Janis Long

Old man look at my life I’m a lot like you …I used to listen to Old Man by Neil Young over and over again, that 24 and so much more line, it was like a lifetime away, and now I’m a life time away and thinking about it again. Lullabies look in your eyes, run around the same old town, as I do, only this town is not really my town, I’m sort of between towns, I have floppy connections, I float between places and am as likely to get lost in my home town and in my adopted one. Only last week I was roving around late at night in Birmingham City Centre expecting to find The Mailbox, home to the BBC, on instinct alone. I had directions but somehow they didn’t work so I had to ask the people at the bus stop and still it took forever to arrive. Then we did a Janis Long session live and direct at 12.25am from The Archer’s living room surrounded by cookers and bells and cow horns and fake stairs. Then a little interview with Janis chatting about Bill Drummond, the band, the dreams and the nightmares musical poetry personified....[someone said that about a VP record once] and playing two songs ‘Jesus Stole My Girlfriend’ and ‘Everlasting Teenage Bedroom’ [there’s a third song we recorded available on the listen again feature called ‘Song to Bring Back a Girl’ which will be on the new album....probably. All in all it felt like we were really saying something; like Fun Boy Three. Janis was really friendly and the sound seemed OK in the head sets. I’ve not listened back to it because my pc has an audio problem [always something]. Thanks also to producer Cali for the hospitality and the feel good factor. Afterwards I drove back to Bromsgrove and stayed over at my parents house and got fussed over which was nice, my eldest daughter Leah also showed up for tea. We gave away singles as prizes on the Janis show and at least two of them were won by friends of ours. I know this because they’ve been in touch. So now I’m kind of spewing out these recollectives after three glasses of red wine on an uneventful Saturday night. The day before the Janis session I was gigging on my lonesome in Chepstow in a cosy little pub called The Three Alls where I met some really sweet people [thanks for putting me up Ali] and wore my best entertaining hat for an hour’s acoustic jiggery folkery. Thanks also to local hero Liam Collins for a superb support set. My cousin Martin drove up from Bristol and we had a good old family style natter about kids and yoga wives and how sweet it is to shop at the old TK Max. It was great to see him. Today I got some new glasses in the retro spective style of Elvis Costello/Roy Orbison which I'm slowly getting used to, funny how it takes awhile, good health to all... VPx

Saints Alive

We’re heading for Southampton and we’re late. I won’t go into the reasons. The radio session with Power FM has had to be cancelled and the woman on the desk at the travel lodge is not exactly helpful. And yes it really is a bloody long way. We get directions from St Mary’s stadium, naturally Peter Crouch gets mentioned [as there’s only one Rodney Trotter], and arrive at Joiners around 5pm. This bit of town looks like Salford precinct! Whatever happened to the affluent south? We feel kind of at home in a worried about getting the gear robbed kind of way. We’re met by Sebastian and things fall into place, there’s a Kenneth Williams poster amongst several comedic icons that Sebastian has used in posters for the gig and very fine they look too. Sebastian is an aficionado of the golden era of British comedic greats and has written and researched his subject in depth. He’s even in touch with peoples estates!He knows most of what there is to know about Hancock, Rossiter and Howard to name but a few. 'A right old enthusiast' as Ben aptly notes but in a good way. After the sound check I end up waffling away to him about Billy Liar [I overdo the detail as usual and try not to sound like some film geek in need of praise and reassurance], I also listen to Sebastian recounting the tragic lives of the funny-sad men we know and love, all fascinating stuff. Then after some superb pasta we head back to the hotel to slob out a bit and do nothing. Ben and I are sharing a room,it feels nice to have the space away from the venue. Ben watches gardening programmes on TV while I attempt to book tickets on-line with Mike for our Swedish dates [see tour diary]. This takes pretty much forever. We return to Joiners in time to catch some of the supports though I miss most of them as I have to fix a guitar bridge and reset the intonation…[no guitar techs in this band I'm afraid...all strictly DIY]. We do the gig and it goes pretty well, the crowd are in the main fairly quiet, attentive and respectful until I mention football, then all hell breaks out. It’s going to be touch and go at the end of the season for the Saints. Afterwards it’s good to meet up with people including some West Ham fans who claim we [Aston Villa] stole their kit, now there’s a thing. Hmmm...I seem to be mentioning football a lot. Then we’re signing loads of Sebastian’s posters and drifting away into the night to the hotel bar and later to rooms for more of the Rourke Ipod. It’s good to see Karina and Sid again both down from Aldershot which I thought was close but turns out to be an hour away. Thanks to Karina for the menthol filters, I really must curb my emerging weed habit, at rate I’ll get addicted. Next day it's an eight hour bank holiday drive home, Ben at the wheel, a right old stamina test it was too [so thanks Ben from all of us], VPx