Blog: Revenge In Dublin

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When last we spoke I was about to head for DUBLIN, and that is indeed what we did. Jim came round to the hotel to fetch me, and away we drove. It turns out Dublin is a LONG way from Cork, and it took about 3 and a half hours to get there, but LUCKILY the way was full of MOUNTAINS and CASTLES to look at, and also MUCH CHAT about a diversity of ISSUES - it turns out Jim used to run a Comic Shop, so not only did the journey pass at SPEED, but I was also able to wheel out all the SIMILES that nobody else ever understands e.g. in terms of playing gigs in new places I am like the Silver Surfer and The Validators are GALACTUS, EATER OF WORLDS!

Oh yes! We eventually got to Dublin about four o'clock, to the studio where we were recording a SESSION for Ana Livia (i think that's how it's spelt) - we got in, said hello, utilised the LOO (it may have passed quickly for the BRANE, but not for the BLADDER), tuned up, DID three songs, and then ran out again, for LO! THE JANITOR was coming to switch things off! We'd see Dave later, so me and Jim went and got ourselves some GRUB, then got me booked into a hotel (which was NICE, and had VERY PRUSSIAN people working there), and soon it was time to go back... to THE PUB!

We sat around having a chat, then Cillian turned up, also from the Radio Station, and also also someone who wrote a REALLY nice review of "Say It With Words" in Zeitgeist, about a MILLION YEARS ago. I remember it largely because it compared my SONGS to GOLDEN THREADS being WEAVED, and also because it was one of the only reviews we actually got for it when it came out, so i was very grateful. Me and him went upstairs and did an INTERVIEW, which i THINK was OK but may have MEANDERED a little... he only needed about 5 minutes of STUFF tho, and as I'd given him about 15 i think it will be OK.

The main band turned up and took ages soundchecking, and i got a bit PEEVED with them - this was unwarranted, as it later turned out that they didn't know I was supposed to be playing, but it DID mean that there was some NEGOTIATION to let me play at ALL, and when I did, halfway through, Jim had to come over and say "Er... two more songs". In some ways it was a bit of a shame to end up only playing about 15 minutes, BUT it did mean the second "half" of the set was a VERY LOUD version of "Fucking Hippy" and a ALSO VERY LOUD version of "The Lesson Of The Smiths" - i REALLY enjoyed myself i must say, and RELISHED the swearing. There were about 7% as many people there as had been the night before, and many of them were just THORT WISHING me to get off, but i REALLy enjoyed myself, it felt GOOD!

There'd been two chaps sitting near the front who were really into it, and apparently as soon as I'd finished they left - they must have been there ON PURPOSE to see me! COOL! But chaps - next time, come and say hello won't you? This applies to everybody, by the way - if you've come to see me, do come and introduce yourself. I LIKE it! That made me feel HAPPIER STILL, and i fell on my GUINESS with RELISH, before nipping out to ring The Harp On My Logo to tell her how it'd all gone. When i returned i found everyone except Cillian had gone to look for me, but then they came back and we said our goodbyes - Jim had been BRILLIANT I must say, not only he is a totally LOVELY CHAP but he got EVERYTHING sorted out. Thanks Jim!

Not wishing to go home just yet me and Cillian then went down the road to THE PUB, where i was AVENGED of YEARS of sitting in pubs with Irish people always saying the SAME THING. I'd been taken to this place because I'd been talking about drinking BASS (amongst MANY other things), so had a pint of that. I did this PURELY so that I could sit down, have a sip, and say "Oooh, it's not like it is at home you know", like a MILLION Irish blokes in Pubs EVERY NIGHT. HA! My revenge was short lived, however, as it really was a FOUL pint, so i went straight back to The Guiness - not only does it TASTE much nicer over there, it is also pronounced differently, with a THE at the start. It wasn't half nice, i could see what the fuss was about, but my INNARDS are STILL feeling the effects.

We sat and had a GRATE evening, topics included The Inherent Campness Of Robots, Billy Bragg Should Start Putting Some Effort Into His Lyrics Again, and The Nature Of The Universe. Over the past few days I've switched between talking A LOT to people I didn't know before, and sitting on my own, reading. I'm getting mental CHILBLAINS!

Eventually it was time to go, and I headed back to my hotel room, waking next day to find i had knocked a cup and saucer off the sideboard - not only that, but i didn't even bother to pick it up until I got back from BREAKFAST! ROCK AND ROLL MAYHEM! Rather than PANIC about buses i got a taxi to the airport, and was driven there by a Local Character, who swore the whole way, nipped through red lights, and showed my The Oldest Taxi Driver In Dublin - " Look at that cnut there - look! 92! Takes him 20 minutes to cross the fcuking road!" he said, amongst many MANY other things. He also told me Liverpool is only 27 miles from Dublin, which it very clearly ISN'T.

After that all was plain sailing really, there was a LOT of waiting round but handily i had a GRATE book - I finished David Nobbs autobiography on the plane over, and i spent much of the rest of the time reading The Time Traveler's Wife, which i must say was UTTERLY UTTERLY BRILLIANT. I know everybody else says so, but this is because it was TRUE - ooh, it was just LOVELY. On several occasions i LARFED out loud, and on several MORE i shed a few manly tears, and i even DREAMT about it. It's just bloody FANTASTIC, i HIGHLY recommend it.

And that is the end of this week's Richard And Judy Book Club... anyway, then it was aeroplane, Heathrow Express, two tubes and a quick stroll and i was HOME once again. As you can probably tell i had an UTTERLY GRATE time in Ireland, and i really hope I get to go back again. I sold no CDs or anything, but I did get to hang around with loads of LOVELY people and stretch my BRAIN quite a bit too, and I also saw some MOUNTAINS. It was BRILLIANT!

And now it's off to my Favourite City In Britain That I Have Never Lived In - SHEFFIELD! There won't be many mountains, but there's bound to be some lovely people there... I shall report back and let you know what happens!

posted 5/3/2005 by MJ Hibbett

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