Tour
Diary USA
1997...
the players:
Martin
Bowes : Vocals / most of everything
Joanne Lygo: Vocals
Will Pickin: keyboards / samplers
Rich Kelly: Sunday driving
Tuesday
Oct 14th
- MEET
THE DRIVER. Coventry....up at 4am. Flightlink to Heathrow. BA flight
10.30am...arrive in Chicago 1.30pm...Will stopped at immigration for having
no money!!!! we lied for him...we get through...to lodgings...SPACE TIME
TANKS!!!...to Projekt...eat Thai...out to Scary Lady Sarah's club Noir...drink...Joanne
collapses and is thrown out....we leave...Will spins around in his tank...we
sleep.
- Wednesday
Oct 15th
- SPACE
TIME. we float in the tanks before breakfast!...we like it...buy cables/sort
out the borrowed gear at Projekt. final tour plans. Buy effects. Mexican
meal with Sam and Lisa. A drink at Club 950...meet Sunshine Blind...
- Thursday
Oct 16th
- PANIC
IN DETROIT! ...no VAN!!...they won't accept my credit card...it has
to be the drivers!!!! we wire money to his card in England...look for another
van for the day...leave late for Detroit...drive in at night through boarded
up houses and rising steam from sewers....the people are NICE....ASCENSION
UK....set up, test all our borrowed gear and soundcheck in a matter of minutes...a
good crowd.....interviews...a good start...thanks Mariana!..off for a well
deserved 3 hours sleep....
- Friday Oct
17th
- "NONE
OF MY OLD BUDDIES ARE ALIVE NOW" ...up at 6.30am...260 miles back
to chicago and change vans....take cab to car hire with Vietnam vet....with
stories!...get an Isuzu Rodeo...our new home...off to Madison, WI....Ned
and Monica`s house...chill out...sleep
- Saturday
Oct 18th
- BLUBERRY
PANCAKES ...and shopping malls. ...buy more cables...head into downtown
Madison..INFERNO...good show (bad monitors)...recorded to DAT...meet some
long time fans...off to Cybil's party...back to Ned's...
- Sunday Oct
19th
- YOU
ROCK MARTIN...(thanks Lisa)......nice breakfast!!!!...off to
Chicago...Ned with us to do sound...a double show...all ages and 21 and
over...Eric and Sarah and CLUB 950...great night ...recorded to DAT....but
please only one show at a time!....Ned leaves us...we sleep in space tanks...again.
- Monday Oct
20th
- ONE
HALF OF McDONALDS ....Call into Projekt/stock up on merch...we sell
lots...early drive to St Louis, MO...check out the Gateway to the west......we
try the McDonalds river boat experience...same crap...but on a boat...meet
Rev Lord Ben...stay at his house...the first Projekt band to play in St
Louis...an honour....GALAXY club...(fetish night)...DJ nice/manager miserable...but
a good show...loud....meet lots of nice folk...
- Tuesday
Oct 21st
- STOMP
OUT THE DEVIL! ....hangover it's my own fault...crucified muppets..eat
Vietnamese...hit the road...drive...drive...drive...drive...stop late at
Savanna, OK...a Budget Host...12 pack of Bud, chips and cable TV...."Oklahoma
is the frontier state...with Lakes!!!!"...wow...
- Wednesday
Oct 22nd
- BEHIND
THE GRASSY KNOLL ...arrive in Dallas...meet Chris Greene (thanks Chris)
at first USA Bank...take a train downtown...eat Mexican...buy souveniers...wander
over to the grassy knoll...sight-seeing, american-style!...over to Fort
Worth...IMPALA...meet Brian and Mike and Tara (Lycia to you)...bad sound!!!
great crowd...didn't go to crack party...(we're sorry)...
- Thursday
Oct 23rd
- LOST
LIZARD AND BLUE HAIR. F*ck! left our (actually Sam's!) keyboard stand
and Lizard backdrop!!! frantic search...phone calls lead nowhere...set off
to Houston in a tropical thunderstorm!...arrive Ok...buy new stand!!...meet
Lycia again...get directions for a lot of our upcoming shows off them...meet
Dana and Blue hair again...(Vampire house of horror remember?)...lovely...good
sound...poor turnout (last minute show...)...i look like a `30`s superhero...(apparently)...almost
stayed with the promoter...ended up at the Butthole Surfer's managers house...(thanks...)
he was away...
- Friday Oct
24th
- F*CKING
SKUNK! ...off to Florida...gave all my postcards to a waitress in a
roadside diner...(thanks...they all arrived!)...alligators heads and back
scratchers...drive, drive...700 miles...find a motel 6 in Tallahassee, FL,...find
a 12 pack of Bud...find a bed...
- Saturday
Oct 25th
- SHANNON
IS A GIRL'S NAME ....arrive in Orlando...hot...find club...meet Kamilsky..Czech
sound guy...Ramada Hotel...back to CLUB Z and the worst sound ever!!!....the
crowd are wonderful...they apologise!!!..."you could play in a toilet and
you'd still be excellent..." (thanks Shantelle...we have...)
- Sunday Oct
26th
- THIRD
MOST VIOLENT COUNTY IN THE UNITED STATES. West Palm Beach. mmmm nice
Palm trees!. promoter doesn`t show...we do the gig anyway. RESPECTABLE St
CAFE...good sound...We do like smoke!...enthusiastic...down on fee...Days
Inn and goodnight...
- Monday Oct
27th
- REDNECKS
....20% discount on our omelettes for total utter IHOP fkup...mmmmm....drive
up into the scary south...Georgia...680 miles...Ambassador Inn and a late
night trip to a shopping mall for chewing tobacco and liquor...("No liquor
in stores in this state"...)...oh, and a barbie doll...bad wine is good...party
party....
- Tuesday
Oct 28th
- A
GIRL CALLED HARMONY. Atlanta...rundown bits...OUTTA CONTROL...(Old club
688 punk venue)...it's Dave's birthday party...we like Dave....fire eating
costume drama queens Apocalypse Theatre open...good one...good sound...meet
a girl called Harmony...wierd...drive through the night...3 hours sleep
in roadside rest station...
- Wednesday
Oct 29th
- WELCOME
TO HEAVEN. arrive at Best Western motel...sleep some more...off to Washington
DC...past Capitol building...yuppy areas...Colombian restaurant...Halloween
night at club HEAVEN...good crowd...show videoed..nice folk...back to Best
western...
- Thursday
Oct 30th
- SISTER
TERESA. sleep in...Shoney buffet!...off to Richmond, VA..."the Village"...hang
out in shops and bars...TWISTERS...a good turnout, good show...get bonus!...meet
Teresa!!!...off into the night....2 more hours sleep in rest stsation...
- Friday Oct
31st
- MEET
THE AMISH.(OH DEAR) .... 700 miles wipeout...Will and Joanne asleep
in back of car...me and Rich meet the Amish in a roadside Burger King...(oh,
such style...)...arrive at Lycia's...our home for the night...Mike changes
my hundreds of $20 bills for $100 dollar bills...a little easier on the
pocket...they give us sweets and plastic rings...sleep a little..off to
PHANTASY THEATRE, Cleveland, OH...Joanne keeps falling over. Halloween special.
.....great show...good sound, good food, good crowd. LYCIA AND ATTRITION
KILLED BY SUICIDAL DEAR ON DRIVE HOME!!!!!! (oh, very, very nearly...)
- Saturday
Nov 1st
- FLOODLAND.
450 miles to NYC in the rain. Pennsylvania. New Jersey. Lincoln tunnel.
Manhattan. BATCAVE at DOWNTIME. good club...soundman a little, er distant...meet
Neville...meet Carl ( merch boy!!!)...Thai food...playing with Ben Neill...nice...bad
sound (man)...too many cooks and not enough diners...off to Nevilles...his
car breaks down in flood!!! wades over to us and we get him home...finally
get paid...where is our booking agent?
- Sunday Nov
2nd
- SOMEWHERE
NEAR COVENTRY. slow drive through scary Bronx. To Providence, RI. THE
MET CAFE. good venue, great crowd, good show...a good ending...drink as
much as we can....stay with Brad in his new (old) house...
- Monday Nov
3rd
- THE
PASSENGERS. .....early start...long road...long drive..bust through
tollgate on red...900 miles to Michigan city, Indiana...(enjoying your day
off Will?)..we COULD have done a 1000, no problem...stop at Knights Inn...goodnight.
- Tuesday
Nov 4th
- BIRTHDAY
BOY. 60 miles to Chicago. drop Will and Joanne at Projekt with the gear
(no-one is in yet!!)...drop ISUZU at Alamo...sort out merch bill ($1139
tp pay Projekt...$3000 taken)...my accounting head is on...we have a (little)
profit to share....Will and Joanne run away...(Chicago O`hare on standby!...they
make it!)..Rich and me unofficially celebrate Sam's birthday at IGGY's and
a final trip to CLUB NOIR. Bye Eric, Mera, Drew, Tom...
- Wednesday
Nov 5th
- BOUNCING
BABY BOYD. stay with Pat and new family. Mexican lunch then BA home...easy
flight.Flightlink. taxi. home...
a very
nice one. thanks to everyone who came and involved - especially Pat@Projekt
and Ben@Bayridge Talent agency for setting it up.
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