Experience: I’ve seen Status Quo 487 times

I went to my first Status Quo gig in December 1986, in Whitley Bay, on Tyneside, at an old ice rink. I was 14. My dad said it was stupid, so my grandad took me. He was practically deaf anyway, so it didn’t bother him. After that, I was hooked.

I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I’ve never touched drugs. My addiction is seeing Status Quo. They’ve been on the go for 55 years and they’ve virtually never stopped touring. They really are – excuse the pun – always rocking all over the world.

I’ve never left the UK, unfortunately, because of medical problems – I have epilepsy and sometimes have seizures – so I’ve only ever rocked around Britain. The farthest south I’ve been to see them is Cornwall; the farthest north is Aberdeen. The venue I’ve been to the most is probably City Hall, Newcastle, my local.

At first I wasn’t working and so only went to one show a year. When I got a job in 1994, working nights at B&Q, I started doing quite well and it became 10 a year. I met friends through the gigs and we started to go together. Ten shows a year turned into 15, which turned into following the whole tour. Soon I was doing the entire UK tour every year. The most gigs I’ve seen in one year is 42. It nearly killed me.

I don’t drive, but my friends will give me lifts or I’ll take the train. At the venue, I always like to get down the front if I can. I’ll try to get within the first 10 rows, often the first or second. We’ve had nods from Francis Rossi in the band. A few times, I’ve been lucky to be let inside to watch the soundcheck.

The best show I saw was probably in 1988, at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. They were all on top form, the crowd were top notch. After shows, you’ll be knackered, sweaty, your eardrums gone. You’ll be hyper and it will take you two hours to calm down. Then you’ll think: “Oh, I’ve got to do this again tomorrow.” It just rolls on and on. We used to sleep in the backs of friends’ cars or vans. By the end of the tour all you want to do is sleep. I always say: think how the roadies feel.

It’s silly when I think about the amount of money I’ve spent. I was keeping a tab but it was getting scary so I stopped. It used to cost about £1,500 a tour, including tickets, travel, accommodation and food. I reckon I must be into six figures by now. But as my grandad used to say: you’re not here for ever, so you might as well spend it.

People knock me for doing what I do, but I always ask: “What’s your passion? Do I knock you for doing that?” Some people smoke or drink –how much does that cost them?

When I’m at a show, I get a feeling of being among friends. There are others who have been to many more Quo gigs than me – one person I know is well towards 900. People know my situation, so if I have a seizure, they look out for me. Generally, we keep to ourselves, but we send each other Christmas cards and never forget each other’s birthdays. When Rick Parfitt died in 2016, it was a hell of a shock, even though I knew he’d been unwell. It was like losing a family member. But even without Rick, the Quo keep on going.

My other big interest is vinyl collecting. I’ve got about 20,000 records. Of those, 6,500 are Quo records from all over the globe. It’s written into my will that when I die, I’ll be buried in a casket made from melted-down Quo records. The undertakers say it’ll take round about 1,000 of them.

Hopefully I won’t pop my clogs any time soon, though. I still enjoy the Quo now as much as ever. My most recent show was the beginning of 2022; unfortunately, I’ve had quite a few health problems recently so haven’t been to many in the past year, but I’m hoping to get back soon. I would love to make it to 500 shows. God willing, with my health situation and with everyone staying fit in the band, it should be done within the next couple of years.

If I do make it to 500, I won’t stop. What else am I going to do? I’m going to keep going until I drop.

As told to Malcolm Jack

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