How's Your Christmas Planning?

It's just over a week to go before the "spirit" of Christmas hits the world with some gusto. Some love it, some hate it, complain about it, dread it. Some have been saving up for the last twelve months (and I mean energy!) some are going to just wing it! And that just Santa's elves, Rudolf and his pals. Human mood will, I am sure, copy these emotions. For some it will be very special, many are going to be having their first Christmas since being diagnosed with breast cancer, many counting the number of Christmases since being given the "All clear." All will be different. I for one will see Sarah have her first since getting the all clear in March. This is thanks to supporters of breast cancer charities such as Breakthrough, enabling the scientists do their stuff. Supporters who have run marathons, climbed mountains, worn pink at school and work, put their hands in their pockets in these tough times and those who have given time and effort. Thank you.
There may be time to catch the post and get a couple of goodies from the Breakthrough Shop. They also have free  E-Cards.


Besides running on the snow trying not to break every bone in my body, I am looking forward to playing MUD2's only UK Christmas show this year. Click the poster to the right for details and tickets. Don't forget to wear a silly red hat! I have had contact from around the country and I know of some people who are travelling quite a way to join in the fun.

Joydens Wood. Swanley

Sunday I went for a run from Swanley Park. I was meant to take part in their "Christmas Capers" 5km fun run. You know the score, Santa costume and all the trimmings. Thanks to the snow and ice the event was very wisely called off. However, Mike, my very patient coach, invited me to still go and train with his club. After dragging my sorry self out of my pit extra early in the morning, I made the 20 minute drive to Swanley. There is a shopping centre in Kent called Bluewater. People were queuing to get in already! Come on chaps! You get a year's notice about Christmas. Swanley Park is really nice. It looked like a Christmas card. Frozen lake and everything! After meeting some very friendly members of the Swanley and District Athletics Club,  I "sort of" confidently set off with Chris Barnet, Paul and Kate.  I know Chris from the open mic' nights. Nice bloke, good guitar player and a voice just perfect for amazing renditions of all things James Taylor.  We set off on a 5 mile off road course set to take us through the lovely Joydens Woods and along side Burchwood Golf Club. (Listening out for yells of "FORE" and looking out for bright orange golf balls flying towards us at a hundred miles an hour out of the early morning mist.) We had only been out for about ten minutes and Chris felt something go "twang" in his heel. A twist that he thinks will keep him out for a couple of weeks. He bid a "positive farewell" (Mystery shopping in-joke!) and limped off for an early cup of tea. We carried on past the golf club and headed for  the woods. It was stunning! Misty, snow still on the floor, very still apart from squirrels running about digging up stored nuts. It was amazing and a fantastic place to bloody well fall over! And fall over I did. It was a real Keystone Cops special. Legs shot out in front of me and went higher than my head. I went down, in black and white with a piano playing Dixie faster than the speed of sound and a thump shaking all the snow off of the surrounding trees while cracking the ice that I had slipped on. Here I noticed Newtons theory of motion coming into play. "To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction." Drummer falls flat on his arse, eyes try to depart their sockets! What small amount of air was left in my seemingly collapsed lungs was acting as a carrier wave for a stream of expletives departing my grimacing face. I was mortified at the language in front of everyone, let alone Kate. I just couldn't take a breath to carry on the onslaught of none BBC words, (Frankie Boyle excluded) never mind wanting to stay alive. It was like my chest was being sat on by a Sumo Wrestler holding his twin!
I think we had made it just over half way round. It took about five minutes for me to "sort my self out. I had to stop a couple of times due to dizzyness but I was ok. Paul and Kate were very gracious and I made it back for cake and a "nice cup of tea."
I have a really impressive bruise (Sorry Sloat.. no photos) and I have been advised to ease up on the running for a couple of days. (That will stop Carter, our erstwhile agent driving down to Kent and wrapping me in cotton wool to prevent me doing something nasty pror to the Milton Keynes gig at the weekend.


Next week's blog will be a tad later than this one. I am going to Worcester on Thursday then on to visit the super star who is Hayley Mitchall. She had a double mastectomy a couple of weeks back and is in true Christmas spirit. One of the tumours was the size of a healthy plum! She has gone from countless numbers of the things to ZERO! The current news is that she has issues with her blood picking up cells. She has a 60% chance of it all returing but to Hayley that means 40% chance of it NOT! Her glass is always half full. We should all take a leaf out of her book. There is a photo of Hayley and I in a previous blog below. Having a photo taken with Hayley is a real privilege. 
After that the Mud2 boys have a gig in Milton Keynes and I'll be in the brilliant Stony Stratford. More pubs than houses!

Photo and Copyright LeighAnn Monaghan USA
LeighAnn 's web site

On Sunday I telephoned friend and fellow breast cancer campaigner Dusty Showers in the States. (Yes for all the Brits reading this, I know  someone called Dusty Showers), By far the best name in the fight against breast cancer. He was off chasing raccoons when I spoke to him!! (It's his job, not a strange lifestyle choice!) Now it's not every day you have a phone call like that either! I was after a couple of photos. I also think that Dusty is the only man on God's earth who could carry the look, to the right, off. I, on the other hand, would look like a pantomime dame. Dusty just looks "good!" As well as my hoping for a place on the Vodafone World of Difference program, Dusty is taking breast cancer full on. (As usual) He  is going for the Timberland gig. He's entered his pecs 'n'chaps into a photo competition. Be a star and vote for him. If he gets the result he will take the fight and awareness to yet a another level. Remember, breast cancer knows no borders.
Click here to vote for the big man!
Thanks guys.
See you all again next week.

Snow Snow and More Snow!

No sooner had I uploaded my last blog offering than more news came in and the snow kept falling.

Being short listed for the Vodafone World of Difference scheme was just sinking in and the phone rang! It was one of their team asking for an interview! I know, I was expecting it, but so soon? I was all a dither!! Generally with interviews you would know the day and time, sometimes, weeks in advance giving time to prepare, look into things pre-empt questions. Not this time. BANG!! You're on mate!! The trouble with me is, I am so passionate about what I do and probably spoke at ten to the dozen. The poor lady couldn't get a word in. Face to face I'd pick up on body language but I was off on a march!  I have a number of things I am working on and wanted to try and put across my intentions and how being on the scheme would help Breakthrough. I had read up on the Vodafone World of Difference before applying so I hope that I came across as informed as well as jumpy up and down keen! Oh well. Out of my hands now. They are contacting my referees and Breakthrough on the low-down about me, so I just have to sit and wait now until early January. 

I will be making further minor adjustments with Breakthrough about Project 300 (Working title) and as soon as we are all clear and I have everything in place you will be the first to know. The project will start in June, the Vodafone World of difference months will be March and April. This is unbelievably perfect being in the run up. Press, final web preparations and so on. Fingers crossed.

Dustbin snow-o-meter!

We really are weather bores in this country but the snow in north Kent has been nuts. Almost 2 feet deep without drifting is mad. Yes everything comes to a standstill, but can you really blame it? See the Dustbin Snowo-meter from our back garden. This was on the 2^nd night. We do have a giggle at the news reports. “As you can see it's been snowing!” says the reporter up to his neck in the stuff. The best one was a report from Tunbridge Wells. (the Home of our friends at BBC Newsroom Southeast.) Anchor on the 6.30pm news “Over to our reporter in Tunbridge wells.”

Shot of reporter shivering his nuts off in the snow at the front door of the TV studio! The anchor could have put his head out of the window and shouted to him! Poor chap, not even a cup of soup. Producers must have just shoved him unceremoniously outside to cop the freezing atmosphere.

They do do a good job there though, with co-anchor Polly Evans and her new hair do she'll be on main stream BBC1 as soon as another row erupts on the One Show.

Amazon UK Available 11th December

I used to be in a Rock band don't y'know. Walk the Wire was an Essex based five piece with me tunnelling my way under the Thames from Kent for rehearsals. We recorded an album in London during the Rocky climes of 1994, thoughtfully titled “Walk The Wire.” I'll tell you what, it was brilliant. Though I say it myself!! (Click here for a Youtube audio of a track. Well, peeps, I had an out of the blue email from bass player and fisherman Mike “Pike” Barker to say that it has been re-released and available now by a German company on Yesterrock Records. or from 11th of December at Amazon Get your copy for Christmas.

The Eagle Tavern Rochester

I had another interview on Friday this week, this time with a local news paper (Medway News) regarding my Percussion Project. Could be quite a good piece. I then went outside and spent a while starting to dig the car out of four days of continuous snow. Arming myself with a plastic dustbin lid, coat, scarf and silly hat I dug in. I made a good start to continue on Saturday morning. I had to free the car as I was starting my Percussion campaign the next day. Local guitar hero, great performer and all round good egg Andy White had allowed me to barge in on his weekend. The first gig was great with thanks to landlady Sandra and the customers at the Eagle Tavern in Rochester.  It worked really well. Andy's repertoire spans for ever! Buddy Holly to REM and then some. Andy was a brave chap taking on the first gig of my campaign and I thank him for it. It was a bit like Elton John and Ray Cooper, but without a piano, glasses, spangley jacket and £250 a ticket! Mind you, if Mr John fancies doing one of his duo gigs for Breakthrough, I'll do it! Give Mr Cooper the day off!!

It was Dickens Christmas Week and people from all over the country visit our little city to enjoy the sites, history, costumes, unusual market stalls, real ale and generally have a good time. Advocates of the apostrophe society need to be on a break during a visit to Rochester as there is a classic on the wall of a pub. 

I have added a little gem for you below. A photo of Eastgate House. Once the home of Charles Dickens. The Building appeared as Westgate Seminary for Young Ladies in Pickwick Papers and Miss Twinkerton's School for young Ladies in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. And it's on my doorstep!

Eastgate House, Rochester High St.

Only in England would you get an artificial snow making machine pumping out imitation snow onto four days worth of the real stuff! I can see the council meetings “Well, we have paid for it, lets use it! All those in favour?” Priceless.

My efforts at the Eagle on Saturday saw me pick up a couple more gigs too, so everything is looking good for the fundraising. Work is starting on some bigger shows now. Sunday at the Eagle was also great but the news of the day was my mentor for the marathon, Mike, has a place in the marathon himself now and he will be running for Breakthrough Breast Cancer. I did comment on Facebook that I would be joining him at the start but then he will be off like a smacked horse! Mike is keen regular club runner and coach. All I will see of him, once the gun goes off, will be his heels!

Traveling Light!
Silly Shoes, crazy socks. a few
 pink sticks and an energy drink

I was asked in the week “Do I take my drums when I work over seas” err Nope! We travel light. Kits are put in by one of several back-line hire firms. I take fluffy shoes, pink drum sticks and a party frock! 

Thanks Andy!
(The Eagle Tavern
 Saturday December 4th 2010)

This week sees me getting ready for a fun run on Sunday, should be nice and chilly! Plus finally launching the Mid Kent Breakthrough Website and my own running site. I'll also be getting letters out  to acts about my percussion program. What do you mean, sleep?

It's that time of year when the world seems to venture back to the 70s to find great Christmas songs. Look no further! "When Holly Rocks" was recorded by us lot a couple of years ago. With the kind permission of Les Gray's wife Carol, the voice "Everybody Ready?" at the start is Les. It was taken from the demo. I'll tell you one thing EVERYTHING was thrown at this ditty;  jingles, chimes, church bells the lot. We would have put a kids choir, kitchen sink and reindeer calls  on it too but time ran out. Remix perhaps? Anyway, Please  click the link on the right and buy it for someone for Christmas. It's happy bouncy 70s larking about at it's best!

See you soon

Busy Few Days!

Where do I begin?

The last week or so has been the usual busy tirade from one day to the next interrupted by nights of no sleep, ear worms* and a wish for a couple of extra hours in a day. (* An ear worm is a dreadful tune rattling around your head that you just cannot get rid of!)

Last weekend the band had a gig in Germany, so it was an early start to Heathrow. It was a civilized departure of 9.55 am so I didn't have to leave home in the dark. Met the guys at T5 checked in and headed off, for what has become a routine visit to the Giraffe restaurant and breakfast. (Other food outlets available, including Gordon Ramsay's, but £4.00 more for a posh banger and table cloth, I'll stick with the lads.) Soon we get led off to the Gate and an  Airbus A319 panting for breath, probably on its third sector of the day, is looking disgruntled on the apron. Chris, our nervous flyer, was on good form and the best he's been for a while. Marc was trying to chat up the stewards and Syd slept. Marc was a few rows in front (We get spread out by our agent partly because we have a seat preference and secondly because we cause havoc, not unlike a group of school kids on their first outing to France.) Marc was trying to bore the pants off of The Sweet's guitar tech by explaining the benefits of his 1972 white Fender Precision bass against world peace. When he mentioned the 1959 we could see the distressed tech searching for his knife in the over head compartment before realising it was in the hold. Still, he picked up Marc's Sound on Sound magazine and he was soon fast asleep!

Suz. Driver, translator, good egg!

Having only eaten a sizeable breakfast an hour ago I was handed a breakfast bap by the stewardess. Oh well, I may as well eat it! And I wonder why I can't shed the last stone of my target prior to the London Marathon.

A gentle landing in Berlin and we are soon met by our driver Suz. It's nice being met at an airport, but it's extra nice being met by someone you know, and someone that you know is a good driver and unlikely to scare the sh*t out of you on the Autobahn.

Soon in the hotel and eight hours to kill. No sound check today. We were to be last on after Suzi so if we sound checked in the afternoon there was a distinct chance (from experience), that it would all be changed by the time we go on, so we were to “wing it!”

Runway 22R into Potsdam International
The road to no where!

Chris fancied a walk into Potsdam and assured me the town was only a short walk. Half an hour later we had seen three cars, lots of trees, a dead bird and a long straight road that our panting A319 could have landed on and delivered us right outside the hotel, (had their been no trees of course.. Ok, or an ILS and VASI) (answers on a post card) or for that matter someone to moan at when bags go missing.

Anyway, we turned back and I went to my room for a kip after having a cuppa in the bar with Don. (Powell). Don is simply the nicest man in rock and roll and tells the funniest stories. He should write a book.

9.00pm we meet in the lobby and Suz drives us off to the gig. She asks me to explain the difference between 'on time' and 'in time' (remembering she is German and speaks better English than most of us lot) while Michalski is after new dirty words in German.

Slade were on when we arrived and they had whipped the 2500 crowed into a frenzie. Dave was looking great so soon after his illness and gave his usual 100%. You'll never keep him down or get him to do a half hearted show, even on medical grounds. For reasons known only to himself, Don wore an Indian headdress for the last couple of numbers, he is just consistently bonkers.

Syd Ctr L, Me Ctr R and the
Rock Radio chaps

I missed Suzi Quatro this time, Syd and I were asked to do a radio interview for a German rock radio station, a three way affair, presenter, translator and us. I have asked for a copy of the edited version and I'll try and post it on here or FB.

Our gig wet well. I broke only the one pink Vic Firth A5 stick. You know, endorsement aside, they are really good tools. Tim (Slade's guitar tech) had assisted us with the monitors and did a sterling job. So all in all a good day. No real disasters.

Off stage at 12.00, back to the hotel for cocoa and bed! Well eventually at 3.00am, it would have been rude to go to bed any earlier..... Wouldn't it?????

What seemed like a hop skip and jump later we are back in Blighty. I had a quiz to get to for the Breakthrough Mid Kent group so Sarah took me straight there from the airport.

The Dancing Dog is a great pub in Bobbing, just north of Sittingborne (For those of you across the pond and elsewhere, it's 40 miles east of London along the A2 and up a bit towards the river!... I should have been a satnav!)

The pub is very “Country and Western.” Flags everywhere, hats pinned to the wall, pictures of injuns and John Wane and other “”western dignitaries” in every available space. I love the atmosphere in there. We do have a good time. Sarah had tirelessly worked on a quiz with a western theme, I just did the scores while Mid Kent Group Member Lynn took all the money!

It was all done by 9.30 so we stayed for a coffee and chat with Shaun the Landlord before heading home.

This week I have been working on a couple of on-going projects, Fee Percussion performances is one. I am taking bookings to play percussion for free and taking donations for Breakthrough Breast Cancer. I have been contacting acts big & small, solo artists, bands, rock, funk, folk, country basically everything. I have a couple already, December 4^th &  5^th at the Eagle Tavern in Rochester, just me and a rather good guitar player called Andy White. It's an afternoon gig and part of the Dickensian Christmas week. We kick off at 3.30pm. If you would like me to join you or would like more information, just email the Breakthrough Mid Kent Group

I might have a couple more over Christmas but the push is for Feb, to April and the London Marathon. I am hoping for some “names” to come on board too. It will not only help the pot but would interest the press, which would be a great mini awareness campaign for Breast Cancer in general.

The other project I have been working on for some months is an awareness and fundraising program. I have presented it to Breakthrough Breast Cancer and they want to take it on. I am over the moon about it. I can't say too much at the moment as I will be doing a proper launch, but trust me, you will hear about it!

I had a meeting at Breakthrough's London Head Office on Thursday, met up with Anna and Becky and they really are enthusiastic about it. We have a few little bits of tidying up to do and off we will go. 

Hayley and Me at the Central Theatre Oct 4th
Behind us in the Breakthrough T shirt is my
Son Alex. Great lighting designer COD and Cider Expert!!

Our dear friend Hayley Mitchell had her big op on Friday last week. 8 hours or so of surgery and she came up fighting. (Would we have expected anything less?) I spoke to her earlier on this week and she gave me the full run down from the drains being removed and her new boobs to the news that she has a future to look forward to with her fantastically supportive hubby Lee. What? Me cry? Never. A year ago she was given as little as two weeks to live. Her full story is on My Lady Humps have a hankie ready. It's ladies like Hayley that make me realise why I am doing all this and it is so up lifting to get good news.

Man at C&A!!

Wednesday my good friend Trudy took some pictures of me for this blog and my up and coming web site. Some really are cheesey but, I think, good fun. It was blooming cold out too. We went to Shorne Country Park. The only downside of the day was irresponsible dog owners. I love dogs, Marc has two of the daftest Chocolate Labs known to man but he and Ali are great owners. There's me in a bright white London Marathon top and some half-wit lets his mutt jump all over me with muddy paws! There was almost a delivery to a Kebab shop that day! A Golden Retriever leaped up on Trudy covering her in mud. Not even a “sorry”... Some people!!

The last couple of days we have had a fair dumping of snow so I might go out for some seasonal pics. There is a lady in America (you know who you are!) who is after a picture of me in running tights! She needs sectioning! But it could be this week!!!!!!!

An email arrived on Monday (29^th) from Vodafone World of Difference. I have been short listed from 11,000 to 750 applicants for 500 places on the scheme. If I am successful, Vodafone will fund my efforts for Breakthrough Breast Cancer for two months meaning I can steam on at 100% for the charity. Watch this space!!

On Saturday I made contact on Facebook with a comedian from the States called Frances Dilorinzo, herself a breast cancer survivor, Talk about taking it head on. Check out the video. I hope we see more of this lady over here. 

All seems to be on the up and then I get a message from a friend in Cheltenham that her best friend might not make Christmas! Back to earth with a thump. And that is also why we all do this. My marathon, The Mid Kent Group, people waxing their chests and backs (That's just the ladies) Sitting in baths of beans and so on. We need every penny so that the fear of breast cancer can be a thing of the past.

Speak to you again soon.