By Islam El-Sakka
Keyboardist Rick Wakeman has revealed in his new autobiography that he once physically removed surrealist artist Salvador Dalí from the stage during a 1970 concert in Paris.
Autobiography details bizarre encounter
Wakeman, 77, recounts the episode in "The Wizard Of Prog," published Thursday. While performing with the band Strawbs, he was playing a solo on electric piano when a man wandered on stage waving a stick. Unaware of the intruder's identity, Wakeman nudged him off the stage. Band leader Dave Cousins later informed him the man was Dalí. Wakeman said he admired Dalí's work but not the interruption.
Recent projects include bear concert and Hawking tribute
Beyond the memoir, Wakeman recently performed for 150 rescued bears in Vietnam to support Animals Asia's campaign against bile farming. He is also staging concerts inspired by the lectures of late cosmologist Stephen Hawking in the Canary Islands. His career highlights include the 1975 "King Arthur On Ice" spectacle at Wembley Empire Pool.
