Book excerpt: If rock 'n' roll royalty comes to your city, you have to see them. Right? You have to meet them. Right? But when football gets in the way, and The Apollo bouncers throw a spanner in the works, your plans may just go slightly pear-shaped. The Glasgow Gigs veers recklessly across four decades, visiting legendary venues like The Glasgow Apollo, The Barrowland and The Dinner Hall of Garthamlock Secondary School. It soaks up the festival atmospheres of Mayfest and Celtic Connections and criss-crosses the city's streets, all in search of a bloody good night out! Did the starry-eyed schoolboy who saw Slade in the 70s, really become a refined and sophisticated concert hall goer in the noughties? Yeah, right. Did one night with The Clash in the 80s inspire him into a life of protest and activism? Hmmm... Did The Humpff Family really go out of their way to avoid him? There's only one way to find out. The Glasgow Gigs does exactly what it says on the... er, cover. But we mustn't remain slaves to the dreaded Boundary Charge. Wouldn't it be nice to stretch out, to breathe in the fresh air of the countryside and the not-so-fresh air of the capital? Fancy a trip to The Bonny Banks, or the rugged beauty of Perthshire? Jump in, the engine's running, and so is the meter.