off on yet another secret mission

this time to Cardiff where Sian and i shall wreak virtual havoc, aiming our wickedness straight at Manchester, zero-ing in on Boudicca (poor Jo and her lit-tle throne on wheels... you have no idea what awaits you, grrl). LOL... *evil cackle*

this evil shall, of course, embroil the entire cattle market of the Alabama 3, Captain Paranoid & The Delusions and any others of a musical bent who we care to choose for our conspiracy. and we're gonna implicate Samantha Love, Be Atwell and Errol Thompson and if they don't do what we say, they're gonna pay --- bigtime. *snigger*

happy weekend, y'all. BTW, when in Cardiff, this kitteh's gonna be me so watch out --- y'all've been warned. :-)

apples and txts

stream o' unconsciousness: to everyone not in the States: this is what's known as either a Red Delicious or a Washington State apple:


it's white and crisp and crunchy inside, not mushy like other apples i've tried to eat here. actually, the Braeburn variety somewhat approaches a Red Delicious --- but only somewhat and not always. ri-moaning time: i used to eat upwards of 3 or 4 of these every day, along with shitloads of other fresh fruit but AFAIC, everything tastes different and though i've tried to get used to it, it's like oral shock, and not the good kind. :-(

anyway, i'm trying to recuperate from the joys (and horrors) of last week and the MOR Tour and totally won't comment on them yet. well, i've commented on some of the joys but i'll leave the horrors until i can actually look at events dispassionately, which might take a while since i'm like a knee-jerk, instamatic kinda person.

so moving very swiftly along and away from the danger zone *snigger* i'm forced to trash txts off my phone and unfortunately, the nature of the beast is such that it's either copy 'em out or lose 'em. as usual, i took the road less taken, for future lightful value alone.

*sigh* there's like 10, 15 mostly from people at Alabama 3 gigs telling me how they wish i were there. um... if you really wanted me to be there, wouldn't you have paid to transport my useless, lame ass? *snigger* kidding, kidding... i do cherish these txts, especially the ones that are similar to this:

'What an amazing gig. Crowd was great. Best sound i ever heard. Wish you were here. Xx'

sounds good on the surface, right? but check the Schadenfreude hiding within ('amazing ... great... best sound...') LOL, Dave, you bastard! then there's the i-love-yous, or in some cases, shit along the lines of 'Do you know how much I love you? Doesn't that mean anything?' which i always chalk up to people who think i'm like one step away from suicide or something and feel their love or whatever will help me wanna hang onto life. *snigger* anyway, here's a lovely one i've been saving since a few weeks back, from Dragnim, when i was ill.

Mike: I hate you, hope you're still sick. XXX

note that this came out of the blue, like, and fairly late in the evening, and on a school night. but a coupla days later, he redeemed himself somewhat:

Mike: I walked past someone today that must have been wearing the same perfume as you do. Really musky, reminded me i miss you. X

Mike, dude... my patchouli is so not musky, but hey. i mean it does tend to engulf a room but y'know, AFAIC, that's a natural born warning, something that all height-disabled people should be born with. (once i told that to some dude i wanted to get rid of and i managed to keep a straight face and it did the trick; he took off as soon as he was politely able, LOL.)

cool, my dinner's finally ready (despite the timestamp, it's now 20,30), so as a parting shot, check the next photo, sent me a coupla nights back by ThePreacher, yet another Souljah in the Army of Love. no fucking way can my cameraphone catch more than two of the band, so thank you, Preacher dude. :-)


*to self* why oh why did i not book for any gigs in Ireland? *sigh* LOL, wait... ooh, look! a kitteh!


*whispers* since they taste so wrong here and i'm hopelessly hooked, i'm happy to confess i ate 3 or 4 cheeseburgers a day in NYC back in april. BTW, i just blew about 45 minutes of my time here (and maybe a minute or two of yours). *ducks* :-)

IT'S OVER. (for me) :-(

posted in an 'i haven't slept or eaten right since the MOR Tour began and i couldn't care less' kinda way. :-)

last week i went 'roll on Oxford, Bournemouth, Brighton, London and i don't know where --- but especially London cause that's where Chris'll join us'. 'i don't know where' turned out to be tonight in Nottingham but i'm back home for various reasons, mostly cause i needlessly missed last week's consultation with Stress Dude and i totally won't miss tomorrow's. |-(

last night in London failed to have the giant screens with the gorgeous red skies whooshing by on both sides of the stage like in Cardiff, but it did have Sister Francesca, Be Atwell, Errol Thompson and a horn section onstage that totally rocked. ages and ages ago, Freebie mentioned that this would happen, but since i didn't hear/see horns at any other gig, i figured he was bullshitting me, as usual --- i torry, Unka Fweebase. :-(

moving right along, Christine's most excellent brother Segs re-joined the band, but only for one tune (which one, of course, i totally don't remember). i so miss Segs playing bass with the Alabama 3... *sobs* last night the bass bits made it all come alive, even MOR, rather, even more (that, i remember). no, Larry, you were wrong and we were right: a second guitar player and 'loops' are not a fit substute for a real live bass player. grrrrr... |-(

um... i went to only five gigs on the MOR Tour. (ed. note: prior statement is so wrong on SO many levels, too many to count at the mo'. ha). right, in my last post below, i forgot to say that before i stoled Orlando's bunk, i was watching a horrible film with Jake in the back lounge, a teeny tiny tawdry area. (ed. note: if i were on my real site, i'd be putting a line through this next:) don't ask about the bathroom. i miss my real site. *sigh*

where was i? right, Jake. um, actually i'm quite pleased i wasn't interested in the flick cause i would've totally freaked if he talked over the dialogue of any decent film. as well, i should've asked him if his hearing's OK cause the volume was so damn loud, but i didn't, like, wanna harsh his buzz or whatever.

more MOR Tourbus: i seem to remember some faux-journo chick who'd interviewed Jake earlier. the homophobic bitch was finally forced to split after she totally insulted Chris, Alabama 3's lighting dude --- thank you, Sir Eddie, for coming to our rescue! what a moronic pieceashit PITA that poor girl was (especially in light of the fact that she wasted two or three hours of the rest of my life).

amongst many other faux pas or whatever, she actually dissed Techie-Boy Chris (The Person Formally Known as Pet Man) and the wildest thing was, she never ever met him. i mean, WTF? this drove me and Mark crazy, hearing anti-Chris shit coming outta her wordhole and thankfully, Mark gave her a humiliating talking-down about insulting his friends. but did she listen? one fucking guess. |-(

she further made a fool of herself in various ways, most notably by lecturing us about drugs she admitted she'd never taken. then when we questioned her, she backpedalled for ages. i mean, to me she was an idiot and a boor and yet, whenever she'd announce she was calling a taxi, nobody said shit apart from me; after the first time she said, i went 'good idea!' but then, remembered etiquette or something shut me the fuck up, since nobody else stepped up to back me. *screwball smiley*

moving right along, i've happily experienced civilised British manners for almost four years now but i can't believe how polite everyone stays when it's obvious they wanna throttle someone (especially when the person truly needs throttling). if it were my damn bus (i.e., if i were in the band), i'd have thrown her the fuck out after the first fifteen minutes... thanks again, Eddie! *snigger*

the funniest thing was, when she suddenly plumped her dumb, uninvited ass down on Mark's lap. what the hell could she have been thinking? (ed. note: it couldn't have been 'i'm gonna "be with" Rock Freebase tonight', could it? i mean, was she that removed from reality? wait, don't answer.) and it was even funnier cause we couldn't laugh or anything. LOL, the look on his face was hilarious (not to him). shit, OK, i'm sorry, Mark (but you would've seen the humor as well, if you weren't you at the time).

anyway, the bus was supposed to get to the Astoria at 11,00 yesterday but for whatever reason, we idled at a rest stop on the motorway for (what seemed like) hours (i thought i'd go mad with claustrophobia or boredom) and finally parked at noon. by then, Chris had txtd that he was stuck at Gatwick, lovely. |-(

oh wait, i just remembered something: right before Rob and Samantha crashed, i had the most excellent pleasure of hearing Rob tell me that he only put me on the new album so i wouldn't hate him anymore.

when i heard that shit, i said 'too late!' cause in all truth, my new found love for Larry Love began in Leeds back in december '03 and was clinched on the Outlaw Tour in may '05 in Cardiff, when he thanked me for 'the site' (i told him he should be thanking everybody). and a week later in Manchester, he came up to Chris and me at the bar and actually bought us drinks, so that put 'paid' to any 'hate' shit. *preens*

what else happened? cause it's all a blur. um... last night in London was totally fabaroo, i think i remember. Chris and i missed the pre-drink shenanigans with Mark and both the FreeA3 and the Coldharbour Lane crews but we were right on time --- we actually bopped into the Astoria in a 'made it!' kinda way, just as the intro to 'Fly' began. :-)

but Chris wussed out and stayed at the back. no, dude, having just come off an eleven-hour flight from California, being totally jet-lagged from your 4th trip across the Atlantic in ten days, being stuck in Gatwick for over three hours and having to go to work today is totally no excuse for you not wanting to follow me through the increasingly denser crowds to be up close and personal, in the front line at any Alabama 3 gig.

i myself tearfully left Chris (so long, sucker!) then sorry'd my way up front thanks to my lit-tle (but insistent) NYC shoulder where i eventually ran into Dave, Electric Landlady, Mr Pixie, Angie, Stevie, Pam, Sarah, Ifor the Engine and some more of the Coldharbour Lane crew like Rich, Mark's friend Sarah, the other Mark and all these other faces whose names i always forget. and then we went to Jamm for the Afterparty which was pretty good; totally fabaroo to see the Coldharbour Lane Crew along with Rapunzel, the Coat, Lee, Tanya, Becky, Karina and Sian et al. and i met Ringverse, David Simonetti, and Quarsan of Blairwatch. wait... fuck! these people are political geniuses; i'm so out of my element, it's pathetic. i mean, it's no small wonder i happily abandoned writing on politics to babble away in demented groupie mode. *giggle*

*cough* anyway, i also met Zoe of My Boyfriend is a Twat fame, yes! LOL, YOU. GO. GIRL! *cough* and i talked to Errol, Be, most of the band and Samantha again (poor them). anyway, i was like hello-ing people to death and hearing my name called all over the place and it really felt good to see everyone again or (in the case of Ringverse, David S, Quarsan and Zoe as well as many others) get intro'd to them (and watch them look uncomfortable cause i never STFU). *cough* but the icing on the cake is, my little partner-in-crime (i taught him everything he knows), Chris was there, whoo-hooo! :-)

whoa, just remembered something else, LOL, fuckin' amazing! after the Brighton gig, i was talking to Nick, Zoe and her beautiful childhood friend, Scarlet, outside. *cough* note to Scarlet: you got it --- Chris said he'd love to. :-) anyway, Nick had just told me this one horrible tale of woe and frustration (i'm totally with you, Nick, dude) and then, suddenly asked me to go to Australia with Alabama 3 Acoustic in november. naturally, i was immediately bedazzled and went 'shit, i'd love to' instead of the more brainy 'WHY?' or the very rational (read: un-SG/rimone) 'what the hell would i do? be the band's token groupie?' *to self* ooh, wait... maybe that's not a bad idea. hang on, what the hell am i thinking? *slaps own wrist* there, that's better. :-)

anyway, i think i should go to bed now where i'll try to remember more stuff (don't hold yer breath). um... prior Alabama 3 tours have taught me that the mushy haze of the brain, helped along by one night's gig rolling into the next doesn't do much for ANYone's skilz (apart from the band's), but needs must an' all and we shall see. :-)

what's blasting: Locked Down & Loaded, automagically recorded in Oxford last week (thanks 4 UR musical geek skilz, Techie-D). and make sure y'all buy the proper studio Locked Down & Loaded, here on MOR, on which album youse can hear some wack American grrl at the end of The Klan, LOL. *preens like the proudtard i yam* ;-)

DO WANT! MOR! MOR! MOOORE!

posted saturday AM in a lackadaisical fashion: after a number of faux nervous breakdowns all week (the kind about which i won't write on yet), i actually got on the train to Oxford without any hassle on thursday. (ed. note: there's a shitload of intristin' stuff at last link.) anyway, Dave and Electric Landlady were waiting for me at the Oxford station, with promises of how i'm gonna totally flip once we hit the town itself. as usual, they were right but i actually let out my first ecstatic shriek whilst seeing this next from the train:


yes, i know it's only a fucking cumulus cloud and it's pink... LOL, big duh. but the photo totally does it no justice cause it was fucking huge and filled me with something approaching delight. and yes, the other passengers were bothered by me being all shouty but since they're good lit-tle Brits, they just looked away and ignored me. and then i saw this:


fucking teeny pictures! *cough* anyway, believe it or not, the above was totally massive and i got all shouty all over again. pity that i have no control over what size my photos come out... LOL, bastards! anyway, the reason i still freak over clouds, stars and the moon is mostly cause up to seven years back, i was totally into astronomy and shit that had to do with The Skies but we don't wanna go there now... fuck it: i was into a LOT of things up to the bu$hCo Bad Years. and as an aside, that's when i started cursing like a sailor or whatever again.

now, where was i? right, Dave, EL and i strolled about Oxford, hitting pubs whenever we could and each and every time i flipped, the two o' them pretended not to know me (this happens a LOT). here's a small sampling of what i saw yesterday; stuff that's all so boring to Brits but to me, an American with no grasp of history, they're totally wondrous. sorry they're teeny, LOL.






moving right along before the gig last night, all i could think, when i could think and not bemoan the fact i only saw the Band 3X so far (since Rhythm Festie and Dublin), was do i want MOR? YESSSssss!


please note savage yet happy look on teh kitteh, the same look i've been told i have right before any Alabama 3 gig. after as well. it's kinda like spoing mixed with greed, right? *preens* anyway, we met up with Mark and most of the rest of the band at Some Pub Near The Venue (forgot the name). *cough* Zoe showed, said 'Hi' and sat down across from us and was her usual lovely self:


(apart from the above was taken backstage in Cardiff before she went on with the Sicknote guys). Orlando and Eddie and i forget who else showed as well but my tummy was growling so then we went off to stuff our faces. well, they stuffed theirs. *whispers* i think that, once upon a time, i promised on my real site not to say anything bad about the food anymore. but how can they think something tastes so good when to you, it's flavorless? i totally don't geddit. whatever...

and since i'm in a rush for a change, the following too tiny pics were taken over the last four days and i'm putting them up, just cause i wanna whilst i waste (even MOR) time here. :-)

Jake, D Wayne, whomever... he plays air guitar so like, who cares anymore? i actually asked him about this thursday night on the tourbus, asked him why, and gave him my opinion: that it was distracting, didn't add to the kewl factor, like that. he wasn't fazed. neither was i. :-)


Piers in character as The Mountain of Love (first decent photo i've taken without either his harp or the damn mic in his face):


Rob as Larry Love at the Bristol gig and then, the Afterparty (nah, having recently accepted the damn Stetsons --- but not all cowboy hats and only on them --- i still can't handle hats in general and especially that Jagger Jockey cap (ca. 1979), but hey.



okay, if i don't post any of this next dude, he'll fuckin' kill me, so here we go. please note the smarminess:



*whispers* i actually dig the smarminess. onstage. and despite whatever, i totally love to watch him play. onstage. right, wait... *cough* OK, thank you for finding my silver choker on the tourbus last night, dude. :-) moving right along, i fucked up badly:

having been once again convinced it best for me to stay on the bus (in an 'Unka Fweebase knows best' kinda way) as it wended its way from Oxford to Bournemouth early yesterday morning, i accidentally crashed in Orlando's bunk and totally didn't know it 'til about 14,00 friday, when i was long gone (in Southhampton) and headed for Bristol (a long, tedious and complicated story why. and no, for once, i didn't argue or fight with any in the band).

anyway, the gig in Oxford was a blinder... EL and i were in the front line where we had a dynamite view of the stage (but still no room to dance and that's cool). right, message to Rock Freebase: you were wrong and WE were right: Jake was spitting lines from Millers Crossing while making direct eye contact and grinning at the last few gigs and yes, i have witnesses --- LOL, 'Da-aave! come on down!'). and despite y'all wearing shades, we can see right through them thanks to youse being in the spotlight so YES, we can see where y'all are looking. nyah. :-)

moving right along... i SO want more. and we shall have more tonight in Brighton, where i'll meet up with Dave, Electric Landlady, the Coat, Dragnim, Lee, Tanya, Robbo, Sarah and Ifor the Engine and sunday night in London, with all those named above as well as Stevie, Pixie, Angie and Pam and the rest of the Coldharbour Lane crew. but most important of all, CHRIS SHALL BE WITH US! (aside to Chris: almost the entire band has noted your absence and asked after you, dude). *happy grrl dancing*

th' pill-poppin' hollerin' deviants

here's Dave at my place before last night's gig in Bristol (LOL, the shirt has a history):


Stevie (Librarian of Love) at mine wearing her historical Alabama 3 shirt (Maddie's Afro-Skull and the Hypo Fulla Love which, very unfortunately, can hardly be seen, have histories as well):


in fact, i myself have a history (in the psychiatric sense of the word) but i'm sure y'all knew that already. moving very swiftly along, yesterday began in a promising fashion when MS Freebase joined us for coffee early. i shall never forget him, especially since he couldn't (wouldn't?) use my ergonomic keyboard and, always happy to oblige, i painted some of the alphabet on the rubbed-out keys. *whispers* but just some, in my latest attempt to fuck him up in whichever way i can. it didn't work. :-(


the gig was great and when it began with Check In, you could feel the electric hum of the bass coming up through the soles of your feet, perfect for revving up a crowd. but i missed us whizzing through the stunning red skies and cumulus clouds on huge screens on both sides of the stage, like in Cardiff:


after two hours' sleep, when i woke up this morning, i'd lost my voice. this is totally not a bad thing (to which anyone i know will happily attest). anyway, right now i actually remember something: i'm wondering like since when has The Very Reverend D Wayne Love played air guitar (WTF?!?) during Freebase's solo in Hypo? i mean, not only is it slightly distracting (attention whore!) but he looks very un-D Wayne doing that, but hey, what do i know?

before the gig, we were all behind the Hatchet and that's where i met up with the very friendly and lovable Pharma Taff who had the Acoustic Showband playing at his 50th birthday party in august. LOL, *envy* dude! thanks so much for the fabaroo CD you gave me (Dave, Electric Landlady and i listened to it today). anyway, we left with Stevie, Pam, Dave, EL, Boots and the Coat and came back with only Stevie, Pam and the very kidnapped Gareth whom we found along the way, kinda like a stray puppy but different.

the aftershow party was at the Hells Angels' Area 81 Rock Club. here's Pam, Larry Love and me, just before i ended up dancing with Larry (first time in nearly seven years). whoa, just look at those eyes! *snigger*


nah, i'm just being playful cause he knows ah loves him. anyway, as always, i want MOR. more, rather:


roll on Oxford, Bournemouth, Brighton, London and i don't know where --- but especially London cause that's where Chris'll join us. :-)

last night in Cardiff

well, not last night but two nights ago. anyway, this is taken from here cause i'm still way thrilled to death and can't think straight. anyway, today i totally love last night and this morning (and sending Schadenfreude-laden txts to Daaaaaave, who practically asked for it and i hope he told EVERYBODY!!!11!!! LOL, sufff-ffferrrrr, Dave).

WHAT A FUCKIN' AWESOME GIG (and i hardly ever use that word). we met Sarah Lou, Johnny Boy, Sarah and Ifor the Engine, totally reaffirming my love for meeting other band fans (and though i met Big Kris for like a second last Winter after various A3 boards over the years, we got to talk for the first time when we met him and Mark at the pub before the gig).

Freebase got us backstage where i apologised to Rob for doubting him, then thanked him all over the place (while Larry laughed his ass off at me, for a change). the entire gig, the actual (stage) set ---> the red skies with white clouds on those screens were brilliant, the bit in Johnny Cash where Zoe holds the tambourine as a halo above Freebie's head as he's all there when they crucified the Laud, DW doing Rehabilitated pointing at me for the R and grinning (i turned around to see who he was pointing at).

Delta Slide Dude was terrific on everything but mostly (IMO) Souljah and Work It and Sweet Joy ---> pure dynamite. Holy Blood was almost a religious experience... LOL, did i mention the totally massive SWEET JOY?

one of the best of their gigs i've been at (sez a lot cause there wasn't much room to dance). i think they did Lord Have Mercy (w/Zoe's Voodoo Chile) and i know they did Power in the Blood and i've NEVER loved that tune as much as i did last night; i'd be blasting it now but there's a lightweight sleeping.

the afterparty was good (big thanks to Sian for everything); was dancing with Samantha Love but mostly by myself when Orlando (the Spirit) showed... we danced our asses off but only briefly, until he insisted on like ballroom dancing (and i'm thinking 'WTF? i don't do that'. and didn't).

ps, i hate to ruin your rep, Freebie, but yo, everybody --- he's like a total gentleman (LOL, he'll NEVER see this but now WE all know); when he learnt we had no place to crash and were just gonna walk around in the rain and wait till 06,00 for the first train to Bristol, he insisted on having us on the tourbus (and i mean INSIST). we were talking mostly with Sir Eddie Real and Samantha &c when Jake and Orlando came in (Mark was safe in bed with his lit-tle pajamas, the ones with cowboys on). Jake squoze over and entertained us by liberally tawkin' Yiddish and Brooklynese and quoting from Miller's Crossing, totally cracking us up.

roll on Bristol (&c &c &c &c)! 'I want MOR!' *in an Edward G Robinson voice*

right, almost forgot that last night, Rob's dad was there onstage when Nansi introduced the band again, i totally got this warm and mushy feeling (the good kind). and Samantha Love is a diamond... she somehow found out some health shit about me and we had a long talk (her heart is as big as like any/everything).


shit, forgot about the strobes and the fabaroo lighting (for once it made sense). and before they went on, we thought the stage was rather small for all of them, but no. the strobes don't bother me, it's when they turn the lights on the audience that blind me worser (when the shades that should be hanging from the neck of your T-shirt come in very handy).

ps, first i shouted VERY muchly, then got so carried away i was screaming my damn head off, we all were. and i shall NEVER doubt this brilliant man again:

let the night roar!

nope, wrong vision. *snigger*


ain't goin' to where now? close but no cigar...


whoooo-fuckin-hoooooo! and we shall hook up with Big Kris, Sarah Lou & Jonny-Boy as well as Sarah and Ivor The Engine --- straight outta Brixton --- w00t! to put it rather mildly,


*evil* i mean, YAY! and when we get there, i'm expecting to see the usual adulation...




in all actuallity, forget Freebie (sorry, Delta Slide Dude), cause we ain't going for him, we're going for THEM:


*singing*


and ah loves yah. *beaming*


LOL, I. AM. STOKED. :-)

Chri-issss...

OH HAI!


OH NOES!









CAUS IF I DUZ:


an' neither'll i and there'd be BIG trouble. so pretty please, with sugar on top. CLEAN TH' FUCKIN' CAR! i mean, ring me ASAP, dude.

LOLZ, KTHXBAI! xoxoxoxox