Bill’s blog

29th March 3.40 -5.30

Well well well…

Got to Bremen airport and straight to Radio Bremen in between the traffic announcements and the polite and effective ribaldries of Jorn the afternoon DJ played Vampire from New York all very relaxed and enjoyable.

Arne Schumann interview was quite therapeutic. He is a very thoughtful intelligent questioner who made me think about why I did just stop and start again releasing music I mean . Real life however isn’t as simple as the short story version.

540-6 42 pm

Bremen to Hamburg

7pm

Soundcheck at the Hasenschaukel a real shame to hear it is closing in May.

After Lutz now a good friend and the unluckiest man in Anglesey (for a few moments) for it was he who had to be airlifted from Anglesey as a result of a fall during my video for Trentham.

We made our way to the Hansa record shop to watch Bid from the Monochrome Set perform solo. His guitar playing was so good ,he has such a unique style I never realised before that a lot of the great MS riffs come from his guitar and not Lest Square’s. Got a chance to have a chat with Bid which was really nice . I had played with him once years ago in Munich when the MS were going through their long haired phase. I think he looks even cooler now. He came to my gig as well which was a bonus. As you can tel I am a big fan

The Hasenshaukel has a really amazing vibe to it,it is owned by Tanu an artist in his own right and a creative tour de force Anja.

Markt Strasse 13 . Good night we will never see you again.

30 th March

Wednesday morning and the Shanzen viertel is shut ,it’s like Easter Monday on a Wednesday.

We saunter round the Markthalle ,wow the layout and logic is starting to make sense.

Hamburg is privy to some of the coolest record and clothes shops I have ever witnessed!

Hamburg to Berlin

Our first taste of ICE (International ) train travel . There are compartments like you see in the old films only more modernised and mechanised.

When we get to the venue first of 3 interviews.

Elodie: A French cultured Parisien with 3 years in Bordeaux . Very analytical, highly intelligent as someone who is writing a thesis on popular music in the Weimar republic would be !

Second interview

Radio Eins –Berlin

I was the last minute replacement for another guest. Who cares it was a great experience!Who I wonder?

Great colourful presenter (hair pinky red) name of Silky Super. Translated my answers very exactly and her interpretation was indeed ‘super’.

Did a live song again with Mike who was a true pro throughout Vampire from New York.

Third interview

Peter from the Dutch magazine Lust for Life .

Very thoughtfull knowledgeable bloke who quite rightly bemoaned the lack of pop and ind[e songs in Dutch,he has a very good point . Thanks so much for your patience it was a very interesting interview .

The gig itself was in the Gruner salon (by the Volks buhne) not very busy . The sound in the monitors was frighteningly weird! Met a couple Peter and Annette bound for Mont Saint Michel. They had a serious amount of my vinyl including a test pressing of Jolie!

To be continued!