In trouble? Don't think so; Adam Faith's my accountant...

June 23^rd – My feeling is that, if you want someone to look after your money the last person you’d pick is a pop star; fickle as a fart, they’d blow the lot on cars, birds, booze and drugs within the first week the waste the rest. I can’t think of a less likely statement coming from the lips of a pop singer in reply the question;

“What interests you most outside of the music industry?”

Than;

“Oh, financial management really.”

Looking back, it’s interesting to reflect on the mimicking of the US rock scene by the front rank of British pop talent. Riff Pilchard and the Shaggers, Marty Wilde (he’s still touring, honest!) Billy Fury, they all cloned the look, hairstyle and sneer that was the stock-in trade of Messer’s Presley, Cochrane and Lewis and although we didn’t quite nail it, we did it in a very British way which was, at one and the same time ,infuriating and endearing. The one thing they did do though, these Brits, was stick to what they knew and for that pop stardom rewarded them with hits and fame.

Amongst them were some who tried to branch out a little from the strait-jacket of pop idle (sorry, idol) status and try their hand at acting and, it has to be said, so very, very few of them ever made a fist of it. Wooden to the point of being indistinguishable from the kitchen table, they, Messer’s Donovan, Faithful, Heinz (don’t ask) their choice of vehicle matched their talent and it was thanks be to God that the paying public were spared the possibility of any of them attempting Shakespeare. No, far better that they eked out a living churning out trite pop than lacerate the bloated corpse of serious acting with their idiocy…although, every once in a while…

Say after me: ‘Bay-Beh’ then tell me the name of the singer?

Easy, wasn’t it? Adam Faith who was born on this day in 1940. No competition really. Seeing him on The Six-Five Special in the late fifties-early sixties he seemed to be just another stuffed-toy heartthrob who reminded one of Del Shannon but with a bigger nose. It was when, in his later career, when he tried his hand at acing that he revealed a better, more talented side to his ability. On TV as Budgie and in Love Hurts (with Zoe Wannamaker) on stage as Billy Liar and in films such as Stardust and its sequel (with David Essex) he proved he had above average acting talent for a mere pop singer…then someone forgot the maxim that opened this blurb and gave him financial control of their investments…should’ve gone to Goldman-Sachs…

As it was, Mr. Faith went to the wall owing a reported 32mill…but he did serve an ace with Chris Evert so that probably wipes out any other misdemeanour and anyway, it’s only money.