re: Bands you thought were great and would be the "next big thing"

Even by the time I was a teenager in the '80s, I had already given up the illusion than any band I really cared about would be the "next big thing". Punk/New Wave failed its intended takeover, dinosaurs like REO Speedwagon were bigger than ever, synths took over the UK charts, and the plague of MTV was upon us.

I suppose the Clash came closest, though no one in their right mind ever thought they would be the NBT.

If you promise not to tell anybody, I'll confess that for about 15 minutes I thought Elvis Costello might become a big star, in the manner of Bowie -- solid record seller and a media superstar who gives glib interviews. But for a variety of reasons that never happened.