The other Vinny Peculiar

Craig and I somehow have our wires in a twist; I’m in Bromsgrove and he’s on a London train back to Manchester so we’ll just have to meet up at the gig, at the Stourbridge Rock Café to be exact, where we’re opening for the Other Smiths. This will be the last in a series of duo gigs we’ve been doing which have mostly been good…a right old blast even on occasions. I spend the afternoon at my parent’s house with my daughter Leah and any number of drop in guests as it’s my mom’s 70th birthday. There’s Edna who I’ve not seen since I was 14…and Barry who used to play for Bromsgrove Rovers. The minister is also present and very taken with the mince pies [every Christmas he comes for Ruby’s finest]. The house is like a flower shop; we drink tea from a pot that never empties and eat way too many cakes which is only right and proper and pretty much always the way. Mom is looking radiant despite her recent knee surgery and as ever is the perfect host. Crying shame the Villa have lost to Man U but you can’t have everything. We get to the venue as the Other’s finish their sound check, Craig is lost on the ring-road but we manage to find him again eventually. The other Smiths are all very nice and decent and friendly and are pretty chuffed to meet Craig as you’d expect given his history. Kevin from the Lads Club is also here selling Salford Lads T-Shirts, he also designed them. He is easily persuaded to sell the VP merchandise which is a bonus. We sound check and head off to the Talbot Hotel in search of the definitive Faulty Towers experience; you have to admire a place that still uses nylon sheets…I thought they were banned. When we get there the woman on reception can’t find our booking details and it takes about fifteen minutes of confusion [though her Spanish is good apparently] to sort it all out. After sprucing up [how I love the phrase] we’re back at the venue where the gig goes well despite the limited attention span of some of the audience. Someone shouts out ‘play something we know’ which I guess is indicative of a covers crowd still we battle on regardless and win the day comfortably rather than ecstatically. I try and explain between songs that being an audience is sometimes hard work and can take a little extra effort if one is unfamiliar with the material…but I sound like a twat so we just get on with it. Leah guests on ‘Jesus and the Angel’ from the GONE album; her voice is perfect for the song and she sings it beautifully. …Craig busks through with typical cool as he’s not heard it before. Then the Other Smiths do their almost the real thing thing culminating in stage invasions and floral flower fights. Jon and Mark have driven down from Chesterfield...and the Wellintons are also present and correct. The beer flows freely and we dont have to drive. Afterwards Craig and I merry on down the high street for a late night Pizza. Then we are lost and found again and it’s all over until the next time, best, VP x

imagine

I am listening to Orange Juice on my new iPod [having succumbed and not before time after endless research and procrastination] and feeling suitably retrospective. Music is as close as I’ve ever come to time travel; that feeling of reliving atmospheres and emotion is still magical…I used to play ‘In a Nutshell’ to my little girl when she was a baby and she would coo along as babies do. We had a little terraced house in Selly Oak and spent all our free time delivering CND leaflets We spoke last night and talked about Birmingham…which is our spiritual home. I sort of got mislaid up north, somehow, long story. I miss the midlands. Oh how the melancholic laments! In the here and now things are moving on…we’ve finally secured our band album deal and start recording [almost from scratch] in mid January, which will be a huge relief after several near misses, technical disasters, false starts and suchlike. I am sure the wait will be worth it [as I’ve said before and will no doubt say again]. What with the anniversary of John Lennon’s death all over the media I was thinking as I do most years, that apart from the odd [OK several] Beatles classics [‘Strawberry Fields’, ‘Revolution’, ‘I am the Walrus’ etc] that he was very overrated ….but that’s death for you. The Beatles were great…a great little band [as McCartney always says], and Lennon was a great Beatle, still I find most of the solo stuff sentimentally dull and uninspired…or perhaps I’ve missed something. Do feel free to let me know if and what I have and I’ll be open to persuasion…..like St. Joan. Lastly I wanted to remind people that Craig Gannon and I play a gig with The Other Smiths at The Rock Café in Stourbridge on Saturday 17th December. Bring your own gladioli, best VPx photo by Damian Morgan