Tour Day 12, 4/10/97 - SOUND AND FURY IN DONNY

I sit up 'til 2.30am with a pot of tea watching Jackie Chan's 'Project A2'. Top movie. I get up in a warm room to dry clothes (yes!) and scrambled egss made by someone else who will be doing the washing up (yes!fuckin' A!) and I have a shave and a shit in a proper bathroom  before I start me day (fuckin' fuckin' A!). Twenty pound, but Christ I needed it.

My 'shortcut' to Doncaster fuck us all up 'cos there are two towns called Dornfields so we get HORRIBLY lost. Then we can't find the Leopard for fuckin' ages. Still, after a 3hour journey that should have been half that we make it to the place. I spend an hour dealing out a few fliers in town (George comes along and gives out ONE), before we head back.

We're opening, and the bloke had us down for an 8.30pm start! We manage to negotiate a 9pm start in return for a 5min drop in set time. We actually end up playing a BLINDING set to about 25 people (and my folks too), a good crowd in this small venue.

Then we start loading, so we can sod off ASAP. I'm having a great night - good gig, good venue, good audience, when the Rat gets totally out of order with me, kicking up a big stink (he's drunk - surprise!) 'cos I forgot to tell him about some free beans and potatoes that'd been kicking about earlier on. I am close to fuckin' exploding over this fuckin' little gem! On top of all the effort I put in while he sleeps or sits about miserable or gets stoned and drunk he wants me to wipe his arse as well! I fume all the way back to Reading - thank Christ, Stuart's relief driving the van, 'cos I couldn't have gotten in it with the bastard I'm so angry. When we get back we all have to sit up and talk things through until 4am, 'cos if you talk to the Rat sober you're talkin' to Dr Jekyll and he'll be nice as pie, but it's Mr Fuckin' Hyde that's the pain in the ass! Talkin' reasonably, as fuckin' furious as I was wasn't easy. And it doesn't start off well: the Rat helps himself to coffee from our kitchen when I say to him not to, 'cos right now the last thing I feel like giving him is any hospitality! The Rat says  "You can't give or take hospitality like that". Amazing! There was me thought the world revolved around the sun, but nooooo it revolves around the Rat! Quick, tell Copernicus the news! I tell him I'm not his fuckin' whipping boy and I won't take the shit he was handing out after the Doncaster gig. He says "You're not my father either" and "The big problem I have with you is you're like some fuckin' Hitler or Napoleon or something." It is not a pretty scene.

Still we do sort it out in the end. Not least due to the Rat listening to what George has to say on the subject. So, Phil apologises to me for having a go and I learn a couple of things which make me understand his anxieties re. the next week of gigs e.g. he's not sure whether or not his home in Brighton will still be there when he gets back. We resolve to sleep on it and Phil will make his decision re. next week's gigs in the morning. Collapse in bed. Thank Christ.

Tour Days 13 & 14, 5 & 6/10/97 - ARSE

Me and George and Stuart are all collapsed, sleeping, washing and generally recovering for the next, last leg. The Rat is anxious and feeling oppressed by Reading, a place which is pretty much the last place he personally would choose to be in, and he's fretting over his place in Brighton.

Tour Day 15, 7/10/97 - THE ROAD TO HELL

Back on the road. With the addition of Mr George-the-drums-bloke on board as drum tech. and crew. We arrive to pick up Mr George 2 hours late due to usual fannying about, Mr George has been up all through the night, following some mad party... perhaps not the most cunning preparation for 4 days in the van... anyway, he instantly becomes most popular man in van by commenting on how both me and the Rat look younger than our ages.
Drive to Manchester from Reading. A bloody LONG way. The heater in the van is not working. As we finally pull into Manchester to start looking for the Night & Day Cafe the oil warning light in the van goes off. Great.
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