At the end of that insane year , 1971, David Cassidy took 2 months off in December 1971 and January 1972. He spent 3 weeks in Europe on holiday, travelling in Italy and France anonymously, and at the beginning of February he flew to London to promote TPF and his first solo album 'Cherish. It was expected that maybe 100-200 fans would greet him at Heathrow...10 000 appeared..
After that first visit he was in London countless times, in every decade, he was always a star there. He was touring the UK in the 80s and in the 21st century. He lived and worked in London in the 80s, performed at the theatre in the 90s, took part in many tv and radio programmes , was interviewed by many very known journalists, he met with fans in every decade. He had friends in London, had a great time there, it was a very important place on Earth for him, professionaly and privately..He knew he was welcomed and loved there. I've always felt that it's something very worth remembering, something special.
London..I could only dream about going to the UK for the most part of my life..But life is full of surprises ,and The Soviet Union disappeared in 1989...no one expected such a thing in the wildest dreams. Poland was free again...For the next 20 years I was too poor to think about travelling , at last in 2011 I came to London for the first time..I was little worried that after all those years maybe my expectations were too high..No, London was wonderful or even better.
In 2018 , I met for the first time with my friends from the DC website..Since then we met again twice in London and once in Liverpool. We had big plans for 2020..And already in 2018 when we were together at the Syon Park (where 'Daydreamer' was filmed in secret, in 1973) I had that idea about writing a kind of a tour guide 'DC in London'. I know it was cheeky, what could I know about London..Nothing really..But when I was in London again in 2019, I spent 5 days visiting a lot of places connected with DC and made a lot of pics. When I heard that GB Team organized David Cassidy Fans London Tour , planned April 12th 2020, I was so happy, what a great idea. One of my friends was to go..But you know..it had to be cancelled..I hope they will manage to organize it again soon. And that tour guide..I started but it was really a hard task..Maybe one day..Anyway, there are some pics and info I gathered. .But first one of my fav songs about London
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92_qgqj9cx8
I wrote a preliminary draft and gathered some info about the following places :BBC Broadcasting House, BBC TV Centre, Bell Records , Breakfast TV Centre, British DC Fan Club, British Film Institute, Browns Nightclub, Capital London, Channel 4, Clapham Common, Dominion Theatre, Dorchester, Hammersmith Apollo, Hammersmith Park, Langan's Brasserie, London Studio, Montpelier Square, National Theatre, Palladium, Phoenix Theatre, Phoenix Garden, Radio Luxembourg's, RCA House, RG Jones Studio, Rialto Theatre, Royal Albert Hall, Syon Park,Thames TV House, Wembley Arena (Empire Pool in 1934-1978), Wembley Arena Pavilion, Westbury Hotel, Wick, Xenon Disco...And I know it's not everything..
Hammersmith Park (South Africa Road) known to many locals as 'The BBC park', it includes a Japanese Garden, a gated children's play area, tennis court, and football pitches. It is sited in the area known as The Great White City which was initially developed for 1908 Summer Olympics. In February 2019 a plaque in the memory of David Cassidy was been placed on a bench at the park and also donation was raised by fans to The British Thoroughbred Retraining Centre in honour of DC's love of race horses .The park was smaller than I'd expected, and there were a lot of passers by, I really loved the Japanese Garden
The Phoenix Garden (21 Stacey Street) a local community garden established in 1984, located behind The Phoenix Theatre, it was set up on a carpark in the 80s and it's survived various challenges including a major industrial fly-tipping incident. It's the only one of the original 7 Covent Garden Community Gardens to survive to this day.
In 2019 the memorial plaque was installed in the park for David Cassidy :
"Dreams, Wishes and Happy Trails'
A magical place, a truly secret garden in the centre of London..Right next to it is St Giles known as Poets' Church ( you can see it on my pic), another magical place so important for fans..And Phoenix Theatre and another plaque..The must see for any DC's fan.
BBC TV Centre, a building complex , between 1960-2013, the headquaters of BBC TV in White City. After David's visit in Feb 1972, there were demonstrations outside this buliding demanding showing TPF 'Cash Box' short note May 27, 1972:
'More than 1000 irate teenage girls staged a march on the BBC-TV Centre on May 13 demanding the return of TPF TV series and its star David Cassidy. The show was dropped by the BBC last Dec. after 13 episodes. Over 13 000 letters have already been written to the BBC further supporting the girls' cause for the show's return'
Top Of The Pops was recorded there from 1969 to 1991. David pre-recorded (without the audience of course) 'Kind Of Summer' in 1973. The only time he performed there live was in 1985 (The Last Kiss)
DC did a lot of interviews here during 40 years, the first one was in Feb 1972 (on Nationwide), the last one in 2012. He appeared on 'Blue Peter' in 1973 (BBC 1) and on Terry Wogan Show (BBC 1) in Feb 1985
Rialto Theatre, 3-4 Coventry Street .
The oldest surviving cinema building in London's West End, and still retaining most of it's original decoration. It was opened in March 1913 and it was a cinema to January 1982. Now it's a casino named The Hard Rock Casino.
DC and Kay Lenz attended a film premiere of Kay's film there on March 5th, 1977.
DC met Kay in January 1977 on a blind date, petite, 3 years younger than DC, she was a true Hollywood veteran, a popular tv and film actress. DC was very much in love, he flew in London early morning on March 5th with a surprise visit for Kay's birthday. He brought a present, a fabulous silver fox fur, she wore it at the premiere that night,
Fantastic building..unfortunately I wasn't inside .
Radio Luxembourg's London studio , 38 Hertford Street , the biggest commercial radio founded in 1938, in the 60s and 70s it was the only radiostation in all Europe that played nonstop the latest records , started with Top Twenty in 1948. David Cassidy was intervieved there in 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1976. On 23 th May 1974, DC arrived through the back door while his fans waited in the rain at the front of the building. David made 2 appearances on the balcony overlooking Hertford Street where the traffic had been stopped by the fans..We can still listen to the original tapes (on the DC website) and hear girls screaming outside. DC and some the most famous radio personalities became friends. In 2015 the legendary Tony Prince , for many years RL's programme director, signed a petition for inducting DC to Rock&Roll Hall of Fame. A blue plaque was unveiled in October 2019 to celebrate nearly 60 years of RL's broadcasting in Great Britain.
What can I say..It was so moving, I listened to RL in the 70s, it was the voice of freedom for my generation living in a communist country..When I was outside that famous building, on that very windy and cold August afternoon in 2019..there was no one there, and so quiet..
Syon Park .. everything is the same, nothing has changed..you can close your eyes and..
My very close friend Doreen Walker has made for us a special list -
David Cassidy in concert, in London.
1973 - 6 concerts at Empire Pool, Wemley, 16, 17 & 18 March
1974 - White City, 26 May
1985 - Royal Albert Hall 21 & 22 October
2001 - Apollo, Hammersmith, 16 & 17 November
2002 - Apollo, Hammersmith, 12 & 13 April
2004 - Hammersmith Apollo, 6 & 7 May
2005 - Wembley Arena Pavillion (temporary arena while main arena renovated - 25 & 26 June
2007 - Wembley Arena, 14 April
Hammersmith Apollo 15 April
2008 - Hammersmith Apollo, 16 November
2011 - HMV Hammersmith Apollo (Birthday concert) - 12 April
2012 - Wembley Arena (SSE Arena, Wembley), 11 & 14 November
23 concerts (1973 - 2012)
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