Russell Leadbetter

IT'S been a quarter of a century since it all happened, but Bob Palmer has never been allowed to forget the amazing efforts that made Glasgow's Year of Culture in 1990 such a success.

"It seems to be referred to continuously, not least because there have been some 200 reports into that year, to say nothing of hundreds of articles," Bob, Festivals Director for 1990, said yesterday.

"It continues to haunt me in a way, almost like a child, because of its habit of repeatedly emerging as a vital case study, or as a model for other cities, or because people want to share that experience.

"I'm surprised by how long this mythology has persisted. I'm still asked all the time for my memories of that period."

Bob's work actually got underway in 1987. In the event, the year attracted many international stars - Pavarotti, Sinatra, the Rolling Stones, Jessye Norman. There were huge theatre and dance events, and art exhibitions, such as one of Van Gogh that became a major hit.

"But I also vividly recall the production of 'The Ship' in the Harland and Wolff Shed, The Big Day, the largest free rock concert ever organised in Scotland, 'Ruchazie, Ruchazie', the story of gangs staged on the streets of Ruchazie, and 'Call that Singing', a choir of a thousand Glaswegians aged nine to 90. I could mention a hundred other events."

"It was such a powerful example of what we now know as arts-led, or culture-led, regeneration for cities," says Bob. "Now every city in the UK has this, from Manchester to Sheffield and Cardiff. Cities across Europe, too - Rotterdam, Barcelona, Lille - and newer cities across eastern Europe.

"Glasgow was heralded as a very successful model and I think people are interested in getting behind that story of what happened.

"It's important to bear in mind that Glasgow has been able to build on that success. It wasn't, as has been the case of many Capitals of Culture, a one-off quick fix, or merely a short-lived celebration.

"1990 has had a long and important legacy - not just in terms of physical change in Glasgow but also in terms of increased civic confidence and creativity and ambition.

"If you talk to older people in the arts now, 1990 was a seminal experience for them. For some it was a launching-pad. For others, it was a period when they were able to work internationally.

"It fired people's imaginations as to what Glasgow was capable of developing. You could continue working creatively in a place like Glasgow without having to go down to London."

It took Glasgow a while to build on 1990, but that is what eventually happened, with such high-profile events as the 1999 City of Architecture and Design.

The city also completed many projects that can be traced to the period around 1990: the beginnings of the Merchant City, the development of the Briggait, a new approach to fashion and design, the development of a music business, the creation of Glasgow Film Office.

"There was more: there were new arts spaces at the Tramway and the Arches, not to mention the new Royal Concert Hall. The McLellan Galleries were refurbished. You had the Scotland Street school as well.

"In many ways, 1990 was a big step-change. That's why it had such a significant impact.

"Many things were concentrated into a period of time, and it also helped that it attracted huge amounts of positive media coverage across Europe - which, of course, it did without the social media we take for granted today.

"Back then, it was just radio, television and newspapers. Today it's so much easier for an aspiring city to re-brand itself and get the message across. It was a lot more complicated in 1990, especially if you were aiming to get international coverage."

After 1990, Bob went on to run the European Cultural Capital year of Brussels in 2000, and for several years he served as Director of Culture and Natural Heritage at the Council of Europe. He now lives in Edinburgh ("but my heart still resides in Glasgow"), and works with many European cities on city transformation and regeneration projects.

He recalls feeling a slight sense of loss when Glasgow's reign as European culture capital finally came to an end in December 1990.

"One of the issues at the end of the year was that so much attention had been paid to all the developing and planning, and recognising what had been achieved.

"It was very difficult to maintain momentum and so there was a sort of dip afterwards - not just in the quantity of cultural activity after 1990, but also in the sheer energy which Glasgow's creative forces could muster.

"1990 built up an appetite around the question, 'What next?' But there wasn't really a 'next'. It hadn't been carefully thought through, in a way. There was a levelling-off, as there wasn't another big event to look forward to."

But Bob now recognises that 1990 was one of the big staging-posts in Glasgow's story, from the 1988 Garden Festival and the 1999 accolade of city of architecture and design, leading up to last year's Commonwealth Games.

"There were a number of bold initiatives which enabled Glasgow to achieve this degree of success. Many of the spaces that were used in the Commonwealth Games were spaces that had been developing as creative and cultural spaces.

"More importantly, there was also the continuing spirit of volunteering and the explosion of the creative energy of the people of Glasgow that was also a feature of 1990.

"At the end of the day, leading Glasgow 1990 European Capital of Culture was something like managing a volcano, overflowing with the hottest talent and the most incredible excitement that could be imagined at that time. That creative volcano continues to erupt even now, and perhaps evermore."