"Johnny Five is Alive!"


Most people think the robot in Short Circuit was fictional, but I know different.

The date was Friday 14th September 2001. My band Big Day Out were supporting Slade at Plinston Hall in Letchworth. Well, technically they were Slade, though the fact Noddy Holder was no longer a member called the whole thing into question.

I got a lift to the gig from our drummer, Chris Hollis. We pulled into town to find the area surrounding the venue had been cordoned off by the police. We couldn’t get anywhere near it.

After circling a few times to no avail, we were flagged down by a policeman.

“What’s the problem?” I asked.
“There’s been a bomb scare, We can’t let anyone through.” 
It was just a few days after 9/11, so things were undeniably tense.
“We’re playing Plinston tonight and are due there for a sound check. Is there any chance we could be let into their car-park?”

At first, he was unconvinced. Then Chris mentioned that his dad was in the force and his mood lightened. He waved us past.

We pulled up to the venue to see an army van parked outside, with its back doors open and a ramp leading into it. The vehicle was surrounded by a gang of shifty-looking men in uniform who were ushering something inside. The device they were guiding up the ramp looked exactly like Johnny Five.

Within seconds the doors slammed shut. It was a fleeting glimpse, but a glimpse nevertheless. It was like we’d stumbled across an international secret. Johnny Five was real. The film franchise had been an exercise in keeping him hidden in plain sight. He wasn’t painted gold like at the end of Short Circuit 2, but he existed. Steve Guttenberg was nowhere to be seen.

It’s fair to say, we both laughed about it for hours.

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