Canal Boat – July 2018

98 July 2018 Canal Boat canalboat.co.uk

BACKCABIN

1

Where have your recent

adventures taken you?

In the past 12 months I have been

privileged to have performed my

Elvis tribute show in Memphis and

Georgia, USA, Spain, Germany,

Switzerland and Sweden as well

as UK venues.

2

Where are you based these

days?

I am based in Crewe in Cheshire

3

How long were you in the

Navy?

I was in the Navy for eight years.

4

Hence your love of the

water?

Yes, being based inland I have

been drawn towards canal boats

but my first love of being on the

water came from my time in the

Royal Navy.

5

Have you ever fallen in?

No! But as a teenager I spent

many hours participating in a few

beers at the Bridge Inn, Audlem

which led to me jumping off the

bridge into the canal. I suppose

you could call it falling in with style!

6

What lead you to the music of

Elvis?

As a child, I remember my elder

brothers and my father listening

to him on their LPs.

7

Have you visited Graceland?

Yes, I have visited twice in

2007 and in 2017. I performed

there on both occasions.

8

What are your current

projects?

I am currently working on my boat

and the mooring and always

looking for new material for the

show to make it more

entertaining.

9

How did you go down with the

Royal Family?

I performed for the Royal family

on three separate occasions. The

first time was with my ukulele

banjo performing George Formby

songs. This was on board the

Royal Yacht Britannia and was a

very personal performance as I

was stood at the end of the Royal

dining table so it was just me and

the Royal family. The George

Formby songs went down

extremely well with the Queen.

On the other two occasions, I

performed Elvis songs, however, I

re-wrote the lyrics using a

mixture of naval terminology and

cheeky humour, Prince Philip and

Prince Andrew were highly

amused as they could relate to

this Naval banter

10

Are you a permanent

liveaboard?

No!

11

Any regrets leaving the rat

race?

Not at all, I love the canal life

12

Do you have a favourite

Presley number?

I don’t have a favourite Elvis song

as there are too many good ones

to choose from, however, I am

drawn to his Country and Gospel

music.

13

What are your fondest

memories on the cut?

My fondest memories are those

drinking cold beers on hot sunny

days with my friends and family.

14

What do you think of

people on the water?

The majority of people on the

water are very friendly.

15

What is your proudest

achievement?

My proudest achievement are my

two daughters.

16

What would you like to see

happen to the waterways

in your lifetime?

I would like to see the waterways

preserved and maintained so

that future generations can

enjoy and appreciate our

glorious and historic canal

network

17

What is your current

boat?

My current boat is a 55ft

semi-trad called Argonaut

18

What did you want to be

aged 12?

I wanted to be a fireman like my

Dad was.

19

Where in Britain would

you most like to sail next?

I would most like to sail to

Liverpool.

20

What would your

superpower be?

To fl y.

20 QUESTIONS

Elvis impersonator Paul Larcombe’s lock and roll life

Prince Philip and Prince

Andrew were highly

amused by Naval banter