Ningbo - Latest Hub for Rock n' Roll World Tours
Rock 'failure' hires a plane to bring fans on world tour
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SINGER John Otway has hired an airliner to realise his dream of a world tour.
After two chart hits a quarter of a century apart - 'Really Free' in 1977 and 'Bunsen Burner' in 2002 - the 53-year-old has paid a €90,000 deposit for an Airbus A340 in the belief that 240 fans will fork out €6,000 each to go with him or take individual legs of the "Ot-Air" trip for almost €3,000 apiece.
In all, the plane will cost €1m, but Otway, who called his autobiography 'Rock 'n' Roll's Greatest Failure', has built a large cult following through endless tours and self-deprecating humour. And he said 120 fans had so far signed up.
"It gets very scary to put big chunks of money down. It's like when I was 16, and found out just how expensive a Transit van was," he said.
Sponsors are being organised and, if all else fails, the proceeds from a documentary about him that is currently being shot may cover any outstanding fees.
The 14-day tour starts with a concert at Liverpool's Cavern Club on October 26. The Airbus takes off the next day from John Lennon airport in Liverpool, with stops in New York, Las Vegas, Tahiti, Sydney, China and Dubai.
Small halls are being booked on the way, with a performance also scheduled in Sydney at the Opera House.
A 2,000-seat theatre is booked for Ningbo, near Shanghai, where the mayor has promised a big reception as Otway's amplifier-maker, Carlsbro, has a factory in the city.
Otway said: "We've got this anthem, 'We Rock', which we are translating into Chinese for the gig."
Otway is noted for his eccentric act and for his appearance on BBC's 'The Old Grey Whistle Test' with Headbutt, in which he repeatedly banged his head on the microphone.
A grassroots campaign helped his 'Beware Of The Flowers' to seventh place in the BBC's millennium poll of great lyricists.
Otway survived what he called "my hitless years" thanks to a loyal fan base. In 1998, 4,000 joined him for his birthday at the Royal Albert Hall. (©Daily Telegraph, London)