Published: Wednesday, 13th January, 2010 3:00pm

Musician swaps his pipes for poetry

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By Ewan McInnes

A ROCK'N'ROLL piper has seen copies of his poetry book fly off the shelves in the last six months.

And Barrhead man Johnny Gauld's collection of poems has been so well received the second edition is set to be released next month.

Published himself and without any advertising, Johnny's book - Eastend Mammy, Southside Daddy - has sold more than 700 copies, been picked up by hundreds of Barrhead and Glasgow residents and has been sold to ex-pats as far away as New Zealand and the USA.

Residents in the town may recognise Johnny from the Wee Jock's Big Braw Scottish Nite he has been putting on regularly in Barrhead for the last seven years.

He is also an accomplished bagpiper who is called upon by some of the most popular musicians in the UK to play at their gigs and last year he piped for Madness, Ian Brown and The Enemy.

Johnny uses social commentary when writing his poems in Glaswegian and Scots language, and insists every story in the £5 paperback is the true account of events that have happened in the 35-year-old's life.

He told the Barrhead News: "For years and years I just scribbled things down and had loads of ideas and notes.

"Then one day I just decided to write them all down for a book of poems.

"Everything I have written about in the book is a true story many of which happened in Barrhead.

"One of the poems about Barrhead is called 'The coos come running' which is about when I was 16-years-old or so and a herd of cows were running down Cochrane Street and Main Street and then disappeared."

Johnny added: "Davie of Yuill's newsagents has been a big help and has supported the book by selling it in his shop.

"I have also been selling it at the Scottish themed nights that we put on in Barrhead.

"I would like to thank everyone who has bought the book so far and I hope they have enjoyed it.

"Some people have needed the book translated for them because they don't know what a cludgie is (toilet) or a napper (head).

"But the Barrhead people have been brilliant in supporting the book."

Anyone who would like to buy a copy of Johnny's book should email him at info@caledoniancowboy.com or pop into Yuill's newsagent in Cross Arthurlie Street, Barrhead.