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Bonzo Dog Band Tour Diary
by
Yvonne Innes
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NOVEMBER
8th DAY OFF |
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Two
bottles of champers were quickly disposed of and many more 'Happy
Birthday's sung by the time we reached Bob and Michelle's beautiful
house on a hill. Bob is such a good guy - the champagne did not stop
flowing and a fantastic curry was laid out by Michelle. Then Bob played
'Happy Birthday' on the bagpipes, as Rod blew out the candles on his
birthday cake. Rodney was so touched. After lots of eating, drinking
and chatting we were driven back to the hotel. |
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NOVEMBER
9TH WOLVERHAMPTON |
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Had a big room here so could scatter things around at random without immediately tripping over them. Some had lunch, some had a walk but all in coach by 3pm for the drive to the theatre - another large civic building. Good dressing rooms - all with sofas. Quick soundcheck and then a cooked supper in the building. Andy Roberts arrived from rehearsals with Maggie Reilly, with whom he is about to tour. Busiest year so far for Andy. He was the lead guitarist for the Bonzos at The Astoria, but had a previous commitment to Roger McGough, so he turns up for the Bonzo gigs whenever he can. |
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His
place has been ably filled by David Caitlin-Birch of, coincidentally
enough, The Bootleg Beatles. A comparatively young but long-term Bonzo
fan he was delighted to be given the chance to play alongside them.
He is a multi-instrumentalist turning his hand easily to drums, bass
and lead guitar. His voice blends with Neil's so well- has to be heard
to be believed, so, lucky all round. Very quiet speaking voice though-have
to stand quite close.
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The
audience filed in, quickly filling the huge hall and balconies and the
Bonzos came out to a riotous applause. They tried a new beginning in
which Neil sings 'Cool Britannia' at the mike, rather than sitting behind
the piano. At the last chord he grabs his small pink ukele - yes you
read that correctly- and makes a huge Pete Townsend-like gesture, as
if he was about to strum a very loud guitar. At which point the pyrotechnics
were supposed to come on. For the first time they failed, but the audience
didn't miss what they didn't know, and the whole show got off to a typically
Bonzo start with someone, who shall be nameless, again using the wrong
mike.
Everyone else remembered though, and the evening passed as 'smoothly' as usual, in that Sam did a 'spoons' slip on the robot bubbles and Larry forgot the words to Jollity Farm so completely that the band decided to start the song again, but, as it always does, the moment passed. Nothing really matters with this show -there is such good feeling around, amongst the band as well as the audiences. |
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Where
were we before that long diversion? Back at the Civic Hall in Wolverhampton.
Well, things went from better to best and the audience were, as usual,
delighted. Had a long chat to Smithers, the unflappable guitar tech,
who was later given his own little part in the show. Back at the hotel-everyone
went to bed, partied out from the night before, road weary, flushed
with success and probably unable to sleep. Something's got to give!
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| Johnny, Steve and David |
Larry,
Mickey and Neil
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 Fabulous merchandising people |
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| NOVEMBER
10TH LIVERPOOL Breakfasted in the grand dining room of the Mount Hotel, Larry and I sitting at one end of a very long table and Roger and Bob Kerr at the other. We resisted asking them to pass the salt. Neil and Ade were taxied to W C Radio to be interviewed by Phill on his morning show. Back around 12, and then all onto the coach for the drive to 'Beatle' land. Twaddle was in full swing behind us, kettle on, some sleeping, some watching the box. Took around two and a half hours and we swung into Liverpool around 3pm. At the theatre the crew had only just got in- the theatre had had another event at lunchtime-so there was a frenzied unpacking and setting up aided by the ubiquitous Mickey with Johnny and Steve. Luckily they could use the house PA but the lights had to be set up from scratch. As usual the crew were brilliant and it was almost finished by the time the Bonzos turned up at 5.30. Only time for a brief rehearsal, then a quick meal and 'on with the show'. The new thing that went wrong today was Roger's Leg, which had been patched up for the Astoria show. The Leg has been with Roger since Bonzo days, but today it refused to work, so after much fiddling with wires and amps and general buffoonery Roger had to give up, but he did it so well it seemed like part of the show. He will have to find an electronics shop on route to get the bits he needs - unlikely, but fingers crossed. 'The Leg' is a bit of a showstopper, that's if anything short of a reversing express train crashing through the walls, could stop the show which careers from one song to another with visual explosions all the way through. |
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 Calm before the storm |
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| Apart from the leg not working and the lurid redness of the set, everything went better than ever. Everyone was on the right mike etc etc (I'm told that when I have an axe to grind I'm like a dog with a bone…….?? which, I think, means that I won't let whatever it is go.) Nice surprise at the end when John Gorman and Mike McCartney, with partners, came backstage having seen the show. We can can always expect to see one or other when we go anywhere near Liverpool. Lovely people-warm and welcoming. | |||
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| Ade recognised them as did David - thought it would be nice to have a Scaffold comeback. Danny Barbour ( the man responsible for getting all Neils reel-to-reel tapes together to make Recollections 1,2 & 3 )and Janice also came to see the show and then back to the hotel for drinks at the bar. More drinks at the bar. More drinks at the bar and then more. Everyone, I think, went to bed. Not absolutely sure. Ho Hum. | |||
