14.02
Granada-ish, Andalucia.
Rising at 04.15 in Zaragoza, lobby call for 04.50, and on the ‘bus to the airport punctually at 05.00…
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A coach was waiting for the Mystic Maestro at Granada airport I…
… with the Disciples…
… to carry us to Granada-ish…
The area looks like a series of cranescapes & construction sites I…
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Arriving at the top of the road to the old town of Granada, we pass the hotel on the way down I…
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Returning up the hill, we pass the walls of the Alhambra I…
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You don’t get much closer than that.
Hotel Package-Tourister-Visiting-The-Alhambra I…
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Views from the room I…
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Our hotel is almost-close to the old town of Granada - only a 15 minute walk down the hill & a 25-30 minute walk back. Here, we might as well be anywhere in southern Spain & opposite the car park to the Alhambra adds insult to injury.
A light lunch buffet in this 70s-80s hotel, full of package-touristers visiting a masterpiece of Andulasia. I recently read that 80% of Americans don’t have a passport; in which case the 20% that do are staying here.
15.57 During the month of April 1991, RF & The LCG were touring Europe. On April 8th. 1991, from a modest hotel in Lisle, I faxed my letter of resignation from EG Management to the partners, Messrs. Alder & Fenwick, in London. This followed their failure to present, on March 31st. 1991, a complete accounting of my affairs with EG to date, as promised to me in a personal meeting with Mr. Alder in his office on February 13th. 1991. This undertaking Mr. Alder subsequently did not recall; which I find surprising, as March 31st. 1991 was the 4th. consecutive accounting period that EG Records missed.
On this day in 1991, having returned the day before from Europe & The League, I had my last meeting with Messrs. SG Alder & MA Fenwick of the EG Music Group, Old Chelsea Group, Athol & Co. (formerly EG Management), Yeoman Security Group, Ikenstock (an offshore company), and members of several Lloyds’ syndicates (of which Marine 475 was the smelliest), in Mr. Alder’s office at 63A, King’s Road, Chelsea. Mr. Alder began the meeting with - What have we done? We have nothing to hide! (The question is one I followed for several years, with interesting answers). Mr. Alder then threatened me with legal action to enforce continued management by EG – And we’ll win! - as they had in recent action against Bryan Ferry.
Some 12-13 years earlier, not long after Mr. Alder had ousted David Enthoven from EG (1977), Mr. Alder had told me that when you have to consult the contract, the relationship is already over. How great the distance between that position & threatening the most loyal of EG artists with litigation, to force him to maintain a relationship.
16.12 The hotel wifi - available everywhere! - isn’t, even though it visited my room briefly. The ace signal is in a wifi area at the end of the corridor. Now the hotel server has gone down, so I am receiving a very strong broadcast of utterly nothing. Did I mention we are touring Spain? Lobby call soon…
23.57 On the way to today’s venue we drove by the developing sprawl of construction…
… to a suburb…
… and the Teatro Alhambra I…
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Dressing Room of the Rock God…
Improving Hospitality I…
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The venue’s greatest resource, helpful, friendly & willing…
The auditorium…
The LCG soundcheck…
As I walked onstage & took a bow, immediately – a photo from an old man in the front row. Soundscaping began to an audience of perhaps 20-30, the remainder of a fullish-house walking in during the Scape. I enjoyed this: music to accompany a walk-in.
Simple errors throughout the set. The audience didn’t seem to connect with the music or players. When taking the acknowledgement at the end of the performance – flash! My set ended there, although we played two more pieces.
The LCG walked to the merchandising table, where they performed acoustically during the photo session; this followed by a big cheer, audible backstage.
So much humanity on offer, such little capacity to accept it.
Back to Hotel-For-All-Americans-With-Passports & a Team supper.
The hotel is so near, yet so far. I have always wanted to visit Grenada & the Alhambra. My experience in coming here has been to utterly remove from me any enthusiasm for returning.
00.26 In Auckland, New Zealand it is April 18th, my Sister’s birthday. Here, it’s an e-flurry in the wifi section at the end of the corridor.
"Signposts are useful when you know where you're going."
