Prefab Sprout’s Paddy McAloon may be one of the most admired song writers in the music business but fame and fortune haven’t gone to his head.
Not for him the life of being ferried around in record company limousines. When Paddy McAloon goes to work, he hops on the nearest bus.
And even travelling on a double decker every day, Paddy claims to be not mobbed by eager fans. Apart from the once that is.
“I was upstairs listening to my personal stereo.” he explained. “This guy sat down in front of me with his girlfriend. I could see through his carrier bag that he’d just bought our album.
“He spent the whole journey whispering to his girlfriend and it wasn’t until he was getting off that he turned round to me and said: ‘It is you, isn’t it?’.”
Paddy happily signed autographs and quickly added that if the situation were reversed he would probably do the same.
“If I saw Paul McCartney, I would ask him what he was doing on a bus and get his autograph.”
Apart from not getting Paul McCartney’s autograph, his one big regret was that their recent single, Cars and Girls, wasn’t a hit.
“I was gutted,” he wailed. But all hope is not lost as the band have persuaded record company CBS to re-release it as their next single.