The last 5 days have been eventful! Glastonbury kicked off for me at about lunch on Wednesday. I jumped into the car - grabbed one aussie and some last minute supplies in Maidenhead and careened down the M4 motorway, heading west toward Glastonbury! We arrived about three hours later. The solstace being good enough to afford us the most amount of sunshine possible for the erection of our camp: two tents; one tarp.
That night there was relative silence in the valley. The squatter camp of party goers only breaking the natural silence to begin a large vocal wave of noise and then sitting back to listen to flow through and arround the site, killing the calm and awakening the monsters within. A good thing too as normal human beings would be hard pressed to make it out of that place with their sanity intact.
The first thing that strikes you is the size of the whole thing. There were upward of 150 thousand people attending this year! The area of land it covers is massive too. Although not big enough to allow people to casually take up space for camp sites. Tents are errected and by the beginnning of Friday morning the ground is a wash with guide ropes and half malleted tent pegs, all intertwined forming a great mass of semi-rain resistant coverings. It was already evident at this stage - the movements of the 80% or so of people who had got in and set up over the last two days had left an enormous toll on the ground. It has rained each night since I had arrived. The rain softening the grass, ground and cow pats into a soft clay - waiting for the commings and goings of the throngs to take away the last of the sensibilities of the surface. By Friday night there were huge areas of the main tracks that were simply impassible - yet people carried on.
Saturday morning drew me from yet another dry, airbed assisted sleep. To another grey wet and cold morning. The world outside heaving with the expectation of an enormous day full of live music - dance and socially acceptable drug usage. At a festical, it is worth saying, anything short of scag becomes socially acceptable. The welly clad hippie sect that had gathered in Somerset this past weekend were no different. We were surrounded by the hopelessly drunk - confused and lost. All around us there was evidence of the blind leading the blind. And all of us in danger of being swallowed alive by the mud. The weight of the throng, and their movements, only serving to further increase the danger...
We entered on Saturday night. We advanced to a forward position and took up our posts - front and center - before the Kooks. Their youthful, cheary guitars serving as a more than pleasant interlude before the Americans... The Killers attacked the Glastonbury crowd with well oiled riffs and shiny suits. I have heard tell of poor sound quality from others - for me, up front, I had none of this. They performed their set list - returned for an encore and the lights came up signalling the end of the second days preceedings.
Sunday we awoke and broke camp - packed the car and headed back to the pyramid stage. It was here that the Kaiser Chiefs would soon pick up their electric axes and carve out an opening for the Who. The mud had taken its toll on the festival goers. Heavy set drunks had found solice in canvas seating. The roar of the crowd being brought together seemlessly for the anthemic singalongs as the groups chanted and beseached the crowd to lend their voice and join in.
With night now on us - work beconing to some the next day we headed off early - missing the Who to be responsible and get home safe. The down pour that greated us during their set asssuring me that although I knew I had missed out on talking about my generation - I had in the end made the right choice. Unable to see through the windscreen - I soldiered on down the M4 back into London. Found my bed and huncered in for a night of built up luxury.
So after all this I am left to say what finally of Glastonbury? I can only say that as festivals go I have never experienced anything as pleasant despite the mud and wet. The comaradarie of the experience and the magnitude of the event have been etched deep into my memory. I have seen the mud fields of Glastonbury in June and I have returned smiling and happy to have taken part.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Glastonbury
So I am here, sitting at work. Waiting for the criminal offspring of a past fellon. His arrival at the Maidenhead railway station marking the beginning of my Glastonbury experience. I am about to take part in the longest running music festival of my time. I have dreamt of Glastonbury now for many years. Although it seems that I may be suffering through one of the lighter lineups to grace the stages of Glastonbury.
So it is off to the mud with me - tent up in 5 hours - god willing. The summer equinox, being today, will help mark this date in my memory.
I will update you all from the otherside of the mud.
So it is off to the mud with me - tent up in 5 hours - god willing. The summer equinox, being today, will help mark this date in my memory.
I will update you all from the otherside of the mud.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Update
Once again I begin with an apology for my lethargic updating trend. Sorry. Well since my last post a fair amount has happened. I have been travelling, promoted and much much more.
So I have been in talks for my first European car. These talks resulted in my purchasing of a small Renault clio 1 1994 M reg. This I drove Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning before leaving for San Francisco. On my return I had to replace the fan belt and then on driving it back home - smash some guy drove in a white Renault van drove in to the back of me at a zebra crossing. Brilliant!!
So it seems at the moment that after taking my first steps into the commute on your own steam steps that I have been knocked right back down to the train club... What can you do - at least it was not my accident.
San Francisco was an eye-opener, I have now seen Dallas, NYC and San Fran. All three cities complete different from one another. San Francisco is an awesome place. It still retains a lot of its hippie crest and at the same time has moved successfully into the modern world. Berkley finally showed me what I had always hoped a university environment would be. There was a vibe of serious contemplation and discussion on all topics. I was taken to a place called the cheese board one evening for pizza and jazz. The jazz courtesy of a trio of high school kids. Sitting in the collective I got a taste of the beat poet vibe and a look at the university freak show - where the unwashed and washed, suited and casual, young and old gather together to enjoy the designer pizza and music and just sit around burning time with informed debate on whatever topic has caught their or their professor's fancy at the moment. Yes I did use the word informed in reference to American people... This is what made San Fran great.
On my return I was greated by the car fiasco, which although unpleasant is not the end of the world. I should come out ahead of the game at least. I got in touch with the other guys insurance and claimed the right to courtesy car and on Friday headed down to Wales for a weekend of camping, fishing and moutain biking. I hope to have footage of the later for you all soon. As for the fishing - well - I was bested by the damned fish. The next paragraph is for Nick and anyone else who feins intrest in the intracasies of fly fishing.
The buggers were taking on suspended midges and dry flies, rabs and with little red suspended midges on the dropper. The issues was they would not take on tyippet higher than 1.5 kg and these were some monster fish, the water was so clear you could see them missioning around in the water. So initially fishing with my orvis 8 weight seemed like the plan. Quickly I chaged down to the 2-3 weight as I was being snapped off everytime I lifted the rod to strike. Even with the 2-3 I was being snapped off the moment there was any tention on the line. I managed to fight a couple of the buggers for an extended period of time but as the fishing was barbless and I could find no way of getting any tension on I remained fishless.
Enough of that. I am back at work now 4 days until the weekend. Then a three day week before I am off to Glastonbury. On my return it seems that I might head off to gay Paris to see the boss and then off to the Dam for a weekend.
This year is rounding the last corner into the home straight toward Christmas and New Years. Hope you are all keeping your heads and that it is all going well. Looking forward to seeing you all when I see you.
Keep it real
So I have been in talks for my first European car. These talks resulted in my purchasing of a small Renault clio 1 1994 M reg. This I drove Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning before leaving for San Francisco. On my return I had to replace the fan belt and then on driving it back home - smash some guy drove in a white Renault van drove in to the back of me at a zebra crossing. Brilliant!!
So it seems at the moment that after taking my first steps into the commute on your own steam steps that I have been knocked right back down to the train club... What can you do - at least it was not my accident.
San Francisco was an eye-opener, I have now seen Dallas, NYC and San Fran. All three cities complete different from one another. San Francisco is an awesome place. It still retains a lot of its hippie crest and at the same time has moved successfully into the modern world. Berkley finally showed me what I had always hoped a university environment would be. There was a vibe of serious contemplation and discussion on all topics. I was taken to a place called the cheese board one evening for pizza and jazz. The jazz courtesy of a trio of high school kids. Sitting in the collective I got a taste of the beat poet vibe and a look at the university freak show - where the unwashed and washed, suited and casual, young and old gather together to enjoy the designer pizza and music and just sit around burning time with informed debate on whatever topic has caught their or their professor's fancy at the moment. Yes I did use the word informed in reference to American people... This is what made San Fran great.
On my return I was greated by the car fiasco, which although unpleasant is not the end of the world. I should come out ahead of the game at least. I got in touch with the other guys insurance and claimed the right to courtesy car and on Friday headed down to Wales for a weekend of camping, fishing and moutain biking. I hope to have footage of the later for you all soon. As for the fishing - well - I was bested by the damned fish. The next paragraph is for Nick and anyone else who feins intrest in the intracasies of fly fishing.
The buggers were taking on suspended midges and dry flies, rabs and with little red suspended midges on the dropper. The issues was they would not take on tyippet higher than 1.5 kg and these were some monster fish, the water was so clear you could see them missioning around in the water. So initially fishing with my orvis 8 weight seemed like the plan. Quickly I chaged down to the 2-3 weight as I was being snapped off everytime I lifted the rod to strike. Even with the 2-3 I was being snapped off the moment there was any tention on the line. I managed to fight a couple of the buggers for an extended period of time but as the fishing was barbless and I could find no way of getting any tension on I remained fishless.
Enough of that. I am back at work now 4 days until the weekend. Then a three day week before I am off to Glastonbury. On my return it seems that I might head off to gay Paris to see the boss and then off to the Dam for a weekend.
This year is rounding the last corner into the home straight toward Christmas and New Years. Hope you are all keeping your heads and that it is all going well. Looking forward to seeing you all when I see you.
Keep it real
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