Gary Glitter continues fall from grace

updated 4:49 p.m. ET Nov. 29, 2005

VUNG TAU, Vietnam - On warm nights in this seaside resort, the elderly British foreigner would sing in his backyard — sometimes for friends, sometimes for himself, but always very loudly.

Once, Paul Francis Gadd, known widely by his stage name Gary Glitter, sang to millions as he pranced and strutted in his metallic jumpsuits as one of the shining stars during Britain’s glam rock era in the 1970s. His pulsing “Rock and Roll (Parts 1 & 2),” with its booming single-word chorus of “Hey,” became a sports-crowd anthem that is played endlessly in stadiums and arenas.

But Glitter, 61, has fallen a long way since his days as a larger than life pop icon, dogged by rumors of his predilection for very young girls since his conviction in London in 1999 for possessing child pornography.

And now he is sitting in a Vietnamese prison as local authorities pursue allegations he had sex with underaged girls, including a 12-year-old.

Glitter was stopped by immigration police at the airport November 19 as he tried to board a flight for Bangkok. Police had begun a manhunt for him a week earlier after he fled his ocean-view villa in the coastal resort city of Vung Tau

On Thursday, police officials said they had gathered enough evidence of a possible crime to keep him under detention for another four months while they proceed with a criminal investigation.

It is a big drop from his long-ago perch atop the charts.

“He was absolutely huge. He was one of the figureheads of the glam rock movement in Britain in the 70s. He was incredibly popular with young audiences,” said Andrew Male, deputy editor of London-based Mojo music magazine.

With his bouffant black wigs, sequined lamé jumpsuits, and silver platform heels, Glitter dominated the early to mid-70s with hits like “Leader of the Gang” and “Do You Wanna Touch Me,” later covered by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. At the height of his fame, he sold some 18 million albums.

Living off glory days
But Glitter’s musical career slowly faded as he became an unfashionable has-been by the 1990s. He lived off his past glory, and did occasional variety-show performances and quiz shows.

“He had become something of a tragic figure even before these stories hit the headlines,” said Male. Glitter’s problems with the law began, Male recounted, when the rocker took his computer in for repair. “The images found there ... that was the point when it was exposed and everyone was aware of it.”

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