camped out overnight at a festival - as some wise man once said "I am at two with nature"

Strawberry Switchblade. In the mid 80s, a friend of mine was trying to convince me that Howard Jones was a great artist, and paid for a ticket for me to go and see him at Hammersmith Odeon. I was going to take some convincing. Anyway, the support band that evening was the 'Switchblade'. Good grief... they were shocking. And I was drunk. To say I heckled loudly is something of an understatement. They played very quietly, I have a loud voice. Their set finished soon after. Whether this was as a result of my behaviour, I shall never know. Anyway, I've felt very guilty about this for a long, long time. I really should have written them a little card... 'sorry I ruined your concert'... but somehow I found other things to be getting on with...

As for Howard Jones... let's just say my shelves aren't sagging under the weight of his back catalogue.

seen one of my all-time favourite bands live, despite having their entire back catalogue in numerous formats, supporting them since 1981, having them be my teenage crutch when going through those 'difficult years' and having so many opportunities to do so it's ridiculous.

Somehow, as the years went by, the images in my head and the music on vinyl became sacrosanct; the thought that they might not live up to those images when live always swayed my decision. Worse too, everyone I speak to says they're great live.

Weird, huh?

spotted. Marillion.

Not your standard Word fare, but it takes all sorts.

Have I ever heard Pet Sounds?
No.

seen the point of autographs.
heard a note of Trout Mask Replica.
or camped out at a festival (attended all 3 days of Reading in 1975, went home every night and came back the next morning).

...and I always felt silly wearing 'love beads'. Whether wrapped several times around the wrist, or once round the neck with one loop tight to the throat and the other dangling free, I still felt like a right idiot.

bought Pet Sounds either or Sgt Pepper (or any other Beatles studio album)
stayed overnight at a festival - nearest I got was last yr Peace and Love in Sweden when I stayed with relations in town (it's a town centre-based festival, how civilised, they still had a campsite though)
filled a plastic bottle with my own urine (or anyone elses come to that) or threw it at anybody
Have mimed Level 42 style bass a la Mark King but only in a mock satirical way

...when urged to let an American frontman hear me say it.

Never even said "Wanker!" when urged to let an American frontman hear me say "Yeah".

Never spun a run-out groove backwards eager to hear the voice of the devil saying "Macca's not dead but he's soon going to be rubbish".

Never bought a single issue of The Face or Smash Hits (sorry, lads).

Never owned or even tried on an Afghan. (Will an RAF greatcoat do?)

Never rubbed my hands and said "Oh, goody!" when John Peel announced a record by Captain Beefheart, The Fall or The Undertones.

Pet Sounds either.
Had also never heard Astral Weeks until about 2 years ago when I bought it - I actually think much of his later stuff is a lot better.
Never liked ELP when all my friends thought they were best thing since Warburtons.
Never got the Sex Pistols but like much more from that era.
Didnt care for Nirvana either.

liked Elvis.

I don't have one and have no plans to buy one, or any other sort of MP3 player.

I played the drums in bands for years but never learnt to play the guitar, now I really wish I could. I'm debating if I should I launch myself into the 40 something guitar market...

More to the point I've never been on the guest list, and never been in a position to specify a rider (damn!).

until very recently. Still have never written to the music press. Certainly hadn't shared my thoughts on rockular matters before in public - probably shows. Not as easy as you think I reckon. Post your great thoughts to an eagerly waiting world then later look back and think there was a good point there somewhere, what happened, that wasn't what I wrote was it? Need to read through more carefully next time. Or, why did I say that? Or is it only me that has these doubts? Less is more really isn't it? Better stop now then. Think I'll go and text Radio 5.

...nor, being of 'a certain age', am I ever likely to.

I have never owned a lighter, still less held one aloft.

I've never felt remotely tempted to buy a T-shirt with the name of a band on it. Or any other piece of merchandise come to that (with the exception of a Nick Cave tea towel. Why don't more acts sell tea towels at gigs?)

I've done all these things, this must make me a rock n roll trollop!

interested in seeing any band or performer live. Get bored after two songs.

I have a huge number of albums I have never got out of the shrink wrapping ..Dig The New Breed by the Jam ...some Gruppo Sportivo Lp ...Brothers In Arms Dire Straits ....The First Simon and Garfunkel Lp ..why is this ....?

Ive never bought a tour t-shirt ....

Never held a lighter up or swayed in fact doing both at the same time would confuse me ...

Havent stood up at a gig for years ...

Never got the point of Led Zep ..even when I have felt I ought to try !

Never slept over at a festival. I like hot showers, clean toilets & dry clothes each day. Hence, I have never experienced Gladstonbury. And have no desire to as a music lover, festivals sweep away most of the noise but at least at Donnington & T in The Park you have a chance of hearing something.

Never peed in a bottle at Donnington - bit difficult with being female. Have had one land on me though :o(

Never managed to reach the end of an Arcade Fire album (surely it's not just me who can't understand the hype?)
Never seen Leonard Cohen despite an obsession dating back to the mid 70's
Never pointed repeatedly into the air at a gig
Never been to a stadium gig
Never bought a Manic Street Preachers album
Never pretended I liked Nick Drake "way back"

Oh I could go on....

did i soil my pristine temple, deflowering myself on the altars of hipness as promulgated by the comics of the day, by "enjoying" the Mothers of Invention, King Crimson, Can and the Sex Pistols. Or for that matter, Os Mutantes and LCD Soundsystem. All utter unlistenable bollox. I have lied, Father, forgive me.
(Provocative enough for you?)
At least, to conform to the strand, I have never said I liked Queen or ELO when I didn't or until time prove me right.

There are very few of these so far which I haven't done (with the esoteric exception of not having written an apology to Strawberry Switchblade). Just a rock'n'roll slapper, that's me.

I never became a part of any musical tribe. Never was a goth, a metal kid, a punk or anything else that required an appropriate uniform.

The nearest I ever came was wearing a lumberjack shirt during the grunge era, but I had always done that anyway, and i never had long hair or wore those big baggy shorts like Chris Cornell used to.

I don't have anything solo by John Lennon or anything at all by David Bowie. It's just happened that way.

Owned an ipod either (though still thinking about it) or listened to a podcast. Never shouted out for a song at a gig (even though really wanted to). Goes back to never answering questions in class I think. Never been to a festival.

In my defence, I grew up reasonably close to the site and I refused to pay the entry fee just to end up a few miles up the road in ... Pilton.

I have never owned or worn a leather jacket, and I'm saving the leather trousers for when I'm in my fifties.

... been to Glastonbury - no thanks: too much mud; too many w**kers.

... bought a Beatles album.

... dabbled with facial hair (mine or anyone else's).

... smoked dope - honestly: it just doesn't interest me.

New

I've never used iTunes for music (or owned an iPod).

Old

I missed out on the whole Live Aid experience. I was on holiday at the time, and couldn't understand why the usually heaving miles of Bournemouth beach were so totally deserted on such a gorgeous day. It was like the end of the world.

Being long before mobile phone technology, there was no way of any music mad mates getting in touch with 'did you just see?' questions as a reminder.
By the time I finally realised the empty acres were due to Live Aid and not a nuclear war, I had no way of watching the event, the B & B I'd booked into operated a stiff ' boot 'em out from 10 - 5' policy while the beds were turned and rooms aired. None of the local Pubs or Wine Bars had TVs, and portable cassette radios were the size of toolboxes which needed to be fed replacement batteries every hour.

Instead I had to try and relive the experience two weeks later through hastily videotaped highlights - videoed by parents trying to run a newsagents, check the shaky show schedules and work out the new video recorder all at the same time, the result being legendary artists and unique events getting the chop half way through their set, and manky acts getting all the tape space as fluid running times, dodgy VCR programming and an unfortunate style of improvisational panic editing ended up in video diary meltdown. To this day I still haven't seen 80% of Live Aid.

. . . been to Glastonbury and never will although I was at Knebworth in 76 for the Stones and 79 for Zeppelin
. . . understood the point of "Trout Mask Replica", "Bitches Brew", "The White album"
. . . been to a "rave" and highly unlikely to do so
. . . knowingly bought anything by any boy band (although that Williams chap is on one track of "1 Giant Leap")

I have never managed to get my head around that album... but I will persevere. I can't understand why I don't love it, as I really like Van Morrison's music! I return to it every so often and listen to it with fresh ears... maybe the next time...

Never done the overnight festival thing, either.

Never listened to "Pet Sounds", either, although I suspect I should.

Never listened to The Smiths whilst in the sixth form at school. Twenty years later, yes, but then, no.

And in answer to the "apologise to Strawberry Switchblade" regret, I've never apologised to Rochdale chanteuse Lisa Stansfield, after booing all the way through her set, supporting - would you believe - the 1990's incarnation of Genesis at Knebworth.

Everything else, though, I've done. Sorry.

...and then a couple of days later the coffee and beer appears in the cupboard in the kitchen. Magic. Must find out how that works some time.

never wanted to....

a single song by Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, The Grateful Dead.

Also, like many here, I've never heard Pet Sounds, and never slept at a festival.

Never "got" the Beatles - see separate blog....

Never been to a festival in the rain (the sun has always shone!)

Never heard a note, or plan to, by The Flaming Lips

I'm sure we all have our own taste but a lot of you above seem very definite in your taste, maybe we should loosen up a bit and live little go on buy a beatles record, go to a festival. how does it go you try anything once except, incest, morris dancing and the red hot chilli peppers... ;)

I had lived quite happily never having heard "umbrella" till just now...and they didnt even buy me dinner first.

Because like someone above, I've never done that.

Through Smash Hits, NME, Q (even Select/Vox/MM/RM and some dodgy fanzines in the late 80's when I was going through my 'winsome' phase) and graduation to the Word, I've never had the courage.

Mind you I've liked some dodgy music so maybe it's not a bad thing?!

...have I held a lighter aloft in the name of music, but I did when I saw Harry Hill a couple of years ago (it was part of the show I recall, and I was seemingly the only person in the theatre who had a lighter to hand).

I've never heard it either. Is it any good? Never camped out overnight - I don't like sleeping in mud and piss!

I used to live near (3 miles over the fields) from Hylands Park where they hold the V festival and I could never see the point of paying to go somewhere I go to for free the rest of the year.

Why do all the festivals I've been to where they have more than one stage insist on putting the acts I wanted to see on at the same time? Less is the new more.