Nearly Reach the Sky by Brian Williams

Author:Brian Williams [Brian Williams]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781849548854
Publisher: Biteback Publishing
Published: 2015-04-07T04:00:00+00:00

Many thanks for that, Tim. Although I would say here that, had you ever seen Trevor Brooking at his best, you might not be quite so sceptical about the miraculous.

Not that I’m advocating a revivalist meeting at half time (except in the dressing room when we’re 2–0 down). Besides, the devil has all the best tunes – which is why I’m going for a concert.

The original Live Aid, in 1985, famously kicked off at Wembley with Status Quo ‘Rockin’ All Over the World’. Should I ever find myself in the Midge Ure role of organising the whole thing while someone else takes all the credit and gets a knighthood, I would have to rule out Parfitt, Rossi and co. because they don’t support West Ham. But there are plenty of rock stars who do.

Now, before we go any further, let’s be clear about this. Music at half time is fine; music when the players run out is just about acceptable (as long as it’s not something really naff like The Great Escape theme); music when a goal has been scored is an outrage. Clubs that do it should be made to forfeit the game immediately.

OK, now we’ve got that out the way I’m going to ask David Essex to open our Upton Park showpiece gig with his 1978 hit ‘Oh What a Circus’ which, as a title, is as valid now as it was then. He gets the honour for a number of reasons, most notably the fact that he is not just a lifelong supporter, he was once on the books and actually played for the youth side.

Another former member of the youth team who made his name on stage rather than on the pitch is Iron Maiden founder Steve Harris. In the spirit of Live Aid, when some members of different bands teamed up specially for the occasion, I’m going to ask Harris, who is principally a bassist, to line up in a West Ham fan band with Def Leppard lead guitarist Phil Collen, multi-talented Foo Fighter Dave Grohl on drums, the Cure’s Roger O’Donnell on keyboards and Prodigy frontman Keith ‘Firestarter’ Flint doing the vocals. I reckon the song for them is Iron Maiden’s classic ‘The Number of the Beast’ which, as anyone who ever had the pleasure of being marked by Julian Dicks will tell you, is three.

Next up is Billy Bragg, doing a duet with Pixie Lott. I realise this is an unlikely pairing, but as a partnership it does at least have more chance of success than John Hartson and Eyal Berkovic ever did. I’d like to hear their rendition of Bragg’s 1996 single ‘Upfield’, done as a tribute to the subtle clearances from the back four that we have come to know and love in recent years.

We’re going to have to find a slot for Jack Steadman of the indie rock set-up Bombay Bicycle Club, not least because he’s the great-great grandson of Arnold Hills. But I’m afraid you won’t be seeing Katy

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