About this Blog

Off Duty, for the Moment

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 10:27:56 +0100

Most of our Touroids have headed for home now, awaiting further instructions. Some of us are grabbing a little holiday at the moment. The Fumos are in Italy, while the Hensleys remain in England.

Yes, England—hiding out in a little village in Wales, before cruising through the Cotswolds back to Heathrow for the slightly-delayed trip home.

Thank you to everyone who showed up and enjoyed themselves at our shows in Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, Scotland and England. We had a great time and loved sharing it with you all.

I still have blog entries that remain unposted, so I’ll put them up here from time to time. Check in.

Manchester to London

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 10:22:53 +0100

The first time we played Manchester, I wasn’t so impressed with the city. Over our many returns there, I’ve come to really love it. This time was exceptional. Great audiences, a lovely hotel, and arguably the best Italian restaurant we’ve encountered in a very long time.

Those of you who live in there probably already know about San Carlo, but I was tipped to it by an Italian barber named Paolo. I was sent to Paolo by an Italian concierge named Pino. But it’s no secret.

Yes, San Carlo is a big place, does a huge business, has celebrity photos on the wall—all signs which should cause worry. But they somehow turn out dishes that make you say “this is the best plate of (whatever) I’ve ever had.”

I spent an afternoon at the Art Gallery, and the Festival was going on: great events seemingly every day. Unfortunately, the timing was right to catch Bjork’s new show, but I really enjoyed reading the review.

Paul Simon has been stalking us around Europe, always turning up a day before or a day later than us, but this time Maxine and Julia, Larry the K and Sam made it over to catch his show, and brought back good reports.

Manchester has a lot of friendly people and a lot of interest in the arts (and a fascinating artistic history), and these days is a tourstop to be eagerly anticipated.

But our work there is done now, and we’re on to London.

Dixie On The River

Sun, 3 Jul 2011 22:28:25 +0100

Scanning the events in Glasgow when we arrived Friday night, I came up with something called the “Riverboat Shuffle,” part of the Glasgow Jazz Festival. Its blurb read: “ Join us aboard the oldest ocean going paddle steamer in the world for a cruise down the Clyde accompanied by traditional and Dixie jazz bands.”

So I grabbed a cab and hopped on the Waverley, the last remaining paddle steamer int he world, and rode it to where the Clyde meets the sea, with some okay bands chugging along with the steam engine. Okay, there was a bit of squeaky clarinet, a dash of warbly trumpet, and occasional singing of inappropriate pop songs, but a few of the players, particularly one trombonist, stood out and the scenery along the way was spectacular.

I didn’t ask if the bands had rehearsed “Nearer, my God, to Thee” in case of a shipwreck. It hardly seemed necessary because we were on such a mighty vessel, but they said the same thing about the Titanic, didn’t they?

As we went along the river, people in apartment buildings and along the banks waved at us jovially. one group of youngsters attempted to moon the boat, but they seemed a bit uncertain of the concept and what exactly they were supposed to do and the moon failed to launch.

After the ship returned to its dock near the Science Center, I decided I was too fogged to attend the planned late-night jam session at the Thistle Hotel, also part of the festival. I did think briefly about rising early Saturday morning to attend the “Jazz for Toddlers” event at 11 am, where ‘Raymond MacDonald runs this improvisation workshop for 2 – 5 year olds and their parents/carers using percussion and voice.”

I decided that maybe that wouldn’t be the best way to start a show day.

Glasgow Jumps

Sun, 3 Jul 2011 00:00:15 +0100

Wow! The Glasgow audience was right up there with the Dublin crazies tonight. The last time we were here, the crowd was enthusiastic but soggy from the rain. This time around, the weather was beautiful and nothing stood in their way.

We did a runner after the show and holed up in our hotel for the train ride to Manchester tomorrow. Thanks, Glasgow, for a good time.

Not Alabama, Not Michigan

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 01:03:52 +0100

We’re in the other Birmingham now, the one that isn’t in those states above. I’m a bit late posting, but we had a bang-up show tonight at the NEC—great crowd, great evening.

We had a memorable evening in Dublin, of course, but I had a problem with a little connector on the back of my keyboard that caused some wacky moments to occur. It’s been so long since we had a malfunction to deal with that I was a bit distraught, but our keyboard tech, Peter D., scoped it out fairly quickly, although it took a few tunes to get it back to normal.

My only complaint was that it distracted me for a while, and I would have liked to have savored the atmosphere more during that time. Ah well, there you go.

We have a day off tomorrow, so I’m going to post some stuff that’s been lying around here for a while.

No Problem Adjusting to Dublin

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 23:20:24 +0100

You would think we would have trouble leaving that good German beer behind, but lucky us! We’re now in Dublin, where the Guinness flows like wine.

Touroids enjoyed a rendezvous with Tour Manager emeritus Patrick Stansfield and his brilliant Claudia, dining at the Winding Stair, a terrific restaurant for modern Irish food. All the rage, we hear, and it was beginning to pack ‘em in as we departed.

Old stories and memories tumbled out all evening long, as dinner was followed by a largely unsuccessful effort to “walk off the calories,” which ended at a Taxi Stand near Grafton Street. We’ll try again tomorrow.

Essen und Trinken

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 09:37:13 +0100

Sunday was a day off and Touroids drifted from their Essen Hotel to the Essen Geniessen, a large outdoor food and wine gathering just beyond the haupt bahnhof. There were dozens of stands offering small menus of their specialty items, along with lots of wines and beers and coffees to wash it down.

Drinks? The crew folk were all over it—you couldn’t walk 50 feet without bumping into a Touroid, or more likely, having a Touroid bump into you, while stumbling. The mood was jolly, bordering on frenetic.

A PBI Roving Reporter with an allergy to shellfish looked at the menu boards at each stand, trying to pick something safe to eat—not the easiest task because although him menu German was adequate, many of the foodie terms on the signs were unfamiliar to him, and there were long lines of hungry Germans standing between him and anyone he could ask.

Finally, he settled on spargelsuppe, which sounded safe, plus he loves dat ole asparagus. But the menu also referred to an item in the soup called “hummer,” the provenance of which he was uncertain. Fortunately, the line at that stand was short and he was able to ask about the didh’s contents.

He was glad he did. He was told that hummer is German for…LOBSTER! A delicious idea, but one that would land him in the ER again.

He decided it would be safer to concentrate on that good ole German beer, followed by a genereous course of room service.

One Giant Step for Mannheim

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:20:11 +0100

Mannheim is a university town, and the college of music and performing arts is located not far from the hotel. Just as in Berlin, it was possible for Touroids to stroll by and observe fresh-faced young students with their instrument cases, heading into a building from which the siren song of practice rooms serenaded the evening. Here’s hoping there are gigs for all of them.

On one side of the water tower is the Kunsthalle, the art museum, currently showing the work of Bruce Nauman, whose neon sculpture is highly regarded. One of his works, on a side of the museum, consists of glowing purple windows. Last night, a rabbit was busy running back and forth in the purple light. I’m assuming the rabbit was not officially part of the work.

On the other side of the water tower is the Rosengarten, a reddish building which caught our eye because of the two busts above its doors. On the left is Beethoven and on the right is Mozart. No busts of Monk or Mingus—but then, they never lived in Mannheim.

Touroid Tourists

Sun, 12 Jun 2011 23:23:32 +0100

The minute our feet hit the ground in Zurich, a number of Touroids hopped on a tram and made their way around town. I know I didn’t post anything about our last couple of stops, so I’ll fill you in as we go along.

Meanwhile, rest assured that your Touroid contingent is not starving or freezing or bored to tears.

Today is Whit Monday in Switzerland, the second day of Whitsun, an excuse to close all the shops and save us some money, for which we are thankful. Especially since the dollar is so puny against the Swiss Franc, the current king of currencies.

Still, the sightseeing is open and free, except it’s raining. I suspect that our computers will be buzzing away today.

The Ghost of Asparagus Yet to Come

Fri, 3 Jun 2011 23:01:43 +0100

Who would have thought it? Salads and raw vegetables are supposed to be a healthy choice for your dinner table, but now that old, rambunctious Mr. E Coli has spoiled the party.

So we’re not eating lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers for the time being. Think of it—the BLT sandwich is reduced to a plain old B! Bacon is the healthy choice~

Meanwhile, five-way chili, onion rings and hot dogs are all perfectly safe to eat! But lay off the salad. Has the world turned upside down or what?

I’m hoping this gets all sorted out in Germany before it ruins my upcoming Spargelkarte party, which I’ve been planning ever since this tour was announced.

Before the news reports came in, though, I was able to have a little preview meal in Antwerp. Sadly, the spears were a bit tough and stringy on their south end, and the butter and eggs didn’t have quite the oomph of the usual hollandaise.

One can only hope.

Oh, we also have a show coming up. We’ve been rehearsing. We’re ready.

Monday Afternoon Beverage Patrol

Tue, 31 May 2011 23:35:08 +0100

On our first day in Antwerp, with no rehearsal duties, I headed to the historic area. My plan was to have some asparagus and beer. (Insert joke here.)

Belgian beer is highly regarded, so I headed for an outdoor spot on the square above, where a few tables were occupied by some serious drinkers. It was, after all, Monday afternoon, so the amateurs were not out at the moment.

As I approached, a gentleman at one table gradually leaned to his left until he toppled over, chair and all. His companions lifted him up and put him back in his chair, and went on about their business.

I wondered if I really wanted a beer on Monday afternoon, so I headed for a restaurant which had the magic word “asperges” on a chalkboard outside. But when I walked in, the only server in the place ducked into the kitchen, apparently hiding from me. It made me feel good to know that I could instill such fear.

So I kept walking and eventually found myself back at the hotel, ready for some serious sleeping. I’ll report on the asparagus and beer at a later time.

As I was saying...

Tue, 31 May 2011 11:33:41 +0100

Yes, we’ve moved on to Europe now, but I have to tell you a little story about our return flight from South Africa.

On the last portion of our trip, from London to Los Angeles, one of our fellow passengers was Joan Rivers, whom I won’t introduce here. I actually met her many years ago, when she was a member of a group called Jim, Jake and Joan—but that’s another story altogether.

We didn’t know she was on our flight. How is that possible? Well, we were in business class, and I assume she was in funny-business class. But when we arrived at LAX, we all dutifully reported to immigration there. As I was involved in my formalities, I glanced over at the next table, where an immigration agent was doing the same with Joan. He was, in fact, holding up her documents in order to compare her face with the picture in her passport.

Okay, I thought, there’s twenty minutes of material for her right there. And a few paragraphs of material for me, thank you very much.

Meanwhile, hello Antwerp!