North Yorkshire Elvis Bus Tour

REVIEW:  Yorkshire Evening Press – various venues around Ryedale

Ian McMillan: improvising tour guide on the Elvis Bus

Event conceived and produced by Simon Thackray.
Copyright © Simon Thackray. All rights reserved.

Sponsored by SIRDAR

A MAGICAL mystery tour left Malton Market Place on Saturday.
Forget the Beatles, this was all about the King, as shown by the wigs with giant quiffs adorning the heads of many of the passengers.
This was the North Yorkshire Elvis Bus Tour, organised by the rather barmy Brawby arts venue The Shed, and led by Barnsley Bard Ian McMillan.
However, it was the psychedelic colours of The Beatles’ later phase that seemed to swim before the eyes as we journeyed into the surreal.
The bus literally rocked’n’rolled through the Ryedale countryside, McMillan leading the singing of Elvis classics but all to the tune of Ilkley Moor Baht ‘At.
McMillan was in sparkling form, improvising hilariously throughout the two-hour ‘trip’ inspired by landscape, buildings and people he spied as he stood at the front of the coach.
All had relevance to the King. For Elvis had not in fact died in 1977 – he had merely moved to Ryedale.
There were stops in places which supposedly had particular relevance to Elvis – Pickering and the moors village of Lastingham, to the utter bemusement of the locals and the sheer amusement of those on the tour. In the end, McMillan walked the tightrope between genius and madness, and pulled it off. This was unique – for the moment at least, it will be always on my mind.

© James Kilner, Yorkshire Evening Press

All Shook Up! on BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4 subsequently commissioned Ian McMillan to write a new drama incorporating the story All Shook Up! and the North Yorkshire Elvis Bus Tour. The drama was first broadcast on Thursday 3 June 2004. Elvis was played by Fine Time Fontayne and the Malton woman by Debbie McAndrew. Included live recording from the North Yorkshire Elvis Bus Tour including members of The Shed audience and Ian McMillan. Producer: Viv Beeby.

Daily Telegraph feature about: The Shed and the art of knitting

HAT: a performance of words, music and knitting…

Simon Thackray’s Knitted Elvis Wig Pattern FREE TO USE!