WHEN it comes to rock ‘n’ roll tales of excess and living the high life few can match those of Alan McGee.
The Creation Records co-founder has tasted success at the top end of the music industry but has also experienced the lowest of lows in the business.
Visitors to the Tower Digital Arts Centre in Helensburgh were treated to a special evening of pop tales and epic fails last Sunday when the man himself was guest of honour on the latest stop on his talking tour.
The sold-out event, organised by Sushil K Dade – also known as Future Pilot A.K.A. – and hosted by Duglas T Stewart of BMX Bandits, was the ideal occasion for any indie fan to get up close and personal with the self-styled “President of Pop” as he spoke about growing up in Glasgow, moving to London and starting up his own record label and getting caught up in the acid house revolution in Manchester in the late 1980s.
The audience in the packed cinema hall at the Tower transcended any generational divide, as young and old came together to celebrate their favourite bands with the indie mogul.
The evening began with an introduction by Duglas T Stewart, who alluded to his close friendship with McGee and thanked him for helping to kick-start his own career in music.
READ MORE: Music industry legend Alan McGee has 'got the music bug again'
McGee was then welcomed on to the stage before a brief period of discussion that took in his early years at King’s Park School, his relationship with Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream and his first involvement in the madness of the music industry.
As the conversation flowed in the living-room setting, the general feeling among the entranced onlookers was that McGee could sit all night and rhyme off highlights from yesteryear without even coming close to drying up his well of stories – which will stand the test of time as key moments in shaping the history of British music.
Of course, there were times he said he’d rather forget, such as his severe mental and physical breakdown during the 90s while Oasis – who had been discovered by McGee at a gig at Glasgow’s King Tut’s in 1993 – were cementing their status as the biggest band in the world.
And then there were the times which he simply can’t remember due to, by his own admission, having become a serious drug addict.
However, it is difficult not to be feel pangs of envy at the lifestyle he led, the famous contacts made and the number of people inspired by the ginger-haired boy from Scotland’s largest city.
Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Ride, The House of Love, The Libertines and Happy Mondays are just some of the bands which owe a debt of gratitude to Alan McGee and Creation.
They are just some of the examples of the legacy of the influential entrepreneur.
The evening drew to a close with a showing of the feature film Upside Down, after an audience Q&A session had revealed some lesser-known facts about McGee’s friendship with Courtney Love, the former wife of Kurt Cobain, his struggles dealing with major record labels and his new venture going back to his roots of discovering young bands with potential.
As his tour continues, it is sure to entertain plenty more fans.
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