i tried fiendss
i checked into mo-tels n ho-tels
do you have the internet?
ah..we do..but its not working right now
jesus h christ australia
even the smallest ma n pa place in the states
had the internet…most of em hi-speed wireless
yet ya stay at a good hotel here…..nothin’!
i tried at airports
i tried backstage
most backstages in the states have wireless internet
i mean c’mon…
anuway enuff grizzling and excuses
(perhaps the real reason was i couldnt be bothered!?)
(but thats not true)
anyway i left you in the new modernized adelaide hairport
where they do have free internet…very enlightened
but then what we ya expect of a state that decriminalized pot
we fly to melby-welby
uh oh rain rain rain
we rush strate to ye olde giggle thru the rain
its about an hour outta melby
we turn up n its sloshville, muddy n slightly rainy still
people appear n disappear in the porta -loos
i am amazed to see olde friends sammy s n donny b there
gee i meet ed kuepper n peter oxley
everybodies talking about some folk guy who was the bees knees
theyve moved the gig into a tin shed..its too wet outdoors
indeed its bucketing down now
we go on after ed k who has the crowd going wild
we immediately encounter problems
the bass cuts in n out
everything sounds weird n wrong
the crowd
who have been waiting patiently in this huge tin barn
are natchally disappointed
more delays
my banter falls on mostly flat ears
we play but its a struggle
we never take off let alone transcend
the crowd begin to leave bit by bit
the festival is way over time
it is a black teeming night outside
and many have kids..
after milky way most of em go
leaving a cuppla hundred true cherch fanss
who cheer us on
we do an ill-advised encore
afterwards i stand in the dressing room
which is really some sort of cricket club
glumly sipping red wine n smoking spliffs
i chat to ss n db n the lil lord who has turned up
but my hearts not in it
for whatever reason we were completely underwhelming tonight
we coulda kicked a goal but we got sent off the field
the ride back thru the black cold rainy nite
(hey melby..what happened to summer?)
i sit at the back of the bus
ah its a real kilbey moment
dog tired…half tipsy from the vino
stoned from the pot
our minibus glides thru wet avenues
people in the cabin talk softly
i can hear them thru my ipod playing something amby
i see the lights on the drivers control panel
beautiful little red n green points
i forget the gig
and let my mind drift abroad
im so happy for the drive into melb
cos im not there at all
and thats where i like to be
a rude shock to arrive at hotel
and have to pile out
unload suitcases n etcs
my room is ok but its got no windows(!?)
i naively check to see if theres any internet…ha ha
i fall asleep heavy black dreamless
the next morning i get up
have a toasted tomato sandbo n a pumpkin soup at cafe next door
we fly to coolangatta brissy for 2 hours n im nervous the whole way
have been listnin very much to john foxx /harold budd records
but its calming tones cant cut over the engines roar
we arrive in coolangatta(think florida)
i feel depressed n empty
its hot
its vacuous
we are a support groop at a huge unfeeling venue
i go to hotel do yoga n have a swim in the warm pacific
i walk thru the vines n lianas of greenmount
back to gig
a long tedious soundcheck
mwp n pk fucking round with their amps etc
no dinner
just a cuppla cold veggie sausages
we go on and…..
we slay em
suddenly im transformed into joe rockstar
i ponce all over the stage posing bumping n grinding
i make a loada mistakes but no one cares
tim n marty are laffing their heads off at my antics
the crowd really seem to like us
i play the humble card
“gee folks…i didnt think you was gonna like us…”
we really play well
block is a scorcher
and we get an encore killed only by the house lights coming up
afterwards we meet martin from pretenders
and then la hynde herself appears shaking our hands
and being very nice
ah ha this has been good night
the next morning i do my qigong n yoga n my room overlooking the sea
i go n have swim
i meet others n have hash browns, baked beans, avocado, tomato
spinach on turkish bread plus a watermelon pineapple n ginger juice
a bumpy flight home but ya cant have everything
my family are pleased to see weary olde daddy-boy home
bumper jumps up into my arms and wont get down for ages
nk n i have a romantic night but overindulge in everything
today im feeling well hung over
i think i need to go back to bed actually
but i hadda write sumpthing 1st
to ya all
cos im a responsible person
and i have a duty
the blogge must go on
so there you go
adelaide =6
harvest = 4
coolangatta = 8 n a half
tomorrow i fly off to ho-bart
in tas-mania
see ya later
sk