Nick Lowe & Andy Williams (March 1978)

It was March 1978 at I was down at Top of the Pops with Jake Riviera and Nick Lowe, we were hanging around between the Rehearsal and the taping of the Show, it was Nick's first appearance and he was all dressed up in his Riddler Suit waiting to perform Breaking Glass. Then I spotted Andy Williams on the other side of the Studio. You were not supposed to have cameras but of course I had one hidden under my jacket, I grabbed Nick and marched him over to where Andy was standing. "Just go and talk to him" I said, "What about" said Nick, "I dunno, anything, tell him you want to produce his next record, just keep him talking long enough for me to get three frames, then we just leg it before I get caught taking photos in here" So Nick goes over and starts to say something to Andy, he has no clue who in the hell we are or why i'm trying to take pictures, the encounter lasts about 20 seconds before I run back over to the other side of the Studio where Jake is standing. "I've got it!" "What?" "Pictures of Nick and Andy Williams, it's brilliant, a total set up and he fell for it" I was smiling gleefully, "Excellent" said Jake as he smiled back with that wonderful Puckish grin he used to sport so well. The picture ran in the following weeks NME and a legendary photo made it's only appearance in print. I posted an alternate frame on Facebook a few months back, it coincided with Nick's gig at Town Hall here in New York. After the show we were hanging around backstage when someone showed Nick the photo on a cellphone, "A total ambush" he said immediately, "the poor bastard had no chance, he had no clue who we were or what we were doing" Of course that is totally true but I don't regret it for a moment. If I had not taken it then I could not post it here in recognition of the sad news of his death earlier today. He was a good sport, he could easily have had me thrown out, but, luckily he didn't...
Chalkie Davies