Touring the UK and Ireland with Billy Bragg (parts 1, 2 and 3)
Part 1
I snapped this shot of the audience just moments before taking the stage in Leeds.
This is part 1 of the many disorganized posts that I’ll be throwing together in the next few days. I’ll be chronicling my month long tour with everyone’s best friend, Billy Bragg.
The tour started out with United Airlines losing my luggage (it ended the same way). This is but one of many times that they’ve lost my luggage over the years. This made it impossible for me to change clothes for the first few days of the tour. I’m sure that this made me pretty unpopular in the van.
With my luggage lost, I asked the hotel clerk if they had a tooth brush and some paste. This is what they gave me. I think that this came straight from a Barbie Doll play set.
Drunk man chatting us up at 10 a.m.
Sound checking at Bridgewater Hall in Manchester.
This was in my hotel room in Leeds. I’m afraid to ask what it’s for.
I dig this little energy saver. The power in your hotel room only works when your key is inserted.
I fell in love with this theater in Treorchy, Wales.
The theater was built by money raised by local miners. They gave 1/100 of their wages to build this theater. Its beautiful without being pretentious and it has a wonderful vibe.
I fell in love with these old tea cups that were backstage in Treorchy. I decided that I needed to bring them home to Amy. Using my lame negotiating skills, I convinced the very kind promoter to throw in this set as part of my settlement. I’m drinking coffee out of one of them as I write this.
Thanks for giving a damn,
-Otis
More to come……
Part 2
Billy is an expert in the fine art of monotony breaking.
I’d like to go on record by saying that mince pie does not suck!
I don’t know what it means but it looks serious.
One of my favorite parts of the tour was stopping off for “pub lunch”. This is a part of English culture that I really like. We stopped off at a pub in a small town and had a game of Skittle. I’d never heard of it before but I jumped right in and proceeded to dominate the match. Keep an eye out for me on the Skittle circuit because I’ll be turning pro by summer.
A great crowd in Hastings.
Thanks for giving a damn,
-Otis
More to come……
Part 3
Grave in Exeter Cathedral. If anyone knows anything about this grave please fill me in.
Graffitied wall in Belfast. Yet another reason to love the Irish!
I’d drive this sucker all over Nashville. I wouldn’t feel great about it on the highway but I’m sure it’s safer than a motorcycle.
Peter Dunwell took this photo of Billy and I in London. I like this one for a few reasons. 1) It’s a nice shot. 2) Billy looks great with that Gibson and I think they should give him this guitar. 3) I look like the guy that is always standing on the side of the stage looking tough while Run DMC or MC Hammer busts out the rhymes.
This was a party for “Jail Guitar Doors”. It’s a very cool organization that Billy set up to send guitars into prisons. It’s a way to reward the best behaved inmates and give them something constructive to work on while they pass time. It has a very good track record of helping rehabilitate inmates and is spoken highly of by wardens in the UK. You can learn more at http://www.jailguitardoors.org.uk/
Your guess is as good as mine?
Self portrait backstage in Belfast.
This is me on stage at the beautiful, Empire Music Hall in Belfast.
Another grave in Exeter Cathedral.
I have no idea who this is and I’ve never seen the show, but I can say with confidence that this has to be the best ventriloquist act of all time!
****Edit****The lovely and talented Grant Showbiz sent me this little bit of knowledge.
the man with the teeth is not a ventriloquist,but,a guy called Ken Dodd & he’s holding a Diddyman from Knotty Ash…..He is the last of the great Music hall comedians & is about 80 years old now.He’s very funny & does 3 hour sets-yes,even longer than Billys…..He was put on trial for tax evasion about 10 years ago.& basically amused the judge out of jailing him……well worth a google
Someone sent me this photo of Billy and I on stage at Shepherds Bush Empire in London (photographer unknown). If you took this photo, please let me know and I’ll credit you or pull it down.
This was also sent to me by an unknown photographer. It’s a crowd shot of Shepherds Bush Empire in London. If you took this photo, please let me know and I’ll credit you or pull it down.
Thanks for giving a damn,
-Otis
*****More to come?******