SHOWDAY Around 11am Tom,JJ and Neil decided they would hit the music shops on 48th street so we drifted through the heat listening, looking, narrowly missing taxis, walking past sparkly bag stalls. I suggest JJ buys one of these for his beloved – Tess, but he has already decided on much more sensible and useful […]
Wake at 3.30 with a desperate need for coffee so walk a block to an all- night deli called Smiles. I buy a cappuccino and a tea from a machine and walk back past the night-gangs of road repairers and shadowy shapes in doorways. When I get back to our room I find the cappuccino […]
Day one and not a single flared nostril amongst us. Instruments hav been accounted for and packed. Passports and visas in correct places. Clothes and merchandise ready to go. So when a sprightly and ever cheerful Doug turns up at 7.30 to drive us to Heathrow, all we have to do is have coffee and […]
Again there will be a few ‘Beatle’ bands playing before and after Neil’s set, including an ‘Australian Beatles’ who would rather JJ’s percussion wasn’t around when they were playing. Neil points out that if JJs percussion wasn’t to be around then maybe The Rutles would choose to use their own drum kit rather than busking […]
Not an auspicious start. The Adelphi is hosting a Beatlefest type of event this weekend so the dining room is crowded with a long queue. Many people recognise Neil and comment on the show. The Liverpool Beatlefest has far less emphasis on selling mountains of merchandise than the US ones- just one small kiosk tucked […]
And into the van around 10am for the journey to Liverpool. This takes about 5 hours and is noteable mainly for the lack of conversation and the sound of deep snoring. Even the Sudoku books lie unloved on the floor of the van. The weather, which has up to now been good for England in […]
Neil has two interviews to do today so we walk back to the Spiegeltent garden where we are scooped into the tent for a programme broadcast daily about the festival. Two very strong coffees later Neil answers the usual questions- ‘what was it like working with The Pythons etc’ and then plays ‘Love is getting […]
The eastern road to Edinburgh is not good. But it is quite beautiful. Suddenly there are heather-covered hills, stunted wind blown trees and pretty stone built villages and views over the rocks to the sea so that if you had days to spare this would be a good way to spend it . If you […]
Tom arrives at Ipswich station with double bass and strange ears. Did he wear these on the journey or just put them on before he arrived ??? It is late. We eat and then sleep – not sure whether or not Tom actually went to bed. He is, as you will already know, 26, and […]
The idea was to drop Neil at BBC for interview while I went to pick up Ken up from the airport. But there turned out to be enough time for us both to pick Ken up and as Neil was being interrogated, I was in bookshops looking for inspiration while Ken scoured Oxford Street area […]
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