Myself and Clive Lever were backup act to the guest at a club near Maidstone about eighteen months ago, when a mobile phone started playing a tune which was completely incompatible with the very quiet number we had just started.

The owner, in the front row of course, answered it, and proceeded to hold a long conversation. We kept going, and so did he, until he achieved a volume even we, with the benefit of PA, culdn't handle. So we stopped. He suddenly realised he was performing alone, said "Gotta go now", and rang off. No apology, just sat and waited for us to continue.

The organiser had a quiet word with him during the break, and we went on to start the second half, and two minutes in, the damn thing went off again, and he threw it through the open door into the car park. Best laugh of the evening! Stopped us dead for another five minutes.

The point is, of course, that by the time you comment, it's too late, so we didn't bother.

No amount of training would change him, I fear.

Don T.