Entertainment For Lively Minds
Going the extra mile
Posted by Fraser Lewry on 4 March 2008 - 6:28pm.
Much as it embarrasses me to admit it, in 1986 I painted my Converse trainers with yellow and black stripes and set off to follow Mötley Crüe around the country on tour.
I don't remember much about it, although sleeping on a bench at Grantham train station after missing a connection to somewhere else was an obvious highlight. In Nottingham I wore a top hat (yes, I know) and threw it onstage, only for Nikki Sixx to toss it straight back.
And in Newcastle I hovered round in the background flicking the devil's horns while the band were interviewed on The Tube, attempting to look both sultry and street-tough at the same time, as if I were part of the gang.
Have you ever gone the extra mile for a band?
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Does sleeping in a toilet count?
Most Mondays we could be found at the Outlook Club in Doncaster. Missing the last train home we would attempt sleep in the toilets are Doncaster station before the first train back. We did this for Magazine, Ultravox and Taliking Heads. Does that count? It's probably the most uncomfortable, cold and smelly I've ever been.
Yes
I think so.
out of sight
This is a great thread and it's disappearing under a load of lists - headline it now - lets sort out the men from the boys.
I once done the
I once done the Bump-Shaka-Boogie and the Jungle Bass Thrump with Barrington Levy for the duration of his 10 month tour.
Than realised I had been following the Abbotsford Symphony Orchestra for all that time. Thought it was hard work shaking my 'rat trap' to a load of cellos.
Clogs
A lot of New Model Army fans (myself included) kept a clog factory in Hebden Bridge in business for several years. Ever tried to pull a fragrant female in a pair of clogs? Don't.
Me and my brother made a
Me and my brother made a special trip to various bits of Hull to have our pictures taken outside various Housemartins related sites, Paul Heatons house (probably) their pub, amd strangely their local bakers (it was featured in smash hits).
I also slept on Huddersfield train station after seeing Ballaam and the Angel. Furthest i've traveled to see a gig london to madrid to see the Pixies in housing estate.
oh and I've got a tatoo of ace the base
Tattoo's
Tattoo's of bands/musicians is never a good idea is it? Thankfully i never went that extra mile and had a permanent memorial to my probably fleeting infatuation with this weeks climber.
Two friends of mine did though. Mark A had a sub-pop logo done when Nirvana were at their peak, not great. Even worse Mark S had a mate tattoo Elvis Presley on him. On the inside of his left arm. It went all the way down to his index and middle fingers, which were Presley's legs. Picture it. It was worse. What made it EVEN worse was that it looked like Shakin' Stevens not Presley. We used to get newcomers in the pub ask him why he had a tattoo of Shakin' Stevens when he was playing pool. He used to go ballistic. Still makes me smile, years later.
Tattoo
A few years ago I was compering a comedy gig, a bloke was sat at the front with a home made Adam and the Ants tattoo on his hand. Of course I made fun of it, who wouldn't? Jeez, was he pissed off with me.
I once held a bunch of Flowers
For an old Girlfriend which she was going to leave on Neil & Tim Finns touring Van outside Union Chapel Islington, while she used the ladies. Just then who arrives out but the boys.
I did present them with the said flowers but as she was nowhere in sight I suppose I came over a bit Danny La Rue.
I suppose I took one for the team.
I can barely even admit this to myself
...but I once helped Menswe@r's roadies hump their gear into the Exeter Cavern Club, so in awe was I of the presence of the Indie Take That.
A long time ago
I saw P J Harvey drop one of her gloves as she was leaving her table in a cafe so I called after her... "excuse me... you dropped your glove!"... didn't know if I should call her PJ, Polly or Ms Harvey so I side-stepped that one. She was very nice. Doesn't sound like much, I know, but imagine the music-making hours she might have lost looking for that bloody glove.
My ears! My ears!
A long held love of the work of the Stone Roses has led me to go and see Ian Brown many times, despite the fact I know he cannot sing a note. Surely this counts as madness...?
It didn't involve much suffering but...
... me & hubby did go all the way from Glasgow to the Hollywood Bowl last September to see the fragrant Rufus Wainwright do his Judy Garland thing. This could also be part of another thread, dealing with the outrageous amounts of money one spends on the internet whilst pissed.
To cut a long story short, we'd partaken of a bottle or two of wine over dinner when our Rufus appeared on Jonathan Ross, talking about his Judy gigs. I'd just read about the London one in Word & was insanely jealous of the hack who'd got to see it, so when he announced that he was doing it one final time at the Hollywood Bowl, we were just pissed enough to go online there and then.
We then compounded our foolhardiness by booking 4 nights at The Chateau Marmont - but guess who else was staying? Yes, I met him in the lift. My joy is still unconfined, but my credit card has melted.
Good Work
That's more like it. I went to Sheffield to see him, puts that little jaunt in the shade.
Now, I saw Siouxsie and the Banshees 13 times - leave all the gags out - anyone better that?
well, now you come to mention it...
I saw Crowded House I don't know how many times, covering many miles, before they split up. Even hassled Neil Finn in B'ham on the Woodface tour cos the venue had sold out ... he put me on the list. It was only when I tried to take advantage of the great man's kind deed front of house that I was met with blank faces and "You're not on the list...".
"But, but...Neil Finn said ...etc"
To their credit the folk on the door called the road manager over, who then, to his credit, went back stage to find out if I was a chancer. Two minutes later he comes back with Neil, who spots me and makes good on his word. A band going the extra (quarter) mile for a fan, I think.
Must say that of the many times I saw them, not once was there a repeated set list or night when they didn't fly by the seat of their pants in the name of spontaneity. A GREAT live band.