Lucky end to an unlucky day...
Thursday 2nd June 2005
For an anal retentive who can only read magazines from cover to cover starting at the beginning (and I'm a slow reader so 1 magazine may take several days if not weeks), my diary is surprisingly all over the place at the minute.
I am simultaneously writing about Istanbul last August, have ramblings from April to may 2005 in my powerbook waiting to be posted and am writing this in a pad as we bump along Polish roads (typing what I wrote by hand into a computer at Jazz Club, Katowice!).
We are listening to the late Junior Delgado's album which he recorded just before he passed.
I am quite cynical about a lot of modern reggae, especially that which is made by established artists, complacency often sets in and you hear bland reggae tropes, shadows of the great work you origiinally associate them with.
The Delgado album is good - conscious lyrics, currently relevant well thought out lyrics, strong strident, political and free. Musically there are soul and big band influences as well as some heavy weight roots rhythms. Respect and thanks for the inspiration.
Yesterday was a fucker of a day.
Left home knackered (post weekend) at 5.30am and reached Stansted at 10am having been closer to falling asleep at the wheel than I ever have been.
Met up with Hakey - always nice, and flew to Berlin where we met the rest of the crew, picked up a van and drove 5 hours to get to Wroclaw, arriving in town 1hour before we were due on stage.
Hurriedly ate part of a hot meal at a restaurant (a meal 3 hours before we are due to play is the optimum), then got lost and when we did finally reach the venue there was a problem with the sound. We took to the stage over an hour late, my throat/voice was playing up due to a minor chest infection so I had difficulty controlling the pitch of my voice.
After only 1 hour the gig was stopped by police enforcing the strict curfew.
As the crowd shouted "Zion Train" over and over we stood frustrated at the back of the stage.
As always we linked up with Tom the Wroclaw fire chief...
just realised I'm due on stage here in 20 mins so I'm going to run and finish this letter (never before in the history of my blog have I done this!)
Now I'm finishing this post at Berlin Tegel airport - how cool is that?
Anyway Tom had brought me a top cd. The on body image was a photo of us together the last time we were in Wroclaw. I know from what he said that there is music on the cd by Bach, Chopin and Zion Train - can't wait to listen to his eclectic mix.
Fortunately back at the hotel I made the decision to have a bath before I went to bed. The water was sputtering and brown and turned out to be the last of the hot water in the hotel tank - when the lads went to wash the following morning there was no hot water.
Tune of the day
Fire Brigade
by The Move***