Trouser Press, June 1978: Difference between revisions
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After a few minutes my endurance ran out and I hopped on top of a seat. But I kept bouncing as I watched Elvis lead the final charges. He was less reserved than I'd seen him in America, interacting with the audience, moving about with a fire even manifested in half-windmill guitar strums. And the band followed close at his heels, sweat pouring off the lot of them : Steve Naive ranging over his keyboard, Pete Thomas masterfully pounding his drumkit like a man possessed, and Bruce Thomas looking cool from behind his sun-specs, despite his perspiration, as he lunged about gracefully. Suddenly it was over, but the crowd wouldn't let go. Not even after four encores; it took quite a while to disperse them. I marvelled at their reaction, and as we passed some more soldiers in the street on the way back to the reception at the hotel, I pondered what this must have meant to them. | After a few minutes my endurance ran out and I hopped on top of a seat. But I kept bouncing as I watched Elvis lead the final charges. He was less reserved than I'd seen him in America, interacting with the audience, moving about with a fire even manifested in half-windmill guitar strums. And the band followed close at his heels, sweat pouring off the lot of them : Steve Naive ranging over his keyboard, Pete Thomas masterfully pounding his drumkit like a man possessed, and Bruce Thomas looking cool from behind his sun-specs, despite his perspiration, as he lunged about gracefully. Suddenly it was over, but the crowd wouldn't let go. Not even after four encores; it took quite a while to disperse them. I marvelled at their reaction, and as we passed some more soldiers in the street on the way back to the reception at the hotel, I pondered what this must have meant to them. | ||
The reception was dullsville until Jake and the band arrived, at which the festivities began in earnest. Highlights: Pete Thomas searching for a hash pipe, and failing to find one, using a device concocted from my Hawkwind badge and an upside-down glass; Jake and I having a verbal sparring match — "Oh, Jim Green from ''Trouser Press'', what are you doing here?" "Well, I'm just on holiday..." "Nonsense, you Trouser Pressers are always up to something." "Well, while I'm on vacation I still gotta do some stuff, but here I'm just along for the ride." "Jim, did anyone ever tell you nobody likes a | The reception was dullsville until Jake and the band arrived, at which the festivities began in earnest. Highlights: Pete Thomas searching for a hash pipe, and failing to find one, using a device concocted from my Hawkwind badge and an upside-down glass; Jake and I having a verbal sparring match — "Oh, Jim Green from ''Trouser Press'', what are you doing here?" "Well, I'm just on holiday..." "Nonsense, you Trouser Pressers are always up to something." "Well, while I'm on vacation I still gotta do some stuff, but here I'm just along for the ride." "Jim, did anyone ever tell you nobody likes a smartass?" "Sure. Did anyone ever say that to you, Jake?" — and so on (Allan Jones in ''Melody Maker'' the next week mentioned "an unfortunate American journalist" whose "first mistake was talking back" and who, despite "a valiant rearguard counterattack... lost on points" to Riviera. Ah, ya can't win 'em all, but when we meet in Vegas I'll kayo da pug); Jake searching in vain for rolling papers ("Now come on now, all you mob in ere was once hippies, long hair, Earth Shoes, listened to Grateful Dead records, so where's the skins, eh? Christ!"); Colson, Naive and a roadie having a beer fight. | ||
I did manage to speak to Bruce Thomas about the Elvis tour strategy. "Sure, we could avoid doing gigs like these, slogging around on trains and in vans, but these kids, especially a place like Belfast" — many a band has pulled out of gigs in Northern Ireland for fear of getting caught in the midst of a violent situation — "don't get too many concerts, and they deserve it. We may never play here again, or not for a long time, and these kids are the ones who buy the records, who put you on top." We spoke of what Elvis had said about playing American high schools, and he said, "We'd like to do that. They've offered us huge venues but we'd like to play for the kids more directly. Maybe that means more gigs, but..." | I did manage to speak to Bruce Thomas about the Elvis tour strategy. "Sure, we could avoid doing gigs like these, slogging around on trains and in vans, but these kids, especially a place like Belfast" — many a band has pulled out of gigs in Northern Ireland for fear of getting caught in the midst of a violent situation — "don't get too many concerts, and they deserve it. We may never play here again, or not for a long time, and these kids are the ones who buy the records, who put you on top." We spoke of what Elvis had said about playing American high schools, and he said, "We'd like to do that. They've offered us huge venues but we'd like to play for the kids more directly. Maybe that means more gigs, but..." | ||
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{{Bibliography next | {{Bibliography next | ||
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}} | }} | ||
'''Trouser Press, No. 29, June 1978 | '''Trouser Press, No. 29, June 1978 | ||
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<br><br> | <br><br> | ||
<small>Photo by [[Ebet Roberts]].</small><br> | <small>Photo by [[Ebet Roberts]].</small><br> | ||
[[image:1978-06-00 Trouser Press photo 01 | [[image:1978-06-00 Trouser Press photo 01 er.jpg|360px|border]] | ||
Latest revision as of 06:49, 24 January 2020
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