washington and philly

we slew em

good crowds and great reaction

people saying we never sounded better

a guy whose seen us 150 times says we are at our best now

some little idiot puts up a video of ian fluffing a bit of reptile

and all the naysayers jump in

the same old little crowd

you know its possible to like the church as we are now

and to like MWP and whatever he does next

the 2 are not mutually exclusive

but the bitches gotta bitch…

ok well it was this way or nothing

i think our rave reviews and sell out shows have justified my decision

to carry on with ian

he’s doing a fucking incredible job

if you have a fucking beef with that

come backstage and tell me why that is

if you got the guts

I’m sorry you thought the band was over without MWP

but you were wrong

he is an incredible musician but we are an incredible band even without him

i have not spoken to him since he left with not a word

i respect his decision to leave

i love this man and i wish him the success he deserves

a rockin’ guitarist and a fountain of knowledge about music

you do not have to choose between us

you could have liked us both

but when you tell me i can’t continue with my band

that peter and i founded at least 6 months before we even met MWP

music and feeling peter and i have been working together since we were teens

i aint gonna walk away from this because someone else didn’t wanna do it anymore

that was his right

that was his prerogative

but if you believed he was the engine of the church’s music

you got it wrong

he was a quarter of it and now he’s gone we got a new quarter

personally we all dig our new quarter

we like him

we like his playing

we are actually very happy he is in our band

he is now one of us

man you gotta keep moving on

more songs

more tours

and more players if players drop out

i been speaking backstage with doctors and lawyers

and space aeronautical engineers

i been speaking with teenage kids and housewives

I’ve been speaking with many of our US constituents

and they have re-affirmed my confidence in this, my life’s work

my whole life leads up to everyone of these shows

and if you see us you will be amazed by what we put into this

because its everything we have

we love what we do

we love our audiences who believe in us

its an incredible loop

their love and their belief fills my old body every night i go onstage

i feel like i’m 14

better actually

i never had so much energy at 14

i am channelling their appreciation straight into my heart

where it pumps the rocknroll enzyme all over me

and the pain n doubt n tiredness n age

are totally nullified

with my bass guitar my wand my staff my trusty trident

for 2 hours i am oblivious to everything outside the room

yes like a vampire i suck the audiences energy

and i turn it back into music

without them i am just an old stupid geezer with a guitar

(come and see our shambolic soundchecks and rehearsals)

but once the people are in the room

the magic thing happens

oh bring it on i am addicted!

maybe its narcissism i wouldn’t doubt it

it definitely started there

last night a guy tells me

i am like an opera singer in my mannerisms

yes yes

exactly

a totally fucked up opera singer

and i sing my operas about this strange life we all having

at the back of every song is love

just like john lennon used to say

love love love

my job simultaneously humbles me and elevates me

its confusing

i am confused

i make mistakes

i forget the words and notes

i do and i say silly things

but i love my audience

i love our music

it has been an honour to spend 35 fucking years with y’all

i’m serious

no irony here now

thank you all

 

ps still on my mad alex chilton thing

cannot stop thinking about him

and listening to his records

sk boston 11 march 15