Billy Connolly | Windswept & Interesting

This release helped Billy to explore memories from his youth. He reveals: "I was too young to be a Teddy Boy. When I was a schoolboy - around 13 or 14 years old - I saw a great Teddy Boy in the art galleries in Glasgow. I saw many Teddy Boys on the street, but this guy was amazing. He was just a Teddy Boy from his head to his toes, with his suede beetle crusher shoes, drainpipe trousers, draped jacket, and velvet collar and cuffs.

"He had an earring; I'd never seen a man with an earring before. He was with his girlfriend, and she looked great as well. They were in the art galleries and they looked like an exhibit. I thought they were brilliant and that I'd like to be one of them, but by the time I got old enough, it was gone." 

Billy himself is no stranger to flamboyant stage outfits: while performing for his sell-out one-man shows, his 'glam-rock' style included anything from leotards to his now-infamous banana boots. In the 2020 BBC documentary Billy and Us, his eccentric aesthetic was likened to that of David Bowie, whose Ziggy Stardust persona inspired Billy to stand out from the crowd. His own musical background - both as a solo artist and a member of The Humblebums - formed a fascination with the link between music and fashion, with Billy explaining: "Maracas were very popular in the 1950s and 60s to allow a signature look, and to leap around. Mick Jagger used to make great use of them, and they're a great posing tool."

He adds: "I'm very fond of brothel creepers; they're the foundation of the whole outfit, with the clashing socks. I remember buying a pair of shoes on King's Road. They were lilac with black soles, and I had lime green socks on. I was marching up and down the shop, trying them on, and the shop owner said, 'They clash great with your socks', which sums up the whole ethos."