Did you catch the story about The Move and their overly keen press agent posted earlier this week? This post continues the theme of those ever-helpful press agents…
Press agents are not just used when artists have a new product to promote. There are many other areas where they are quite happy to lend a helping hand.
One example of this takes us back to the year 1967. Scott Walker has had a lot of success with the group The Walker Brothers, but for many reasons that group had run its course. Walker is about to embark on a career of his own.
His first solo album was completed, and a tour – his first ever solo tour of England – had been booked. The only problem is that Walker is quite a bit nervous about standing on that stage all by himself. He was more than happy to create music alone, but found that he really missed the support of the other “brothers” in a live setting.
For the record – the Walker Brothers were not really brothers. They were three young men who gave themselves matching surnames as a gimmick that also named the group – pretty much like The Ramones would do 10+ years later.
Scott Walker had strong reservations about doing a solo tour, and his anxiety built to the point where he wanted to call the whole thing off. He ended up calling his manager and asked very kindly if the tour could be skipped. “No!” was the clear answer back. Contracts had been signed, advances had been paid, and people had been hired.
The manager stated in no uncertain terms: “The only way this tour will be cancelled is by force majeure – if an unforeseen accident leave you genuinely too injured to perform. Otherwise, you will face huge demands if you fail to appear.”
Most people would have left it there. Scott Walker, however, started thinking. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, making what seems like an absurd decision to get out of it came surprisingly easy.
He called up his press agent and asked, “can you arrange a car accident?” “Sure, no problem” was the press agent’s response. “We’ll fix this. Come over with your car.”
Walker did, and shortly after, the car was well and duly smashed into a tree. He did not have to drive it himself – they got a roadie with some stunt experience to do it. The car was totalled. Walker was thrilled!
That was just half the job, though. There was also the matter of getting an injury that would sell the “not able to perform”-angle. Another roadie had brought a brick, which he smashed against Walker’s forehead. That injury felt a bit too light, especially compared to the extensive car damage. The roadie had to do it one more time. This time he hit too hard, and Walker had to be rushed to the hospital. Instead of faking an injury he actually ended up unfit to perform in any case.
The tour was cancelled, and pictures of the smashed car and head injury was sent out to the press – courtesy of the helpful press agent.
The album release went ahead, appearing on 16 September 1967, hitting #3 on the UK Albums Chart and staing on the chart for seventeen weeks. It would not be released in the US until the following year, where it was given the title Aloner.
Scott Walker would go on to have a long solo career, every bit as quirky as this beginning would indicate, with many similarly unbelievable stories surrounding the man – as well as much good music.
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