Gadd It's All Over …

61-yr old Paul Francis Gadd (Gary Glitter) has been jailed in Vietnam for 3 years, all because of his kiddie-fiddling antics.

In his heyday, in the 70’s and 80’s with the Glitter Band, ‘Gary’ sold 20 million albums and if you were there, like me, you felt a certain association with him as he was a great entertainer and the best ‘light relief’ in any musical programme. With an outrageous wardrobe (normally decorated with glitter), a varied selection of facial expressions all supported on monstrous boots and flying high(ish) kicks, Glitter strutted his stuff and churned out anthems a-plenty.

He gracefully slipped from the public eye but in 1999 he was arrested for possession of child pornography. From then on, his reputation never recovered.

Can’t say that I’m that surprised, given his track record over the past few years. If it sticks the first time, then there’s not much of a chance that he’d have given up this specific hobby any time soon.

So, on a blatantly flippant note, let’s look at some of his past recording glories and the ‘oh so near’ titles which should have rung bells then, but now have a particular 'je ne sais pas' about them - either on his nasty little habits or on his return to jail;

1972 "I Didn't Know I Loved You" No4 UK
1972 "Do You Wanna Touch Me?" No2 UK
1973 "Hello Hello I'm Back Again" No2 UK
1974 "Oh Yes! You're Beautiful" No2 UK
1975 "Doing Alright with the Boys" No6 UK
1976 "You Belong To Me" No40 UK
1977 "It Takes All Night Long" No25 UK
1978 "365 Days" (should be renamed “1095 Days”)
1995 "Hello, Hello I'm Back Again (Again!)” No50 UK

… and the list goes on …

Still with painted eyebrows, Gary never flinched when the verdict was read out and translated for him. I will admit that the shot of the weeping Mother in court (of one of his ‘victims’), looked preposterously staged … outpourings of public grief in most of Asia normally are. Off he went, a beaten yet defiant figure of a 70’s Glam-Rock icon, insisting that is was all a set-up by 'certain' newspapers. He now has 15 days to appeal ...

His huge, luxurious mansion in Vung Tau lies dormant as Paul Francis Gadd has recently moved as a guest at a different class of establishment, the local jail in Vung Tau. It’s an old and decaying structure where prisoners have to buy food from the outside world in order to survive … and he’ll be the only westerner imprisoned there.

“Hello, Hello. It's good to be back, it's good to be back!
Did you miss me, Yeah, while I was away, did you hang my picture on your wall,
Did you kiss me, Yeah, every single day, although you couldn't kiss me at all,
And did you love me, Yeah, like a good little girl”

Oh Gary, what have you done ...?

Stu