Elvis Costello in the pub. Elvis resting during filming of Pogues' video. Elvis spotted in pub. By policeman. Elvis approached by policeman: "Excuse me, sir," quoth policeman, "I wonder if you'd mind signing this for me?" Policeman produces record from inside uniform. Record is "Watching The Detectives". True story...

Former hot-shot whizz kids Spandau Ballet are to support the 1980s' answer to Blind Faith, the Power Station, on their US tour. Is it just instinction that tells us the Spuds are struggling without a record contract in the USA...

The spread of sponsorship in Rock Music, Chapter II: After the Police and Guinness, and David Bowie and Levis, Big Biz presents the One o'clock Gang and McEwans Lager...

Nine months in Abbey Road studios to record a debut album is roughly 269 days longer than the Beatles took; and it means Vitamin Z will have to sell a lot of units to repay their new record company, Phonogram, for their dilatory habits...

Pete Wylie is recording a version of Lennon's "Cold Turkey" for the Anti-Heroin Campaign; this will be followed by a collaboration with the Icicle Works on Neil Young's "Needle & The Damage Done"...

Famed good guy, Cliff Richard, has had to resort to the courts to extract revenge on the NME for referring to his religious beliefs as "sanctimonies" and "absurd". Wot, no wrath of God?

...Has the whole world of pop music gone Telecaster crazy? No, only that percentage which hasn't already turned tremolo mental. Those who have taken delivery of Schecter part-instruments include Roddy Frame, an Aztec, who has a black one after playing with Pete Townshend's at a studio, and Gary Kemp, a Spandau, who has two, the first featuring figured maple body with brown binding, cream pickguard and humbuckers, the second groaning under lots of gold and one of their bird-and-raindrop logos inlayed in Mother Of Pearl on the top bout. Andy Taylor, a Duran, prefers a black, Strat version, but can currently be spotted in American guitar magazines advertising Schecter's Jimi Hendrix model — a normal guitar with a left-handed headstock so you can look a bit like the great man in the mirror. We boggle. And wee Charlie Burchill of Simple Minds, hero to Dave Stewart, has had a Floyd Rose strapped on to his regular Fender Strat...

Notice that Chase are still advertising "their" Bit One synth with a quote from our December 1984 issue review. They say: "It really scores with touch sensitivity... vastly extended means of expression." True enough — and very selective. We could be equally selective from the same review and quote, "The Bit One offers everything and... delivers little." Or even, "I wish manufacturers would get the product right before claiming they've reinvented the wheel." It's fun quoting out of context, isn't it? Look up the review and try it yourself...

Remember the Hands That Do Wishes piece in the June issue all about those things on the ends of your arms? Sure you do. We wondered, amongst other things, which pop stars had insured their hands for large sums. You will doubtless be fascinated to hear that one Jools Holland has his dukes insured for one million pounds. Er, Jools, a mate of ours could arrange an accident shall we say 40/60? Behind the scenes at the NAMM musical instrument show in New Orleans, not all the American manufacturers were ecstatic with the choice of site. Seems that New Orleans, romantic as it may be, is considered out of the way by many shop owners and dealers. (The usual spots, Chicago and Atlanta are more central.) Many exhibitors we spoke to expressed disappointment in the number of shop representatives who turned up to buy their goods. Let's hope the UK business is more successful with the BMF.