everybody will be connected

like it or lump it thats whats going to happen

in one way or another

the reason i know this, is i remember a conversation with a certain a&r guy at columbia who previously worked for emi who ridiculed me for being on the internet – this was circa 1995 – they of course a few years later put websites up for their bands

everytime i watch tv and adverts that basically only ever have one contact – their web address – i think of jason – you were shit at softball, shit at a&r and please let me know i’m wrong

the web has become integral – i think the tipping point happend a few years ago – no-one noticed in 95 what was going on and probably not now

i love the tinterweb thingy

the italian job answer

thanks to iain baker for the link

Caine reveals Italian Job ending

but come on, the whole point was that there was no ending

best record company christmas parties ever…

getting a ticket to the london records party was basically like being given the keys to heaven and god saying “try not to make a mess and the bar is over there”

they were legendary – my favourite and the best was london’s do at the old estonian embassy in queensgate

when you walked in, the room on the right was the bar – you basically picked up either cans of cold red stripe or bottles of red or white wine – however much you wanted – all night

the loos were out the back and the area was heated by huge jet type heater

upstairs pete tong was dj’ing while van morrison walked across the dance floor

a friend pissed off the balcony

the police were called

i remember ending up drinking bottled water at some point in the morning as my kidneys had decided enough was enough

2nd was phonograms christmas party
the invite was a credit card they had mocked up – i will never forget going into the loos and seeing so much gak on offer

polydor tried it at a brewery but it wasn’t the same

wtf

i know i probably wont endear myself to some people but wtf is this about

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/beauty/article5207820.ece

stop pandering – be your own person – namechecking all that lot worries me…

(maybe its late and ive got it wrong)

ibiza rocks 2009 news

hold up – dont get too excited – this is my wish list for next year

santogold
lykke li
the music
ravonettes
johnny foreigner
deus
ladyhawke
eagles of death metal
dinosaur pile-up
we have band

bands i know wont play but i’d love to see:
guttertwins

on an unrealistic note i’d love to see the following at an expanded hippodrome:
the cure
kaiser chiefs
kasabian
primals
mercury rev

and the stuffies have started gigging again so obviously they’d be top of any gig wish list i did

Pink Floyd gigs

the number of tickets doesnt make sense as i know i’ve seen pink floyd around 20 odd times but what the hell

seeing them in italy was a laugh – i’d gone out as it was my birthday, floyd were playing and a mate was working for mtv italy at the time – ie i wanted to see floyd, it was my birthday and i knew i could crash at a friends….

i got nicked by the caribinari just as i walked in for having 3 ready rolled spliffs in my jacket – arse – but they let me go after about 20 minutes and i managed to get beer and spliff inside

i’d got tickets for 5 of the earls court gigs but it was a bit of an arse when the seats collapsed at the far end of the arena on about the 3rd night – cue early departure to the pub…

overiding memory of the wembley stadium gigs is being with 3 friends getting completely smashed on red wine and herbal cigarettes in the middle of the pitch and marvelling at the 360 degree surround sound they did – it was weird… maybe that was the spliff but it was very impressive

knebworth was probably the worst – because of the weather they didnt use the huge backdrop they normally used

embarrasing photo time

me and cliff richard on the front cover of prs (performing rights society) magazine

my nan dined out on this for years

i was working for prs at the time and they had a competition to win a couple of tickets to the ivor novello awards at the grosvenor house on park lane and all the vip bollocks – i won so i took my mate and we availed ourselves on the free booze. i remember sitting on the same table as robbie coltrane and he had us in stiches…

my mum was p.a. to rocco forte (trust house forte and owner of the hotel) at the time so i got a free suite at the hotel for the night – bonus

i got completely plastered and just wandered upstairs afterwards and crashed out – i’ve no idea what happened to my mate

Hammy (Hammersmith) Odeon

You know you’ve lost tickets when all you can find is 6 tickets from hammy odeon

My first ever gig was there at the scorpions in november 1979 (yes that makes me old – i was 14 – do the maths) – i went to every gig i could possibly go to. there were 2 seasons for gigs: sep – nov and feb to april.

At the time i had a subscription to sounds, nme and melody maker and every rock band that toured in the 80’s i probably saw there multiple times: motorhead, scorpions, def leppard, black sabbath, judas priest, iron maiden, black sabbath, saxon, tank and god knows how many others

obviously the ticket you wanted was down in the stalls but pre-gig was always in the pub over the road (before they knocked everything down for the tube station complex) but inside it was in the upstairs circle bar.

You could buy a pint upstairs, go down the stairs into the stalls, light a fag (or spliff) at any point and stand on the seats – such civilised times

venues are so boring now

above: brit awards in 92 when extreme noise terror came onstage with real machine guns filled with blanks, unleashed them, and scared the living shit out of everyone there – it was hilarious – i think it was the same year klf dumped a dead sheep outside the grosvener house at the after show

The T&C (aka Town & Country Club) now the Forum

probably the first venue i went to when i moved to london. a blues brother tribute band used to play there every year – it was always very messy

the original t&c was brilliant before they moved everything around and then it closed for awhile and it became the Forum. the pub next door was the meeting point and also had loads of little gigs in their backroom.

highlight has to be standing next kylie minogue at a manics christmas gig – i was dissapointed when she left halfway through – but she then appeared onstage and did the vocal part of little baby nothing she had originally been asked to record

the upstairs backstage bar was quite intimate but not really much to say about it

i’m missing loads of tickets… arse…

The Forum gigs

simple minds and nme radio

is it just me or do nme radio play an inordant amount of simple minds tracks ?