Editing John Otway (section)

===1990s and 2000s===
His 1990 autobiography, ''Cor Baby, That's Really Me'' (subtitled ''Rock and Roll's Greatest Failure'') was a study in self-deprecation, and his touring continued to sustain him.<ref name="AMG" /> In the 1990s, he toured as "Headbutts and Halibuts", with [[Attila the Stockbroker]] with whom he wrote a surreal [[rock opera]] called ''Cheryl''. In 1992 Otway appeared at [[GuilFest]]. In 1993 he was able to draw 2,500 fans to a [[concert|gig]] in [[London]]<ref name="AMG" /> and, in 1998, 4,000 celebrated his birthday with him at the [[Royal Albert Hall]], coinciding with the release of ''Premature Adulation'', his first album of new material for over ten years.<ref name="AMG" />

By then, Otway had realised he could use his fanbase, who were in on the joke, to engage in minor [[publicity stunt]]s. A [[grassroots]] [[Advertising campaign|campaign]] saw his "Beware of the Flowers Cause I'm Sure They're Going to Get You Yeah" voted the seventh greatest lyric of all time in a [[BBC]] poll.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/john-otway-a-better-lyricist-than-dylan-743897.html|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220613/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/john-otway-a-better-lyricist-than-dylan-743897.html|archive-date=13 June 2022|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|title=John Otway 'a better lyricist than Dylan'|newspaper=The Independent|first=Paul|last=McCann|date=9 October 1999|access-date=24 July 2013}}</ref> In 2002, when asked what he wanted for his 50th birthday, he requested "a second hit". A concerted drive, including a poll (scrutinised by the [[Electoral Reform Society]]) to select the track, saw "Bunsen Burner" – with music sampled from the [[Trammps]] song "[[Disco Inferno]]" and [[lyrics]] devised to help his daughter with her [[chemistry]] homework – reach number nine in the UK singles chart on 6 October,<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums" /> and earned Otway an appearance on ''[[Top of the Pops]]'', [[BBC Television]]'s flagship [[popular music]] programme. To encourage fans to buy more than one copy each of the single, he released three different versions. The flip-side of "Bunsen Burner – The Hit Mix" was a cover of "[[The House of the Rising Sun]]" recorded at [[Abbey Road Studios]] and featuring 900 of his fans on backing vocals, each of whom was credited by name on the single's sleeve. Thanks to this second hit he has now been able to release his ''Greatest Hits'' album. Commenting on the fact that the title of this album is now in the plural, Otway said that he was very proud of it, having "finally got it (the 's') on the right side of ''Hit''".

Buoyed by the success of the hit campaign, Otway planned an ambitious world tour in October 2006. He proposed hiring his own jet to take his band, and 300 of his fans, to some of the most prestigious venues in the world, including [[Carnegie Hall]] and [[Sydney Opera House]]. Despite over 150 fans signing up, the tour was cancelled as the costs of the plane spiralled.