Wednesday 18th of April, 2001
Finish the Nick Cover and call Walker to find that Jacky the designer isn't in until tomorrow. But it's done, anyway.
A post on the Corpses suggests that one should swallow one's snobbery and listen to Destiny's Child and TLC as they are great pop tunes. I go to the gym and really try, but it all sounds like candy floss to me. Brightly coloured. Initially tasty, then nauseating. Rots your teeth.
Cutting bread at lunch, I have a near-Iodine moment, but just succeed in chopping some of the callous at the index finger's edge. No blood or pain.
I realise that I have double-booked for tomorrow night. On the one hand it's Laura's birthday and she's arranged a party of us to go Up The Eye, on the other, I've agreed to play some songs at the Bedford Arms in Clapham for Zaid. I try the number for Zaid I have in my address book, but it doesn't work. But I don't want to blow him out. Oh dear...
I get the number from Laura, and he's very relaxed about it, as he is about so much. So I'll go down there next Thursday instead.
Off to the VAC where I'll be hosting their Open Mike evening. last week was completely mad, as this week turns out to be. Where did all this popularity come from? I'm not complaining or pointing fingers, it's just that I could do with a bit of popularity of my own. Probably the Power of Free that I mentioned before.
It turns out that there are thirty-six performers to get on (not counting myself and SAC, should we want to). To try to keep my interest up, I attempt to think of a different way to introduce each act and to tell the performers that they will be on after the current act (if you see what I mean). Otherwise - if I just said "please welcome [X]" or "Could [Y] tune up now" I'd just get lost in a timeless morass of unvarigated people. It does seem a bit unremitting, though.
About two-thirds of the way through a gentleman appears to ask where he is - I show him the list, and he shakes his head, saying "that's well out of order". I kind of know what he means - I've been there myself - but I also know that the VACcers have tried it all sorts of ways, and this is the fairest and most satisfying way they've come up with so far.
It's just a people glut.
There is some great stuff in there - a couple of female singers who are very good (although not the sort of thing I'd ordinarily listen to), some slightly odder songs/styles. One chap who seems to have been listening to a lot of Magnetic Fields.
I try to keep the enthusiasm going, but I'm getting very tired. And of course the crowd is thinning (after all, why hang around after you've played - you are the main event after all, even if no one told the promoters).
I put out the shout for one Stevie Starr who appears to be nowhere around, so Steve Chin goes on to do his song. When he's finished I'm ready to go on, but Steve has noticed someone who's appeared and seems to want to play. Who turns out to be Stevie Starr. It appears that he absoconded earlier on when it was clear that he'd have a wait on his hands and that he may take a while setting up disgorges (untuned) guitar, leads and Boss Digital Delay pedal, and, yes, it does take a while.
Still, it was an amazing performance, sort of U2-ish echo-driven thing. Hope he doesn't try it down the (unamplified) Soundwave.
Then I go on and do Iodine to finish with - after all, it's not over 'til the fat lady sings, so I offer myself up as a Big Boned Woman Substitute.
And then I can go home to bed.