He lit up the 1970s with a string of hits, before falling out of the public eye. But was any man ever more connected? He discusses extraordinary encounters with Muhammad Ali and Keith Moon – and why he stormed out of Big Brother
L
eo Sayer has stories. Boy, does he have stories! Muhammad Ali? Stories. Keith Moon? Stories. Elvis Presley? Stories. I’ve never met anybody with so many stories. He’s in Australia, where he lives, when we speak by video link. The pint-sized pop star with the mop of curly hair is 77 and still bouncing like a Superball.
Back in the 70s, he was famous for his turbo-charged energy. On his first Top of the Pops appearance with his breakthrough hit, The Show Must Go On, he dressed as a pierrot. If you’re looking for the footage, you won’t find it. Paedophile presenter Jimmy Savile played such a prominent role that the video was disappeared. “He was creepy. He wouldn’t get off the fucking stage, so they can never show my first performance. I’m sure he fancied me.”
Half a century ago, Sayer was at his peak. In 1976 and 1977 he had two successive number one singles in the US with You Make Me Feel Like Dancing and When I Need You. You Make Me Feel Like Dancing, a falsetto cocktail of pop, disco and R&B, could be the theme tune to the 1970s. When I Need You is 110% schmaltz. There were plenty of other hits – Moonlighting, Tall Long Glasses, Thunder In My Heart, One Man Band, Orchard Road. Sayer was a lyrics man. Bob Dylan was his hero. While he was no Dylan, he knew how to write a song that told a story.
