Get out of London!

We’ve finished the first leg of the tour around the UK. The shows went well but the schedule was exhausting – there was no down time at all. I can’t remember van tours being this tiring before, (maybe it’s an age thing!) but that we haven’t had a day off in over a week and have often been doing shows and multiple radio shows and promo etc, every day has proven a little too much. Everyone looks completely shagged.

Our tour bus arrived tonight which means I won’t be driving any more. I didn’t mind the driving as much as I didn’t like the navigating city centres with a pony map and looking for somewhere to park for an hour or so each night. Bombing along the M1 at 90mph is fine—although it was better before my ipod died. Still, now I have a new nest in the tour bus – slightly smaller than the ones we had in America but it does have a window, which is really good--it’s like a little porthole. I’m in one of the front bunks above the driver so it’s close to being a suicide bunk. But it is one of the quietest, which, as anyone who’s spent any time on a tour bus will attest, is one of the most important things—early death notwithstanding. I’ve already filled it with my gadgets – if I could concentrate for longer than the length of time it takes to type up a day-sheet I’d add some books to the mix but I’m simple of mind on this tour already and can't form full sentences today so book learning is out of the window.


We took a cross channel ferry to
Calais (This is the view from the skylight at the back of the bus as we boarded. The glamour of a ferry terminal... actually, geek that I am, I like places like this--all sodium lights and freight vehicles). This was the 4:30am sailing. Stayed awake for the ride and we docked at 6:50AM . I liked the ferry ride – the English Channel (Q: How did we get naming rights to it?) was black and I could see other boats out there heading to and from the North Sea. It felt isolated and almost secret in the way that late-night travel can feel. Boats are a good way to travel--they’re very tangible. There’s a romance to sea travel. For a time I had the south coast of England to myself with just the dark waves for company. I have to say I couldn’t understand why there was a harpoon on the ferry. That must be why one never sees any whales in the English Channel.


I slept until Amsterdam, which was a relief. I have a night off tonight and as long as I avoid all the peasants (thank god none of my party are gagging to mong' themselves out…) celebrating their bohemian tendencies by smoking themselves insensate then I’m looking forward to a night off here and going to dinner. I like Amsterdam except for all the plebs. Maybe if I get bored I can let off a little steam pushing drunks into the canals…?

A chap has got to have some fun, right?



On the MacPod tonight.
Thieves – Unworthy
Pulp – Common People
Cat Power – Where is my Love? / Love and Communication
Placebo – Special K
Neko Case – Hold On, Hold On
The Cure – Why Can’t I Be You?