this was the b side of the classic Ally's Tartan Army
Andy Cameron is a household name in Scotland where he's been one of the country's top funny men for the best part of 35 years. Elsewhere he's known for this daft novelty record, though some may have spotted him playing cab driver Chick Cherry in now defunct Scottish soap High Road during the 90's. These days Andy's gigs have been known to attract in excess of 49,000 punters, though his support act Rangers FC may account for some of that number (die-hard Gers fan Andy noise's up the crowd at Ibrox stadium pre-match).
"I Want To Be A Punk Rocker" was written by Peter Nardini, known to some for his daft novelty Mod tune "My Maw's A Mod", though he's actually highly regarded in folk music circles as well as being a very talented painter. The song Nardini penned for Cameron isn't the A-side though, that honour goes to the infamous "Ally's Tartan Army", released in celebration of the Scotland football team qualifying for the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. Hard to believe nowadays, but a combination of Andy's song and eccentric manager Ally McLeod's over confidence actually had us believing we were in with a shout. Things never went as planned of course, but at least we were left with the lasting memory of Archie Gemmill out-total-footballing the Dutch, as well as Willie 'Bud' Johnston being sent home in disgrace for popping a couple of performance enhancers (aye right!) to control his hayfever.
Though this single is dated 1977, it actually never hit the shops until February '78. The following month it reached #6 in the UK charts and earned Andy an appearance on Top Of The Pops. While backstage at the TOTP recording, Andy was confronted by Billy Idol who poked fun at Andy's kilt for not being 'Vivienne Westwood' enough. Before things got nasty, Andy's Dad stepped in and invited Billy to step outside for a (ready steady) square go, Idol fearing for his good looks sheepishly backed off.
Over the years "I Want To Be A Punk Rocker" has in the eyes of many been promoted (of sorts) to A-side status, mainly due to it's inclusion in Volume and other new wave listings. This has led some dealers to offer the record at inflated prices, when in fact copies that weren't frisbee'd by irate footie fans can be found for less than a quid in charity shops across Scotland. The label on mine has the all red Klub logo, but there is a slightly less common version with a black and red Klub logo. There has even been a picture sleeve spotted which might excite some(?).
Confession time, how many non-Scots out there bought this for it's possible punk content?
