Stumbled onto this site from (I think), checking out Nat Gonella. Don't no why I should get 'Folk' in my head whilst on Jazz, but anyway, I then saw, 'Does anyone remember the Nags Head, York Rd Battersea? I'll say I remember it. It featured in 'kicking off my 'career' as a 'named' Artiste on the Circuit (billed in the Melody Maker)-and ended it the same night!!!!!! A complete drunken disaster. Anyone unfortunate to have been there on that fateful night cannot but forget it.
It's a long story and the devil is in the detail, but to 'cut a strong hoary wart' -the first set (of two, with interval) -lived up to all the promise of my 'floor-spot' a month earlier, which had itself gone to secure the booking, 'top of the bill'..... the big time.
I was, at the time 'to-ing and fro-ing' between London and Paris -Busking in both cities... but with the intention of settling in Paris (which I did for a couple of years). Anyway, 'lodging in Fulham' at the time, I paid a 'chance' visit to the Nags Head, with guitar -hoping to get a 'floor spot' -not only did I get one -but I went down a bomb. So much did they all like my performance -a mixed bag of stuff, some originals from a fellow Stokie, that I was booked for late January -1973.
On the night, a mixture of elation and nerves -and a growing feeling that I had 'bitten off more than I could chew' (my fellow Stokie, on hearing of my success at getting the gig, shocked me by refusing to use any more of his stuff -his original material). I needed it to have enough for two sets -without struggling. I'd been too hasty -clutching at a chance in a million, taking the booking before consulting the gods.
Consequently, after the first set, as I said, going down really well, I had already had four pints of strong ale, nerves and a sense of impending disaster led me to 'neck' as much more as I could before going back upstairs to 'face the mob'.
I was kicked out after just two incoherent ramblings -'Here have the money and don't come back' -I can't remember much after that. Just went back to Paris -Charing X to Gare du Nord -and busked.