Sir Billy still close to his Glasgow roots
BY MICHAEL PRINGLE reporters@dailyrecord.co.uk Glaswegian has previously said that he thought devolution for Scotland was a “bad idea”.
During the 2014 independence referendum, Billy was quoted as saying that he was “deeply suspicious of patriotism”.
However, he refused to get drawn into the independence debate again, other than to say the union had saved Scotland three centuries earlier when the country had been bankrupt.
The father of five is undoubtedly proud of his roots and visited his home city last year after three giant murals of him were created on Glasgow buildings.
And, of course, he made a six-part TV series in the mid-90s which followed him as he toured Scotland performing and visiting historical and scenic locations.
In the new interview, Billy was also asked about the knighthood he received last year.
Despite performing on stage to sell-out crowds, he revealed that he felt the enormity of the occasion when he became Sir Billy. He admitted: “It was a bit nerve-wracking.
“You don’t want to make an a*** of it. You think, ‘Oh God, don’t trip.’ Or you worry you might make a rude noise.
“Since I’ve got Parkinson’s, I’m a bit dodgy getting down on one knee – I don’t do it all that well.”
Billy was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and prostate cancer in 2013 but was given the all clear from cancer a short time later.