Is It True No One Was Ever Prosecuted For Drugs At Wigan Casino

[Goldsoul]

So that confirms he's 62 now, and would have been 20 in 1973.  I'll have first heard him play at the Casino when he was 25, which would have seemed old to me at the time, and I'm only 8 years younger than Russ.  The Wikipedia article also states that over 4 million people passed through the Casino, so it must be right.

Whenever he paid me at the Casino, I could swear it was the lead singer of Brotherhood of Man

[Addio]

Whenever he paid me at the Casino, I could swear it was the lead singer of Brotherhood of Man

Is the lead singer far right?

[Goldsoul]

Is the lead singer far right?

I wish it was!

The main male with customary moustache handed me a weekly fee every Saturday lol

[Guest Mr Ms DJ]

I wish it was!

The main male with customary moustache handed me a weekly fee every Saturday lol

Kev I heard he was separated at birth from Arthur scargill lol

[macca]

A mate of mine was pulled on the stairs up to the balcony and taken in. Winstanley just continually shoots holes in his feet. It's hilarious when you stop to think about it. Is he suggesting that the DS and Marshall-Walker had an unwritten rule not to bust anyone INSIDE the place? 

Edited April 16, 2015 by macca

[Steve G]

A mate of mine was pulled on the stairs up to the balcony and taken in. Winstanley just continually shoots holes in his feet. It's hilarious when you stop to think about it. Is he suggesting that the DS and Marshall-Walker had an unwritten rule not to bust anyone INSIDE the place? 

 

Certainly every time I got stopped and searched it was OUTSIDE Macca. Maybe some Freemason skullduggery going on here between Walker/Marshall/ Winstanley and Sir Malachi Jerrico (New Statesman). A cosy arrangement that saw the police do their business outside, and not a penny changing hands outside of the upstairs record bar. 

 

These stories just get taller and taller as time goes on.

The attendance numbers, the best disco in the world award BS, no one busted for drugs….I am sure by 2020 there will have been 10m through the doors and we'll learn that Michael Foot was a regular attendee. 

[Labeat]

Whenever he paid me at the Casino, I could swear it was the lead singer of Brotherhood of Man

Wow, i didn't know Tim Brown was a member of B of M

[Goldsoul]

Wow, i didn't know Tim Brown was a member of B of M

I see the likeness, but as Tim was about 12 at the time, the BofMan one was Russ. Ha!

[Ian Parker]

My police friend (now retired) and myself (both 18 at the time) were pulled in the toilets, searched and questioned. Neither of us did any substances, but they found his warrant card and promptly tried to persuade him to be a grass over the course of the night.

  He politely declined and subsequently got all manner of threats regardimg his future carreer with the force.   We cleared off out and mingled.  

   Mr "skull head" could have answers  

[Billywhizz]

A mate of mine was pulled on the stairs up to the balcony and taken in. Winstanley just continually shoots holes in his feet. It's hilarious when you stop to think about it. Is he suggesting that the DS and Marshall-Walker had an unwritten rule not to bust anyone INSIDE the place? 

spot on macca,

[Drewtg]

I feel genuinely sorry for Russ. I have heard other, recent instances of his progressive fabrications. It could be indicative of early onset dementia, I feel sure he wouldn't make these things up.

Perhaps someone who knows him could have a helpful word?

[Steve G]

The whole theory is flawed…."off duty police officers coming in because they enjoyed it so much"  Perhaps they were still on duty  ….

 

"A major deterrent was if you got a conviction you couldn't get a visa to go to the USA" - in 1973? I am sure that was a "game changer" for the average Casino goer wanting to dance all night   .

 

I don't understand why he persists in this "No drugs on my watch" stuff. Ridiculous. 

 

I also don't feel sorry for Russ like some. He does very nicely out of trading on Wigan Casino's name, gets more bookings than the rest of us put together and all with about 25 records. I mean that's some feat if you think about it. 

Edited April 16, 2015 by Steve G

[Guest NorthNotts]

Simmo from Notts, he got nicked twice, 1977 then again in '79

 

[Diddy Morgan]

ds were there getting off the train , inside and sometimes on the way out but that was rare , inside but never late in the night as i remember ........... vividly lol !!

[dedji1955]

Following a post I put on FB Diane Herring one of Russ's current DJs posted the following

 

Russ Winstanley has asked me to put this on as he cant get on for some strange reason .
He says can you show your proof that people where arrested inside the casino for drugs hes at the Bellingham on sunday please bring your evidence or shut up if there was so many arrests in the casino it must be easy to find.

[Guest Byrney]

Following a post I put on FB Diane Herring one of Russ's current DJs posted the following

Russ Winstanley has asked me to put this on as he cant get on for some strange reason .

He says can you show your proof that people where arrested inside the casino for drugs hes at the Bellingham on sunday please bring your evidence or shut up if there was so many arrests in the casino it must be easy to find.

Is king buffoon expecting people to rock up to the event with charge sheets from the 70s? Both him and his toe dipper following are off their knappers ( without pharmaceutical assistance I might add).

[Steve G]

Bellingham isn't that in south east London? Bit of a rough place as I recall. 

 

What RW said in the interview was "Over 4m people went in eight years and not one of them was ever prosecuted". Now he is talking about showing that there were "arrests inside the Casino" - totally different thing. 

Edited April 17, 2015 by Steve G

[Steve S 60]

ds were there getting off the train , inside and sometimes on the way out but that was rare , inside but never late in the night as i remember ........... vividly lol !!

 

I'd regularly got stopped coming off the train at Wigan North Western, then escorted into a side room so my bag could be searched.  Quite happy for the plod to rummage through my dirty kit that I was taking home to get washed.

[Steve G]

I'd regularly got stopped coming off the train at Wigan North Western, then escorted into a side room so my bag could be searched.  Quite happy for the plod to rummage through my dirty kit that I was taking home to get washed.

 

True. Knowing a bit about trains helped here. The Crewe to Wigan train, actually a Preston service was normally a loco hauled train with carriages with a gangway throughout the train meaning you could walk through the entire train. Sometimes they put on an electric unit where you couldn't walk between the carriages. Whenever that happened funnily enough we'd be greeted at Wigan NW by her majesty's finest and their alsatians spread along the platform. I worked it out pretty quick - electric unit (no corridor), we're gonna get busted when we arrive at WIgan. Now for the police to get the train type changed so that they could marshall / control the people getting off at WNW takes some doing….why would they bother if they weren't concerned about drugs? Just saying' like. 

[Mellorful]

I feel genuinely sorry for Russ. I have heard other, recent instances of his progressive fabrications. It could be indicative of early onset dementia, I feel sure he wouldn't make these things up.

Perhaps someone who knows him could have a helpful word?

Its ironic that RW objected to drugs being taken at WC, if the comments are right that his memory is failing him he may need to resort to his nemesis.

https://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_standard_prescriptions.asp

Atb

Stu 

Edited April 17, 2015 by mellorful

[KevH]

I for one,may be filing a claim against RW.He,and Wigan casino, are one of the reasons i've spent so much money over the years on things.... - and ended up on the slippery slope. 

Its all his fault i tell ya.!!  Where there's blame there's a claim.

[Paul R]

If there was no drug problem at Wigan, I wonder why they even had squad in the early sessions on Friday nights(before the days of the oldies allnighters). I got arrested & prosecuted(although to be fair as it was only chalkies I only got done for handling stolen goods) but I can't believe that I was the only one in 8 years.  Of course I might just be unlucky!

[dedji1955]

 A Interesting/Amusing interview with Russ in which he maintains the 4 million attendance figure at the Casino, however this time he claims there was never 1 fight

He also gives the full story on how he discovered the Frank Wilson record with the help of someone from Motown

 

https://chorley.fm/russ-winstanley/

[Steve G]

 A Interesting/Amusing interview with Russ in which he maintains the 4 million attendance figure at the Casino, however this time he claims there was never 1 fight

He also gives the full story on how he discovered the Frank Wilson record with the help of someone from Motown

 

https://chorley.fm/russ-winstanley/

 

Goodness, it's like Groundhog Day…..the same stories over and over and over again. There is so much more to the scene than those same old tired stories. Sad really.

[dedji1955]

 There is so much more to the scene than those same old tired stories. Sad really.

It depends on which Scene you're talking about

[Wicked]

If there was no drug problem at Wigan, I wonder why they even had squad in the early sessions on Friday nights(before the days of the oldies allnighters). I got arrested & prosecuted(although to be fair as it was only chalkies I only got done for handling stolen goods) but I can't believe that I was the only one in 8 years.  Of course I might just be unlucky!

No you weren't the only one, there was one living in my house, not me, my mother was not well pleased when she read it in the paper. I got searched a couple of times in there though and even on Crewe station on Sunday morning.

Edited April 17, 2015 by wicked

[dedji1955]

8 years. 416 weeks at an average of 2,000 per week = 832,000.

And that's being generous!

You do the math!

Russ told me in a message over 4 million went, this was how he came up with the figure.. It also includes his response to the drugs issue

.Rubbish. We sorted ours out. Wow one arrest a week out of 9,500 yet no prosecutions. We averaged 1,500 each Monday, Wednesday and Friday early session and 5,000 on Saturdays and 5,000 monthly Friday Alnighters. That's a bit more than 4 Million !!!! We stamped out the Druggy idiots in 1974 as we got the All clear. This is fact.

[Goldsoul]

Russ told me in a message over 4 million went, this was how he came up with the figure.. It also includes his response to the drugs issue

.Rubbish. We sorted ours out. Wow one arrest a week out of 9,500 yet no prosecutions. We averaged 1,500 each Monday, Wednesday and Friday early session and 5,000 on Saturdays and 5,000 monthly Friday Alnighters. That's a bit more than 4 Million !!!! We stamped out the Druggy idiots in 1974 as we got the All clear. This is fact.

He can certainly sell himself that's for sure. The reality, well that's very different.

I was one of the originals on Wednesday night too hosting the night with the late Mike Rollo. It ended after a while due to dwindling numbers. The venue didn't hold 5,000 so the Saturday statement and Friday All Nighters is pure fiction.

[Jenko]

As a 17yr old I was searched on the car park after getting off the Wolves coach and busted .I was put into ds car always remember it was a mini and told to put my hands up till we got to Wigan cop shop. Charged with possession and intent to supply and put in a cell with a very well known member of a family from Stoke , what a learning curve that was , and from that day my life changed I was in.... people would say hello how u doin, all cos the drug squad wanted names of suppliers ,dealers back in Wolves and I was sayin nothin, and now I was in with the Stoke lot to. My parents were non to happy with me being 17 they had to fetch me from Wigan cop shop to bail me.

[Steve G]

Agree with Kev Roberts on the numbers. No way the place held 5,000. In fact 2,500 and it was jammed, and those numbers were only achieved in the early days and at anniversaries. Usual saturday nights by 77 had about 1500 in, a really good night 2,000 and by 1980, I can remember saturday nights where there were about 500 in - real quiet. 

 

Personally I never took drugs, the music was my fix, and I wasn't alone, loads didn't partake. But it's ridiculous to suggest that loads didn't either. We all knew it was going on, got offered 'em by strange coves in dark corners, got searched by Plod regularly etc. All this was part of the Wigan experience, along with being chased up Station Rd by unfriendly local people who disliked the soul fans with a passion and saw it as a bit of "Saturday night sport" to try and give us a kicking.

 

I know Russ is a bit of a showman and likes to big up the Casino, and no doubt that will never change, but we're not going to have NS history to be re-written by someone who has such a basic challenge with numeracy. He can shout "rubbish" as much as he likes, it was nowhere near 4m and people regularly got prosecuted.

[Winnie :-)]

The whole theory is flawed…."off duty police officers coming in because they enjoyed it so much"  Perhaps they were still on duty  ….

 

"A major deterrent was if you got a conviction you couldn't get a visa to go to the USA" - in 1973? I am sure that was a "game changer" for the average Casino goer wanting to dance all night   .

 

I don't understand why he persists in this "No drugs on my watch" stuff. Ridiculous. 

 

I also don't feel sorry for Russ like some. He does very nicely out of trading on Wigan Casino's name, gets more bookings than the rest of us put together and all with about 25 records. I mean that's some feat if you think about it. 

It has to be to do with marketing the kind of events he does now, wholesome family fun, come and hear your favourite record every hour, on the hour. He's not alone in this ridiculous there were no drugs mantra, as Fred can tell you, it's a byline in a lot of the groups. Most of the people he's attracting now appear to be beer monsters, who didn't go anywhere the first time around, so to them there were no drugs. They don't do nighters, probably never did, so presumably him constantly saying there were no drugs sits comfortably with them, it will be after most of our lifetimes, but I'm convinced a time will come when northerns early history will be erased, and the birth of northern soul will somehow be moved to 2014 and of course it will be 'our saviour, our Lord', who created it, probably in 6 days, with a bit of a rest on the seventh. 

[Chalky]

He's disillusioned and full of sh*t.

[Winsford Soul]

our Lord', who created it, probably in 6 days, with a bit of a rest on the seventh.

[KevH]

Sandbach services ?

[Hooker1951]

IT took Russ w over a year to pay me £1000 he owed me for security at one of he's events it's a pity that £1000 didn't turn into £5000 like his numbers at the Casino did.

ML

[Billywhizz]

I cant see anyone busted inside the wc, they just jumped off the balcony. i thought knutsfurd was the main place, billy

[Ralf Mehnert]

4 millions? I presume he talks about the millions who tell each and everyone they went to the Casino nowadays.

[El Corol]

How was Russ able to stay up allnight if he didn't use amphtetamines........aah that other drug "how much have I made tonight"

I seem to remember a few of the DJs with dilated pupils and chewing a lot also so some of his employees were at it.

[Citizen P]

It has to be sanitised for his pension's sake.

Butlins would not want 4 million pillheads running around. especially as they wouldn't make a profit off 'em..

And he has to keep up appearances for those Saviours of Soul--Paul O'Grady and the One Show..

[KevH]

I cant see anyone busted inside the wc, they just jumped off the balcony. i thought knutsfurd was the main place, billy

and that one billy lol

[Cunnie]

Winstanley asked & also answered a few points on the Kings Hall Stoke Allnighter page but they now appear to have disappeared   
Shame really as it was one of the best posts ever on that page  

[Cunnie]

Following on from my post above I have now been removed & blocked from the Kings Hall group, probably because I dared to mention it on here.

Ho hum.....

[dedji1955]

It has to be to do with marketing the kind of events he does now, wholesome family fun, come and hear your favourite record every hour, on the hour. He's not alone in this ridiculous there were no drugs mantra, as Fred can tell you, it's a byline in a lot of the groups. Most of the people he's attracting now appear to be beer monsters, who didn't go anywhere the first time around, so to them there were no drugs. They don't do nighters, probably never did, so presumably him constantly saying there were no drugs sits comfortably with them, it will be after most of our lifetimes, but I'm convinced a time will come when northerns early history will be erased, and the birth of northern soul will somehow be moved to 2014 and of course it will be 'our saviour, our Lord', who created it, probably in 6 days, with a bit of a rest on the seventh. 

 

I used to admire Russ and although we were never friends as a Wiganer I was going to his venues at the Rugby Club and Newtown Legion in the early 70s

I have stuck up for him in the past but he has lost the plot and is adamant the statements he is issuing are true

We all know there were nights at the Casino when it was empty and could never hold 5K

Winnie and others are spot on about how he is trying to rewrite history to suit the scene he is involved with and the punters he attracts

According to this last message he sent me he appears to believe he saved the scene

 

Russ Winstanley

Yes we inherited Druggy idiots from The Torch etc. As explained, got rid of the majority of them by helping the Police to get all clear to continue. Seen details of the first prosecution today in 1977. What lies have I said? Druggy Morons killed Wheel and Torch but thankfully not the Casino. If it wasn't for me starting the Casino you wouldn't be sat talking all this crap.

[Hooker1951]

The Empress Ballroom in the casino had a capacity of around 1500,another 300 or so and the club would have been crammed.the Palaise room in what became Mr M,would have looked claustrophobic with anything over 400,theBeachcomber about 300 So the complete set up was filled to the brim you are talking 2500 not 5000.

Russ might have had double vision if he did that's problem solved.

Keep on Trucking ML

[Guest east rob]

True. Knowing a bit about trains helped here. The Crewe to Wigan train, actually a Preston service was normally a loco hauled train with carriages with a gangway throughout the train meaning you could walk through the entire train. Sometimes they put on an electric unit where you couldn't walk between the carriages. Whenever that happened funnily enough we'd be greeted at Wigan NW by her majesty's finest and their alsatians spread along the platform. I worked it out pretty quick - electric unit (no corridor), we're gonna get busted when we arrive at WIgan. Now for the police to get the train type changed so that they could marshall / control the people getting off at WNW takes some doing….why would they bother if they weren't concerned about drugs? Just saying' like. 

Or jump the train,get off at Ince & walk to casino. off your face!   

[Guest manusf3a]

Personally I thought the claims from Gerry Marshall that the Casino had their own Drug Squad was amusing

Would anyone like to step forward who was in that squad

 

Their is a vast amount of articles and newspaper cuttings archived in Wigan on the Casino History and they make good reading especially as they were all written long before folks were bothered about being PC

Might have been a couple or so drug confiscation squads,but they werent the old bill,the drugs would have went down their necks rather than the ones of the folk who payed for them,no prosecutions involved,maybe thats what rust meant !!!!!

[Guest manusf3a]

It has to be to do with marketing the kind of events he does now, wholesome family fun, come and hear your favourite record every hour, on the hour. He's not alone in this ridiculous there were no drugs mantra, as Fred can tell you, it's a byline in a lot of the groups. Most of the people he's attracting now appear to be beer monsters, who didn't go anywhere the first time around, so to them there were no drugs. They don't do nighters, probably never did, so presumably him constantly saying there were no drugs sits comfortably with them, it will be after most of our lifetimes, but I'm convinced a time will come when northerns early history will be erased, and the birth of northern soul will somehow be moved to 2014 and of course it will be 'our saviour, our Lord', who created it, probably in 6 days, with a bit of a rest on the seventh. 

You are so right about all the squeaky clean rewritten history attempts,beer monsters were always the enemy of the all nighter going soul lover ,there seemed a natural hatred of the blocking it up brigade by the beer monster no matter what part of the realm they hailed from,like the farmer and the cowboy,the sharks and the jets,communist and capitalist.It sometimes seems like reverse of evolution,caveman beer monster replacing the advanced soul man,beer adorning dancefloors where talcum used to fall,grunts ,pushes and filthy looks replacing dancefloor etiquete.I am going to be personal here,Rust looks like a typical Beer Monster,always has done,the gene is strong as no doubt is the nine per cent lager.In not to many years there may be public burning of all materiel that refers to drug use at nighters and soul nights,all photograph that show any person with slightly larger than the beered up norm size pupils will join the fire.When all those who have  living memory of the truth have gone who will be left to tell the story,What sort of future(and of course how that future remembers the past)will remain when the beer monsters rule supreme across nighters and soul nights across the landf and the penalty for even speaking the word"Dube",even worse the words"Gear and block up",will be death by drowning in an outsize barrel filled with a mixture of frosty jack and  white lightning cider.

Edited April 22, 2015 by manusf3a

[Steve G]

Manusf3a - "Rust" 

[Guest manusf3a]

Manusf3a - "Rust" 

Isnt that his name?

[Guest manusf3a]

There was mention in Rust,s article of  how one of the main deterents that stopped drug taking was the thought of  in the future not  being able to get a visa to visit America to buy and search for records if they were convicted of a drug offence,this  was enough to prevent people taking drugs???????",Have some bombers and some filon", answered by"Oh no!,I will never get my visa to go to the states if I get caught!".

 

As a point of note a good mate of mine went to the states 79,   80 ish, having not long before done three years for a number of chemists and all the related drugs charges that come with that sort of conviction.

Edited April 22, 2015 by manusf3a