Subject : what's happenings this week !
Date : Thu, 04 Nov 1999 18:20:15 +0000
Hi ALL !
well it's definitely feeling like England now. over the past 1-2 weeks
it has got decidedly colder and now I'm having to wear jeans and a
jacket to work. This also explains my skin getting very dry and flaky.
Over the past few months I've noticed one of my front teeth slowly
edging upwards, I put this down to my back left wisdom tooth which is
actually horizontal !
Back in NZ the dentist said I would have to go to an oral surgeon and
it would cost $800-900 so I flagged it. This was in 1996.
Last week I got in touch with a dental research school and made plans
to have it removed as part of a clinical trial.
So this Wednesday I'll be going into the school and having my lower
wisdom tooth and a bit of bone cut away, and its upper pair pulled out.
The trial is to test analgesics and the usefulness of painkillers. I
believe what will happen is I have to stay in the clinic's lounge and
time when I start to get pain, then excrutiating pain, then after I take
the painkiller how soon the pain subsides again !!
The dentist I was talking too was also called Darryl (spelt the same
way) and actually said that when the front tooth moves up like that
there are actually 8 other causes for it ! doh ! Anyway I decided to go
ahead with it as there is a fear the wisdom tooth will get infected plus
it is smelly as a lot of food gets trapped into my little hole and daily
I need to reach back with my long fingernail and scoop out some gunk !
I have to stay there for 6 hours and they will feed me (if I am able
to open my mouth for the stitches) and I am able to bring videos and
books to pass the time.
I also will get paid the equivalent $220 !
It is a bit of a shame as Kate Jacobs will be performing on Thursday,
Saturday and Thursday.
On Thursday I had audience tickets to a BBC screening on The Nation's
Favourite Lyrics where famous people come on and discuss lyrics. On
Saturday it is Donna Summer (though this may be a late concert), and the
following Thursday will be a Marc Almond book signing - so I will have
to weigh up some choices !
A few people around here are getting colds but I'm okay so far.
Work is still boring. I am saving up to head to Amsterdam next month.
Today I picked up tickets for Nine Inch Nails performing at Brixton
Academy, I have a feeling that concert will sell fast...
keep warm !
love
darryl
Subject : The week thus far October 30th - November 1999
Date : Thu, 04 Nov 1999 09:10:32 PST
Hi all
on Saturday I headed to David and Aaron pad out Chiswick way.
It was way down the end of the road but luckily the bus that stops outside
the hostel stops outside their place after a 15 min journey.
It was halloween of course but only they and their flatmates got into the
spirit of things. Dave was Sid Vicious and Aaron was The Crow. Their
flatmates were real nice and welcoming not like some parties you may go to.
Kelvin was there also as well as a slew of aussie and New Zealander as well
as some english people and an interesting american whose occupation is for
the UN checking to see if countries are using radioactive material properly.
It was good to get down and dance after a long time and reiterated our
desire to catch up again at a niteclub.
The next Sunday I spent the day at home tidying up and did not watch the
rugby game.
On Tuesday night it was the first of the televised concerts to attend for
a pop chart show. The studio was way out Stratford way which is Zone 3
eastwards so the studio was in an bleak industrial area. I'd been told it
was a 20 minute walk from the station but it turned out to be 30 minutes of
walking quickly past deserted buildings and garages with broken windows and
graffiti. Dodgy white vans driving past us throwing detritus from the road.
Dust covered factories and soot. And silence except for the occasional car
or van roaring past as night fell. ALso wondering where everyone else was
that should be going.
We got the studio on time and were heartened to see it shining out at the
end of a road all bright and shiny and brand new. Once we got there we saw
cars and everyone else arriving.
Eventually we got into the studio and were taught how to react and dance
and move and throw our hands in the air as each band entered/ended/exited.
First band were the Long Pigs who are a british indie pop group, we had no
expectations so this was the best act of the night. They played two songs.
Of interest they had three black female backing singers of varying levels of
beauty ;-) Suffice to say everyone was looking at them instead of the band.
Next up was Madness who would perform on the rightside of the stage
whereas the previous band played on the left. They did 4 songs and had great
inbetween patter but despite everyone wanting them to do old classics they
just did four songs off the new album. They look pretty portly now.
Last was Everything But The Girl who did two new songs. All in all it was
a bit boring and disappointing as we were expecting more songs plus there
was a lot of waiting around for the band to get their gear set up. We got
the bus back home to the tube station. Safe and Quick.
On Wednesday night I planned to meet Andrew at 6:15pm at the station, Emma
wasn't able to make it, Claire said she'd be late so to go first without
her, Nathan said he'd be late and he'd be bringing another person.
I met Andrew on time and then got some food to eat. While waiting Nathan
turned up with his sister at 6:45pm. We had decided to wait for Claire cos
didn't want her walking there alone. Eventually we had to get moving so got
the bus to the studio just on time watching out the windows for Claire.
Tonight Ian Brown (Stone Roses) was playing so she was a big fan of his.
We went into the studio and the Lightning Seeds started. They did three
songs including an old one "You Showed Me". Because of technical
difficulties though they had to repeat each song ! No problem for me, it
sounded good ! I'm surprised how popular they are here as they always
sounded a bit wimpy but I always liked them.
Nathan's sister is an bit of an extrovert so found herself right upfront
with the cameras on her and her hawaiian shirt while us guys lingered at the
back watching our heads so the boom didn't hit us.
After a 5 minute wait we had Apollo 440, I was looking forward to this and
I wasn't disappointed. They used to be pretty cheesy and generic. They did
two songs including the latest single "Stop The Rock". The first song was a
mixture of rap and drum'n'bass beats, there were two drummers, two
guitarists, and two keyboardists and a lead singer with a vocoder and looked
good and they sure rocked, lotsof of energy and tried hard to get the crowd
going. I was second from the front and us guys were dancing away but the
guys in front were pretty staid with their arms crossed. Pretty soon we saw
Nathan's sister get pulled by the stage manager to the front of the crowd
again so the cameras can get a shot of her/the crowd having fun.
Next up were american indie band Buffalo Tom who only performed one song,
their version of the Jams 'Going Underground'. I would've liked them to do
one more song.
Last was Ian Brown and the person most people and girls had come to see.
We quickly slid in front of the stage as he came on, all hairy and looking
like a monkey with messy greasy hair coming down his face. His band now
consisted of a drummer, keyboardist and an indian fellow doing tablas and
forms of percussion. His stage presence and voice left something to be
desired but the crowd love him. The second song he did was a deadpan version
of 'Billie Jean'. Unfortunately he only did two songs.
We finished off and hung outside. We hoped Claire would be ok and
suspected she was so late she decided to go home, though I talked to the
people in charge and they anyone could turn up late and still get let in. As
Ian passed I pensively asked him for a photo and he warmly accepted. I was a
worried as he was just out of prison for threatening to cut off an airline
stewardess hands ! He put his arms around all of us and we got a photo, hope
it turned out okay cos we had minimal light and the flash didn't go !!
Andrew saw him back in Australia and held him up for a few minutes talking
about Australia and him playing Big Day Out next year. before he left we
asked for an autograph for Claire.
As we made our way home we promised we wouldn't build up the night too
much as Claire would be even more disappointed.
Eventually at 11pm we arrived home and told everyone what we had done with
plenty of actions and singing.
We had enjoyed the night as we knew what to expect (i.e. nothing) and it
was fine. PLus less timewasting between acts.
Today as I write this I am nursing a sore throat, may be tonsilitis again
which struck me at exactly the same time last year (anyone remember that
funny body-oriented monologue I delivered last year ?)
Tomorrow I've got the day off. I've got things to mail off plus Guy Fawkes
to look forward to plus lots of cds to come !
Claire was fine.
Subject : Guy Fawkes ! 6th November 1999
Date : Sat, 06 Nov 1999 13:05:50 PST
Hi All !
well I'm at work now.
saturday night.
guy fawkes.
in an office block in wembley so lots of echoes and booms all around us.
have a cold but I'm getting over it now, currently in the runny nose stage.
since the spate of concerts last week I'm resting now.
On friday we farewelled another two workmates on to better things. quite sad
as everyone here is lovable and very chummy. so polite.
there was a time when we all came into work and the first thing we would do
is go and shake everyone's hand.
so today there are lots of hugs, funnily enough there only one girl at work
today.
afterwards we went to the local pub and i found myself at the urinals and
remembered i had the camera in my pocket - you'll see the results soon i
hope, we want to develop this roll of film soon to see how the shot with ian
brown turned out.
claire found out how we fared on that night and reports say she literally
fell off her chair.
it is now hindi new year diwali so coincidentally i'll be down brick lane
(banglatown) tomorrow getting new toothbrushes etc.
emma and i were hoping to get to amsterdam this month but i've put it off
because of a record fair so will try to go in early december.
time is ticking away and i'm running out of time here.
time for home and bed now !
cheers to everyone who wanted cds, all gone now !
Subject : Continuing my travels on Scotland June 1998!!!!
Date : Sun, 07 Nov 1999 10:23:51 PST
Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 00:55:07 PDT
HI All !
well as you mailing list oldies will recall when I first got to Great
Britain I did a tour that took me from London to Bath to LLanjoglen in Wales
to the Lake District to Edinburgh. Here I spent some days then took a coach
to Oban - a west coast fishing village as it was suggested to me by Nusi.
I regularly sent you all emails about what I was doing but due to
tardiness on my part and lack of finances for internet cafes these emails
stopped JUST when I was about to recount what happened when I descended into
an irish pub in which were scousers, a stag parties, and a gathering of men
following a set of bagpipes.....
---------------------------------------------------------------
This is the story as recounted over a year ago.
This entry details : my last two days and nights in Oban, taking a boat trip
to the Isle Of Mull and a seal colony, meeting Tania again and how once she
was bleeding, checking out an old castle, catching up with mates Malcolm and
Sarah in Inverrary, Duke Of Argyll.
I had been in Oban for a day now. In t'evening I went for a walk up Pulpit
Hill and got bitten by the 'midges' (green sandflies), bin careful not to
inhale them. Up here I met an old fella and had fun explaining things like
cameras to him. An english couple: the husband really and vocally enjoying
the sunset at 10:30pm at night !
I was nervous about going into a pub but decided to bite the bullet and went
into the Oban Inn which for those that have been here it is the one on the
corner near the dock. Here I watched a world cup game and had a chat with
some sailors who had all been to New Zealand in the 40s-50s or 60s.
I then left the pub.
Now, during the course of the night there are a bunch of pubcrawlers
replete (?) with two bagpipes and a drum. Whatever pub they go into they
cause great whoops of laughter and joy. Anyway they pop into the irish pub
and I join them.....
[and now the story continues]
...descending the stairs and looking ahead through the frosted windows I
can see a distorted vision of fun and frivolity. Shrieks and laughter. I
pull the door open and walk right into that bunch of guys - just in time for
the bagpiper to start up and get everyone worked up.
Standing room only.
To the left of me is a solid sweaty mass of people on the tables and
lounge suites bordering the walls. Scottish sardines packed so tightly not
even a fart could slip through. On a tiny tiny stage to the left is a band
"Rough Justice" playing standard rock covers. A bit mroe space so I head
this way.
I stand near the front trying not to look too conspicuous by listening
with interest when the guys next to me start talking. They are from the Isle
Of Skye on a stagnight do. I intimate it doesn't look too raucous so far but
they say they have to drive back tonight and work !
Next to the stage is the toilet and where all the guys seem to be hanging
out. A blonde girl walks by snaring all males eyes. There are a bunch of
45ish year old guys and they smile at me knowingly. A guy with frizzy brown
hair and a mousey moustache looks at me and says "you like that ?" I can't
stop myself and say "You're a scouser aren't you ?"
Sure enough he was cos then for the next few minutes he regaled me in his
distinctive stereotypical accent about how he knows the Verve and how
liverpudlians are "the salt of the earth mate the salt of the earth. Aye the
salt of the earth". How the women are beautiful and people look after each
other. And to prove this he gave me his phone number if ever I need a place
to stay and how lovely the lasses are with a knowing wink and a constant pat
on the back.
As the night wears on I decide to head on home feeling I've done enough
exploring and socialising to deserve the right to sleep. But not before
several pats on the back and plenty of handshakes all around in the
immediate area (10 metres by 20 metres).
I got up nice and early at 9am hoping to make the 10am boat trip to the
Isle of Mull and seal colony. As I approach the boat I can see it's full up
so about face and head north up the coast towards Dunollie Castle.
A great and windy walk past the Pink (bricked) Cathedral for 1km. The
castle is a ruin and the outside walls are overgrown with vines. Outside a
sign claims of no responsibility for falling rocks and stones. Inside I
explore the castle with some fellow tourists crawling into dirtfloored nooks
and crannies to take a photo looking out towards the water. As well as
hopefully the successful panoramic photo on this highpoint.
It was still windy on the way back but there is small sheltered area in a
bend in the road so I manage to bask in the sun here and cook in my tshirt
and shorts. I reclined on a piece of ground where a movement one metre to or
fro would result in me being blown back or against the rock wall. I dwelled
on this peculiar situation and attempted to think of perhaps some allegory
on life and its trials and tribulations, on malevolent friendship, flying
cows or a clever quip, but had no success. (Well couldn't be arsed really).
It is here one of three locations that I sit down and pen all this down
for you guys to be transcribed onto computer later (much later as you now
know), and one of two instances when Tanya seems to chance upon me.
With the two of us sitting here I can see a great vapour trail. Everyday
there have been several jets heading out to sea. In fact, the sky is
littered with naturally formed clouds with streaks left by the jets which
diffuse as the day go on. So that in the late afternoon and evening one can
look up and see what look like just clouds but I know better (and so do all
the Obanites of course who see it everyday). I've documented this with
several photos.
And because of this I decide to take a shot of Tanya from behind with
vapour trail above her cos it looks good and mysterious. But of course you
want to know who I met on my travels so I do take a front of her face.
At the third location where I am writing this up I am sitting in the
town's square and a child has just had his sandwich pinched by a seagull
without much of a fight. Now he reaches over and tries to get a bit of his
mothers but she forcibly says NO.
At the other location Tanya says she has lost her wallet - she is calm as
she knows it's part of some great plan. I think on this occasion we talked
about relationships, Pan (the god of the forest again) and tantric sex which
we'll leave at that as it involves a lot of blood on her part. Did I mention
earlier how she ended up here ?
She is south african and had a not nice childhood and felt a calling to
come here, specifically The Isle of Iona. The first place of the Christians.
The island itself is supposedly a serene place but is a magnet of spritual
people of all kinds. Tanya would say that as soon as she walked upon the
ground she felt something.
check this one out :
http://www.whidbey.com/Whidbey_Institute/iona_main.html
http://www.whidbey.com/Whidbey_Institute/iona_images.html
http://www.tagnet.org/llt/cw27.htm
http://www.zynet.co.uk/mull/tour.html
I head back to the hostel and grab my jacket and jump onto the 2pm boat
tour.
I should mention that when I go back to the room, my roommate wakes up and
I realise he was the barman at the Oban Inn. He's from Melbourne. I also
should make a little aside and mention that on the Slowcoach tour some
people got off at some places or moved on further ahead so at various
locations we sometimes meet back up again and it is certainly a warm feeling
to see a familiar face, so this was a nice event.
The boat trip is cheap, 6 pounds. It is a one hour journey and I am lucky
I brought along my brown oxfam jacket as it is wet and windy as I sit on the
back of the boat as it toos and fros getting the occasional spray in my
face. Eccentrically I am still wearing shorts, tshirt and jandals. Most
long boat journeys are boring and this was pretty much the same, though
there were other boats and islands to look at on the way. As well as a cliff
face that looks like icicles. I am joined by various english and scottish
people mostly oldies.
We arrive at the jetty where just down from it is a sunken ship. We have
one and a half hours to explore the Island of Mull and Duart Castle and
environs. Looking across from the castle we see if I remember correctly a
private school. Whatever it was it was beautiful, a beautiful house on the
shore with a colourful garden. Took a few snaps which I have only just
developed. The Island is big and the castle is simply on the most eastern
tip of it so I walk the round a bit and look around.
Here's some info about the castle.
http://www.zynet.co.uk/mull/members/duart.html
The trip back is faster and within 45 minutes we pass the seal colony and
grab some snaps of some napping seals. The journey was well worth it. It was
windy but the sun was out. There are about 30 seals and they wre all playing
or lazing on the rocks and stared at us quizzically.
There are some great islands here with great mountainous formations. I
head back to get a hot shower. In fact it is too damn hot as it is broken !
I jump out of the shower and bump face to face into a czech girl as once
again we have unisex bathrooms. I mumble something and jump into the
neighbouring shower. I keep bumping into this czech group everywhere. There
were on the bus as well and I saw them around the town but never got a
chance to speak to them till the very last night. Shame.
This night I don't recall what I ate, it was possibly noodles or spaghetti
from the supermarket.
Late at night I phoned up Nusi to tell her I was here, where she told me
to go. In the phonebooth next door is an english guy on holiday telling his
wife how wonderful and relaxing the place is.
I head back to the same pub and get talking to Alistair and his brother.
They are both chefs and their father was a sailor or something so his
brother was almost born in New Zealand. They take me under their wing and
head along the marine parade to another pub. It strikes me that everyone
knows everyone around here so a new face is something extraordinary.
Alistair get inebriated and tells me of his time in the Falkands and the
Gulf and how it took him a very long time to recover. Through tears he
recounted how in a local pub someone wore the wrong team colours and how he
smashed a glass and had to stop himself from piercing the fellow at the base
of his spine and twisting.
Anyway we had a fair yarn and exchanged numbers etc. At one other pub we
played pool and I got talking to another sailor who had also been to New
Zealand !
Headed back home after midnight pleased with another days socialising.
The next morning I had one last walk around and got the bus to Inverary to
catch up with an old friend...
------------------------------------------------------------
Oh yeah, Tanya did find her wallet in her room - under her pillow.
http://www.scotland-info.co.uk/
Subject : more Scottish High(land) jinks ! 15-17th June 1998
Date : Tue, 09 Nov 1999 07:42:46 PST
Okay, I believe my last week of travel during June 1998 was this :
12th June - Friday night in Edinburgh.
Oban 13th Saturday - 14th Sunday
Inveraray 15th Monday -16th Tuesday
Edinburgh 17th Wednesday
de la soul, London thursday 18th
So this entry'll start from :
Monday 15th June 1998
I got the lunchtime bus for Inverary from Oban. It is literally a one
street no - a half a street town so wiht minutes I had familiarised myself.
I called into the hotel but my friend Malcolm McLeod and his wife Sarah whom
I havent' seen for perhaps 2 years weren't there. So I killed some time by
walking around again and doing what my fellow busmates were doing, i.e.
going to the tourist information office and finding out what else one can do
around here.
I decide to check into the YHA hostel but it doesn't open till late
afternoon !
If I recall, I then headed on to the Duke of Argyll's residence and had a
little walk around the castle and assaulted a scottish highland cow which
was swarming with buzzy green midges.
Anyway...eventually...at long last...I manage to check myself in for the
night and head off with camera in hand to the hotel pub where they will be
playing pool so I've been told. My plan is to walk in and surprise Malcolm
by taking his photo as if I was a tourist and complete stranger or old
friend who he does not know is here and has nor seen for two years !
I walk into the pub, see Malc bent over
about to take his shot
and
I get him.
[hmm..reading this later this can be a bit ambiguous and may allude to
something else - ed]
He looks up and in his typical subdued manner says 'Hello Darryl'. It
would eventuate later that 1-2 days earlier when I phoned his cousin for his
details, his cousin told him I was coming ! So much for the element of
surprise and the fainting and hyperventilating I would expect from seeing a
ghost from the past. (Speaking of ghosts I've taken my photo in plenty of
church graveyards here but still no ghosts).
We grab some dinner and I catch up with them both. Sarah with a big
welcoming smile on her face (as usual) introduces me to their workmates.
The next day they have the day off so I call round there place round
9-10ish time to catch an episode of this childrens program I've heard a bit
about : The Teletubbies. The TV is behind the kitchen so I'm privy to the
goings-on and gossip back here.
We jump into the car and they show me round the area. I believe it was
Loch Lomond (around Crian Larach) that we get to the top of. There is a
bigpiper here and we throw a few coins in for him.
We drive some more following the lay of the lake with the lake on one side
and greenery and hills on t'other - it reminds me a lot of home. (Nupe, not
homesick yet ;-)
We stop off at a pub and are served hot potatos by a fat south african
guy. I have mine filled with haggis and I love it !
Since in London I've only had haggis once and that was from the
supermarket, I cooked it myself okay but it was terrible, very very salty !
We got back in the early afternoon so with the agreeable weather Malcolm
and I head up the nearest hill Dun na Cuaiche.
The trip took about 30-40 minutes, can't recall but it traversed a cow
field, a dark forest where of course one always meets other fellow walkers
then finally a nice walk to the top where there is a bed of long lucious
green grass to lie in and look down upon Inveraray or straight ahead to the
other mountains and landscapes or upwards...
I have a photo of the view from here that I may scan soon, but if you
can't wait check out this link :
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/AboutArgyll/discover.htm
And have a look at the 6th or 7th photo "Inveraray and Loch Fyne from Dun na
Cuaiche", this is the view we had. This photo isn't that good. Too dark and
small.
As I write this now over 12 months past the occasion I feel a longing to
head back out into the wilds again.
Once we're all photoed out we head back down for dinner.
I believe the Scotland world cup game was tonight so we watched it, I
think everyone knew they were to lose but what the hey. Afterwards they take
me down the road to visit someone from our old college. I forget his name
but as it happens I had been to primary school with him as well (though he
was a year younger) and we reminisced and unearthed dark names and faces
from the past.
In two days time I would have to be in London for the De La Soul concert
so I retired to bed early, and before the 11pm curfew at the hostel.
Tonight I am sharing the room with a late twenties guy from Australia who
has made his plan to go home emptyhanded thereby indicating that if he
spends all his money here it would mean he would have lived life to the max.
I still ruminate on this idea even till this day.
Next morning I said goodbye and took the bus to Edinburgh via Glasgow. The
moment I arrived I phoned up the Castlerock Hostel and book myself in for
the night.
I seem to have acquired two bags now so drop them off at the hostel. The
sun is shining and welcomes me back to my final day here.
I check out the museum and gallery and have a little walk around. Passing
a budget music store (;-) I see a pub advertise a pub night so later in the
evening I head back there. It is horror theme pub "The Mary Hope Tavern".
Here I met Anna and Rob a crazy aussie and south african.
The next morning I get the 8:30am bus back to London and spend 8 hours
cramped against a window.
And this is where the next entry comes in :
http://geocities.datacellar.net/SunsetStrip/Arena/6613/trip/delasoul.html
Subject : Ian Brown concert 10th Nov 1999
Date : Thu, 11 Nov 1999 10:31:34 PST
Hi All !
well the concert was nice.
I planned to meet with Claire at Holborn Station at 6:30pm.
After getting there just on time with two tube lines dragging their wheels.
I waited in the station for a while then gave her a call and found her round
the corner from me !
We'd both been walking around but kept missing each other !
We walked on down to the venue, it was at an epistological (?) hall. Very
much like a church hall, so all wooden floors, posters and leaflets
detailing forthcoming organ recitals and womens group meetings abounded. And
typically with old buildings the toilets were up one set of stairs round the
back.
We were 20th in line and soon there was a long stream of people behind us.
Touts were about trying to buy/sell tickets as usual.
I was deeply worried about sneaking in my camera but at the end had no
problem as they weren't checking.
We hung in the foyer as the hall had a massively loud sound system and the
dj was making our ears bleed. This was the popular choice as pretty soon we
were packed in. They were selling last years tour tshirts for 5 UKP but I
decided against buying one.
While waiting we saw various media hacks and luvvies come in with their
special passes and go up the stone stairs to the top floor with seating. One
girl in particular looked very familiar, not a singer or famous person but
someone I'm sure I knew from New Zealand.
As starting time got closer we went in and the got about 3 metres from the
stage, it really was spacious in here ! Above the stage was the adage "TO
THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE"
Eventually the lights dimmed and the classic red curtains drew back to
reveal Ian with mike in one hand and a hammer in the other, an interesting
image. As noted last time the band consisted one a guy on keyboards or
guitar, an indian guy doing tablas and percussion and a drummer.
As noted in the www.nme.com review below he doesn't move much, just sings
with the mike right up to his face and shuffles his feet up and down, up and
down which is infectious and easily lampooned.
The crowd are fans and give his an ecstatic welcome. Loudly clapping each
new song and going bonkers when he does songs off the previous album, no
Stone Roses songs though !
To be honest I'm not a big fan though I like what I've heard. His voice
live doesn't quite cut it.
I had two thoughts before coming here. Firstly, that the place would be
packed to the rafters, luckily there were only 300 hundred tickets and the
punters certainly spread themselves about so even though we were right up
front we weren't jostled at all and everyone no matter how short they were
had a great view.
Secondly, I imagined him with no stage charisma: after the first song he
borrowed someone's glasses, the inbetween patter was right on, though I
really couldn't fumble through his thick manchester accent, after using his
harmonica he gave it to someone in the crowd, when he had a swig of his
cough mixture after persistant begging he gave it to someone in front as
well ! he didn't accept the unopened can of beer though !
Despite my reservations about his live voice, the instrumentation was
faultless, the light show was the best I've ever seen using every colour,
twirl, swirl and smoke trick !
The set lasted one hour and as an encore he performed the cover of "Billie
Jean" again but not before 100s of red balloons descended down onto us.
Everyone popped them or threw them backwards into the crowd or forwards onto
stage, I looked to my left and saw Claire headown with her hands clasped
tightly on her ears. I thought it was a bit too noisy for her but found out
later she has a phobia about balloons (after having one go off in her face
when she was younger ;-)
Eventually we filed out of the hall and I joined thwe 20 deep queue for
the mens toilet. Just like the Suede and Bernard Butler concert there are a
lot of japanese girls and there was a group of four girls with winter
woolies on clutching souvenir balloons and posters, looked so cute but I was
too shy to take a photo.
We headed back home and told everyone about it and ended up reminiscing
about New Zealand (bata bullets, monster cookies, animal biscuits) in the
room until 1am.
Claire is gonna send some stuff home for a hardcore Ian Brown fan back
home in Auckland - not rubbing it in of course ;-)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
From :
http://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews/19991111130220.html
Ian Brown
London Conway Hall
Clutching a claw-hammer (of course), dressed in baggy black clothes and
doing that unrelenting shuffle from one foot to another, a being with less
charisma than Ian Brown might look like he'd turned up to do some joinery
work and come down with a bad case of hot foot.
As he stomps through opener 'Love Like A Fountain', it's sparse and
soulful chorus counterpointing with the almost low key breakbeats, all the
flack that The Stone Roses took ten years ago - that they were retro, that
their funked out psychedelia was leading us to a dead end - literally
evaporate like bluebottles flying into an Insectocutor (one of those
blue-light things they have in chip shops that execute incects - Ed).
You might not have thought watching Brown fumble through a greatest hits
set at Reading 96, literally exterminating the weight of that band's legacy,
that we'd be standing here enthralled at the virtuosity, the modernity and
the experimental populism of the new songs and less enthusiastic at the
prospect of another set of John Squire boogie woogie bad-Bluetones numbers.
But here we are...
Whatever happened to Ian Brown lately - prison, reflection, a light on the
road to Damascus - has resulted in a collection of songs that crackle with
sex, ambition and, most importantly, style.
Brown is technically not a good singer: fact. Neither was Sinatra and like
Frank, Brown has tailored everything to suit his voice rather than fighting
with material that he can't handle; it's only on stuff from the first solo
album like 'My Star' that you hear him straining to get the notes. Still,
'Corpses In The Mouth' is greeted like an old friend by the crowd.
But live, the material from the new album is enervated with an extra
dimension; 'Golden Gaze' particularly is a radiant highlight, a funked up
skew on what is, after all, just a classic piece of songwriting.
They rain red balloons on the crowd as they return for an encore after a
utilitarian set that does what it came to do. They are popped in seconds and
swept onto the stage as Ian does a cover of Jacko's 'Billie Jean'. If you
gotta laugh, you can only laugh with him now.
Subject : Clear Like an unmuddied lake 13th november 1999
Date : Fri, 19 Nov 1999 07:51:06 PST
Hi All
big email detailing the week : 15-21 November 1999
includes : goth niteclub, big music news, catch up with Ant, Hong Kong stars
coming to London, watching Ozzy Osbourne interview, visiting Croydon.
MONDAY
Last weekend I had to work on the Saturday. On Sunday we decided to be
healthy so walked all the way into town and checked out the art stalls set
up along the main strip. Had a hot chocolate at the Diana cafe which is a
ripoff like most cafes anyway, or everything else in London and England for
that matter !
Checked out Speakers corner then did some shopping down Oxford Street then
dinner at Wong Kei's, we didn't get a chance to walk along the Thames as
planned, maybe next week - we haven't been there for a long time. I enjoy
it, an ugly neighbourhood but a cosy building.
On Monday is Electric Dreams, that goth/industrial/synthpop night at
Gossip Nightclub. I'm reading Marc Almond's autobiography and he described
this club in the early 80s and how it was a gothic club way back then as
well and how various bands would perform there.
Maiken is a danish gothic girl from the hostel and is leaving at the end
of this week so asked a few days ago to accompany here. As it would turn
out, once I got ready and had planned to meet up with Anthony she was
totally out of money and too tired etc so this is how I end up in Soho at
9pm looking at a poster promoting Simon Yam (Tat Wah) my favourite male Hong
Kong actor appearing at a short film festival in his honour this coming
Friday and Saturday !
http://www.hkstar.co.uk
When I was just about to rush to the theatre and book my ticket I spot
Anthony outside Wong Kei restaurant as planned so hold it off till later.
On a related note my favourite Hong Kong actress is Chingmai Yau (or
chipmunk cheeks as my sister Julia calls her). I like Simon as he plays any
role : good,bad, gay,handsome assasin,serial killer, good cop, bad cop...and
sometimes a combination of all of the above. So I am looking forward to
seeing him this weekend.
Anyway Anthony introduces to me to Carol who is the french girlfriend of
David. We go in to eat and right after ordering we start talking about MUSIC
MUSIC MUSIC ! [this spot dedicted to Teresa Brewer] As it happens, it seems
everyone is going to The Mission next Tuesday - this makes me even more
excited ! And I am looking forward to buying my tickets the next day.
We take our time relaxing and talking. Carol is from Brittany and is
working for a hotel in Regents park and they put up their staff at the
Piccadilly Circus hotel, grotty room but a great location !
The food comes and I pour more jasmine wine while Anthony brings me
uptodate with the concerts he's been to recently. He helped out at CTEC
which was a Helloween industrial/gothic night with lots of bands made up of
members from more famous bands (Nitzer Ebb, Front 242...)
It was at the Astoria and Anthony in his normal gusto proclaims that he
knows the manager there pretty well. He managed to get a free ticket to Mel
C's concert and informs me that David Bowie will be doing a secret gig there
very soon.
We attempt to finish our meals but no luck, our eyes are bigger than our
stomachs, David arrives so Ant takes off to set up the club and I go off for
a parambulation around town and plan to go to the club round 11pm.
I head to the theatre to get a ticket for Simon Yam but the box office is
closed ! doh ! This bad news forces me to rethink my financial situation so
I decide to chance it on Friday night - it starts at 10:30pm !
I pop into the new Virgin megastore and again I'm struck by the stupidity
of the musicbuying public, the prices are horrendous, England is possibly
the most expensive place in the world to buy cds, newish cds and even some
oldies cost round 12-16 pounds ! As usual it's much cheaper to buy from the
US. I have a listen to the new Bowie album and he is forgiven for the past
few years of drivel he's put out, this is pure rock like he used to do 1-2
decades ago. No attempts at beats, dance or heavy rock.
I pick a clubflyer off the ground and write my name and phone number on
it. It's time to catch up with old acquaintances. I've not seen Hema for
over a year now. When I was pulling rickshaws in town she was a short indian
law graduate on the dole and selling roses in the square and in clubs and we
used to prop each other up. She's finished it now, hopefully got a job in a
nice law firm I hope ! I pass on the flyer to a flyer guy who sees her every
few months and we chat about the old days and I leave with him promising to
pass on my details to her.
At 11:11pm (in recognition of Armistice etc) I pop into the club. Pretty
quiet. I walk down the stairs with Duran Duran on the turntable and see
Anthony (Ant) manning the till. I walk on through and imagine what it
would've been like when Marc Almond and The Cure etc used to come here.
Walking into the bar area I get talking to Carol again.
There are three groups of people at tables, all goths, girls and guys in
black, girls with hair extensions or wigs all wearing bodices. I'm wearing
the same clothes for two weeks now, luckily I dusted the dandruff off my
black jacket before coming in as there are strobe lights everywhere here
punctuating the deliberate darkness. I head back to Ant and he introduces me
to a girl, short and stubby and wearing a skimy black number fit to burst,
looking very exotic but her scouser accent gives her away ! Ant's
ex-girlfriend walks out with her fiance and he holds his hand to his heart
dramatically.
By 12 there is a healthy crowd of people coming in. I hit the dancefloor
and stay there till the club closes at 3:30am. I was tired. I was hungry but
now that I'm getting some exercise I get swept up in the music. Good thing
no one else wanted to come tonight cos they always want to go home early.
On my steadfast position in the corner of the dancefloor (it is a small
intimate one) I observe the people around me.
From time to time people come up to chat. Ant has finished on the door now
so we converse. It seems he offended that short girl, a tangled web of
relationships perhaps, I don't think we helped matters by getting a
photograph of me with her in the background unbeknownst to her until the
flash went off and she stormed off ;-)
Ant points out a young guy in a white tshirt who keeps he thinks is coming
on to him and keeps touching him. "it'll give the wrong impression for the
birds darryl!"
Then we would look quizzically at each other and then look back onto the
dancefloor and look at the inhabitants again.
There is a girl who is seriously the best dancer I have ever seen, dancing
by herself, lots of energy but controlled moves that look so natural. A
pretty girl like that you would think would be into top 40 music but she
sings passionately along to Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, gary Numan, Soft
Cell et al. She looks familiar. And then it comes to me.
Do you recall the Depeche Mode after party at the nightclub where I waxed
lyrical on this girl that was commanding the attention of all the club
patrons ? It was her! I mentioned this to Ant and he said right, thanks,
that'll be what I need to start on her. Lat eron in the night she went up to
the dj booth to make a request and I saw Ant go up and through their actions
I could discern the conversation.
"weren't you at the after show ?"
"why yes"
"I was there too!!" (large smile and feign surprise)
"I remember!" (big smile again)
etc etc
Anyway Ant was real tired and hungry and looked it but he promised to
accompany her to another club afterwards - this would be a burden on him
because as the hours ticked away slowly he would come up in a negative state
of mind asking if it was worth it ?
Cue a Bauhaus song (Bela Lugosi's Dead) and all the goths come and fill
the dancefloor. It is at this point as I look onto the writhing dancefloor
that I realise that the ABBA GOLD cd I got for my Mum for Christmas, she has
it already. oh well.....on comes the Damned doing Eloise and I jump into the
fray. I'm glad I'm old and know all these songs !! Actually you can't jump
here, the ceiling is 12 inches above my head !
As the night wears on I keep dancing as best I can. Now that other pubs
and clubs have closed we get an influx of clubbers and pubbers up for more
dancing or drinking. A few drunken students who revell in every Cure song. A
few couples and I see plenty of girls in what seem to be short black minis.
Too cold and revealing for the weather I felt.
Eventually the night ended and the lights go on and we can all see each
other. All the girls I thought were in black minis were actually wearing
only underpants and mesh tops, the dancing girl has a big nose and is
scantily clad as well (I thought she had a business suit on), the tall girls
with big hair were transvestites (again!) and everyone else had thick black
dripping makeup.
I make my way home at 3:30am navigating Old Compton street past the cafe
populated by gay clubbers, the threatening drug dealers who call out to me
and walk after me offering stuff - scarey actually !
Grab the bus very quickly and manage to get home at 4:15am. Hit the sack
and awake on Tuesday morning at 10am.
TUESDAY
A day off today - you didn't think I was so irresponsible to go clubbing
on a week night ;-) (Though I did enjoy myself so will be back again soon).
I wonder how Ant went, he doesn't say much else, but we talk about The
Mission again and he bemoans the fact that the female friend he is taking
will take ages to get ready etc etc.....
Today I plan to go to Croydon, more specifically Beanos who purport to be
the biggest secondhand music dealer in the UK. But firstly I go into town
and pick up tickets for the Mission, I see a sign saying the tickets for
Bowie will go on sale next Monday so I make an extreme mental note. The
venue is the Astoria which has a capacity of two thousand on two floors so
it's a small club gig. Unfortunately it's the same date as Paul McCartney's
Parkinson show which I predict will finish at 9pm so I have to make a
decision ;-(((
Assuming I can get Bowie tickets or Macca tickets for that matter...
I head out to Croydon and walk around passing the local market, pop into a
charity store and pick up a cheap cd and then ask the old lady behind the
desk for a street, straight away she guessed correctly I am looking for
Beanos. I get there and spend about an hour there. They have three floors
but it's spacious. Prices are good. They have some rare stuff that they may
not be aware of for good prices. At the end I only buy five cds.
I get the train back and stop off at Brixton. The two youths I get off
with go round the back of the station and start spraying. It's pissing down
now and I descend the stations steps into the market, it's grimey and gloomy
as shit. A white guy in front of me with tattoos is smoking marajuana and as
we walk out of the market, every black guy yells out to him, I sensed
trouble at first but they basically wanted a smoke or to buy something off
him. I move quickly out of there.
I head to Brxiton Academy which is a concert venue and try to pick up my
tickets for Nine Inch Nails in 2 weeks time. After a debacle it seems I need
to come on the night to pick up the tickets not beforehand. shit !
I get the tube back to town and check out the secondhand stores in Soho
-William Orbit's new single is out next week but I must find a promo cd
before then. No joy but I pick up latest Toybox cd single as well as Strike
doing a techno cover version of All About Eve's "Marthas Harbour" - playing
it last night makes me even more excited about the Mission concert where AAE
will be supporting. I got two tickets, Craig a yorkshireman from work here
is going as well.
I rush back home to meet Emma for dinner but she is working late, doh !
especially when I had to rush around town and missed some special
christmassy activities in town.
WEDNESDAY
Today I went to grab some lunch from the sandwich bar down the road,
sandwichs as well as soup cafe/kitchens are popular here. a bit ripoff but
on rare occasions you'll get something resembling your money's worth.
Afterwards I went to the post office and while waiting some soccer fans ran
by shouting and a jamaican girl says to her white friend that she's gonna
get out of here once she finishes work.
Yes once again there is a big soccer match here, England versus Scotland,
a few kilted people walking around, 150 arrested last week at an earlier
game so it should be interesting !
Tonight I have audience tickets for a new show called 'This Is Not your
Life'. It is a show where they bring on embarrassing moments from the
person's life. The first guest is Ozzy Osbourne. On the train here I can
pick out the metallers attending as well.
I come out of the station and Emma is there looking pensive, seems like
she forgot her ticket, no matter she didn't want to go anyway but we go to
the office and see if they have a spare one. Luckily the soccer game was on
so the nice lady hands over a spare one. With glee we get inside and there
is a multitude of leather and normal people, and old normal people there
already.
My musical interests run to all genres as well as historical matters so I
am looking forward to it. Would they mention the dove/bat head biting
incidents ?
Recording starts at 7:30pm. Ozzy comes out and his fans rise to his feet
making lots of noise and making hand signs. He is dressed in black with long
dyed red/black hair, dark glasses and a few necklaces with crosses.
As he starts to speak I silently moan, the rumours that years of
hardliving have taken a toll seem to be true. Words come out slightly
slurred, deep pauses, no emotion or inflection in his speaking. BUT as the
night went on I felt he became more relaxed and opened up more (despite his
halfhearted protestations that he didn't want anymore of these memories
dredged up). Pretty soon everyone was laughing at his memories, quips and
jokes.
Though as he was a drunkard back then a common response to these questions
were "I don't remember" or "did I !?!!?"
Some of the topics they covered were :
- time in prison
- biting the head off a pigeon
- biting the head off a bat
- tales of pizza
- his wife taking away all his clothes whenever she left the house so he
wouldn't go out ( he did anyway, dressed in her clothes)
- plus other drunken tales of rock'n'roll excess !
(too numerous to name).
It was good to hear these classic tales that are bandied about in rock books
and from journalists and evangelists, good to hear them from the horse's
mouth !!
Unfortunately, the recording lasted one and a half hours but they need to
cut it down to half an hour for television which is a shame though maybe
not.....
Afterwards we ate italian.
THURSDAY
Tonight the music show we were in the audience for was screened at
11:30pm. We waited up and taped it but it was disappointing. You can
definitely see us in the background at the beginning but it wasn't as good
as being there.
FRIDAY
Prince is back in town promoting his new album and as is usual he always
does a secret concert, i.e. he will turn up to a niteclub close the doors
and anyone in there gets a free 2 hour concert. Last year he did this twice,
my friend Allan who is a roadie from New Zealand helped out and in fact was
his soundman !
Tonight I (think) I know what club he will be at but can't be bothered
getting dressed and going.
Hopefully catch up with Simon Yam instead...
Subject : All About Eve, The Mission, London Astoria 23rd Nov 1999
Date : Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:38:20 PST
[check out for latest photos!
http://darrylfong.webjump.com/rhyan.html]
Well it's getting colder round here, still autumn and lots of leaves and
there is some snow up north now.
Quite tired nowadays, probably due to seasonal depression due to cold and
winter etc.
Anyway I'd been waiting for this gig for a whole one week ! It was a slow
seller but by the end of the day there were people clamouring for tickets.
A workmate Craig wanted to come along as well, he is a goth from way back
- the whole thing with makeup, quite amusing to imagine. He has also shown
us photos from his dreadlock phase.
As the concert loomed up at the end of the day we left work and went into
town. The doors opened at 7pm so we figured with 4 bands they would start
playing roudn 7:45pm, we didn't like the two 'lower' bands so decided to
waste some time walking around town.
Last week there was a documentary on the lost youth of London, the
prostitutes and homeless. Now when I walk around town and see young boys and
girls waiting by the tube station or against walls I see them in a different
light !
We walked around and stopped into a pub at 7:30pm. The one by Les
Miserables. If you know London, at night you get a few dodgy characters
selling drugs and services. From our perch against the window we looked out
at the proceedings.
In the cubicle next to us were fellow concertgoers all wearing black, some
guys wearing black eye liner. Gothics really like to dye their hair so a
girl had a shock of purple hair. Looking out thw window we saw several pass
by.
At 8pm, eventually we thought 'oh well' we'd best be going 'ho hum' and
then dragging our feet we moved off. 'snarf snarf'
Heading up Charing Cross road we pass the normal suspects of homeless and
drunks, but this time there are shadowy black figures shuffling along the
sidewalk.
We passed the ticket touts and saw a line of goths so we joined them. I
hadn't really thought that people took gothdom seriously these days to turn
up in mass.
Goth had its heydey in the late eighties here so hence people would have
moved on. Though it doesn't seem like it. The crowd are a mixture of young
ones plus old twenty somethings like me which listened to this sort of music
back in their teens and have mostly grown out of this phase. So I get the
feelling that all the oldies are here for our chance to go back ten years !
Not forgetting those that took it too seriously and killed themselves or
went mad !!
The line is actually quite short outside so within 2-3 minutes we are
inside. But when we get inside..........
Swarms and hordes of goths, so much black my pink tshirt (yes you heard
right) stands out like a beacon for abuse - luckily I get none ;-)
Every gig I have been to, I have been in the majority of tall people, but
here there are so many tall guys it's unbelievable; mounds of teased black
hair, eyeliner, purple/orange/green hair, leather bodices, lace....as the
night progressed I would get a mouthful of each...
Anyway we move our way into the middle. The place is packed. It's a little
under 8pm and All About Eve are onstage ! bad timing or what ! Luckily I
found out we came in halfway through the first song so I didn't miss a
thing.
Phased
Shelter From The Rain
In The Clouds
Strange Way
Are You Lonely
Freeze
What Kind Of Fool
Every Angel
Outshine The Sun
I was glad they did 'What Kind Of Fool', the title had been on the tip of
my tongue as one song I would like to hear but couln't remember it.
They had several fans in the crowd, next to me a large fat guy all in
black with teased hair and lace sleeves was waving his arms about singing
along.
We then waited for half an hour while they set up. In front of us were two
thirty-something sisters. Making a lot of noise making sure no one tall
stood in front of their way. This suited us !
We were about 15 metres from the front.
Eventually the lights dimmed and the crowd roared. The band came out and
as anticipated the crowd surged forward, the other three got pulled ahead, I
opted to stay back. To the right of me the most frightening skinhead
literally barges through with fists and elbows flying. Short stocky and lots
of tattoos.
As the night wore on I would eventually get moved right to the back as the
moshing circle would extend out to envelope me whenever a popular song come
on, i.e. every 1-2 songs !
At the end I ended up next to some italian guys will frizzy hair.
Beyond the pale,
Hands Across the Ocean,
Into the Blue,
Butterfly On a Wheel,
Raising Cain,
Severina,
??,
Swoon,
Garden of Delight,
Blood Brother,
Tower of Strength,
Deliverence,
Encore:
I Can't Help Falling In Love With You
Dancing Barefoot
You Are Like A Hurricane
Crystal Ocean
Last Encore: Marian/Wasteland, 1969
It was about 4 songs in that I thought of something that I normally think
of before going to a concert.
i.e. what songs would they sing ?
At this point i realised that they haven't had an album for a long time
and hence this would be tantamount to a greatest hits concert. And I am
right as they barrel without stopping for four songs nonstop.
The main song I wanted was Tower Of Strength. For this the crowd really
got into it, with lots of airpunching, people on top of people's shoulders
on TOP of people's shoulders ! People standing on shoulder and linking
hands ('pyramids'). Very emotional, I got some photos so hope they turn out
okay.
Craig told me they always finish with the same song, and when this started
the crowd went crazy and so did everyone around me so I decided to jump in
and batter myself around a bit.
We rushed for the exit as we had to get back home quickly. I would find
out later I missed the merchandise stall which was a shame as I wanted a
tshirt. BUT outside there were fake tshirt sellers so I picked one up, XL
size but still okay.
Unfortunately I didn't get tickets for Bowie, they sold out in 10 minutes.
Now I saw a pair being auctioned off for 100 pounds a piece ! I didn't get
tickets for Paul McCartney and Michael Parkinson but got some for Sting with
Parkinson and hopefully the Christmas 'French and Saunders' special !
fin