Toyah and I went to the village pub (actually, it's an inn) for both lunch and dinner. Martin the barperson used to work at a record pressing plant in the North: he pressed "No Pussyfooting", and one or two of Toyah's albums, before the plant burnt down in 1980. Martin has been a member of the parish council, has a degree in history, knows all the characters in the village, and introduced us to damson vodka for our dinner. I know nothing of vodka, although Toyah has a greater knowledge from her youth, but this is a sweet little hummer of joy. It reminded me of damson or plum (so-called) "country wine".
21.39
The Horse is just off-stage. She says the pit band have bought ITCOTCK, presumably the remastered edition, and the title track was being played over the theatre tannoy today.
Diane is in the Los Angeles office, which left The Big Two in World Central for a very positive and constructive forward-view. There are major changes underway within the next 6-12 months, changes which excite the Machievellian Heartless Raging Venal Leader (new adjective courtesy of the Mojo article). Meanwhile, a pile of paper brought back here waits for my life to expire beneath it, oblivious to the sinister self-serving machinations and politickings of the person who wearily places the pile upon the table (a rather interesting pine expanding table, probably 18th. century, modelled on an earlier oak style).
Fresh And Aromatic Wonder Sister is having a good time in Palm Springs, and we speak every day. Should anyone wonder why my Sister might be called a Fresh And Aromatic Wonder Sister the reason is this: for many years I called Patricia "Ratbag", as in "Foul And Smelly Ratbag". For teenagers this was no doubt as appropriate an appellation as any, and its usage continued into our 20s. But finally Patricia felt that this familiar and affectionate form of address, while an expression of fraternal devotion, was nevertheless intrinsically not fully in accord with her positive self-image. Sister became instantaneously a Fresh And Aromatic Wonder Sister.
Sister also gave me the news (on Monday): our Aunt Betty died 3 weeks ago at the age of 87. My Father would have been 89 this year, and Uncle Bill is going strong at 85. Aunt Phyllis is early 80s and Uncle Charles is mid-70s, while Aunt Maureen died several years ago (she was 20 years younger than my Father). Betty, Bill & Charlie had been holidaying together recently, and Charlie was with Betty when she flew away. Betty was physically active in the normal routine of daily life, right up until the end.
Business arising:
Billy B. has declined to contribute a diary to the DGM site. He has too great a press of other concerns.
Plans for the Crimson tour of Europe continue apace, and I discussed them with Richard Chadwick this early evening (after the Opium office party). We are discussing them at greater length tomorrow, but currently they allow for Copenhagen, several German cities, Austria, Poland, Italy & France from end-May to mid-July.
We are looking at standing + sitting venues, smaller rather than larger. None of this, you may gather, is accidental. I have no intention of playing in Stalin's "gift to the Polish people" again (Warsaw), an insult to both audience and group (Crimson played there in 1996). Concert venues are now (mostly) part of an ossified rock performance convention, and one in which Crimson does not belong. No doubt there'll be some venues when we arrive where I'll twitch, move from foot to foot, recognise a monument to commerce, choke quietly upon despair, and then retire to a dressing room to practice and invoke the Muse.
"A principle is an instruction in qualitative endeavour."
