"Characters" at local venues
One thing about going to small local venues, rather than enormodromes, for gigs, is that you see the same faces time after time. And sometimes the venue has one or more local "characters" who turn up at most of the gigs played there. Sometimes one finds these characters amusing, sometimes they're a pain in the arse.
Case in point: Lichfield Guildhall, the home of Lichfield Arts, puts on about 40 gigs each year, as I may have mentioned before. Some of you, I know, even attend some of these. Janet and I attend probably about 12 each year. And there's one guy who shows up at most of the more folk-oriented shows (John Tams, Demon Barbers, Shooglenifty, Waterson-Carthy and so forth) to whom I attach the nom-de-haemorrhoid "The Twat In The Hat". This guy just LOOKS like one of the classic Folkie stereotypes: silvery whiskers, granny glasses, and a Terry-Pratchett-style hat permanently attached to his head. (And, no, he isn't actually Terry Pratchett). He seems to know all the bands, until you realise it's always him that approaches them like an old friend, rather than vice versa. At the drop of a hat (but not his) he'll jump to his feet, drag his wife to the front of the room, in front of the band, and proceed to treat us all to a display of remarkably inept folk-dancing, beaming at the audience from time to time as if acknowledging the fact that, for a few brief minutes, he is the focus of our attention, not the band. (In fact we are all thinking "sit down, Twat-In-The_hat, for we cannot see the band"). The most annoying aspect of Mr.TITH is that Lichfield Arts, like all such clubs, is entirely staffed by volunteers who run the bar, take your tickets, set up and dismantle the stage, perform stewardly duties, and so forth. And this guy is such a fixture, yet has never been seen to do anything to actually contribute to the running of the club. Except, I'll grant, to buy a lot of tickets for the shows.
Any other venues have annoying resident "characters"?
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(Lichfield Guildhall) : It's not me!!!! I have no hat.
I find the elderly jazzer who hosts the jazzier gigs quite a card, usually chiding artists for their inherent youthfulness.
My biggest general disappointment is the general age of audiences for youngish performers in the folk/jazz/world circuits, where 20 somethings (and 30 somethings) play to room fulls of old codgers of my age and much much older. Do they all, like me, feel that we are immune to the inevitability of causing some degree of disappointment to the stage? After all, it can't be fun to be lauded as the cutting edge of whatever style of music is your bent, as these small venue artists are often billed, only then to find nary a soul of your generation in attendance.
Phew!
For one awful moment, just after I'd submitted that blog entry, I wondered if Mr.TITH might be your esteemed self, or Steve. Especially since my photo graces my profile page! The lack of younger audience members is a bit of a worry at Lichfield Arts gigs. Maybe the gigs aren't advertised in places where younger gig-goers would see the adverts? Or maybe Lichfield Arts has a fogey image with which young scenesters would shudder to be associated. Dunno - it's a tricky one. As for the bloke you referred to in your opening sentence, that's Brian Pretty, who's been luring bands to play Lichfield Arts for nearly 40 years now. It's thanks to him that we get to see bands like Chumbawamba in our local venue. A human dynamo - largely beer-powered.
Camden
Anyone who spent any time in the late-nineties to mid-naughties at any of Camden's regular indie haunts will surely have stumbled across the spectacularly coiffured "Rat Tail Jim", who ran his own fansite, where he rated all the bands he saw (they were either 'Good', 'OK' or 'boring') and took pictures of girls in the bands he was watching.
I haven't seen him in a while, so I just Googled his name, and it appears I'm not the only one wondering.
Omigod....
The band I was in at the turn of the Millenium played Camden many a time. Our (female and very pretty) lead singer threw beer at him for taking too many pictures!
I await the first person to mention "Jesus"
He was a staple at festivals in the 70s, based upon his alleged resemblance to a blond and blue eyed jew called Jesus....
I saw him last at Reading in 75.....
Wally! Wally!
You sure you don't mean Wally?
Sighted at Reading 74 and 73
He seemed to be a well-known festival fixture even then. Impressed the hell out of me, but I was only 16 at the time.
The Twat in the hat
aint me I'm pleased to say. Many people think I am a twat but I dont wear no hat. I can walk to Lichfield town centre from my house - in fact I did on Sunday. Have not been to Arts Centre yet but will be going in October to see Tom Russell. Strange thing is I don't know where it is. Have only been resident in Lichfield for 3 years having migrated from sunny Birmingham (Kingshurst) via Tamworth,Polesworth,Miami and Stonnall - now there's a circuitous route.
I hope you enjoyed being. . .
"Miami Steve" while it lasted.
Twat in Hat
Haven't lived in Lichfield for 20 years, but said Twat sounds very much like someone (name withheld) who used to frequent what used to be called The Winebar on Tamworth Street - probably not there now, or known as something else. Was very popular among a certain clique (and Lichfield was a very clique-y place). Big hat, floppy scarf, regarded himself as something akin to local royalty. Sad to hear he still appears to be inflicting himself on the local citizenry.
Brian Pretty, on the other hand... glad to hear he's still around. Was active on the local political scene, I remember. Beard, spoke through his teeth, committed and decent. Not surprised he's a folky!