IAN Imrie, who died in January 1998, was a former industrial and aviation editor of this newspaper.
Our obituary noted that he was “one of the last, great, larger-than-life characters of Scottish journalism ... Ian was part of a fast-disappearing breed of hard-working, hard-drinking reporters, for whom the fun and adrenalin rush of the job was everything”.
Back in 1960 Ian was working for The Bulletin, our sister paper, and he was one of a handful of journalists who went to Prestwick to interview Elvis Presley on his brief visit, during which the singer signed autographs and chatted to fans (above and main image).
Recalling that day in 1993, Ian said: ‘’Prestwick was a stopover and we got regular calls about VIPs coming through. And to be honest, I wasn’t really a fan of Elvis then. I had heard all this Pelvis nonsense and figured he’d be a bit unbearable.’’
But ‘’from the moment he walked down the steps of the plane in his high-heeled boots and the officers saluted him you knew he was something special. And when I spoke to him I was amazed to discover that he was really a splendid chap.
‘’He had this very quiet, soft-spoken voice and came across as a really decent bloke. He seemed to me to be a young boy who was just glad to be on his way home.’’
Ian’s article in The Bulletin quoted one senior American officer as saying: “I have certainly changed my mind about that young man. He could not have been more courteous and helpful”. Some reporters who had previously seen Presley as a “bit of a menace” now discovered a charming and unaffected young man who was co-operative with press and public.
* Monday’s article on Peter Manuel should have described Alexander Brown as Detective Superintendent; he was Deputy Head of the City of Glasgow Police CID.
Read more: Herald Diary
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