How do I love thee? Let me count the ways

How can you sum up in a short space of time the reasons why you like a particular artist?

That was the conundrum set at the Marc Almond Orpheus in Exile album signing at HMV, when, just after having been onto the stage with the great man, spoken briefly to him, had photos taken and got him to sign my CD, I was collared by an interviewer and camera from Reuters TV.

"How long have you been a fan?" "Since first seeing him on Top of the Pops performing Tainted Love, I suppose."

"Are you pleased to see him make a comeback after his accident?" [Doh!] "Of course - we all were! I saw him at one of his first stage appearances afterwards [at the Patti Smith Meltdown in 2005], and he performed brilliantly, and got huge applause."

[and then the killer question] "Why do you like Marc?" How can you answer that? So I flustered a bit, realising there was limited time and said "He is one of Britain's greatest singers. He can turn his hand to so many different genres of music, and perform them all superbly."

Not sure whether any of these slightly pedestrian answers will ever get broadcast, but it does rather throw you when confronted by a boom mike...

The event was a great experience - it's not often you get to meet someone whose influence on your life is so immense. It is something that cannot be summed up in a few soundbites. Marc was charming and affable, even in the face of hundreds of eager fans and slightly agitated security staff [one of whom I knew from a previous life in Plymouth, but that's another story!]. It really made me feel good - and I know it did the same for the gang of "Almondettes" I was with (Ange, Yvonne, Tony, Lydia, Adrian and the rest).





All of us floating on cloud nine - particularly Ange, who Marc recognised immediately, and Yvonne, who was chuffed to bits at Marc's admiration for the portrait she had done for him - we settled our thoughts over a drinkie at Halfway to Heaven, and Yvonne and I went on to do Mrs Moore's Monday Quiz downstairs (which we didn't win, dammit), finishing off with a nightcap in the bar at Yvonne's hotel till the wee small hours.



A great day indeed!

Buy Orpheus in Exile from Amazon