Duckers & Diving: Born To Run Banker
THIS week our long-in-the-tooth columnist uncovers an unusual tale of rock ‘n’ roll excess involving a hitherto upstanding member of Birmingham’s banking community.
The diminutive John Wall, now retired from Allied Irish Bank, tells me he wanted to be No: 8 for Ireland though at 5ft 4in it always seemed unlikely.
His treasured memories all revolve around – in no particular order – horses, golf, banking, Liverpool Football Club and rock music.
A big fan of Wishbone Ash, the Rolling Stones and The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen.
“The only thing I am committed to is Tom Pretty and the Heartbreakers on June 1 at the Albert Hall in London.
“It would be wonderful if they called me up on stage and asked me to duet with lead guitarist Mike Campbell. Still, given I only know two chords that might be unlikely.”
However, he has gone one better with the Born To Run – they’ve met.
The legend bumped into the musician on Broadway.
Our hero had gone to the US to listen to a Springsteen concert in Richmond, Virginia.
A big fan from the age of 12.
He walks into this store and there in front of him is Bruce and wife Patti.
He autographs all the photos, invites the lad to the gig beforehand to meet the E Street Band and accepts the Wall gift of a plectrum.
He heads off, does a circle of the block, comes back and asks Wall: “Irish – come over here. Are you really going to Richmond?”
And subsequently a picture appears in a well-known Birmingham newspaper.
“On the flight home I showed it to this lady in the seat beside me. I said ‘Do you recognise anyone here?’ She said ‘Yes, that’s Bruce Springsteen.’ ‘No, I said, there’s me’.”
Not that Wall is a stranger to the music scene. He was once a member of a band called Dallas.
“Our first gig was in the Cricketers in Kennington. The publican was Tom Valentine and the moment we started off, he said ‘What’s that?’ and turned off the electricity.
“Our gear was soon being loaded into a van,” he adds.
“We were regularly booed off stage. It helped me in my career. I developed a tough edge especially when you had to say ‘No’ to someone.”
His chums at the bank put on a couple of bashes and gave him a Liverpool shirt signed by the whole squad and emblazoned – Wall 4.
“It is a treasured memento.”
PS: I hear another little guy Glyn Pitchford has been laid up recently with a bad back caused by sweeping the drive.
Moral of the story – never volunteer for such hard work. Make the wife do it!
