Patron Saint of Losers?
Interview with John Otway
By Christopher Duda
(SugarBuzz Toronto)
SugarBuzz Magazine
John Otway-The Patron Saint of Losers would not be a name tagged to a self-effacing, introverted quiet folk singing moron. Instead, in this case the Patron Saint moniker is affixed firmly to an exuberant loveable self-determined loser. Much like routing for the underdog there is an admiration for the individual who perseveres with sheer determination and turns all negativity on it’s fat head with one swift kick in the noggin’!
John Otway might not be a household name….yet….. However, like a fine vintage red wine Otway just gets better with age! (Some might refer to him as a fine sharp cheese however!). Oddly, enough spell check wants to keep changing “Otway” to “Today”… coincidence I think not!
The Clash always held their fans in high regard and after reading your book; it is apparent that so does John Otway. How do you maintain and manage your strong fan base and what role have they played in your popularity?
I have always 
felt that with my show, the entertainment didn’t finish after the last number - me and the fan base, I felt, were on a mission. Turns out that this was possibly a Mission Impossible, but both the fans and I didn’t know it at the time. It was a great journey, even if it hasn’t led to the sort of Mega stardom it was supposed to – haven’t given up hope though, the journey’s still going and a surprising number of fans are hanging on in there.
Initially you were lumped into the early Punk phenomenon. How do you think John Otway would have fared if you started out ten years later? Do you subscribe to the punk D.I.Y ethic?
Looking back, I suppose I was waiting for Punk to happen since the age of twelve – no success was going to happen without it! Never before or since in the History of Popular Music playing and singing badly with intense passion been fashionable. Of course, I’ve subscribed to the Punk D.I.Y. ethic; S.E.D.I (someone else do it) was never going to happen!
Where does your sense of drive come from? Do your peers sometimes deem your dreams unrealistic? How are you able to take your thoughts or idea’s and make them reality?
Problem was I was stage-struck at the
age of nine. When you’re that young, you don’t really have a realistic view of the world. Anyone who has seen my show will appreciate how little I’ve grown up. For most people, this would be a serious disadvantage to success. However, for Otway it seems to have paid off rather well sometimes, though not quite as well others.
How has the experience of teaching or doing lectures been for you?
I’ve discovered that entertaining is similar whichever medium you chose to use. I’ve been surprised that I’ve been able to write a book, give a lecture to students and head butt a microphone pretty much using the same technique!
Wikipedia lists that your books sold more then your albums. Is this fact correct? Could we see more books in the future? Would you ever consider writing a book of fiction?
Otway is Stranger Than Fiction, so I’ll stick with what I know! Besides, why would I want to give fame to a character that doesn’t exist? The first album ‘John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett’ was the most successful product; the first book came a good second – until, of course, we got the fans to go and buy Bunsen Burner on 
mass to get it in the charts.
The on/off again relationship you have with Wild Willy Barrett is common knowledge. How do you manage to work with someone that you might not see eye to eye with? Is the only reason Willy accepts gigs as of late because you allow him to hit your with a microphone during the song “Headbutts?
Like all relationships, the one between Willy and me was complicated – complicated because Willy was a good musician and I wasn’t. The first book is a brave attempt at analyzing this partnership and tries to fathom out why we ever worked together in the first place.
Who are your musical heroes?
Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan.
Until reading your book, I did not realize that Benny Hill also recorded music. When you recorded House of the Rising Sun at Abbey Road Studios, was your request to see where Benny Hill recorded a legitimate request or more to throw the guide off the general Beatles barrage of questions he must receive?
The reason I asked the question was that I wanted an opening line to give to the choir of fans when they were assembled to record the B-Side to the Hit. I was able to say something like: “This is a very special place. Many wonderful things have been recorded in here, including ‘Ernie, the Fastest Milkman in the West’. We have a lot to live up to.”
What is the next project for John Otway and company?
I want it to be ‘Otway: The Movie’ – I’m just waiting for the deal to appear!
Would you ever try to resurrect the World Tour again?
As part of ‘Otway: The Movie’, with somebody else paying.
Has there been much from the past that has not been released on cd that you would like to see the light of day?
We have just released a three Album CD of B-Sides, Flops and Demos – sadly, there’s more.
Did parenthood change your approach to music?
Yes, I started taking a few less risks – unfortunately, they grow up and you can start thinking about a World Tour again.
What are John Otway’s views on the
current state of the world?
When I first did Top of The Pops, Dave Lee Travis introduced me and Willy with the line “I don’t know if the World is ready for this”, my view then was that it was – I was wrong. My current view of the World is that it is now!
When you have left the face of the world how would you like to be remembered?
Three Hits – each one bigger than the last! (Or any number larger than two)
Some of your past releases are now on your own label. Did you always own the rights to all your music and were there any barriers in re-releasing your catalogue on your own label?
By the time, I did the big deal with Polydor it was regarded as good business sense to do a licensing deal rather than an artist deal with the record company. This way, the artist gets all the rights back after a number of years. It worked very well.
How did you initially come to be on Polydor and Stiff records and how did that relationship end?
In both cases, because we were selling records, the label signed us. In both cases, when we stopped selling records, the label dropped us. It might sound bloody obvious but there are students going to courses in Popular Music at Universities that have not grasped this
fundamental concept.
Do you have testicles made of steel?
If I had, my performance on the ‘Old Grey Whistle Test’ would not have been as painful.
When you released “Frightened and Scared”, three of these albums only contained the backing tracks. The premise was that you would sing your part at the person’s house. Did anyone take you up on your offer?
These were actually singles. Polydor pressed up three vocal-less copies – I sang in living rooms in Glasgow and London, but was banned from a private boarding school in Birmingham, where the third one turned up.
Are there any plans to play North America in the near future?
Hopefully sometime next year.
If you could change anything in your past what would that be?
Almost everything! I would obviously keep the two Hits; it would have been nice to have written a Rock n’ Roll’s Greatest Success book (which would of course meant changing a great deal!) The biggest mistake, most people agree on, was putting ‘Beware of the Flowers’ on the B-Side to ‘Really Free’, because that probably would have been a second Hit.
How long was the process to write your books? Was composing the second book easier? Why did you decide to write in the third person?
First book took about seven months to write and eight months to correct. Second book took about a year to write and eighteen months to correct. I wrote in the third person because I could not admit to myself that I had behaved in the way that I had – it was far easier to pretend somebody else had!
Should you be knighted or sainted? If you were canonized what would you prefer to be called. Saint_________ (sorry Saint John is taken). The Patron Saint of _________. If you were knighted what would you say to the Queen?
The last release I had on a major label was called ‘John Otway, Patron Saint of Losers’ – I quite like that. In addition, as far as what I would say to the Queen: “Okay, let’s make this the big one for Otway”!
Your alcoholic beverage of choice?
Beer, beer, beer!
If you were on death -row what would your choice of your “last supper” be?
I wouldn’t have one – I’ve never liked wasting food!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkYOZyNocrw