Into the frying pan

So, the last couple of blogs have done really well actually the last one was totally amazing, this one I’m not expecting to do as well, as its one telling you lot that I am going to be running silent and running deep for a while.

I have not been the happiest bunny in the last week or so, I simply do not want to be involved in anything, I wish to be left alone, I don’t really its simply the external projection of my persona, however I don’t know how to process my thoughts at the moment, anger seems to be the number one emotion coursing through these  veins, not at anybody but myself, not wanting to interact, not wanting to engage with anybody family , friendly or work related, its my issue not anybody else’s.

Again this isn’t a woe is me type of blog , it’s simply a heads up to those of you who know me in the real world, I’m not user friendly at the moment, I need to give my head a shake, heading to nine days off from my place  of work will  hopefully resolve most of my issues, ha I’m screwed if it doesn’t as my place of work is usually where I go to when I’m in this frame of mind.

So in all honesty if you see me and I growl its me not you, I’m not sure how the family put up with me, at this moment in time they would be better off if I lived in a cave, even music is not soothing the savage beast, I don’t hate the world I only hate myself, so until the next one, keep spreading the word, I will be back in  a happier frame of mind, I’m simply not 100% when that will be, until then ………………………….Toodles!

Oh and yes the name game is in play!

And on the Eight Day

I told you the blogs would be like buses, I have to get this one written as its like a buzz saw in my head, I also need to get it out to draw some closure to my “live” relationship with the hottest band in the land, and hopefully it will put an end to all the tags I have been put in on Farcebook since yesterday, who knew I knew so many wonderful Peeps!

So as I alluded  in the last blog, yesterday was a long-time coming and even longer in the planning, a few minor blips on the road in (ok so I checked my bank account and all the money was allocated to bills and stuff WTF) but we got over those hurdles and Saturday night really was like Kiss mas eve, everybody excited and me grumpy (who would have thought). The next morning, I was padding around the house while all and sundry (no the dog is not called sundry!) slept the sleep of the dead, I pottered on until the dead started to rise and like the nice person I am I cooked them their breakfast, well I am a nice person (honest I am the rumours are simply not true) again some more pottering whilst the ladies of the house (ok just the wife panicked) doing what ladies do, all the while I’m getting the evil eye as I’m not ready, it takes me all of two minutes, trust me I am not high maintenance.

Now this is where things started to go awry, my stomach was off I was praying that I wasn’t going to suffer a recurrence of my exploding orifices, thankfully no, but my stomach was simply not playing ball, the wife took the hound off to the Kraken’s and I made myself look as pretty as I could, yes I know lets not go there! Then the road trip could start properly, our planning required us to find somewhere to park, our number one destination was taken so we sneaked into a spot at our second preferred location, not ideal but at least we had a safe harbour.

We set off for higher ground (OK Trillian’s) and it was great walking through Newcastle looking at all of the fans in their great T shirts, there was some awesome merch on display, the wife was getting just as many admiring glances for her Eric Carr T shirt that a great friend made for her over twenty years ago, as we arrived it was great to see our once local full to the guns with like minded people and a lot of people who we knew, well OK the wife knew and the rest kind of grunted (LOL) to be honest there were simply too many people (hang on that’s a Vardis song) to chat to, I met some new peeps and some old peeps and some more from my place of work, all in all a fantastic part of the day, great memories great conversations and generally great people, I didn’t see one person who I didn’t like (that makes a change) the only problem as always with Trills is that it was like an oven, I felt for the poor people getting their Kiss face painted they must have been melting!

We decided to head out for some food and the party generally split if only for a little while, by now I was suffering, but I wanted to keep it on the lowdown as I certainly didn’t want to spoil anyone’s day (like I normally do) again the food and the company was great, but everywhere we went there were bloody stairs my knees were doing great at this stage, but I knew I would suffer in pain later on! Onwards we went off to the Bodega, picking up waifs and strays along the way and I did a good deed by taking stuff back to the car, once I got back we were in the middle of two heated sporting events (yawn I wasn’t bothered) we then took a slow meander to the venue picking up even more waifs and strays along our merry way.

At this point I shall point out that a number of photos were taken in many of the venues ( I know I have the face for radio) I’m not a fan of it happening, I feel as though I don’t know what to do, so thankfully I was allowed to take them and not be in them , although I was captured (under protest) at least once. By now I was really under the weather and my knees were suffering, and to get to our seats there was even more bloody stairs (somebody just shoot me) how did we do this all the time when we were younger and there would be copious amounts of drink involved? I was trying to keep an even lower profile than normal, not that it mattered the wife was fixated on a point in the distance and damn the torpedoes! For someone who is as poorly as she is (and I’m not joking she really is) she can’t half get up a head of steam, she was in full flight, once she was through the metal detectors it was time to feed Mr $immons bank account, now I didn’t intend to buy anything (please see previous bank statement) but I did like the vintage black and white Destroyer although I refrained although the youngest did offer (bless her) I don’t usually buy lots of merch (cough splutter) there were loads of strange people dressed up in full Kiss costumes including a dwarf (well smaller than me and that’s not tall) dressed as Mr $immons, they may be strange but I love them they are my kind of people,  once the merch was secured we headed into our seats, now my only complaint of the night is the size of the seats these cannot be for normal size individuals I have lost over five stone and I barely fit into it and I have a cute butt! Well so I’m told I’m not one to spread rumours (LOL)

It was at this point I was doing all of the tricks of the trade to stop projectile vomiting, my acid reflux was raging and I was suffering (if you knew a vet I would have asked to be shot honestly it was that bad) the gentleman next me was a very kind gentleman indeed, he kept asking me if I was ok , he even went to the trouble of scouring all of the bars for some peppermint cordial, bless him it was that moment that saved the day as the wife had some chewing gum that was peppermint flavoured, I must have looked deranged as I gnawed at it to sooth my gut! What was great and I did notice tons of kids (with ear defenders naturally) what a range of people were at the gig, what I don’t get is those that sit and simply film it on their phones, watch it in the now and savour the moment not some sterile thing on your big TV at home, how many people actually bother to look back at their videos? I bet not many, taking pictures I get, but videoing it sad and just a little strange!

As for the gig itself I’m not reviewing it, you should have been there, awesome stage setting awesome effects lighting laser’s , sound was pretty damn good, even for me who is partially deaf, the set list was………….actually quite good, Beth being the only ballad of a pretty rocking set, yes there was stuff that was missed out with that much bloody good music there was always going to be winners and losers, the only track I didn’t care much for  was “Say yeah” was this the best gig by the band I had ever seen? Probably not, but for the stage setting it was, nothing beats the first time at the hall but hey this was pretty close to it! Yes, the wife got up to dance, yes, she had an argument and told the world to go F*** themselves, it put a dampener on it for her, to be honest I was simply trying not to throw up at this point! All in all an awesome gig I don’t think that there will be much to beat that, so I might just be calling time on my gig going duties, I wanted the best and I got the best…………….WOW!

Then after the battle of the Somme sorry it felt like it with all of the explosions that went off, more fireworks than a Guy Fawkes night and enough lasers to kill all of the aliens in close encounters and I would like to see the fire risk assessment for the amount of flames that was used, I now I simply can’t stop working what can I say I’m a bloody workaholic! And then in a heartbeat it was over! the 42-year love affair was done, do I think it’s the end hell no I bet they have a few more tricks up their sleeve before they shuffle off this mortal coil, but for me yes it is and what a way to go out on!

 We then did a silly thing and attempted to leave with everybody else (lots of them) we bumped into even more nice people, it was just like being a bloody hippy , so many lovely people mind you I could have stabbed the guy drumming on the way in and out of the venue (bless him) we just had the uphill struggle to get to the car, my knees at this point had done a tag team effort with my acid reflux and was kicking my butt, I didn’t care I was happy I had a great day with great people watching a great gig it simply doesn’t get better than that!

We got the hell out of dodge quickly, we took the low road and were soon back in Gimpsville at the Krakens to pick up a pooch, who was over the moon to see us, we thanked the Kraken who could have kicked off but strangely she didn’t, once home the youngest went straight to bed as she had rehearsal today for some Sondheim thingy majig, me and the wife tried to keep up with all of the farcebook posts  we soon admitted defeat and headed up the wooden hill!

A slight lie in the morning (for me at least) the wife went back to bed for a short while, to say that I am crippled today is an understatement, but you know what it was well worth it, I know  I haven’t mentioned anybody by name (coded or otherwise) but it was great to see so many of you all (including a certain birthday boy) even though I wasn’t in the best of health, my spirits were lifted by each and everybody that I saw, everybody that I spoke to, especially the wonderful phone call I received on the morning to find out what our plans were for the day, I have said it before and I will continue to keep saying it, I have made more friends due to this band than all of the bands I like put together, oh and at no time did I attempt to do my Gene $immons impersonation, now that has to be a first!

So there you have it my Kiss blog, and you lot thought it would be about the gig, as if you really thought that you don’t know me that well, the next one wont be along as quickly as this one was, but there will be more down the line, so keep watching the skies for incoming, keep spreading the disease because the numbers have sponsored by NASA they are so high, thank you one and all for the kind words until the next one is ready …………………………Toodles!

Don't make no promises

You may have noticed my blogs are starting to behave like the public transport system, not that reliable, let’s see if we can quantify that, life has kind of sucked big style over the last couple of weeks and I have been fighting at the barricades of life! Not mentally just the soul sucking style of things with explosive bottoms and projectile vomit all mine unfortunately.

Health has had me kicked in the nuts, I have been on my knees still trying to fight it, but it actually winded me quite badly, my mouth  had been signing cheques that to be honest I had no chance of honouring them, lets go back and start at the beginning, the last couple of blogs did good, actually they did really good, I was on a high for once, I should have realised I was heading for a fall, work was starting to taking over, just when I thought I had finally got a handle on it, silently creeping in and taking over, I had to get my ducks in a row, I kind of did and then my health took a shotgun and blew those poor little ducks away.

I had a week of nightshifts to contend with and a lot of other work to deal with from the daytime side of life, I managed to get to day three before I suffered with an exploding body, yes it was actually from every orifice, it wasn’t pretty, but I soldiered on like the idiot I am and to be honest I am just getting over it now, this is the third occasion of such an illness in the last eight months, it had me worried, I was a poorly Indian over the weekend, then I went back with a big black cloud hanging over my place of employment, it felt strange to come back to work to find out that we had been under yet another review and we were expecting more redundancy’s , as usual the company handled it like they were juggling a bag of shit that was on fire, yes you got it right like shite! It dragged on all week and again we are all still on tender hooks, we don’t know if that’s the end of it or is there still more to come, like some kind of cruel torture, no news is bad news in this kind of situation. It’s the torture that keeps on giving!

Mentally I have been on edge purely because we don’t know what they want, it’s like playing Russian roulette with a fully loaded pistol, not fun consequently blogging has been the furthest thing from my mind, I had a blog sort of in mind (yes this is it) but as the week has gone on its kind of got twisted, and then my wanting to vomit kept threatening to resurface , mmmm I wonder what brought that back on, I don’t need to wonder at all, then family issues kicked in as we had been planning this coming weekend for the  past six months, thankfully it went away as quick as it raised its head, its not resolved but it has sunk itself for the time being, what’s happening this weekend? I hear you ask well its our last visit to join the ranks of the Kiss army, to say that I have been underwhelmed is an understatement, life has an awful lot to answer for, I cant wait to see the dear friends I have amassed over the years because of this great band, I have more friends due this band than any other band all rolled into one, haters got to hate but the Kiss army rolls on!

My attempt at a music page on Farcebook (WWBH) is simply refusing to die even though I haven’t posted in months and I have cancelled it more than six times, I keep getting requests for money from farcebook saying that they will promote it to a gazillion people which was never the intention, I have cunning plans that will suit my transient lifestyle, watch this space, Farcebook can kiss my shiny metal ass! It will have a happy ending, but it will be mine not what they desire, go figure me bitter not likely!

On the bonus side of things I can confirm that I have lost over ten inches from my waist (no not my head) although I am fighting the health thing on many fronts, that is one that I am happy with, little and often, I know I cant wave a magic wand (I would if I could but I’m not Harry Potter) and wish for it all to disappear, one step at a time, as long as I have my hair and my looks…………hang on a minute!

So there you have it, something small and warm (no not a turd…..hang on) to keep you amused on a warm summers day, I’m making no more promises that my body can’t keep these coming as something will happen and stop me dead in my tracks, when and if I’m mentally able too, that is the best  that I will offer you these days, having said this I will probably publish another twelve in the next three days, you know you can expect one after the Kiss gig it would be rude not to wouldn’t it, so enjoy your weekend whatever you have lined up I know drama will raise its ugly head at some point but its all good, life is too short to try and not enjoy it, right chores to do and chocolate……I mean healthy things to eat I might even have a pint or two, this could get dangerous, as I want rock all night and party everyday………….until then Toodles!

Mental Ward

Before we go any further yes, the name game is in play, this is not a blog mocking anybody, its quite the opposite, but the song sprang to mind whilst I was on a course this week!

Some of you might realise  I have had a few (cough splutter) issues over the years and thanks to a fab support system, I have indeed been helped, now I’m not saying I’m cured by any stretch of the imagination, but the tools I have in  my tool kit have helped me get a little better, not perfect but a work in progress.

Most people including my self do hide their conditions, we don’t wish to be judged, believe it or not some people have a tendency to be not nice, thankfully it’s not like the good old days, a lot of you have a better understanding about these issues simply because people probably know some one who is going through some kind of emotional turmoil, the figures are truly staggering, no I’m not going to bore you if you have interest go look it up (the “Mind” website is a great place to start) now don’t panic I’m not going to get all preachy this  is simply a small missive …..well simply because I can!

Obviously I have an interest, it took me 32 years to ask for help, I’m so glad that I did, as I really was heading down a rabbit hole with nothing tethering me to the real world, again with great support (you all know who you are) my wife has been the best tether into the real world anybody could ask for. I was able to overcome this particular hurdle, some of these people who helped me had their own issues, unknown to me at the time. I asked for help and got it, I was very grateful and yes I blogged the hell out of it, I still do and more than likely will as long as I have the condition (so that’s for life then) I have also taken an active interest in learning more so that I can offer the same support that I received, I’m not so selfish as to not want to help anybody (and I do mean anybody I know who has problems)  who needs help.

The course had been on  the cards since the beginning of the year and I had forgotten all about it, other issues in the work scheme of things, I received a reminder with the timetable for the day, I was nervous, was I going to play well with others, I travelled to the destination (not my usual place of work) and was greeted with people who seemed pleased to see me as well as the folk from my place of work, then we began, no I’m not going to deliver a blow by blow account of the course it was informative, the lady who delivered the course was very good and it wasn’t simply death by power point, I soon realised that a number of other  people who I work with had issues, their masks slipped, in a good way and they were supported in an even better way, as always legal matters are broached, to be honest it nearly derailed the course but the lady in charge really was in charge and got us back on track, she covered a number of topics with great relevant information and although she touched on my condition she didn’t labour on it, that made me happy.

At the end of the course I had had enough , I was drained emotionally, thankfully not in a negative way, for a change, I went to say thank you as I had indeed enjoyed the course, and like a bolt out of the blue she asked me “how I was coping with my PTSD?” WTF, it turns although it had been barely mentioned I was super focused on the subject, damn she was good, I slipped away after saying my thanks, others were going for a drink, it appears I was noticed as being missing in action, again in a good way, I will admit to having slept virtually all the way home, I was drained but for once it was a good feeling!

The aftermath and conversations the day after were interesting and again multiple support teams were built, there were far more people jealous of not being on the course than I imagined, for once I was glad to have taken part in a great course, for something that I think will simply be a much bigger issue in the years to come, I hope in a good way for everybody concerned whether that be at work or in my personal life!  

The blog has been astonishing in numbers and kind comments and its an even split for those who wish the historical ones and those who seem to be here because they enjoy the “style” their words of choice not mine, I’m not even sure that I had a style, but hey ho you learn something new every day, I don’t think that’s a bad thing either! I have started to filter and get rid of things that I have stockpiled for future blogs, I do intend to finish at 500 (please see previous blogs) so I don’t think I need everything that is stockpiled, my one concern is that the kraken keeps coming over and tidying up when I’m not here, my main book has been misplaced, with some great ideas which I would like to finish, I’m being good about it though as I know it will surface at some point (I hope).

So things appear to be on an even keel, that in itself is a frightening thing, our trips to the outside world haven’t been as much as I would like however I have been saving some pennies for a trip away in September and the wife well, she is spending what she wants when she wants (so no change there then) we will be making visits in the next couple of weeks (honest) but you lot do have your own lives we catch on to the tails of your comets at some point, that’s a threat and a promise……..incoming!

There you have it a man at peace (well sort of) on a Sunday morning the family have been fed and pushed out the door off to work, me I’m going to have a day doing what I do best. listening to lots of music and I might do a little bit of work (only because it suits me) I have some household chores to carry out and then to chillax before the marauding hordes return from their places of work expecting food and nourishment, so enjoy the blog, your day , the weather, your loved ones, family and pets I know I intend to and yes I know I usually come across as a pessimist, today so far I am being an optimist lets see how long that lasts, so once again keep the comments coming, keep spreading the disease, it’s the only way this grows, its simply if you guys (and gals) hit like or what ever you lot do, so watch the skies for more incoming, but until the next time……………………..Toodles!

Jealousy

So, the last blog (quite literally an hour ago) blasted through the internet like a rocket it would I appear to have hit a nerve, not my intention, I was simply spewing my weekly melancholic blog!

Again, the numbers are still climbing however I got a shit load of comments 99.9% of which I don’t publish, I don’t wish to have another Redneck infestation, please see previous blogs if you don’t know why! The split is about 50 – 50 as to I shouldn’t hate my father and the fact that I should forgive him, well to be honest I don’t hate him, how can you hate someone who simply vanished 45 years ago, more than likely he is worm food somewhere as he would be in his 80’s! Again how can I forgive him if he is not present in my life, I do admit to pangs of jealousy when I see people posting on Farcebook how great their dads were, again I get the fact thatI had some pretty damn good male role models in my life growing up, I simply didn’t know it at the time, but the main reason behind the last blog if I’m honest is, I would have liked to have been given the opportunity to choose if I hated him or if I wanted to forgive him.

I honestly as a kid didn’t think a great deal about it as I was growing up, I was a kid, I had enough shit going on without adding to it, you know normal kid stuff, so yeah forgive  me if I didn’t think of him I got the impression that he didn’t think of me go figure! At least I had music music and then a bit more music!

If he did have another family and I certainly don’t begrudge him that right, why did he simply choose to ignore us where we that inconsequential to him, I’m sure there are many factors that I have not been made aware of but until they are presented to me, my view on my relationship with a person who kind of didn’t exist will stay the same, I am not after building something that obviously was never there, I never got the impression that he cared for me when he was around, I believe my brother was probably more affected than me as there was a better connection, shared interest’s ,simply because of age and the fact that my brother is the spitting double of him, my brother got everything from my dad except a full head of hair, LOL you can guess what I got!

I suppose I do have the right to be bitter if I so desire, but to be honest I’m not, I was upset about 20 years ago for a couple of weeks but then I simply let it go, as I get older I try not to let bitterness into my life, I have enough problems without fabricating more and let them dictate the way I feel! Sometimes though and it is very rare I wonder why he did what he did, I have always assumed rightly or wrongly with the information that I have to hand, and yes I know it to be biased, I am assuming that there was mental health issues, without further data I cannot improve on what I know or feel, it is the one thing I genuinely do not hold a grudge for, I mean what is the point.

I don’t hold a grudge against anybody having a great relationship with their dad good luck to them, I can see that some of them have become awesome parents simply because that they indeed had a strong father figure in their lives! Good luck to you one and all, and yes, I know at times when I blog on this particular subject there is a certain sense of paranoia creeping in, I don’t need to be told, I know I’m a dumb ass!

So 2 blogs in less than an hour you now how to make an old man that little bit happier , the day can only get worse, lets see how this one does compare to the last one, and as always yes the name game is in play, until the next one (and no there wont be another one today) keep the comments coming even if I don’t publish them all, I no w need to lie down as I have a number of chores to complete, typical bloody blogs got in the way……………Toodles!

Father Figure

Its that day of the year where we celebrate 50% of the people who bring us up, for me I try not to look backwards for this particular person!

I didn’t have a particular hard upbringing, my mother had 2 growing boys to bring up, she did her best and I know she had it a lot harder than me and my brother will ever know, she was even after her stroke a tower of strength, I cant say much about my father as he simply wasn’t around, the fact that I haven’t seen him in over 45 years kind of sums it up.

He allegedly moved away from us, I have no intention of mentioning the lies, I do know he was close enough for me to drive past his place of living when I came out of the army, I didn’t discover this fact until twenty years down the line, call me naïve but I’m betting others knew he was there but didn’t share the information, at a time when I needed help all I know was that he simply wasn’t there!

Did this effect the way I brought my kids up, probably but hopefully in a good way, having said that I have a feeling I was too hard on them too much like an NCO at times than a  loving parent, simply because I didn’t know how to interact, everything was black or white instead of shades of grey! do I,  did I love my kids at the time? hell yeah, it would appear though I had some of my own issues at the time.

I was simply trying to do the best or what I thought was the best for them!

Why do I think like this, well for one reason there were only 4 people in the area with my surname me my brother and two cousins on my dad’s side, who I behaved abdominally when I met them as a teenager, now there’s a lot more people with my surname and I wonder is it my dad with another family and did he treat them better than his first, I don’t really connect with my family much anyway my brother who I speak to as often as possible (when work for both of us permits) I would like to spend more time inside his sphere of influence but its simply not to be, and my favourite cousin down in sunny scunny, however I have allowed work and my own issues cloud how I interact with the world, I will die an  old lonely man when my time comes to an end

I like to think even after all the trials and tribulations of the last 28 years, I did ok for my kids, I had no field manual, but I feel like I was there when I was needed, I was a shoulder to cry on, I was there to laugh at whatever was needed, to be the adult or to be the man child at things that only family can laugh at (sorry Shaun).

I’m not going to labour the point today is the day I hope my dad is getting buggered in an old folks home somewhere, but I know I’m not that lucky! I’m going to spend the bulk of the day in the company of my youngest and I might just get to see the oldest if she gets back to Gimpsville in time to bring the grand kids with her, I wont lose any sleep I am the best person that I can be, I love my kids and I will always be there for them when they need me.

So that’s that one done a short blog, I don’t expect this to run like the others have of late so expect another historical one in a couple of days so keep spreading the disease watch the skies there will be more incoming soon, but until then …………...Toodles!

Days Gone By

I have been nervous about doing anymore historical music blogs as they of late have been so slow out of the blocks that I have had serious misgivings, I have done blogs on Roger Taylor, Blue Oyster Cult to name but two, and they have seriously undermined my potential for doing these. So here goes third time lucky purely because the last blog went through the roof!

Music was my saviour in my younger days (still is if truth be told) it was simpler times I would jump  on a train or a bus to head off and see bands all of  the time, depending on the finances, damn it if I won the lottery it’s what I would do now, blow it on following tours of artists that float my boat and damn the consequences, then I really would bore the pants off you lot! Let’s transport you back to a simpler time.

1985 I was in London for a friends birthday and I kind of over stayed by a week or two, I had no ties at work or otherwise, well a had a girlfriend but she didn’t seem to mind if I wasn’t there (this became a common thread in our relationship even when we got married) we (the boys that is) had decided to have one last night out before we all went our separate ways back to home, we met in the Marquee I seem to remember it being Valentines day simply as there was a special  offer to gain entry, none of us qualified, by the time we arrived the band was already on stage (I have blogged this beginning part before) and I lost all interest in the night out as I loved the band from the  opening chords of “I belong to the night” to the rowdy ending of “American Girls” yes my love affair with FM started that very night, I liked Steve Overland’s voice from his previous band Wildlife I discovered him by accident as I had taken a date to an MSG gig in Newcastle (yes it didn’t go down well or last very long) my intention was to see Derek St Holmes who was playing with the headliners, I got diverted after the support band, I bought the album the next day and then travelled to Sheffield to see them again, then they dropped off the face of the earth.

Out of nowhere there he was again on the stage in the marquee wearing matching dodgy suits and big hair, I loved the well-crafted tunes and that voice was simply like honey, a great vocalist, now that they were on my radar I did my level best to ensure I saw as often as possible in 1985 (I don’t remember the exact dates but I do remember the venues) I saw them supporting so many people I saw them in Bradford more than once in 1985 also in Birmingham, I had bought (yes I know I was shocked as well) tickets for Gary Moore as I wanted to see Glenn Hughes playing with the fiery Irishman , unfortunately Mr Hughes succumbed to his Mars Bar addiction, so I was gutted when he pulled out but I was over the moon to see FM supporting still wearing the dodgy suits. The only issue the wife (of the moment) insisted that she had discovered this new band oh how me and my friends chuckled!

1986 came around and I had traversed into normal employment (needs must) so I hardly got out and about but I did manage a trio of gigs at the end of the year including a gig at the marquee which wasn’t the best for me as I had never drank tequila shots before, the journey back to the North of England wasn’t pleasant the next day, an early train and then straight to work for a late shift was not a good idea, not that I was full of good ideas back in the day!

1987 was slightly better for gigs trips, I got to see them in Sheffield and Nottingham (the first time ever at the Rock City venue) and a trip to see them at the Astoria was slightly better only because the wife was sick and couldn’t attend and then she couldn’t tell everybody that she had discovered them, bless again  the blur of travel drink and gigs was becoming the norm, to say that I was  burning the candle at both ends was soon going to have consequences, working long hours and then whenever I was off I would travel to see bands of many denominations, my private life was decidedly shit, I suppose I already knew this but was in denial, the marriage crashed and burned at the end of the year my only regret for the relationship was that she couldn’t have been truthful, the only thing that I asked for in all of the time we were together I knew It wasn’t an easy partnership but I always tried my best and I was always honest, and I was at least  a monogamist , something she had issues with, no blame apportioned we went our separate ways me I went into self-destruction mode for at least a year drinking, drinking and then drinking some more, I blamed myself when in reality we were both to blame, life’s too short  it was time to not only to burn the candle at both ends but to take a flamethrower to the middle as well 1988 was a blur with no FM activity!

1989 was a return to the norm, drink was curtailed to sensible levels, well normal-ish but I became known as the half day kid at work as  I would take half days to go and see bands, travel back on late trains and go to work the next day (ah the good old days) they returned to action in August at the Mayfair and  I was down the front bouncing and singing along (badly) other dates included through October and November at the city hall the Hammersmith Odeon and Leeds and Sheffield back to the Marquee for the Christmas show , which I loved but I awoke on the platform of the train station back in Newcastle with no recollection on how I got there……ooops!

1990 wasn’t the best my only recollection of an FM gig that year was the Town & Country club that was marred by someone close to us being poorly, we thought it was a heart attack we did our best and an ambulance was called I often wonder if the guy survived, it kind of took the edge off the gig although in a bittersweet irony it was the first thing I ever recorded once I bought a (second hand) video player, I do believe I still have the tape somewhere.

1991 was the year I met the current good lady wife and I saw them a couple of times including a date at the Riverside in Newcastle on the taking it to the streets tour in which they insisted playing a Thin Lizzy medley, not what I wanted to hear at all, but I still have the tape, me and the Mrs saw them at Walkers doing their acoustic thing which was awesome apart from the fact we got hammered on scrumpy jack, I may have annoyed one or two people that night (sorry peeps) then it was a case of if the played close to home we went and then they split, damn what was I going to do now?

Mr Overland resurfaced in a band called SO with Pete Jupp and I had a devil of a time trying to buy the bloody records in the end I had to succumb to a downloaded version of their only album called Brass Monkey I never got to see them play live but the album is a masterpiece in my top five of all time its not what you might call rock its very song orientated I love it, however I had to rely on dodgy tribute albums and a Broadway show soundtrack to get my fix of Mr Overland’s voice.

One of the most surreal viewings we were invited to a wedding for SMOR and MR O and Juppy (damn I feel as if I know them) were playing in a cover band for the wedding and it was awesome all covers but I did get a cheeky snippet of closer to heaven after I shouted for it  and after the actual two sets I had a great conversation with Mr O who was genuinely taken back by my admiration of Brass monkey, a short conversation but one that I will take to my grave.

Since then we have seen them a number of times I have only missed them once, when I was as sick as a dog but the wife did buy me the latest EP as a consolation prize, I was a poorly bairn that night,  the furthest we have travelled is Hartlepool again a great gig with the wonderful Bernie Marsden supporting and another night of great memories for the story box, Mr O is involved in so many bands at the  moment and  I haven’t come across a bad one yet long may it continue, its not all a love fest though he appeared on a tribute album and he covered Angie (by the Rolling Stones) and it was horrible, his voice was the  usual, but the song was simply shocking , can somebody please tell me how they are revered for being the band that they are, answers on a postcard to IDONTGIVEASHIT.COM

So, there you go I will sit like an expectant father hoping that this one will soar through the stratosphere like the last blog enjoy and keep spreading the word, until the next time …………Toodles!