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In the early 1970s the Irish star was the biggest-selling British solo artist anywhere. Then his career crashed. Now 75, he talks about self-belief, blowing his chance at Glastonbury – and the story behind one of the darkest No 1s in popGilbert O’Sullivan is showing me a framed portrait of himself with Muhammad Ali, in which the young Irishman is attempting to land punches on The Greatest. It was 1973. The singer-songwriter – an accomplished schoolboy boxer until he “started getting hurt” – had successfully asked the champion heavyweight to do some publicity photos for his latest album, I’m a Writer, Not a Fighter.“It’s funny,” he says, “but whenever anyone comes round they say, ‘We know who he is [gesturing at Ali], but who’s the other fella?” Continue reading...