Birthday Blog Blog Blog
Yes, after a 6 week hiatus where I took time off from writing these serial epistles to go on a splendid UK tour with The Magic Band I'm back on the aether, this time prompted by tidings of my birthday, yes I am a double Gemini and share a birthday with both Brian Wilson and Eric Dolphy (the twin polarities of my musical credo, one foot in pop and the other in the avant-garde). We June 20th guys, born on the last day of spring, definitely like to keep that feeling of perpetual renaissance alive, and this is always my favorite time of year to take pleasure in the sheer joy of being alive (now be thankful)...
The Magic Band tour was a whizbang triumph, a bit grueling in the sheer mind-numbing slog driving in a claustrophobic van up and down and hither and yon oer this sceptered britannic isle for 3 weeks but beginning in Glasgow we wowed the fans in droves reanimating the music of Don Van Vliet with alacrity and electricity to burn, the fan response was delightful and I had my own mini-cheering section within the greater throngs at some of the shows, guys and gals familiar wirh my solo work as well as my songs with Jeff Buckley and it was highly gratifying to hear them chant my name like some kind of soccer ruffians...John "Drumbo" French, Denny "Feelers Rebo" Walley, Mark "Rockette Morton" Boston and Michael "Swamp Monk" Traylor all played like men possessed, and we sold a hell of a lot of t-shirts, DVDs, and copies of our new Proper album "21st Century Mirror Men" just out now. We had many delightful picaresque adventures, my favorite gig was in the beautiful seaside town of Penzance (of Gilbert and Sullivan fame) where our tour driver Roddie of The Muffin Men group took us to buy fishermen's smocks down by the wharfs of Cornwall, and we played in a lovely arts centre/cum old church which was miles away from the general ilk of venue one tends to encounter on these excursions, Oxford was also particularly nice, and our tour intern Chris Constable proved excellent company and invaluable in fine tuning the sound system at all the venues as well as for his spot-on pirate imitation, ARRRRRRR....the weather throughout more or less was cold and rainy (so what else is new 'bout English weather?) but we lit a fire in the soul of anyone who came to see us...The Magic Band liveth.
I am being called to go out to get our breakfast by Caroline now (Leopold Bloom, I know that guy well...but instead of a sheep's kidney I shall pick up a pumpkin cranberry muffin, an Everything bagel with a schmear of cream cheese, and two hazelnut iced coffees ), we overslept a bit due to champagne imbibing with our friend the actress Maggie Wagner last night, star of the hit new documentary/drama "The Talents Given Us" which I must go see shortly, also there was my perennial fan, driver and mad tape archivist Robert Jacobson who schlepped me home from playing the Downtown Music Gallery's Gemini Birthday Bash yesterday in the late afternoon (the owner Bruce Gallanter, a major force for new music in NYC along with Manny Maris and Mikey and the other fine folks who work there, had his birthday celebration there yesterday and I was special guest solo acoustic)...more later, meanwhile please enjoy these photos from the road plus my Scottish friend Nulsh's special birthday greeting which he just emailed me and which I though I'd share with you guys, who make it all worthwhile..
Birthday greeting by Nulsh
The Magic Band in Sheffield | photo by Joe Ashworth
The Magic Band in Oxford, Gary on the left, Gary and Drumbo on the right | photos by Ian Archer
Magic Band poster for Penzance | Magic Band poster for Oxford
Click on a photo to enlarge (hosted by flickr)
love
xxGary
The Magic Band tour was a whizbang triumph, a bit grueling in the sheer mind-numbing slog driving in a claustrophobic van up and down and hither and yon oer this sceptered britannic isle for 3 weeks but beginning in Glasgow we wowed the fans in droves reanimating the music of Don Van Vliet with alacrity and electricity to burn, the fan response was delightful and I had my own mini-cheering section within the greater throngs at some of the shows, guys and gals familiar wirh my solo work as well as my songs with Jeff Buckley and it was highly gratifying to hear them chant my name like some kind of soccer ruffians...John "Drumbo" French, Denny "Feelers Rebo" Walley, Mark "Rockette Morton" Boston and Michael "Swamp Monk" Traylor all played like men possessed, and we sold a hell of a lot of t-shirts, DVDs, and copies of our new Proper album "21st Century Mirror Men" just out now. We had many delightful picaresque adventures, my favorite gig was in the beautiful seaside town of Penzance (of Gilbert and Sullivan fame) where our tour driver Roddie of The Muffin Men group took us to buy fishermen's smocks down by the wharfs of Cornwall, and we played in a lovely arts centre/cum old church which was miles away from the general ilk of venue one tends to encounter on these excursions, Oxford was also particularly nice, and our tour intern Chris Constable proved excellent company and invaluable in fine tuning the sound system at all the venues as well as for his spot-on pirate imitation, ARRRRRRR....the weather throughout more or less was cold and rainy (so what else is new 'bout English weather?) but we lit a fire in the soul of anyone who came to see us...The Magic Band liveth.
I am being called to go out to get our breakfast by Caroline now (Leopold Bloom, I know that guy well...but instead of a sheep's kidney I shall pick up a pumpkin cranberry muffin, an Everything bagel with a schmear of cream cheese, and two hazelnut iced coffees ), we overslept a bit due to champagne imbibing with our friend the actress Maggie Wagner last night, star of the hit new documentary/drama "The Talents Given Us" which I must go see shortly, also there was my perennial fan, driver and mad tape archivist Robert Jacobson who schlepped me home from playing the Downtown Music Gallery's Gemini Birthday Bash yesterday in the late afternoon (the owner Bruce Gallanter, a major force for new music in NYC along with Manny Maris and Mikey and the other fine folks who work there, had his birthday celebration there yesterday and I was special guest solo acoustic)...more later, meanwhile please enjoy these photos from the road plus my Scottish friend Nulsh's special birthday greeting which he just emailed me and which I though I'd share with you guys, who make it all worthwhile..
Birthday greeting by Nulsh
The Magic Band in Sheffield | photo by Joe Ashworth
The Magic Band in Oxford, Gary on the left, Gary and Drumbo on the right | photos by Ian Archer
Magic Band poster for Penzance | Magic Band poster for Oxford
Click on a photo to enlarge (hosted by flickr)
love
xxGary
posted by Gary Lucas at 8:40 AM
3 comments
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3 Comments:
I just heard your amazing take on A3's Woke Up This Morning (via Salon.com). Wow. Colour me an instant fan!
I saw the Magic Band in Bristol, thanks again to all of you for a really amazing gig, and for coming out to meet us fans afterwards! All subsequent music i've heard has seemed somewhat inadequate! :)
Bring the band back to PZ for Mazey Day, and have some kind of Birthday Party too.
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