Sunday, 27 September 2009

Days 13, 14 & 15

Phew... last few days have flown by.  I had planned on updating you daily but, sometimes things in life don't work out how you planned them..... so here's a round up of the last few days.

Day 13 - Belfast

What a day.  I'd just played Groningen the night before so didn't get to bed until late but had to get up at the crack of dawn to drive to Amsterdam Airport, 200 miles away!  We looked at getting flights from Groningen but they only fly to about 3 destinations in the UK, none of which were of use to me.  So we got up (far too) early then hit the road and the morning traffic, but I was still feeling upbeat in the knowledge that I was bound for the green grass of Belfast.  I flew from Amsterdam to Heathrow where I had a wait of a couple of hours for the next flight to Belfast.  I sat out in the London sun with a cup of coffee and a smile.  It was only about 9am but it felt like midday to me (in more ways than one). I caught the next flight to Belfast and felt very proud of myself as I didn't miss any flights...not only that but I was there early.... ridiculous that I should feel proud of that as it should be the norm, but it simply hasn't been the norm for me over the last year or so... I usually get there with a second to spare, sweating like a fully clad soldier in a sauna, or I miss the flight altogether.  Well...not anymore... it's the new me ;)

It was such a welcome cool air that blew in Belfast.  Having been in warmer climates for the last few week I could feel the nip in the air but to all of Belfast it was like the heat of a Summer evening. I saw a group of girls hitting the town in not much more than knickers and bra, which in fairness probably had as much to do with them being numb to the cold after 'swally-ing' a six pack of Smirnoff Ice as it had to do with the Summer evening vibe.

Anyway... I was so full of beans all day.  Joanne came and met me at the soundcheck and we went for something to eat and talked non stop about everything and nothing; it was BLISS! It was so good to see her.  So good that I forgot my 'no alcohol before the gig' theory, and had a couple of drinks... this didn't help at all.  I instantly became aware of how tired I was.  On top of this, the gig got pushed back to slightly later as it was taking longer than expected to get people into the marquee... so I ended up have a fair old wait backstage.  I kept drifting off on the couch before realising it was a terrible idea to have a sleep before playing; that would completely mess with my MOJO, so I danced around the dressing room with a G&T until show time.

I'm not gonna go into details about the show here as that sort of thing is about being there.  However, I will say a couple of things.  Firstly, I LOVE playing Belfast.  It always feels like a real homecoming.  Like I'm catching up with old friends and I'm under no pressure to perform, which makes me want to perform all the more. 
The other thing I'd say is this: SORRY!!  I'm afraid that in my 'tired and emotional' state I rambled on a bit about Politicians... BIG MISTAKE!!!!  The trouble with feeling so at ease with the Belfast crowd is that I don't filter my thoughts.  I may as well be sitting down having a one to one with a close friend.  But that's not the case. Although people there know the music, I suppose they don't know me personally and therefore may take what I say the wrong way (a girl Elizabeth commented on this already actually...).  What I said about Politicians was a facetious comment, and not meant to be taking seriously.  I'm not Bono.  I'm not a voice for such things...so sorry if I offended anyone else.  The best thing to do is tell me to shut up and sing, at which point I'll agree, then shut up and sing.... ;)

And lastly: thanks for a wonderful homecoming... it was just what I needed!


Day 14
Well, this was a day off at home in London, where I got to see the unbearable cuteness of being in the form of my daughter Ella.  She tried to show me how she can now go up curbs on her bike, but in her excitement to share her new skill she went flying into the curb at the wrong angle and ended up on her ear; poor thing!  We cycled, walked, talked, cuddled, kissed, ate dinner, got our PJs on, made some pop corn and fell asleep on the sofa, watching a movie...nuff said....

Day 15
Another morning at home.  The sun was shinning, the coffee was brewing and Joanne was making up a batch of Pancakes with bacon and maple syrup.  I really miss breakfast time when I'm on tour.  It's a big thing in our house, even on school mornings: coffee, toast, eggs, juice, fruit, yoghurt...the lot...

We went to Greenwich Park for a bit and let Ella round around like a wee'n possessed (wee'n being an Irish term for a kid: a small person - wee one).  She was endlessly running from pillar to post and never seeming to tire... do you remember being like that?

It was all going wonderful until I had to say good-bye in a restaurant at Heathrow Terminal 5.  Ella was straight into the crying, Joanne straight into the consoling and I, straight into the security check queue trying to keep it together.  It was actually harder saying good-bye this time than it was at the beginning of the tour.  We're now looking at them coming out to the Paris show, as I have a morning off there...let's hope it works out.

I got into Hamburg around 5pm local time and met my other wife - The Tour Mole - who showed me some sights in Hamburg and gave me a blow by blow account of his sight seeing, complete with a billion pictures....

I'm meeting some record label folk today to talk about releasing my stuff in Germany, which will be great if it all works out.  I really like playing here. The people are friendly and LOVE their music... so let's see....

Well, there you have it... whatever "it" is......

Looking forward to playing tonight in Hamburg... I'll update you on how it all goes... till then, goodnight San Diego...and stay classy...f


ooops... would appear that I didn't get a chance to upload the last post today so I have to paste Day 16 here, turning this marathon post into a triathlon post!

Today has been blissfully quite.  I got up around 09:30, pleasant in and of itself, and dipped my toe in the cold water that was the hotel's complimentary breakfast.  You always know where you stand with a hotel breakfast when the "fresh orange" is in fact diluted from concentrate.  I knew it was gonna be bad so I went for the apple thinking it might be marginally better...BUT....wooooh... holy rotten apples bat man, this juice tastes like liquidised horse dung with a shot of apple toothpaste... NEVER again.  I quickly retreated to a quint café down the road for a coffee and some form of bread thing (not sure what it was, but it was a darn sight better than hotel breaky).  I sat there in the sun for a bit reading my book.  One of the many books I've brought with me.  It's a book on the world's most famous equation; E=mc2 ... This makes me sound like a swat, which is something I can only ever dream of being.  It's really interesting actually.  It's funny how an equation like that can be so familiar, so mysterious and around you every day all at once! 

Then on my return to the hotel I noticed the pub beside the hotel is called...wait for it....Einstein... I think it's maybe a sign that I should leave music behind and spend my life between blackboards and Bunsen burners... well maybe not, but it's definitely a sign! 

Truth is, I shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a Bunsen burner.  The only time I was near one was in school when experiments mainly consisted of me, John Gibson, Stanley Brown and Ricky Orr sucking the fumes to see who could inhale the most before passing out.

I find that the majority of the things I hated in School are now the things I want to know most about!  I don't think it was ever meant to be though.  I'm a kinesthetic leaner, and at my school we used to spend whole periods copying chapters from text books in a lot of classes, which is a far cry from hands on, I'm sure you'd agree!  I did have some really good teachers though. Mr Tinney - Maths... he was friendly but stern and always smelt of Jovan Musk.  Which admittedly was only ever one step above Brutt 33 but at the time we thought it was the smell of a man who knew things...

Anyway, as much as I'm enjoying writing here, I'm sure you're getting a bit sleepy just reading all this, so I'll sign off.

Until tomorrow, take care of yourselves....and each other.... oooh it's all about the cheese round here ;)

f

Here's some pictures of the last few days...



Now we've started


Moments before, tear ridden mayhem


Proof that Squirels smoke pipes


Twilight in Hamburg


Toilet art in the form of a fly... I've seen better


The sign