The anecdote is shared in a new book, My Old Man by Ted Kessler; tributes to fathers of all kinds inspired by a blog of the same name.  Contributors include the sons and daughters of Johnny Ball, Tim Healy, Ian Dury, Roy Castle, Paul Weller, Florence Welsh, Tim Burgess, Richard Hawley, Shaun Ryder, Shami Chakrabarti, Roger McGough and Tilda Swinton.  Chris Martin, the Coldplay singer, pays tribute to his father Anthony John Martin, whom he credits with giving him his “frontman” traits.  “My dad’s true calling was to be a ringmaster in the circus, but he missed the boat,” the singer said.  “Now he comes on tour with us and that’s the role he plays in life. He’s a bit of an actor, and when he’s backstage he makes everyone feel looked after.  “He’s part of a team we have who go out into the crowd when we do big shows. Often we keep the first two or three rows empty. My dad goes to the back of the stadium and finds the kids wearing the T-shirts and says to them, ‘Do you want to go and be right at the front?’  “He loves that. He loves meeting people, talking to them and connecting.”  Paul Weller also paid moving tribute to his father and former manager John, calling him his “best friend”.  “He was very supportive of me; one of those dads that whatever I was into he’d be right behind me,” said Weller. “When I was into football he got a football team together, even though I was the worst player on the pitch.”  The book is out now.
He is one of the most famous men on the planet, selling more than 100 million records worldwide and singing some of the most recognisable anthems in history.