In 1973 I had just released a single called "The Story of The Magic Pick" on the Montreal label Good Noise Records and was sent to Toronto on a promotional junket which included visits to disc jockeys accompanied by the promotion person from the distributor (Polydor), Lori somebody...I think.
After doing the rounds of radio stations (how often does that happen nowadays?) I was escorted to Eggertons, the premiere showcase room in TO, to do a guest appearance. which I guess had been arranged with Jim Holt and I sat through a long set by whoever was the main attraction that night and just when I thought I was about to be called to the stage, there was a commotion as a large group of important-looking people made their way into the room, and I seem to recall they were being sheperded by an English gentleman with long flowing white hair (I may have blurred this into another similar event - I await some clarification from anyone that might have a better recollection than me).
What I do remember is that I was informed that somebody more important than this unknown Montreal artist would be doing the guest spot. So I sat back and watched someone I'd never heard of singing a song I'd never heard..."Sometimes when we touch...." To add insult to injury, I was later informed by my label that Polydor had released a single called "Spiders and Snakes" in the same week as mine and they only had enough resources (payola??) to promote one "novelty" record at a time. Needless to say, neither of those songs ever made it onto my "favourites" list.
