FOOD


Bob has finally realized the importance of carrying food while traveling---there’s just too many times when you are a good distance away from a food source, or the place is closed, or it just costs too much. (Heathrow Airport) I like to pack enough food to eat sparsely for the full length of time, in case something goes wrong---usually in the form of dried meat, dried fruit, chocolate and maybe some Pringles. (For the can). Also some cheese---now not because the food is no good where we go, but because you never know exactly where you’ll be or what you’ll be doing.

Found a great cherry filled chocolate bar in Greece---slightly alcoholic. Have to stock up a pile before we move on.

ATHENS




Ah, Athens---I like this place. It’s comfortable. It’s an easy airport to leave, generally. But there’s a group of people in front of us that seem to be all kinds of trouble for passport control. I change lines 3 times to find one that’s moving.

Baggage takes so long that I start to worry the guitars have been sent to Italy (baggage was being checked for that flight just before us). Eventually the stuff comes out—typically the cases have more damage, but the guitars are intact. Is that old commercial with the gorilla really true?

Out to the lobby, up goes a cheer, and there’s that banner again. Divvy up into cars and off to (stay at?) the same hotel as last time, so we know our way around a bit better. The club is right around the corner.

I take a few minutes at the hotel to pull apart the Line 6. Baggage completely destroyed the switch for line/bass input. Snapped off. Broken internally. I pull the circuit board out and break off the rest of the switch housing. Part of the copper from inside looks promising, so I bend it around a bit and force it between the soldered pins of the switch, making a hard wired jumper. And it works. Cry of the Banshee will have a better sound tonight.

SOUND CHECK

Rrrr. Sound check is not promising. There’s an annoying crackle that refuses to go away. We waste a lot of time trying to find the source. Check the Line 6, amps, power. I think it’s Bob’s wireless, because it finally stops when I unplug it. For a short while. Then it comes back. Our tempers are getting a bit short. The sound man finally thinks that maybe it’s the 2nd guitar amp. When you hit it, it crackles—bad tube socket or solder joint, maybe.

Anyway, it stops. For now. Earlier I had turned off that amp and it still happened, but I didn’t want to stir things up more. We’ll just deal with it. Luckily, none of the bands tonight need to use that amp. I’m in a foul mood because the sound check has spilled over into the two hours I planned to sleep, and now I’m worried that we might have a bad show---and I’ve waited for years to show Athens that we usually play better than our first show here.

Man, I’m living on Claritin. I guess the pollen over here has a clear shot at my sinuses. Praise to the makers of Loratidine.


IO SHOW




Turnout is a bit smaller than everyone hoped. This venue is right next to the lake, the air is pleasantly cool. I’m told the frogs make a pleasant music at night, but after the show I’m too tired to walk out and check.

Man, there’s a brand new SWR on the stage, Still has the tag on it. A 4-10 speaker (I still like 15’s; this is the first time I’ve used an SWR onstage, though I like them. I need a little more time to play with the controls. However, either the amp or the Line 6 (or PA) is not functioning properly—some notes disappear, similar to when your car stereo battery can’t keep up with the demand for bass (so you add a big capacitor). I don’t want to complain, because everyone does so much for us, so I just deal with it. Am I to be plagued with technical problems this trip?

This is a smaller town—part of the bad turnout’s blamed on the poorness of the district. It’s very comfortable though, it’s a college town and lots of young people (and girls, yes) wander about. The one time I see the poor aspect: While buying a soda at a kiosk, a young girl (10-12?) attaches herself to me and starts begging (I think; she doesn’t speak English). She follows me for blocks, even though I repeatedly tell her I can’t understand a word she’s saying. I’m sure she’s asking for money, because she keeps holding her hand out---and she keep rubbing her stomach. This would normally work with me every time, but she’s holding a half-eaten ice cream in her non-begging hand. Greg warned me once not to give the beggar kids any money, because they’ll swarm on you like flies. I kind of wonder if she wants something else, so I hope to get a translator---but back at the doors of the club, no one is around. She finally stops at the door and won’t come inside.

Of course, I still feel bad about it all night. I would have had no problem giving her some change if I didn’t think she was scamming me.

Of the other bands that night, I have to say Marauder was the most impressive. Good songs, a good old school sound. They’re staying at the same hotel—Hotel Tourist, yes, that is the name.

The morning before the show we finally find a bank that will change $100 bills, then spend most of the morning waiting around. We’re supposed to go to the Castle area at noon, but no one shows up. Bob and I don’t want to leave, because sometime during the day there’s a TV interview, but we don’t know what time---and maybe a record store appearance.



So we piss away the morning and suddenly it’s time to go to sound check. What? That was at 7. It’s 3 now, where the hell was everybody.

So no castle for us. That sucks, they told us how great it was, with several museums, armor and weapons.



A side note: There’s several modified import cars running around, and some of them are very nice. Lots of bodywork, paint, and engine mods I wasn’t expecting to see here. Also, a lot of the mopeds and scooters are modified, usually with expansion chambers and improved intake systems. Some of the small 4-stroke bikes sound like a 500 cc single.

Leaving town, Jack loses his drumsticks between the hotel and the (small) airport. We’ll have to get some in Crete. My line 6 has taken more switch damage, I’ll have to pull that apart also.

The plane’s here, it’s a small 2-propeller rig—looks like we’re going on jungle safari. Apparently we’re just going to transfer at Athens. Instead of stopping as I originally thought. I hope my pants can make it. There’s a rip near the top of the pants leg on my inside thigh—my spare clothes are still in storage at Athens (all my chocolate and a bunch of other stuff too).



I run to the doughnut shop while we’re waiting to go to the museum, It all looks good, so I get 6 of them. After the show, I have a taste for one of the 2 cinnamon rolls I got, but the bastard bear ate both of them.

At least the shower mount is still on the wall---you can hang it up. No more burnt nuts. It’s a bit frightening how the hot water heater is in the shower with you, and the electrical cord that fuels it is hanging right there. There’s also a string going to a switch on the wall---I want to pull it to see what it does, but don’t want to set off an alarm. The most logical ideas: An emergency cutoff for the power, or a call to the desk. I don't want to find out that bad, so I don't try it.


HERAKLION 3/23


Bob bitches that my clothes are stinking up his suitcase, and washes his like an old woman. I find a supermarket and buy some stuff—now I have a plastic bag to put my stuff in, and I’ll carry it myself. It wasn’t my idea to share a suitcase, it’s his that was too heavy anyway. Next time this happens, I’ll make him pack his stinky clothes in my suitcase, and I’ll bitch all day.

Of course, I have to hear about the fine hotels in Las Vegas everytime we check in somewhere. To me, a good hotel is a secure place to store your stuff, and a place to sleep when you need to. I don’t plan on staying in the room all the time; what’s the point of that? I want to see the cities and countries around me.



Found an open pharmacy, and managed to get some medical tape to tape up my finger---it’s blistering and cracking under the nail from the constant live performances. (E3.60) Also, a supermarket, with Pepsi and the cherry filled chocolate bars I like (.80). In a few minutes I’ll try the stationery store again---most stores close at varying times between 3 – 6, reopening in the evening.

Why does the sound always change between the sound check and the show? The bass is distorted again when it sounded so good earlier. The amps are also on the wrong side of the stage, and Bob keeps stepping on my cord. I kick him in the ass. Lack of sleep is still a problem. I find myself falling asleep while watching the other bands, and getting ready. Well, tomorrow is a day off, though we have to get up early for the plane---4 hours sleep again. The late night after-show parties/early plane combination is deadly.



Hmmm. No hot water in the shower. No holder on the wall, it’s broken off. Well, no chance of roasted nuts, then.

The crowd is good, but a little calmer than the Athens crew, except for the frontrunners. They also seem to gravitate towards Bob more than usual, I guess this is a guitar crowd. I wish the bass sounded better, and once again I hope the sound is different in the audience.

We finish the set, and try to leave the stage. No good. They physically block us, and demand more. This is a new trick---so how about Night Siege. OK, now we can go up and collapse for a few minutes before signing stuff.


3/25

Back in Athens for a day off. This is the first time I’ve gotten enough sleep since we started. I slept through Bob’s snoring, and even when he shattered the glass ashtray. This is a national holiday in Greece, the celebration of their freedom in 1821 from the Turks. Blue and white flags are everywhere, and a military parade marches down the main street. Besides the rocket launchers and track vehicles, of interest are the women in uniform, many of them marching in high heels and stockings. Being a holiday, I can’t buy the cheap $29 but cool motorcycle jacket I found—I’ll check the place one more time this evening to see if they open up later.

I wash my shirts in the shower---Bob asks why. Because you always get wet washing clothes in the sink—so I do it naked.

He says he didn’t get wet, just soaked---he took his laundry out and paid nearly $30 (ours) to have it done. Tried to talk me into it, but no way. That’s way too much money.

I’d rather buy chocolate, and wash my shirt in the sink—I’m down to one pair of pants, the others are ripping at the top of my thigh---but we are back in Athens, and I retrieved my suitcase from storage.



There’s an internet computer at the hotel---they didn’t charge me to use it. I check around and see the first show reviews coming in, and they’re good. Hopefully, it’ll boost attendance in Italy---I don’t know what kind of fan base we have there.

Last night we walked up to the Acropolis---there were these castle walls in the distance and we kept going towards them. They glow in the lights at night, got some photos. “What is that?” That’s the Acropolis, I say. “Can’t be. It’s a lot farther away.” Lord, this is the backside. Here’s where we walked down on the way out, here’s where the old men had stalls selling old coins and photos. “No way.” We go further. “It just looks the same. Let’s ask these guys.”

“What’s this?” The Acropolis. I told you so. Then one guy goes, “Didn’t you guys play at AN club a few days ago?” Yup, that’s us.

This would be great, if we had girls—full moon, warm night, towering white structures lit from below---some couples are sitting on stones in secluded areas, drinking or otherwise entertaining themselves. Yup. Shoulda brought some girls.



Last night in Athens---of course everyone wants us to eat and drink with them, so we go around the corner to the Academy of Beer. Expensive---$150.

And there is beer. Also a plate of cheese and meats. I snag a few of the salami slices to the amazement of all. In a stunning move later, I swig from the boot of beer (yes, a glass boot). Someone gets a photo, I’m sure it will get around. Bob says he feels like Cinderella, drinking beer from a glass slipper. You idiot, that’s not in Cinderella. “Where’s it from then?” Probably some porno movie.

Now the end of the evening, talk shifts to politics, and nearly everyone at the table has a different opinion. I always hate this part. Nearly every politician in the world sucks. Time to go home, sleep 4 hours, get up for the plane. And leave our other home, Athens. Of all the places we play, this is where we are treated the best, like family.

Didn’t get my jacket. Maybe I’ll find it again, Italy or England.

I have to mail my long dick postcard, guess it’ll have to wait until Italy. I wonder how the crowds will be there---I don’t know if we have many fans but they play us on the radio sometimes.



Damn, it’s 6:20---we’re supposed to be outside ready at 6:30. How did that happen? Fuck, no shower. Just wash my hair quick.

Too tired to write creatively. Try again later. We stayed in the same hotel in Athens as the last time, I’m getting to know my way around this part of town pretty good. Didn’t get lost while exploring.

7:57—Still in the taxi, nearing the airport. Late late late. I hope there’s no problems. I km to go.

We made it.

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