| Billy played as Elton John's support act in the USA, and was not much
of a success until he reached the Scot ex-patriot communities of New York,
that Billy received the response he was craving.
In 1977, Billy had a disastrous gig during his Australian tour,
at the City Hall in Brisbane. The crowd disliked Billy's jokes, and stormed
the stage demanding refunds. One thug threatened to smash Billy's guitar
if he didn't get his money back, another punched the tour manager. They
had obviously been expecting shortbread tin kilty Scotty stuff, which Billy
wouldn't deliver. Strangely, the rest of the tour was a roaring success,
and subsequent visits to Brisbane have been very successful.
In April 1977, Billy launched The Billy Connolly Extravaganza,
a massive three month British tour - fifty-three nights - the largest ever
undertaken by an entertainer. It opened in Oban, and went all over the
UK, ending in the Apollo theatre in Glasgow. During this tour, Billy hit
a depression caused partly by the stress of touring, but also because his
old Glasgow friend, Matt McGinn died.
 During 1977, Billy
began to think more seriously about writing. His first play An' Me Wi'
A Bad Leg, Tae was not an immediate success, and Billy's subsequent
plays have never received much critical acclaim. Whether this is because
they are not very good, or a penchant on the part of theatre critics to
discourage 'outsiders' from dabbling in playwriting, no-one knows. The
plays were certainly funny. Following on were the plays Groan Up
and When Hair was Long and Time was Short and The Red Runner.
Billy realised that perhaps he was a better comedian than playwright.
|
Billy appeared
again on Parkinson and had the audience and the host rolling around
laughing. This second appearance won over many new English fans, and the
number of English people at his shows went up from then on, with thousands
of English in the audience at the New Victorian Theatre in October. Billy
had won the hearts of England too.