Jackie: You left Gama, and followed in the footsteps of Roger Daltrey, Peter Green and that fat ponce out of Dollar by moving into the grocery trade...tell us about that
Phil Hitchen : After deciding that a life amongst the tinned-fruit was for me, I threw myself wholeheartedly into the heady world of retailing. The thrills and the excitement! Never one to neglect the creative side of my nature I devised ever new and daring ways to put things on top of other things, my stacks of biscuits being the wonder of Beeston
Jackie: But it didn't last?
PH : I got a phone-call from an old school chum who was in a club-band in 1978 saying they were looking for a penis....erm...pianist and said yes immediately, little realising what this would entail. The words 'gigs, 'regular' and 'money' may have tipped the scales, however and we were soon merrily playing...erm...well...an Elvis Presley tribute show to the flat-capped, beer-swilling, whippet-owning and bingo-playing punters of Yorkshire and even further afield!
J : Tell us about your personal life
PH : Oh, yeah and I got married as well, nearly forgot
J : and....?
PH : Played regularly in various club-turns until 1988 then decided an image-change was overdue. Got a divorce, joined a country band, met second wife, had 2 kids and later on that week (I'm a fast- worker!) got a new job, being somewhat disillusioned by the total lack of financial reward inherent in shelf-filling.
J : so you split that crazy grocery scene?
PH : Quite. Spent the next seven years working in a warehouse, doing really manly things like driving fork-trucks and lifting things, and finally packed in gigging about 1995, realising at the age of 38 that TOTP was never to be my destiny.
J: so, what are you up to these days?
PH : I'm currently still married to Lynne (is this a record?) and have Laura (7) and Tom (5) to keep me busy. I'm still living in Middleton and currently working for M.Y. cartons setting-up the production machinery for lots of dosh
J : And do you think Gama will ever get back together? I'm sure our readers would be very keen to go and see them!
PH : I think many of the former members have suffered from brittle bones and similar syndromes in the past few years, although I did hear that one of them was in training for the Great Britain Olympic Squad, and that a reunion performance would be quite unlikely, on medical grounds at least. Sorry to disappoint your readers....Gama is still the band of which I have the fondest memories, though I still think it was too beard-based!