TWENTY-FIVE years after Dunoon's last brush with rock megastardom,
courtesy of a concert by Pink Floyd in 1970, the sleepy holiday capital
of the Cowal Peninsula last night welcomed the chart-topping Blur and an
attendant teen-scream following.
According to legend, Brian Wilson was the promoter of that Pink Floyd
show -- the same Brian Wilson who now sits as an MP in Westminster.
For those unversed in nineties music it should be pointed out that
Blur's Damon Albarn currently occupies a similar statesmanlike role,
that of Britpop's prime minister.
Before last night's show Albarn and his three Blur cronies certainly
hopped into a presidential, black, chauffeur-driven stretch limo less
than 50 yards from the entrance to the seafront venue of the concert,
the Queen's Hall.
They idled in a side street with no particular place to go on Dunoon's
circling main drag, a film crew recording their inability to cruise in
traditional head-turning rock star manner.
A carload of local youths were quick to seize the opportunity to wind
Blur up. ''Roll with it, Damon!'' one of them cried, hanging out of the
passenger window, reminding Albarn of the latest hit by Blur's supposed
deadliest enemies, Oasis.
Elsewhere another film crew focused on their on-screen front man,
standing in front of Dunoon's Rock Cafe, named in homage to seaside
confectionery and not musical idols.
Was Dunoon ruffled by Blur? Well, it must be said that almost as much
fuss was caused by my public use of a mobile phone.
Moments before I began dictating these words another group of local
youths sneered their verdict: ''Glasgow wide-o.'' It takes a lot to
impress Argyll folk.
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