Sabbatical

It's been almost two weeks since I last wrote anything here. I was getting a bit sick of the sound of my own typing... the clicks and the clacks began to have an echo of pompousness about them, mocking me and my self importance. Plus the sojourn in Japan had left me way more exhausted than I expected and threw my judgement off... I discovered meaning in everything and wanted to blog about the minute details. This, I decided was a bad idea. Finally I considered it an act of sacrifice to write nothing immediately after my readership increased threefold... what it was a sacrifice to I have no idea, but in my mind I think I imagined it to be the equivilent of doing a freeform jazz album after a rock and roll hit.

Told you I was tired.



So, we flew back from Tokyo on Friday morning on an inexplicably longer 12 and a half hour flight. Being the best part of 6'3" it's rare I fit anywhere anyway, but planes just aren't built for people of my size so I feel justified in saying I suffered for most of the journey. The taxi ride back up to Sheffield was nigh on impossible to survive concious and when we finally got home I blundered my way out the vehicle, muttered cursory goodbyes and had staggered down the street within 5 minutes.

Next day was Dza and Nicki's wedding down in High Wycombe. Dza is one of my business partners in Medlo and Nicki is his beautiful bride - an endlessly patient lady who has more than suffered for the efforts of the Media Lounge over the years. How Dza ever convinced her to marry him is beyond me... the wedding was just how weddings should be - sweet, short, and with drunk teenage celebrities running around. It was a highly stressful day for me, tiredness and jet-lag were at their most prominent and I found all the talking to people in a hot room to be very overwhelming. It didn't help that night when Is and I slept in the worlds smallest bed in the worlds smallest bed and breakfast...

Suffering from extreme fatigue by now, Tza drove us all back to Sheffield via a great Peaks pub called the Three Merry Lads. Here I hilariously bought Isobel a Sunday carvery despite the fact she is a vegetarian. Nice move.

And the so the week continued with a degree of unabashed tired until I found myself sleeping for 16 hours straight on Thursday. The thing is, I thought I was fine... I thought I'd escaped the return jet-lag and was doing just peachy, until Thursday happened. I awoke with just 30 minutes to go until I had to meet Isobel at the station and somehow, including a shower and sandwiche, I made it... we tootled off to Nottingham and watched Rodriguo e Gabriella at Rock City who were better than when I saw them at the Big Chill, and they were really good then.

And so the week turned into two and I still couldn't face writing on this very blog. We had a night at 65s to eat, drink and be merry and say goodbye as they are now holed up in Scotland recording that difficult third album. That very night was also the night of the work Xmas party which I avoided due to my being horribly drunk last year, and so got horribly drunk at 65s instead. Fate had it in for me and my liver that night. Was great to see Andy Digitonal again, even though we only had the briefest of brief chats, and I've learnt that we're off to Poland in May to perform the Shining - that was great news...

This is an old Media Lounge video we made to honour our fallen hero, Warren Zevon:



A few days ago we received an email through YouTube from Crystal Zevon, Warrens ex-wife, thanking us for the tribute. That's about the coolest damn thing that's ever happened to me...

So that's that. This blog is erring dangerously close to an all-purpose email so I'm going to keep an eye on that in the future. More obscure opinions, more hate-filled rants, less day-to-day bullshit... that's the way forward.

Oh, and cats. Mooch (the black one) now thinks he's a dog and loves nothing more than playing fetch with his favourite piece of screwed up foil and Hobbes (the ginger one) has entered a period of depression now that autumn has properly kicked in and he can't go outside as much.

Bless.

Sayonara Japan

Playing Catch-up...

For a city as hi-tech as Tokyo it's surprisingly hard to find a reliable internet connection... the hotel room cables don't work on my laptop and there's very few wireless networks floating around. You kind of have to grab it when you can, like last night when Paul slept or right now when he's out shopping...

So. Where were we? Yesterday was the last gig of the mini-tour and we played a crazy downstairs venue that must have been 5 or 6 stories below ground level... it was a really early start as there was a club night afterwards. Today is a national holiday - if I'm right it's a National Pride day - so they were all having big parties into the night. We were finished by 8pm and out of the venue by half past, narrowly avoiding the uber fans outside but inadvertedly missing our stage manager Ace in the process... I never got to say thanks to him which was a terrible shame as he was such a great guy.

All afternoon we had been utterly bushwacked, and while gigs can usually be relied on to wake you up this one failed in that respect. My legs were shaking so violently on stage that I had to use the bass cabs to hold me up... I didn't even have the energy to dance during the second half and when it was finished I almost fell down the stairs in search of alcohol. All that aside, the gig was a good one - great crowd, nice set-up and I don't think I fucked anything up, although Simon did manage to accidentally rip out my video cable in the middle of 65 Doesn't Understand You, but that happens occasionally.

The night was a struggle I have to admit. Mr Kono and Takeshi from Zinkyo records took us out to a traditional Japanese restaurant (shoes off and everything!) and I kind of wigged out again... but as always a great meal and hearty round of drinks managed to stave off the collapse for another couple of hours. Takeshi took us on a guided tour of his club, rehearsal studio and office and then joined us in the hotel for another few hours as we drank and chatted the night away.

Slept in this morning, which was much needed, and then embarked on our day off with gusto. We first called in at HMV and Tower Records so the boys could sign some things and thank the purchasers for their support... it was all very odd, big cardboard standees of their faces resting next to the promo items for Tom Waits' new album, when did this happen to my friends? The Black Spider, our tour manager, has been immortalised recently by having a Mogwai track named him and that was on the next shelf over from 65. It all seems so... bizarre.

And then we shopped. Shopped with all that we could muster. Presents, treats, junk, curios... it all fell into hands after a while. I spent much of the day looking for something inherently Japanese but the Tokyo shops kind of resemble the London shops, or New York shops. I found some exciting stuff, though, when we made it into the Harajuku district and then later an extremely cool market area - all under the expert directions of Mr Kono.

We also made it to the Shubuya Shrine where two former Emperors are entombed - that was amazing, but again very odd as you leave the absolute pandamonium of the Tokyo streets and step into a tranquil and near empty section of the city. We saw a traditional wedding, made donantions and received wisdom... and then went back into the world where Harajuku girls walk around dressed as schoolgirls or babies offering comfort to lonely men.

Tonight we're doing a nice meal out to commemorate the trip, and then it's an 11 hour flight tomorrow morning. I think I'm prepared for the trip - the idea of it isn't freaking me out or anything - but I'd be lying if I said I was looking forward to it. Now I have a basic knowledge of the city I would love to come back with Isobel or friends and explore and discover it properly... I think it's fair to say that I have fallen in love with this country, but I have yet to consumate that love. I NEED MORE TIME!

Third and final night..

Well, we're done... that's the last 65 show in Japan and probably the last for the year. After my initially optimistic post earlier today I slipped into extreme fatigue mode and spent the whole afternoon and evening shaking and feeling ill. Dinner at another excellent Japanese restaurant and a few beers helped, mind... our guide for the evening was Takeshi from Zinkyo Records who guided us through the meal, a short visit to his club (where we watched a really rather good Japanese nu-metal band) and then back to the hotel for drinks and a little bit of ferverent conversation.

Takeshi is 31 and had his first taste of Jack Daniels tonight. We toasted the occasion appropriatey...


I's 4am, Paul is sleeping... I have to go to bed.

Post 100!

I am the tallest person in Osaka - a literal and figurative head and shoulders above everyone else. I've got used to people staring at me now, although it is a bit strange to find yourself walking next to a handful of schoolgirls who keep glancing my way and giggling... it happens a couple of times a day, but not once have I felt that I'm being mocked. Maybe I should be.

Osaka is what I imagined Japan to be like. A huge, sprawling cityscape with neon as far as the eye can see, a wealth of consumer options and more people than I'd be able to count even if they stood still. Paul and I crashed for an hour or so when we arrived and then, under great physical duress, forced ourselves to get up and go exploring. I think I may have moved too quickly... going from exhausted slumber to the center of Osaka in five minutes was overwhelming and I kind of wigged out. I was determined to do some shopping and find some presents, but I found myself just standing in shoe shops blinking and not knowing where I was. Luckily we bumped into Carl, Pauls friend from university, so he had someone to talk to while I staggered around and mumbled in tongues. It was even weirder when we realised we were being stalked by an uber 65 fan...

The show was excellent - I totally owned the visuals this time round. Paul and I realigned the Midi triggers and everything fell into place, I even nailed New Song No.1 which is rarely exactly right. The crowd responded really really well, especially when we dropped all the lights out during Robs drum solo in Arabic and just had the flashing video screen. The roar from the crowd at that moment made pretty much everything we've done up to this point worthwhile... it was extremely satisfying, and much appreciated!

After the struggle to get past the autograph hunters at the end we made our way to the famous Rock-Rock bar where we hung out with a whole bunch of people including Ace, our resident tech manager who is the very definition of the word ROCK. Things turned messy, as they always do, and when I realised Ozzy was competing with a professional air guitarist to the strains of Motorhead I decided to head home. On the way Joe and I managed to get lost on the side streets... but we found our way eventually thanks to a very helpful golden Buddha.


Slept. Woke. Taxi. Bullet train. Tokyo again. Feel brilliant. Huzzah.

Speedy sleeplessness

Greetings from the Bullet Train! As I write this we are speeding at 130mph through the Japanese countryside... well, I say countryside but it's more aptly described as occasional punctuations of mountains in-between settlements. The two cities of Tokyo and Osaka sprawl out to almost meet each other, and if the Japanese could find a way to build on the mountain, then they would.

The gig last night was difficult. Power transformers surged on our equipment, the 65 super-brain computer refused to boot and I had problems with the timing of the videos. The visuals are triggered at the beginning of each track by a Midi hookup to 65 but over time they appear to have slipped. Drove Through Ghosts was a good 10 seconds out of synch, as was the always problematic 65 Doesn't Understand You. I can pull these problems back and get them back in synch with relative ease, but the fact that it is happening at all is very worrying. When we get to Osaka Paul and I will need to go through all the triggers and realign them. Fun.

The gig, actually, already seems like a distant memory... we had about an hour of downtime as the kit was packed up and we were speeded, stinking and sweating as we were, to a 14th floor Japanese restaurant for dinner with the promotions company. With a view over nighttime Tokyo we dined on shrimp dumplings, skewered chicken, fresh tofu, deep fried prawns, insane fried rice, incredible sushi, anchovy salad and pitches and pitches of domestic beer. It was probably the finest meal I have eaten since Robs birthday in Italy earlier this year, and it was a pleasure to finally have proper Japanese cuisine.

The classic line of "a quick beer before bed" ended up, predictably, with us staying in a local bullet riddled bar until 3am, and then continuing the party in kimonos in the hotel room with the remnants of the Jack Daniels rider. We met the local rich bling kids in the lift, all diamond encrusted teeth and Scarface paraphenalia. "Japanese weedu" they yelled to us as we staggered out at our floor "best in the world!" Bed at 5. Up at 9. Train. Incredible.

Japan is rushing past me at high speeds. Shanty towns, expensive cityscapes, industrial complexes, power stations, mountain dwellings, wide rivers... this country is amazing, and the width and breadth of diversity in the landscape is breathtaking. The mountains tower over everything, hazy and distant and appearing out of the mist like a looming bully. Everyone else is asleep. They've seen it all before... not me.

Stiletto

I'm writing this from the spacious dressing room of the Tokyo Liquid Room where we've just spent the last three hours setting up. If only all gigs were like this... we have a veritable army of people helping us, from light manouvering and PC repairs to my own personal gaggle of assistants moving screens around and wiring up projectors. I spent most of my time walking around with my hands behind my back directing people to do my bidding. Well, kind of... they know what they're doing and so there's very little for me to actually approve, I just waited for them to be finished really.

I'm so hungover. So so so so hungover. Tht was always the plan, mind, as Rob pointed out it's better to have a hangover than jet-lag but I feel I may have goe above and beyond the calling. The Tokyo label took us ut for dinner last night to an incredible Brazilian restaurant with a great salad bar and a large number of waiters circling with skewers of meat. Many many free beers later and we made our way to a tiny little punk-rock bar where we more than over indulged on Stilettos (straight JD nd Amaretto) into the wee hours. We staggered back in the pouring rain, reeling from a combination of exhaustion, alcohol and excitement and kept going in the hotel rooms until about 3am. The last I saw of Ozzy, the guitar tech, was him going down in the glass elevator to try and find some McDonalds.

LATER

Well, after 2 hours of watching the tech guys set up the projector and some very big probems with power surges and broken computers we've just done the sound check. The gig tonight is sold out, the venue is awesome, the staff lovely and expectations are high... really looking forward to it! Best of all, though, the car park next to us is one of those crazy car-stacking places that has all their vehicles on rotating levels. This country is wicked!

Made it...

So... we're in the Shibuya district of Tokyo. This is the view from our hotel room. Not bad, eh? I've seen these crossroads in so many movies that it seems utterly bizarre to me that we're now towering above it as we sleep.



The flight was long and arduous, although not as long and arduous as I was prepared for. The strangest thing was flying into the night, watching darkness take hold and trying very hard to sleep even though my body knew it was really about 4pm. The steady flow of Gin and Tonics helped matters, as did the ample movie selection (I plumped for Taladega Nights and Severence, if you're interested) but there's no denying that when we hit the 11th hour it all started getting a little bit too much.

So we've now been up for well over 24 hours, although I appear to have tricked my body into not believing that by taking off my watch and refusing to contemplate UK time. We're off out for dinner at 7 so we're all just hanging onto conciousness until after then...

Tokyo is insane. It's like they just plonked buildings down in every available space and then built up from there. The first 5 floors of this building is a shopping center, then 14 more floors of hotel, then 5 floors of private apartments, then a restaurant... the whole city is piled on top of itself. Shops are within shops, bars are in doorways, TVs on sticks, speakers on crossings... getting down the street is like a scrum but everyone is so damned nice.

There is obviously lots more to report but, frankly, I need to get a shower and lay down for a few minutes before going out. Paul is writing postcards, Joe is asleep, Rob is bored and Simon is jet-lagged... just an hour and a half to go before food and then we can sleep. In the venue at 11 tomorrow to set everything up - the tour crew over here seem really nice so we shouldn't have too many problems...

Food
Sleep
Food
Sleep

More photos at Day of the Dave.

Food
Sleep

Out.
xxx

General Matters

Well.
We're off.
Tomorrow morning. Taxi at 7am. Flight at 1pm. 10 hour flight. Arrive at 9am Sunday. That's already messing with my head.

Japan, baby!

It's a little hard to get my head around, truth be told. I remember I started out with 65 because no-one else was old enough to drive their van... now I'm being flown half way round the world on someone elses dollar to do what I love, with my friends... it seems too good to be true. I'm riding the curtails of their success, no doubt, but I can cope with that - I'm just happy that we get to take the Media Lounge with them.

I'll be updating from there as often as I can, and I'll be posting photos on Day of the Dave as well. There's a chance, although this isn't confirmed, that this blog will be being published on the BBC South Yorkshire Raw Talent page as well. Check for updates.

Our plan B remixes have made their way online. Here they are:





See you in the next world, brother.

Japanified

5 days until we leave.

20th: JAPAN. Tokyo, Liquid Room.
21st: JAPAN. Osaka, Club Quattro
22nd: JAPAN. Tokyo, Unit.

Very excited.