Mistake #1

It was the late sixties in Glasgow -sometime before it became a European City of culture Glasgow was still unclear about who it was - In the teen scene, a strong but fading Clydeside shipyards feel on the one hand, mixed oddly with new found hippiedom. On the music side we were part of a folk revival - guys with pullovers sticking a finger in their ears singing 'Fine Girl ye are'! or trainee accountants strumming their Les Paul singing proudly about having 'been a wild rover for many a year.'
I was a drummer - 'allowed to play with real musicians' - 'drummers are like Johnnies (condoms) - you know you should have one but it's mair fun without' - I played hand drums occasionally with some of the big names, Archie Fisher, Matt McGinn, but mostly I played with ma Chinas playing Woodie Guthrie and Pete Seeger songs on the one hand and Middle Eastern tunes on the other - we were quite good as enthusiasts, though not all that technically pure ( Right, in the key of L Minor, let's rip it up!).

Beginning to make it up the pecking order and overtaking us, was a duo called the Humblebums, Tam Harvey a good Mandolin player and a guitarist and banjo player, William J Connolly the Third, otherwise known as Billy. He was not that great on the banjo - 'but whit a comic - laughed till ah peed masel'.

So in business terms, Billy Connolly had already differentiated himself from the less talented herd, following in the tradition of great Glasgow comedians but with his own unique take.

We saw each other socially from time to time and singing a few more times - acqaintances not real buddies.

One day, when I was walking along Argylle Stree opposite Lewis's Department store a 'Hey John Brull' came from the other side of the street -
'Hullo Billy How's it goin?'
'Great man - Ah'm goin pro.'
'No big surprises there - you 're good enough '
'Ah doan want to be just in Scotland - wider mebbe - ah'll need a manager - interestit?'
'No Billy - Sorry - Bad timin - back to uni in a couple of months.'
'Nae bother - see ya.'

To be fair I didn't think much more about it at the time, but once or twice since over the years.

If I hand't gone to do a second University degree would I have worked with Billy and been Mr.10% for years and that's 10% of a big wedge.

Would I have mis - managed his career to such a degree that the world have been starved of one of its great entertainers.

Marketing Point

In retrospect I think I should have been calmer, researched and evaluated what may have been just a casual on the spur of the moment offer with no real substance.

I'll never know - youth is wasted on the young.