Last Day In London
Last day in London. Prowling around downtown, in and out of the Underground. That great stale-aired disease factory that I love so much. I can smell 200 years worth of working humanity in that thing. The longest escalators in the world, the grittiest cave-born winds, the endless rattlings of the disappearing rails – gone worm-like into the distance. How many people take this thing to work every day? How many lives have come and gone in here? It gave me a cold yesterday, slammed right into my forehead - I sniffle and cough my way around now – but I have to go down there again. It knows my name and it will not let me rest…
It has been a great honour to get to know the Cole family. East Londoners. Pie, mash and liquor. Michael Cole has been my agent on this trip and his 26 year old son Justin has been the driver. And what a driver he is! If you see him coming you better pull aside. I have been staying at Mike’s daughter Vicky’s place, in her son’s room. Her husband Alex is the guy who met me when I first arrived way back then. They have two children, both boys. I sleep in the older brother’s bed room. The younger has a heart condition. How sad to see a beautiful baby and to know that his heart is damaged and that ten years ago he wouldn’t have lived even this long. Maybe in ten years time they will know how to fix him for real. You have to think like that. These are good people.
I played up in Devon at the Otterton Mill, a great and wonderful place attached to a mill that is actually a thousand years old. Put that in your “Original Starbucks!” The sound engineer was a guy named Ian Briggs. He’s a real good blues harmonica player and he invited us to his gig the next night in Bristol. He’s a got a band called The Supervampers. I had the night off so it seemed like a logical thing to do. That’s when my cold started to hit but I went for it anyway. I like Bristol. It’s got a real good feel to it. College town, lots of art. I did a couple of songs and felt kind of silly after what that band does. I mean all I have is an acoustic guitar… Anyway, next day was Trowbridge at the Arc Theater. Real good room, great sound, lights, the whole nine yards. I’ll be playing the Trowbridge Festival this summer so it was good to get to be in the town. Good show.
Last night was the last gig. The Plough. Awesome gig. A real English folk club. We don’t have anything like that in the states, at least not that I’ve ever seen. In the late 70s and early 80s I used to play quite a lot of them. They are a great example. As the featured performer I do 2 sets, usually 45 minutes each. Each set has a couple of warm up acts and those are local players and singers. What a great idea to give your community artists the chance to perform before an audience like that. And what an audience! Generous in their attention, more than willing to go in any direction you want to take them. A good way to end my trip.
So tomorrow I have to get up before dawn even thinks about cracking. My plane leaves at 8:20 and the first underground from Vicky’s neck of the woods leave at 5:30. That’s the one I’ll be on. Sounds like fun. Anybody want to come with me?
It has been a great honour to get to know the Cole family. East Londoners. Pie, mash and liquor. Michael Cole has been my agent on this trip and his 26 year old son Justin has been the driver. And what a driver he is! If you see him coming you better pull aside. I have been staying at Mike’s daughter Vicky’s place, in her son’s room. Her husband Alex is the guy who met me when I first arrived way back then. They have two children, both boys. I sleep in the older brother’s bed room. The younger has a heart condition. How sad to see a beautiful baby and to know that his heart is damaged and that ten years ago he wouldn’t have lived even this long. Maybe in ten years time they will know how to fix him for real. You have to think like that. These are good people.
I played up in Devon at the Otterton Mill, a great and wonderful place attached to a mill that is actually a thousand years old. Put that in your “Original Starbucks!” The sound engineer was a guy named Ian Briggs. He’s a real good blues harmonica player and he invited us to his gig the next night in Bristol. He’s a got a band called The Supervampers. I had the night off so it seemed like a logical thing to do. That’s when my cold started to hit but I went for it anyway. I like Bristol. It’s got a real good feel to it. College town, lots of art. I did a couple of songs and felt kind of silly after what that band does. I mean all I have is an acoustic guitar… Anyway, next day was Trowbridge at the Arc Theater. Real good room, great sound, lights, the whole nine yards. I’ll be playing the Trowbridge Festival this summer so it was good to get to be in the town. Good show.
Last night was the last gig. The Plough. Awesome gig. A real English folk club. We don’t have anything like that in the states, at least not that I’ve ever seen. In the late 70s and early 80s I used to play quite a lot of them. They are a great example. As the featured performer I do 2 sets, usually 45 minutes each. Each set has a couple of warm up acts and those are local players and singers. What a great idea to give your community artists the chance to perform before an audience like that. And what an audience! Generous in their attention, more than willing to go in any direction you want to take them. A good way to end my trip.
So tomorrow I have to get up before dawn even thinks about cracking. My plane leaves at 8:20 and the first underground from Vicky’s neck of the woods leave at 5:30. That’s the one I’ll be on. Sounds like fun. Anybody want to come with me?
posted by Jim Page at 5:47 AM
1 Comments:
Thanks for the great glimpse of London just before leaving Jim.
I imagined sitting down to some of that pie, mash and liquor with the Coles!
Safe journey home!
Baba
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