So at first I didn't realise why the twentysomething Saturday girl behind the counter had blushed bright red. All I'd done is ask her: "Have you got hot legs?"
Before she had a chance to fling a heavy metal singles rack in my direction, a colleague helpfully informed her that I was referring to Manchester beat combo Hotlegs, and not her long pins. Later to expand and change their name to 10CC, the Hotlegs track in question was called Neanderthal Man.
And there must have been a lot of embarrassed young girls in record shops, because it got to No 2 in the chart.
Adam Davies, 38, from Bramhall is too young to remember the record - but the Manchester Home Office court investigator knows all about Neanderthal man.
In his spare time he travels the world as a cryptozoologist, a term for those who study or search for animals that are rumoured to exist but for which conclusive proof is missing, including the search for creatures now generally believed to be extinct.
Mainstream
Most mainstream scientists are very sceptical. But Adam says: "People may say cryptozoological work is a bit weird. My motivation is to bring back scientific facts, because I believe that a number of these creatures are under serious threat. And I'd like to prove their existence."
His previous quests have involved the Loch Ness monster, Sumatra's Orang-Pendek, the Congo Dinosaur and Mongolia's Death Worm.
Is It Real?: Russian Bigfoot (National Geographic Channel, tonight, 10pm) follows Adam as he flies over 4000 miles from Manchester to Mongolia on a quest to find a creature said to resemble Neanderthal man
There are few creature comforts on the trail of the find of the century, a legendary wild man known locally as Almas, more human than ape.
Neanderthal man was a type of primitive man that lived in Europe and Asia during the height of the ice ages. The last evidence of his existence dates back to around 30,000 years ago.
Adam believes a related species, linked to the original cave men, may have survived in Mongolia and Russia and is encouraged by local eyewitness reports.
He offers snuff to local nomadic horsemen as he questions them about what they may have seen or heard. Adam and his guide also stake out a cave overnight in the hope that the Almas might appear.
Important
"I think it's very important for the Almas to be found, because it's in a very remote area of Mongolia. If it's not found soon, it could die out. And if it dies out, we could have lost something that's a very important part of our own heritage."
So far, Adam hasn't had much luck on his expeditions - and you can probably guess from the lack of world press coverage what might have happened on this latest adventure filmed last summer. But in the face of sometimes quite hostile criticism, he's sincere in his beliefs, enthusiastic and ever-hopeful, even if the experts cast doubt on his quest.
One says: "I don't think people are going to find a walking, living, breathing Neanderthal.' Another concurs: "If Neanderthals were still alive, we would find skeletal evidence of it - a lot."
Creature seeker Adam doesn't believe in the Loch Ness monster. But he does think the wild man of Mongolia exists. "I believe the Almas is a real creature but it's in serious decline. I think there's very few of them in the very high mountain ranges around western Mongolia."
He adds: "I know people will watch something like this and think, `Why is he bothering? Why doesn't he go back to his day job?'
"But I firmly believe that in some very remote places in the world there are a number of unique creatures who are in a serious environmental danger."
So is it real - or just a load of nonsense? Watch and decide.
For all the latest news from the world of television, check out Ian Wylie's blog, The Life of Wylie.
What do you think? Have your say.
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