Slade gig at Blackburn Cavendish (later called Baileys) in February 1979. Slade were doing a week residency and I was staying in a local guest house with Sue O'Leary, Alison Hillmen and Kevin Massey for the gigs. I think the Jackson brothers turned up for the Thursday night gig - when there were only about 50 punters in! (The Jacksons boosted the numbers).
The Jacksons had brought their "Destiny Tour" the UK at the time, promoting "Blame It On The Boogie". From what I recall, they had played Manchester Apollo earlier in the evening - and called in to the Slade gig after - as Slade weren't onstage til about midnight. (Blackburn's a short drive from Manchester - as you Northerners know). All of the Jacksons, including Michael, went backstage at the end of Slade's set.
Mike Read - The Radio One DJ went to several of Slade's London shows in the early 80's. I got to know him by dropping him copies of the Fan Club magazine when he used to run his nightime radio show. He used to read out excerts ad comment on some of the photos. It was good to eventually meet him in person.
When Mike moved to becoming the breakfast show host (in 1981), he was the first Radio One DJ to preview the "We'll Bring The House Down" single. He played it for the first time on my 21st birthday - 14th January - and dedicated it to me! I didn't hear the namecheck - as I was travelling to work. When I arrived many of my colleagues told me all about it! A few weeks later he rang me live on air to take part in a "Beat the DJ" competition. He tried to stump me with questions about Slade. And he did. Nerves got the better of me - and the one question I couldn't answer was about the writer of "Get Down And Get With It"!
Steve McNerney (The Pleasers) - Steve became good friends particularly with Don in the 1980's. He went to lots of the gigs with his girlfriend Julia - who became close to Don and his girlfriend Carol at the time.
Steve's band were hyped by the music press as being the "new Beatles" - playing Power Pop. They almost had a hit with "The Kids Are Alright".
Steve came from a fairly wealthy family from Wembley. The family always invited Don to family Bar-B-Qs etc. I'm afraid that I didn't really like Steve. It seemed a bit of a hanger on.
Nigel Fletcher (Lieutenant Pigeon) - Nigel was drummer with Lt. Pigeon - the band who had a No.1 with "Mouldy Old Dough" in 1972. You must remember them - they had a smiling granny called Hilda playing the piano on the Top of the Pops performances. The band came from Coventry - and I met Nigel at the Coventry City Centre Club gig in 1979. He was good mates with Don - as they had drumming in common. He kept in touch for many years - and went to loads of other gigs. However, I must mention Jim Davidson, the comedian. When Slade played the Coventry City Centre Club (24 May 1979) he was performing there in panto during the week - and I think he had a night off on the Thursday (?) when Slade were performing. He asked if he could introduce the band onstage. They agreed. However, once he got on stage to "build the band up" they couldn't get him off! He went, on and on, and on. Until the chants of "We want Slade!" from the crowd overpowered him!
Lynsey De Paul
For a period of time in 1974/1975 Lynsey De Paul was dating Slade manager Chas Chandler.
I only ever saw her once at a Slade gig - the Saturday gig at the New Victoria Theatre, 26 April 1975.
I was hanging around for the band after the gig, chatting to the roadies. I saw Lynsey leaving the venue, with Chas, holding his son Steffan's hand. Steffan was dressed up a mini Noddy - wearing a mirrored top hat!
Gary Glitter - I never met him at a Slade gig but Slade used to recount stories of him. They knew him from when they had played in Germany - years before. They liked him a lot - and they got on well. Don told me that on one Top Of The Pops he ordered champagne to be delivered to the Slade dressing room - to celebrate them getting to No.1.
The Look - They lived near me in West Hampstead. They knew Don and came to the Hammersmith Odeon gigs in the early 80's.
Annie Nightingale - Annie used to be a champion of Slade's cause on Radio One. Nod once told me a story about her at the Montreaux Music Festival in the early 1980's. She had got so drunk at the festival that she missed the coach taking all the Radio One DJs back to their hotel. She decided to sleep on a sunbed on the beach - and wait for morning to come. When she woke from her drunken slumber she found that she'd been mugged. Her handbag with credit cards etc had been stolen.
I met Annie about a year after this at a Bolan event in Oxford Street in the West End. She was very drunk (again) and so was I. I thought it would be a good idea to recite the story to her........she wasn't impressed!
Spandau Ballet - The boys met Spandau when they both performed at the Montreaux Music Festival in 1983. Spandau stayed up late drinking with the lads. They told Slade what big fans they had been. Don told me that he was very impressed with Spandau's drinking powers!
Bucks Fizz - Don once told me that the he had met their RCA "stable" mates - Bucks Fizz - when he and Dave Hill and the Fizz were all together on a train journey. The train was packed to the rafters - so they all sat in the mail car. To pass time during the journey, they all played "Give Us A Clue".
The Nolans - I went with Don to see the Nolans perform at Watford Baileys. I can't remember Don's connection with the band - but I think he knew one of their sound guys, who got us tickets.
We went backstage to meet the girls after the show. They were as sweet as pie - later Don told me that one of the girls (who shall remain nameless) had recorded some saucy material with her boyfriend on her camcorder in the dressing room. And to think that I believed that butter wouldn't melt in their mouths!
Eric Bell (ex Thin Lizzy guitarist) - Don asked me if I fancied going to see the Eric Bell Band - at the famous Bridgehouse Pub in Canning Town in 1980. (Eric was friends with Don from his Thin Lizzy days - when they supported Slade on their 1972 UK Tour). Canning Town was a pig to get to from West Hampstead - so I drove. It was a good gig - and Eric was a nice guy. We had a pint with him after the show.
Chris Foreman ("Chrissy Boy" - Madness) - I remember seeing Chris Foreman at all Slade's Music Machine gigs. It was no great shakes - as the band came from Camden Town the MM was their local club. However the Madness boys respected Slade - they used Dave Hill's Super Yob guitar in one of their videos.
Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne - In the early 1980's Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne used to live in Hampstead (Heath Drive) - just over the other side of the Finchley Road to Spirals (Slade's favourite London wine bar).
I was once out with Don and we bumped into Ozzy and Sharon in the bar. As we had a drink, Ozzy told us a story of his teenage years growing up in the Midlands. He said that he came from a large family (he had 5 brothers and sisters) - and his Mum always had to do catering style cooking.
He said that one day, he and his brothers, complained about the weird taste of the boiled potatoes. His Mum told them to shut-up and get on eating the meal........It wasn't til later, when he was doing the washing up, that he found that his Mum had left a Brillo pad in the cooking pot while she did the cooking! Don recited that story often.....
Also, Nod would often meet Ozzy in Spirals. A story goes how once Ozzy went to meet Nod there for a quick drink in the afternoon. He was due home by 5pm. However, hours later, when Ozzy eventually decided to go home, he begged Nod to go with him - as Sharon would kill him......She almost did - she greeted Ozzy and Nod at the front door with a gun - that she left off - with the bullet hitting a car.
I spoke to Sharon on several times when I ran the Fan Club. She took over managing Slade in the States for a short time. She booked the band to support Ozzy on their fated last ever concert tour in the US.
The Osmonds - Wayne, Merrill and Alan Osmond attended one of Slade's two Rainbow shows in London on either 10th or 11th November 1972. Donny didn't attend (he was too young - it was past his bedtime - although they said he was ill). To see an interview with Nod about the Rainbow show - click here.
Steve Jones (Sex Pistols), Phil Taylor (Motorhead) and Nicky Headon (The Clash) - all turned up at Slade's Music Machine gig in Camden on 13 December 1979.
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