Backstage Pass
The Apollo
16th September 1982

I think this might belong to my brother and probably got through my sister who worked the reception desk at The Midland Hotel and sometimes would get freebies from travelling guests. He’d known Declan Mc. through a mutual friend at Keele University or some such. He also had a Little Feat backstage pass stuck on an acoustic guitar we all used to have a bash on. Now I know he saw Beefheart several times and today, seeing that ticket for Mr. Van Vliet at the Apollo, wonder why, more than ever, did he not force me to come along even if I was 14 or 15 at the time.( Why? Probably because I would have hated it.) Just remembered at school we had to take turns during music class of bringing in a favourite bit of music to give a talk about and then play for the class. Well I told some classmates about this whacked out guy called Beefheart who made the most ludicrous, off the wall music I’d ever heard; well I’d had to endure listening to it from the late ‘60’s along with Country Joe, “Music From The Big Pink “, Love etc., and so they said you’ve got to bring it in, which I duly did, when it was my turn. Anyway I gave some small intro about how it was almost like classical music, you could whistle it the bath and such like then proceeded to play “ I Wanna Find a Woman Who’ll Hold My Big Toe until I have To Go” from the “Lick My Decals Off Baby” album. This was certainly different from the usual fayre of Manfred Mann Earthband, John Denver and if you were lucky Led Zeppelin that was weekly proferred before us .Anyway all the diligent and attentive students up the front turned round in bewilderment at us naughty lads up the back, pissing ourselves while Miss looked on slightly horrified before testily walking across the room and ejecting the offending platter! Oh happy day! Haven’t thought about that for years....Well I did eventually succumb and come to appreciate a lot of his music but it was definitely an acquired taste that came with a certain amount of maturity; I think “I Love You Big Dummy “was on the B-side of “Song From Under The Floorboards”....one of Magazine’s choons anyway.
Stories from my sister of The Sex Pistols staying at the hotel and being as nice as pie except when the media turned up. We lived vicariously through her workaday tales of Larry Olivier always sitting in the kitchens with the staff when they knocked off for the day and he was in town; Albert Tatlock living permanently in the hotel (one of The Skids finer musical moments...), Mr. Lowry sometimes giving sketches instead of tips to waiters and staff and me thinking what a tight old get, Phil Lynott being a top bloke, Paul Newman being a charming man ; but my favourite would be her taking Karl Douglas of “everybody was kung fu fighting...” fame ,to Kloisters ,(of which I believe Midland staff were always let in free) for a night out. Worra claim to fame!...I was impressed. She, on the other hand, after many years in the hospitality industry was completely blase’ and unfazed. I’m sure she’d have a lot of musical tales as she was a mad Roxy/ Bowie fan and used to go to The Ranch; must ask her sometime....I could drivel on for hours, best not.......
Kloisters was quite a known and popular club through the Seventies. Think it shut down not long after somebody died in the toilets and wasn’t found till the following day...Sorry tale...
Gonna knock it on the head for this session.I can only get to it when I've got some downtime and I'm not knackered after being down pit. Got some time off over Chrimbo /New Year so I'll endevour to finish up. Right, off for a crack, back 'n sack; I do like to try and look me best for Christmas......ciao 4 now