After 'Lightening Bolts' closing show there was nothing left to be done but shake my head in disbelieve and astonishment...two people taking the duo to another level, drummer sang through a mic somewhere in his mask during insane intense smashing all, Bass player player split signal Guitar lines whilst lowending it...so close to them I though I had a Tiger on it's Tail, had to go there... --- I behaved. (Der Not gehorchend, nicht dem eignen Triebe.) --- Part of me wishes to be doing this really big touring thing, part of me is glad to have somewhat of a little life with home...fun to see all the bands checking in at the airport with stacks of gear...ah the nightmare of instrument transport...will it make it? Another snapped neck? Lost? Banged up? --- Well, it's been a raging holiday, I now will switch to old home country mode and my notes will be with oldhome language. Can't wait to see the chocolate! --- Happy Travels Clem!
Sunday
ATP last night
Explosions in the sky-love them, sounded like the beachwalk looking over to Cardiff (hi Torchwood) felt. The order of the wristbands and laminates, it is nice to get around lines and cut throught to usable ladies rooms...ahhh after 20odd years of shlepping gear perhaps deserved for once. I might have to get a second load on Sunn, they made my eyelids flutter. --- Too much smoking going on for my delicate soul, despite the polite signage... --- Had a mobile massage, they need to follow me around.
Sunn O)))
Oh, so I thought I was loud...but those stonehendged wall of amps two guys in monkhoods win the price, I made it 15 mins in front of the PA, earplugs of course, considering it a full body vibrator it is enjoyable, but wow, no drums, no bass, if you are drunk enough...it's like wild, sweaty, regrettable sex (not that I would know)
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I think the peaty scotch that showed up up around 4am did me in, woke up with a thankfully unsent TXT in my hand that asked one courious question: why?
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Don't believe there will be an answer from the right long gone person, only mine.
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Now I hunt down coffee, see noise, do more.
Porn set the best intro, I love the Mossman he does sound right, may I please play with you again before it's over? Double drummer delight especially with riffs I remember, smashing really...I get all sorts of ideas (and I am getting over the wrong ones, finally) then Melvins, rumour has it they practice a lot, I am jealous, they are so incredibly tight...bass player jumped in the crowd all that showed his whereabouts the cable like a fishing line...then 4 drummers on stage Clem reported...no boobs this time (like staring in the sun) --- Incredible Banoffee cake, whip cream banana chocolate and salty cracker, I overate, but when oh when would I have that again ever? (To quote the writeup: Anything worth doing, is worth overdoing) --- Back to cottage resting, got stuck on Shankshaw redemption and missed a couple of bands, Morgan Freedman and the story of hope sucked me right in...hmm ---backstage again, smelling like smoke glad I quit, stories of old friends from NYC told by Noel, he used to mix us at the Continental in Bottom times, this has been a rather introspected day (why do woman aim to please and men just do their thing...)...let's check out the mellow sounding 'The 4 Carnation'...
Saturday
2nd day ATP
3pm-first show of the day, Afrirampo, the girls from Japan we met in the van, they started the show by screaming into the audience, no PA, just top of lungs. Red bikinis with pink stuffed animals and glitter, guitar/drums...naked soul poetic heavyfunpunk...loved them and they loved us...at two points both of them stood on the bassdrum...Shellac just finished, backstage hiding to txt the update, Porn with a long set and then Melvins up next...what a festival...awesome catering, thousand(s?) of musiclovers living in an industrial worker summer resort, little rampage party cottages, too bad the waterslides are shut for winter...seagulls, so I assume the ocean is near
Friday
10 Years ATP, Minehead
This is heaven, rocker Disneyland, 3 Stages, we have a cottage...3 days of bands and Ozzy drove us and the very sweet Duo from Japan (ginger, cold cold) in throwup speed through tiny tunnel streets...slept, and so far the head got enough food to do some interesting new things next year, favorite of the evening: Fuck Buttons, mindblowing two person live dancenoise, oh that and this section of ours? They stopped on a fuckin dime.
Heritage combined, English rain
Mogwai while staring at the foggy gray kanal next to the tracks...people live in long houseboats...do they smell moldy I wonder? I am so from Northern Europe only they speak my new language here, well sort of...
Clem has flem...train Paddington to Minehead
3 sunny days in London, dancing in the katacombs with the incomparable Sir Jasek, Jewlery Museum extraordinaire, the Birdy Numnum Hotel with narrow staircase all the way up smelling like xmas goose, sadly unmusical Leaders, doubledecker tour and nightbusses, oh Hampsteads pubs, view over London (partial) [always turn the corner], lovely lovely times...and now we shall rock the ATP festival!
Holy Shit...
Opening night of another kind of Swanlake...the only 2 tickets left an hour before showtime were out of the budgeting reach...so we just hung out and watched the famous ones getting photographed...Dawn French royaly sauntered right by us...oh sweety Darling! (Insert AbFab youtube video of Patsy and Eddy raging in the red convertible with Stoliboli)...3 minutes before the bell we decided against the bus and just asked on the wee chance if any tickets were returned...and see, there were two...in our pricerange...we ran up the stairs and I am so glad I did not go to Tango...instead I saw the best thing of my life on stage...male swans broke my heart...brilliant (as they say here)
Wednesday
London calling
1am Soho, bluish danceclub with rather interesting moving of bodyparts...well, that proves what I heard about the dancers here, I had 3 quite non musical pushabouts at the local Milonga...such a not fun event...last night was much much better, the Melvins and Porn rocked my head bigtime...double drummers are my dream...sigh...the snogging delight with the tall dark curly double pierced boy helped matters tremedously...great chatting with new friend after that...pubs all over...ahhhhhhhh
Monday
Clem, let's not watch 'amazing wedingcakes'
...305am...one more romantic comedy and I'm gonna slit my pillow...enough..hot shower...now...
Home sweet oldtime home
...a month in Europe: I'll miss the fluffy straycat, my droidphone and yes, that one...but, there will be chocolate, gouda, my Aunts, friends and the people I started playing with...well, and dancing with 6inch plus strangers...Amsterdam here I come...
Sunday
49 hours Milwaukee Hotelroom 1:50am
...cold snowsmell, a firedancer (sigh), day of romantic comedies (arrrg)...insanely fast and intense drive byrocking...and finally the flight to London tomorrow...oh I so hope to forget, have a blast, dance and make out with tall dutch, heavy rockers and have oh so much fun with my dear drummer...it's been quite a year
Saturday
Airport, to Milwaukee
...well, that knife dealer at the ralley in Reno made for fun and a triple bag check as the lill toolset he promised is flyable, is so not. While they were at it they took the large threatening looking, deadly in the wrong hands nailfile...so I can now scare the pilot into flying me and Clem straight to London with a rough protruding fingernail...sweet...it's story time, Gretchen is reading to us from a Zeppbook...
