Lovely bricks in our wallk

One of the things I wanted to say about the young woman’s story of nearly being murdered and survival, in last weeks blog, was that one of the reasons I found it difficult to speak was because she touched a nerve. The singing , my singing , which she found so helpful in her road to recovery was recorded just after I had been diagnosed with a grade four cancerous tumour and just before I was due to start chemo therapy. So those vocals for me are full of portent that is not immediately apparent to anyone else. I nearly told her after she told me what had happened to her but a strong voice in my head said, this isn’t about you, this is about her. It felt right that the focus should remain so at the the time but I am still left with the thought of wow..it was such an emotion filled performance for me then and maybe, in someways, that’s what came across to her.

Last week we were in Rudolstadt for the festival. Now one of the largest in Europe. It was my fourth visit as an artist which I am told is nearly a record . It is one of my favourites as there are many different stages and many different styles of music pretty much ensuring there is something for everyone…….except some of the festival drivers who told me they were into grunge, metal and heavy rock….they still liked to wander round if they had a break though.

Just before I got there I got a message for Jo Meyer an old East German friend who I have mentioned in a previous blog. The message said he would be compering the stage that we were due to perform on three times . Hoorah. Not only was Jo there but many other friends we made before the wall came down and who have become friends for life. Discussions ensued with those friends and with people buying CDs after the gigs…I remember when you first came etc etc….Their memories are clearer than mine but apparently it was 1989 and we went to Leipzig Tanz festival. We went back just after the wall came down but just before reunification and I have been various times since with various bands.

That first time is ingrained upon my memory . How could it not be? First there was the difficulty of actually getting there..paperwork and logistics which Paul James dealt with. Then there was actually doing it. Going through the border control was extraordinary . It was huge. I have a vague memory of being told that it stretches for 3 kilometres. Whether that’s a true memory I can’t tell you but I do remember it involved a lot of starting and stopping at various bits, papers and passports taken away, given back and then driving on etc…

Once we were through we had to get where we were going . The reception for us was fantastic but the food at the time was difficult fo me. Very little fresh produce. Lots of meats and breads , some pickled vegetables but not much fresh, veg, salad or fruit.not important when you are not going to be somewhere for very long but a memory non the less.

On a practical note I think we all had to go in with a minimum of western currency eg £20 but that we were being paid East German marks that we could not take out or exchange. That didn’t matter particularly to us as we wanted the experience as much as anything and we had other gigs in west Germany to help with the expenses.

One of the things we thought we would do to get rid of the money was to take everyone out for a meal. The band, organisers helper etc. We asked for the best restaurant , which I think was Polish and off we all went. We had a three course meal with wine and beers and the bill cost each member of the band something equivalent to 60p each …that included paying for everyone else. Crazy. So that year we left,as far as I remember, with Pentax camera’s , tents and other things to spend some of the money. We had to smuggle those out in the van as it was illegal needless to say. There were a lot of people holding their breaths when we went back through border control but all went well.

When we played just after the wall came down it was still too complicated to take the East marks out so we gave what we had left to friends hoping they would spend it. Nope…when we returned they had not only kept the left over money but converted it to West German marks which they happily presented to us. Astonishing especially as everyone new with the changing times they might well have had greater need for the money than we did….and we barely earntnenough to survive despite touring constantly.

But it was one of my conversations with Jo that I remember most about being a musician in East Germany. He said in some areas of work things were simple. If you became a window frame maker you we’re paid what all window makers were paid but music was slightly different. If you decided you wanted to be a musician or band you had to play before a committee. This committee did not have to be made up of musicians and more often than not wasn’t. They had the power to decide if you could go professional and if they decided yes they also decided how much you could charge which you were then Guaranteed when ever you played . They decided your worth. A remarkable system that quite possible sent some brilliant musicians packing due to not understanding them and possibly turned some mediocre ones into professionals…..not so different from today in some ways although the guarantee of an income is amazing. All the ones we met were fantastic.

I also remember staying in a large hotel opposite the magnificent Leipzig railway station. If you wanted to phone home you had to book your call and that could only be done for the hotel lobby. They connected you at the appointed time and then you were subject to one fo those phone calls you only really see in films now…long delays, echoes on the line etc.

A truly unforgettable experience of which there are many things I shall never forget . So imagine then going to this festival situated in the East . So many old friends and acquaintances so happy to see us . Conversations and memories shared, sharing with them some of our new music and some old too. Really lovely…. that’s why I was confident when I asked if anyone was coming to our Hamburg gig in the Autumn that someone would say yes. These lovely people will travel a long way if they think a gig is in reach and manageable . I asked them because I needed someone to keep some CDs for us. It seemed pointless taking them home especially with the restrictions of air travel. They’ll be delivered to us In Hamburg. Lovely.