This website emerged when a number of unrelated circumstances suggested that there was a need for a site dedicated to the memory of the Apollo and the Green's Playhouse.

With the big 40 rapidly approaching it is pretty normal to reminisce about your youth. When you were brought up in the central belt of post industrial Scotland in the 1970s and 80s there were few ways of escaping from normal every day life. Music therefore became an obsession of many and the spiritual home of live music at the time was The Glasgow Apollo.

Mythical well before its demise the Apollo became as important to many of us as the bands who played there.

The idea of “doing something” about the memory of the Apollo had been playing on my mind for a number of years. One night after a few too many ciders I typed Glasgow Apollo into Google to reveal over 1000 websites which mentioned the Apollo. To my surprise none of these sites were dedicated to the “Shed”.

Within a week of this I heard Tom Morton mention the Apollo on his Radio Scotland show. Emails were exchanged and I asked Tom if there was a book about the Apollo. Tom wasn’t sure and at this point I suggested to him that if nothing was available then I would “do it myself”.

Tom’s response of “go for it” was encouraging but never having even joined a news group before the idea was put firmly to the back of my mind.

The following week, whilst attending a training course lead by Glaswegian management guru Jack Black, he for some reason mentioned seeing Black Sabbath at the Green’s Playhouse.

That was finally it; I had to do something about this.

That evening I discussed the idea of a website and even the possibility of a book with my old school friend Andy Muir; now living in Sydney Australia. Andy just happens to be a web developer. Andy shared my enthusiasm about doing something.

Within 30mins we had decided to go for it. We went to work – set up a news group and emailed as many old Apolloheads as we could; including Tom Russell of Radio Clyde’s Rock Show and of course Tom Morton.

Having searched the literature about the Apollo I was only able to find 2 books on the subject. Charles Harkin's "We Want U In" which details the history of the Greens particularly in its days as a dance hall venue and Russell Leadbetter's excellent "You Don't Have To Be In Harlem" about the Apollo.  Both books added to my desire to know more about the venue.

Within 4 weeks the idea had stimulated interest from the Scottish media as well as a large number of Green's and Apollo fans from across Scotland, the UK and from as far afield as the USA. The pressure was on and with Andy's help this site was launched on 8th September 2003, 30 years to the day since the Apollo was officially opened.

Scott


"...well done with the website, which gets better and better. Glad to have played a part in kicking the whole thing off..."  Tom Morton, Scottish Writer and Broadcaster