It’s not every day you pogo in front of a miming KT Tunstall, then interview her about busking.
But that’s what happened when I found myself standing next to the West Sands in St Andrews on a freezing cold February afternoon, miming to KT’s hit “Suddenly I See” while she “sang” along.
KT Tunstall is no stranger to busking. Back in the 1990s, she spent her days strumming her guitar in the overpass between Dundee city centre and the old Olympia leisure centre.
But in an exclusive chat while filming an advert for The Courier’s Local Stories Make Us campaign, she revealed a juicy titbit: she never busked in her hometown of St Andrews.
“I was too embarrassed!” KT laughed, recalling her less-than-glamorous busking days in Dundee.
“I made no money, and the police moved me on. It was my most unsuccessful day busking ever!”
Of course, KT’s career skyrocketed after those early days, and now she’s a global superstar.
But here’s where my own busking adventure comes in.
It all started when KT agreed to feature in The Courier’s Local Stories Make Us campaign ahead of performing at the Byre Theatre.
How did I end up pogoing in front of a miming KT Tunstall?
I didn’t expect my day to include miming to KT’s songs, interviewing her for only a few minutes, and – of course – pogoing in a crowd on a freezing cold St Andrews afternoon.
But sometimes, life throws a curveball.
Originally, the plan was to film KT busking, with her singing live for the camera.
However, just an hour before the shoot, the word came down: KT wouldn’t be singing live, as she had to preserve her voice ahead of her Tae Sup Wi’ a Fifer appearance at the Byre that night and a mini-US tour. Fair enough, right?
However, for the advert makers, this change of plans raised anxiety levels.
With limited time available, they scrambled to figure out how to make a busking scene work without actual busking.
The crew were still scouting locations, meaning it wasn’t certain where we’d be filming.
Eventually, they decided it would either be the bandstand by St Andrews Aquarium or the Bruce Embankment near the public toilets.
Naturally, the West Sands backdrop won out.
However, as we waited to meet KT at the Hotel du Vin on The Scores, it emerged that she didn’t have a guitar to use as a prop.
Since she wouldn’t be playing live, the guitar was back at the Byre Theatre.
Cue a last minute dash to fetch it, while we tried to act like this was all part of a normal Saturday afternoon…
Suddenly we saw why St Andrews was best location for KT Tunstall filming
By the time someone returned with the guitar, the wind was howling, and KT had already sought shelter inside the entrance to the public toilets.
But with little time to spare, the crew quickly gave KT her instructions: she had to walk in, open her guitar case, pretend to strum, and mime the song as it played from a Bluetooth speaker.
And so, I found myself standing in front of KT Tunstall, watching her mime “Suddenly I See,” while I and other members of the quickly-assembled crowd – including my teenage daughter who’d come along to be nosy – started singing. And pogo.
There we were, hopping around in the cold as KT mimed and laughed, “I’m singing really! Look, I’m wearing gloves!” The amusing side of it all was not lost on anyone.
Once the “busking” scene wrapped, KT put her coat back on – only to be told to take it off again.
Now it was time for my moment in the sun (or, more accurately, in the gale-force wind).
I had to interview KT briefly on camera, knowing that my features colleague Gayle Ritchie had interviewed her for far longer by phone the day before.
‘Awkward banter’ ensues…
Keeping my professionalism intact, I asked her about her busking experiences in St Andrews.
“Chatting, chatting, just writing spiders,” she quipped, making it clear that she was more than willing to poke fun at the situation.
After a minute of awkward banter and camera buzzing, it was over.
KT was whisked off for a soundcheck at the Byre Theatre, leaving me to reflect on what had just happened.
The crowd dispersed, and I couldn’t help but laugh at it all.
I had just pretended to pogo in front of KT Tunstall, then pretended to interview her about busking, all for a split second appearance on screen.
If you’re wondering about my previous encounters with KT, I actually had the pleasure of interviewing her at length back in 2018, ahead of her performance with Simple Minds and The Pretenders in Dundee.
As for KT’s busking career in St Andrews? Well, that will have to wait.
But for now, I’ll always have the memory of that frozen day, hopping around like a mad person in front of a rock star, all while she mimed her own tunes.
If that’s not a bizarre yet memorable experience, I don’t know what is.
What is The Courier’s new advert?
KT is fronting The Courier’s new campaign – Local Stories Make Us – which launched on March 10.
Her ‘busking’ session in St Andrews features on promotional STV and Sky adverts – and is also being hosted on The Courier’s website and social media channels.
The campaign celebrates the people and moments that shape Tayside and Fife.
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