9/13/12 On the road to Scotland
Nice day with signs of the shit hitting the fan
?:??
Last night yielded yet another bullshit show in what is now a long line of bullshit shows. At the end of said bullshit show—we were given twenty-one quid—roughly seventy-nine quid short of our agreed upon guarantee. We’re officially fucked. The 835 Kilometer drive to Dundee that we have ahead of us is doing little to ebb the frantic—plane on fire feeling that is enveloping our little voyage. In truth, the drive is totally my fault, but it was another show that I had to book last minute due to the UK portion of this tour coming to pieces—not unlike the smashing of a bottle. Jon is a great guy, as I have said, but we really got screwed here. What I want is to have more positive things to say. I’m sure they're just around the corner waiting with the good times.
Here I am, bastard son of a fishing town, from a less than stellar bloodline, complaining about a few tough breaks on the road. I feel the struggle developing within me. One part fully stocked with the belief that I deserve to be where I am right now. The other in a staggering state of disbelief that I ever even made it out of Gloucester alive—let alone around the world. At the end of the day, I've already made it further than I thought possible. This life has gone from me wanting to take my music to as many places as possible—to me feeling like I'm just along for the ride. I like that. I'm trying to take it as it comes and not put too much emphasis on how things "should" be. I'm on my way to Scotland with two of the best people that I have ever met. What do I really have to complain about? You know, besides the UK.
I am just now remembering an e-mail that I sent to Gunnar (Gunner Records), in which I detail my reasoning for not wanting to bring the tour back to the UK. We've made some really good friends here, but as I am relearning—the shows tend to suck. They winds up hurting almost every facet of the tour. Luck has been no friend of mine when it comes to the UK.
And so it is at these times of privileged desperation—that I find myself repeating what has now become the true mantra of this tour. "What would Nikki Sixx do?" Well... I think he would go to Scotland, get shit-faced, high as fuck, care little for any semblance of consequence, and rock the fuck out. I think that's an accurate assumption. So... in reality I play an acoustic guitar, making the last part nearly impossible for me to properly pull off. And I don't get high. However, the other parts? Totally attainable.
9/14/12 Edinburgh, Scotland
Pleasant, friendly weather.
5:30pm
First off, I fucking love Scotland! In the last 18 hours we've made a bunch of friends, played a great last minute show in Dundee, and explored Edinburgh. Upon arriving in Edinburgh, we stopped at the venue (not the easiest to find) and met Billy Liar, who is helping us out with the show, and just so happens to labor at the venue. Billy is a genuine, yet introspective person. He reminds me of Joe Strummer for some reason. Not that I have ever met Joe Strummer, but in my fictional mind piece—he would be like Billy. Billy is thoughtful, but not exactly wearing those thoughts on his sleeve. After just a few minutes of conversation—I could call him a friend. The venue is a vegetarian cafe. It’s small and it looks like we’re gonna have a good night. In fact, I’m already having one. I feel at home in Scotland. Everyone has been so kind to us—the country itself is beautiful. I feel like we should call off the rest of the UK shows and just bounce around Scotland. In a perfect world.
It should be noted that I’m writing this whilst being half in the bag. Alissa and I stopped by Brew Dog Brewery while we were out exploring Edinburgh and drank our fill. We met a fellow brewer named Christopher, who kindly treated us to some of Brew Dog’s high ABV beers. Christopher wishes he could be a brewer in the US. He seems to be blissfully unaware that he is working for a brewery that is at the fore front of what will become a huge industry in Scotland, right where he’s standing. I've watched the craft beer movement grow at a rapid pace—spreading far and wide. My advice to brewers like Christopher would be to stay put. Ride it out and find yourself at the start of something, as opposed to leaping into what has already defined itself.
Scotland has truly saved the morale of this tour. Dundee was a great time. We made friends that I hope I'll keep in touch with for years to come, and now Edinburgh is shaping up to be a great experience. As I've stated on numerous occasions—it takes so little to turn a tour like this around. Just yesterday I felt like carefully tying the noose and meticulously contemplating if the platform would take my weight. Today, I’m just looking forward to tonight—to what comes next. One thing I know is that I will never forget the kindness of the people in Scotland, nor will I forget how they saved our sinking ship.
Christian has been known to deliver sage-like statements that give us moments of clarity. Today he said: “Ah, the sizzling highs—and the terrifying lows of tour”. He fucking nailed the latter portion of that statement. Man, do I love that majestic, un-kept, German brother of mine.