Status Quo icon Francis Rossi has revealed that he and late band member Rick Parfitt appeared in Coronation Street, as Les Battersby actor Bruce Jones kept asking them for photographs at every gig.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Star ahead of the release of Status Quo’s new album, Quo-ing In: The Best Of The Noughties, Francis explained how the band wound up appearing in the soap because of Bruce.
“As with everything in your career, it’s like wow, because I really didn’t want to do it,” said Francis.
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“I don’t want to do anything. I’m terrible. I am!” he joked.
“He [Bruce Jones] came to see us regularly in Manchester and he’d say ‘can I have a photograph?’
(Image: Cavendish Press)
“He sat on the drum riser with me and Rick, and I said, ‘how many times do you want a photograph?’ I said, ‘why can’t you cut us in your gig?’ and I was just mouthing off.
“Then low and behold, up comes this b****y offer. I said, ‘I shouldn’t have said that.”
However, Francis recalled that appearing in the soap was a great experience and that he has huge admiration for the cast, with Quo arriving on the street to play at Les Battersby’s wedding, after their tour bus broke down in the soap.
(Image: Unknown)
“It wasn’t until I got there, and watched them in the morning. Everyone is there at the same time. Everyone is reading their scripts. Rick and I were taken around the street, and we were watching these two people act.
“Then suddenly, they do a couple of run throughs and we were watching television.”
He added: “That’s what I found when I first did Corrie, that blimey these people know what to do.”
“Some of the smash up scenes they did, with me and Battersby’s wife. They have a fight scene and they have to be careful not to wreck the set too much, because they have to put the set back together and wreck it again.”
Francis continued: “It was a great learning curve, great people to be with.”
Both Rick and Francis were also taught how to choreograph a fight on-set, which saw the stars even throwing punches at Les Battersby on the cobbles as part the story.
(Image: Unknown)
The fight training came in handy as the two displayed their acting chops once more in the 2013 film Bula Quo, and in a strange twist of fate, Francis revealed: “The [Coronation Street] fight co-ordinator is the guy who directed the movie.”
The comedy film, which sees Francis and Rick get caught up with the Mafia, also spawned songs including Bula Bula Quo, which feature in the group’s latest compilation of music from the noughties onwards.
“It was a great experience. We went to Fiji to make it, and the people who looked after us were the most gentle and affectionate people,” said Francis.
“It wasn’t like, you’re going to make a Quo album. It’s a side project if you like. Some of the songs on there are really good.”
He then jokes: “Yeah he would say that.”
Quo’ing In: The Best Of The Noughties takes in the past 20 years of that career, from Jam Side Down to Backbone and Looking for Caroline, with Francis saying: “Even I’ve heard things recently and I forgot how good they were.”
The album also includes their 2010 re-recording of In The Army Now with the British Army Choir, in aid of Help For Heroes, with Francis saying he had “the greatest respect for” a gentleman called Sgt.Elliot, who worked with them while they made a new video for the song.
“He was such a fabulous bloke. Smart, elegant. Everything about his demeanor I had the greatest of respect for,” said Francis.
(Image: Getty Images)
The album also revisits some rarities from the back catalogue, including their collaboration with The Beach Boys Fun Fun Fun, sixties hit Pictures Of Matchstick Men, The Party Ain’t Over Yet and new studio re-workings of Quo classics including Rockin’ All Over The World and Paper Plane.
Joking once more, Francis says: “We’ve been playing these songs for the last 400 years.”
These songs from the noughties onwards have also found their place amongst the band’s earlier hits in the band’s sets, with Quo recently completing a series of tour dates that were postponed due to the pandemic.
(Image: Sunday Mirror)
Looking to the future, Francis is also heading out on his Tunes and Chat Tour in 2023, following the release of his autobiography I Talk Too Much and a previous successful talking tour.
He says: “I’m looking forward to doing that and hope to see as many people as possible.”
“A few more tunes in that than the talking one. The only thing I’m not sure about is what I’m going to talk about. As you can see though, I find something.”
Quo’ing In: The Best Of The Noughties is available now on 2CD Jewelcase, Limited Edition 3CD Deluxe Digipak (featuring a bonus disc with previously unreleased live material) plus Digital.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
