Instead they were booked for Glasgow University on the Sort It Out tour. However, at that time, unlike England, Scottish universities operated a strict students-only policy, meaning the general public could not buy tickets for their shows.
A couple of weeks before the Uni gig, they were playing Edinburgh, and for some reason were doing signing sessions in a couple of Glasgow record shops (Listen and Bruce's) that day.
I buttonholed Joe in Bruce's and said "why the fuck are you playing a gig which only students can get into?" He was taken aback by this, and asked a few people if this was right. When he found it was correct, he said "we need to do something about this".
I was there with a mate who had a motorbike, so I offered him my crash helmet and suggested he go up to the venue to sort it out". Joe said ok, put the helmet on, and my mate shot off on the bike with Joe holding on for dear life"
Caroline Coon who managing them then came over and gave me a real bollocking, saying "if he breaks his leg on that bike, the tour will be cancelled, the band will be bankrupted blah blah blah". Paul and Topper just laughed at her.
Anyway, the rest of the story is Joe and my mate drive up to the Uni, find the box office, and Joe says "can I have 2 tickets for The Clash please?" The guy behind the desk (who has no idea who he's talking to) asks to see his student card, Joe says he's not a student, and the guy tells him "if you're not a student, you can't buy tickets". Joe says "in that case, the gig is cancelled" and explans who he is. Joe and my mate then get taken to meet the guy in charge, Joe tells him that unless they put the tickets on sale to everyone, the band won't play the gig. The Uni refuse, so Joe tells them it's off and heads back down to Bruce's.
He tells the story to the rest of the band who agree he has done the right thing. Ms Coon is seething but doesn't say anything.
Me and my mate were now thick as thieves with Joe, went through to Edinburgh where we were put in the guest list, had a few beers with Topper and his girlfriend Wendy in the pub before the gig, and ended up in the dressing room till 3am smoking weed and drinking brandy with Joe. Happy days! We crashed the bike on the way back to Glasgow, but that's another story
