Ark and roll! The Quo performing on Her Majesty's aircraft carrier in 2002. Photograph: Sarah Lee
Anyone who doesn't harbour at least a grudging fondness for Status Quo is probably the sort of person who also finds Borat completely unfunny. Plodding into their 40th year, they're stolidly unapologetic about wanting to rock till they drop and make a lot of money while they're at it. Yes, the Rolling Stones operate by the same principles, but they grimly try to justify it with increasingly elaborate tours, while the Quo happily trot around the world with their no-additives Basic Touring Model. Respect.
One of the most impressive things about them is their eye for a financial opportunity. An album launch party on the Ark Royal in 2002 turned into a nice little earner when they let fans in for £300 apiece (it did include a trip to Southampton on the Orient Express), while their website offers myriad ways to spend your Quobucks. Feeling flush? There's a "Rick Parfitt guitar pendant" in five different finishes ("to satisfy any budget"), but the one to go for is the diamond-encrusted premium model at £1155.
Now the Quo Army have a chance to open their wallets again. The band want to make a film - an action thriller - starring themselves, and they're inviting fans to finance it. The scheme appears to be in its incubatory stages, so details are scanty, but the idea is that Quo followers can invest in the film, and in return they'll be allowed to appear as extras and be credited on the soundtrack album. Presumably, investors will also see some sort of monetary reward, if it's successful.
The audacity, though. Dangling the prospect of being an extra as an inducement to spend thousands of pounds - it's outrageous. Maybe. Or maybe it's just a cheeky and honest way of getting their movie off the ground. Quo have always had a touch of the Del Boys about them (Francis Rossi even hails from East Dulwich, next door to the Trotters' Peckham manor), and it's kept them afloat for 40 years. I don't know if £10 will get me so much as a credit on the album, but I've filled in the form for more information about investing.
So share: how far would you go for a band?
