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Little Prince Billy....and the Country Blues


My musical connections with the House of Windsor have not been happy ones. I used to be in a band that was blackballed from the staff dance at Balmoral in the late 1980's.

That was only the start of my musical confrontations with the English "Royal" family, oh no.

During the time Prince Billy was an undergraduate at St Andrews University (what DID he study again?) I did the occasional gig at Aikman's Bar...a wonderful venue which I highly recommend.

One fine evening I was playing there in an acoustic blues duo which had some popularity at the time. About halfway through the first set a group of young men entered the bar and ordered some drinks.

You may know the type..Rosy-cheeked young men with blond locks, polished brogues, checked shirts, pressed chinos and sweaters tied around their necks. sometimes they are called “Yahs”, in a piss-take of their upper-crust accents.

After taking their seats, one of them languidly detached himself from the group and came over to give us a talking to. As I was halfway through a song I ignored him (it's hard to hold a conversation when you're playing a harmonica).

When I had finished the Yah brayed at me...”the prince wants you to play some modern music”.

Clearly the future prospect for King of England is no fan of acoustic country blues. I considered his request for a brief moment and bawled down the microphone for the benefit of everyone else in the bar...

“Well, the prince can get fucked then...!”

This raised a cheer from the regulars, who in common with most other normal people in St Andrews were heartily sick of the royal dimwit and his associated arse-lickers.

The royal entourage left their drinks and buggered off.

But at least I now have a plausible excuse for my musical career hitting the skids.



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