Steve Diggle

In November 1979 I sat backstage at the Lyceum Ballroom in London and helped to interview Buzzcocks (no definite article) for a friend's fanzine. My pals and I had shambolic conversations after the show with Steve Diggle and, less enthusiastically, Pete Shelley that were somehow stretched over two issues of said journal.

Shelley may be the songwriting genius, but I've long considered Diggle to be the engine room of the band - pushing, driving and cajoling - not to mention throwing a few shapes for all he's worth! That being said, over the years Steve Diggle has come up with a fair few little nuggets of his own.

Today is Diggle's 57th birthday and it's (unbelievably) 33 years since he was good enough to give some of his time to a bunch of ne'er-do-wells with a cheap cassette player and access to a photo-copier.

Happy birthday Steve - here's one of your nuggets.