Me and the
first wife didn’t really have much in common musically other than Queen, I’m
not saying that she didn’t like good music but it was at the “pop” end of the
scale and I still hadn’t crossed that line, I was getting there but it was
still dark days (Metal Hell Yeah) with only some small incursions into pop
town, a good song is a good song, but hey I was young, Big G was still teaching
me!
Sting had
left The Police and his solo album was out now, I did like a couple of the
tracks (Russians and Moon over Bourbon street) but it was a bit too much Jazz
for my liking and not Jazz in a good way, the wife wanted to see him play so I organised
through work some tickets to see him at the Royal Albert Hall I was in the good
books for a change, I had managed to wangle three dates, this wouldn’t last
long though, about a week after I had done the good deed John Waite announced a
small residency at the Marquee for three of these nights. Damn and blast, how
was I going to wangle this one?
Over Christmas
I got a call saying would I do some work on the days of the gigs (it was
intended to be a mini holiday in the big city) the wife wasn’t happy but the
money would pay for the jaunt without hitting our savings (correction my
savings she didn’t make enough to live never mind save)I booked us in at our
usual hotel (she didn’t care much for my friends, so we always stayed at the
Novo Hotel on Hammersmith Broadway ) I plotted our itinerary, I was hoping we
could slot in at least one of the John Waite gigs, I wasn’t going to hold my
breath, I was trying to be the dutiful boyfriend, I was aware that at times I could
be a tad moody (fuck no) when I was younger I was a major pain in the well you
get the picture (it would be another 25 years before I would ask for help with my own issues) I was
permanently in denial.
New year
approached and my partner (we weren’t married just yet) was ill a bad case of
the flu, I had a week in Edinburgh booked to do some writing with a band called
Zoosk booked (exactly!!! what a pile of
drivel, but hey they paid cash) I believe there was another band with the same
name I hope they were better than these boys, a 3rd rate Cure, and
the vocalist was a mummy’s boy go figure! I got back and the wife had infected
her whole family, it was like a plague one after the other got it all except
me, I was concerned for the gigs and finally the day before that we were about
to travel, she said she couldn’t go , I was heartbroken, I jumped on the train
met the guys and plotted three days of john Waite just as well as it had sold
out almost instantly, thankfully I had a friend who had connections.
We had a
few pints and then I dropped my stuff at the hotel to met with a message (these
were the days before mobiles) “phone home” Bugger! She couldn’t make the dates
but what about the 24th would that work, it was like she was reading
my mind and what would I do to fill the time in, well I had work then I would
catch up with the guys on the night time as I didn’t really want to see Sting
without her!, OK she said I will see you on the 24th, as I put the
phone down I turned around just as Bennett my publisher rocked up and said that
the work had been cancelled, but I would still get paid 75% of my fee and he
would wave his cut as I was there and had booked a hotel(this was a win win situation for me
maybe there was a god after all) I put my unhappiest face on and then he said
as an incentive he would pay for me to have a meal on expenses (woo Hoo) Table
for five please (I was able to entertain up to four people) the next three days
were a blur drink induced frenzy, we were in the bars for opening times and we
left when we had annoyed enough people and they threw us out, actually we
always left well before we were asked to leave we were good boys really, the
John Waite gigs were …..erm attended but I have little memory of any of them as
I was out of my tiny skull, I used to drink to oblivion with little or no
consequences, other than vomiting not
only at the bar of the marquee (thankfully I didn’t splash anybody…..I hope)
but also down the front on the last night, as for the gigs themselves Mr Waite
seemed as if it was beneath him, I don’t know anybody who has seen play with
his many bands in a good mood, he always comes across as unhappy, what do I know
I was pissed woo hoo, I did wake up with lots of tomato in the sink at the
hotel (I must have had a kebab) otherwise you couldn’t tell that I had been in
the room, but there was a smell, at the end of the three days we all looked
like hammered shit, and this was in the days before I discovered shorts, (well
does Pernod count).
I was glad of a day off the drink and I spent the afternoon
in the hotel watching classic black and white films (The Quiet Man The Maltese
Falcon and The Dawn Patrol if my hazy memory is true) it was a great afternoon,
the morning of the 24th I met my lady at the train station she asked
if I had missed her “of Course” my liver had, those were still the bad days, we
returned to the hotel had a lazy day wandered up to the box office to do the
walk of shame, “nope no tickets under that name” WTF try all the different
spellings finally got there some nice seats on the floor on the aisle, I claimed
I had a dicky tummy whenever I wanted to nip out for some (cough splutter) fresh
air, which was often as the gig was pretentious twaddle, I do like him as singer, but howay you come from Wallsend
you know what I mean, it was the last gig of his I attended.
We had a lazy
weekend then headed home I was being a good boy as I had spent four days
earlier in the year watching Marillion at the Hammy Odeon and I had wangled
some more work in early February to do the same for the 4 gigs at the same
venue, it was a simpler time, soon to be complicated with all of the shenanigans
that were about to happen, I was soon to take up gainful employment at my
present place of employment, dark days indeed were ahead.
There you
go a historical one to while away these dark times, keep spreading the word,
watch the skies for more incoming, until then………….Toodles!
And yes the name game is in play!
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