This exhibition about the glam rock era contains several huge photographs of me with the rest of Slade. They were taken by Gered Mankowitz, one of the best photographers of the 60s and 70s. He shot everyone, from Suzi Quatro to Marc Bolan. It was strange to see myself up on the wall like that, 40 years on. It reminded me of my misspent youth: we were touring the world, and much of that time passed in a haze. But even if I can't relate that young man to who I am now, I'm still proud of who I was.  The exhibition was three years in the making, and it really puts across what the period between 1971 and 1975 was like, before the punk explosion. You can see album sleeves, stage outfits worn by Roxy Music; art by David Hockney and Andy Warhol. What really struck me, looking at all that stuff, is that the glam rock era has largely been ignored. It's been seen as a colourful, flippant time – but it was actually very important in terms of art and culture. It was revolutionary.  You can see Marc Bolan's leather hat in a glass case. I couldn't believe how small it was: I knew he was a small man, but this hat is really tiny. It also reminded me of the colourful, spangly outfits I wore with Slade. I'm still remembered best for my top hat with mirrors on it. I've given most of those outfits to charity, but I've still got that hat, in a bank vault. Along with Bolan, Slade really spearheaded the whole glam rock fashion aesthetic. It was a very deliberate policy: we decided to dress so outrageously on Top of the Pops that people would be talking about us in the pub the next day. And it worked.  I was pleased to see how many young people were at the exhibition. They probably don't even realise how glam's influence is still being felt today. Look at Lady Gaga and Paloma Faith: they're glam rock all over again. Today's art scene would do well to take a leaf out of glam rock's book. It would give it a real kick up the backside.
Tate Liverpool's exhibition reminds the lead singer of Slade how the glam-rock era – mirrored top hats and all – was revolutionary