Ken Stringfellow dot calm

OLD HOME WEEK OLD SMOKE OLD BLIGHTY

As usual, London provided its unique rush…I only saw a few of my friends, and even though I was everywhere at once I didn’t have nearly enough time to see, do, or rest in between all I intended to. The REM show at the Hammersmith Apollo was, in my estimation, one of the best of the tour, the smaller room providing the crucial ingredient influencing the excitement level for both band and audience clearly into the positive.

Earlier in the week (we’re talking last week now), I had a similarly rush-y head-y couple of days in Berlin, plopped right in the epicenter of the Berlinale film festival, and yet I saw neither a film nor one film star, despite the fact we stayed at the kind of place many of your bigger names would be in, but…you know, I don’t do yoga or go to Starbucks so I think I missed my chance to encounter any twiggy thespians. Where we stayed, Potsdamer Platz, is basically where a big chunk of no man’s land skirted the wall…and even though the wall was demolished sixteen years ago, only now is the space being filled again. And I must admit, much of what is filling it in seems to be a massive series of American-style malls and generic hotels. Which didn’t inspire me with anything beyond a creeping sense of unwanted familiarity. I don’t want Berlin to look like downtown Forth Worth. So, I traipsed off to Charlottenbourg or however it’s written and, having received via Fed Ex the Posies master CD, version 3, listened to it on a real stereo at a friend’s office, felt good about it, and rested my weary laurels at a wonderful spot called the King Kong Club, where good music was played by some exotic DJs, drinks were cheap, and the snow and cold didn’t make it in. Ah, yes, I have to mention that I walked by the Starbucks by our hotel, and it packed to the gills with west-coast film-schmuck-black-clad types, so stereotypical as to be….well, pretty god damn hilarious.

Day of show, Mssrs. Stipe, McCaughey and a couple of other friends plus myself took in the fantastic exhibition of props, models, photos, research materials, etc. from the career of Stanley Kubrick…you can stand inside HAL, see how rear-screen projection is done, and much more, at the Gropius Center very close to Potsdamer Platz. In fact, one floor below Stanley is a superb exhibition of Robert Capa photos, which I found extremely moving.

Copenhagen came next, I visited Brainstorm and friends in the studio just for a few minutes, running into Anton Corbijn, the band’s most active believer in the western part of Yurp, and another friend of theirs who speaks some five languages…I even saw, after the show, 2/3 of the fabled Sharing Patrol, who opened several Scandinavian shows for the Posies years back, and whose guitar-singer dude, Johnny Sangster, worked with us on the Success album.

From Denmark we made a quick sweep of Hamburg, playing a very good show on “Planet Ice”, and during the day I made my final decisions about the Posies master (approved! You made it, Bill….you’re a laaaaawwww). Received a brilliant object d’art et lumiere that happens to be a platinum award for ‘Around the Sun’ from Warner Music Germany, who are a great team of people, and aside from having Joey Waronker and I dress up as nurses a few years back, have always treated me quite well! After the show, I rode to London on Peter Buck’s bus (I usually am part of bus team Mills). How we crossed the channel was something new for me, the bus drives into a train car, that’s big enough exactly for a tour bus, and we go under the goddamn channel itself in a tunnel, takes about 20 minutes. We were in London by midday after leaving Hamburg around midnight. I spent the afternoon with Dominique, and we had a belated valentine’s at a trendy (Hugh Grant two tables over) restaurant, managed to miss Graham Coxon playing on one side of town, rushed to the other side and saw the Soft Boys with special guest John Paul Jones on mandolin…which was superb—the Soft Boys doing among other things 3 songs by the Band including a completely frightening (and dead on) Rick Danko impersonation by Robyn Hitchcock.

I already mentioned Saturday last’s REM show in London was, by my account, and I’m damn picky, a triumph. If you weren’t there, me telling you about it won’t accomplish much. So, let’s move onto the after party, where I was reunited, and I also united, my colleagues James (agent) and Marc (rec. co) where we started to get our helmets on for the noble campaign ahead, Posies-style. I had a very friendly chat with the great man who released my last record, Alan McGee, saw a few old friends besides, and rather than getting out while the getting was good, tried to keep the dream alive by going to an abysmal disco. For about 8 minutes.

Sunday: slept in til 4pm!! Had a quiet dinner with Mills, Dom, and my friend (and director of the rarely seen ‘Reveal Love’ video) Benn Northover, and padded back to the hotel to sip champagne with many friends, and, gulp, John Paul Jones. Who was everything he I imagined him to be—polite, articulate, into many interesting avenues in music, patient with questions that he must get asked about a hundred times a day, etc. Of course I sent him packing with my last two records, the EP with WaFlash, and, good heavens, the new Posies LP. Might hate ‘em all. But god damn, what would you do?? Not give him your record? Sue me.

Today I had the sad occasion to part Dominique’s company after three brilliant but admittedly overbooked days, my only consolation was the pleasant train journey to Sheffield, reading the newspaper, chatting with Bertis, REM’s advisor, reading the last issue of Uncut with a very good Big Star article and a fabulous tell-all on Queen…only to arrive in the city to find that Mills was too sick to play, I never even saw him so I don’t know what exactly the cause or the effects were, but we hope he’s back onstage soon. In the meantime, well, show over. Now It’s Overhead played a brief set, and then Michael, Peter and I played acoustic versions of ‘The One I Love’ and ‘Leaving New York’, with me on piano and b.v.s, and then Scott swapped me out, playing the Juno synth on ‘I’ve Been High’ and acoustic guitar on ‘Losing My Religion’. I must say, the audience was very kind considering the night was essentially cancelled save for these 4 tunes, and the performances by all were emotional to the point of spearing your breastbone…I had tears in the corners of my eyes even as Michael was making the announcement to the crowd about what’s going on.

Since then, tonight’s show in Glasgow has been cancelled as well. Sheffield will be made up at the same venue June 15, not sure what will be done with Glasgow date. We’re crossing our fingers Mike will be able to do tomorrow’s show in Birmingham and all will be well for the rest of the shows, I have little info but in the meantime, direct some kind thoughts in my dear friend Mills’ direction…get well soon, poor boy.

Hunter, glasses were raised last night in your memory, you irascible bastard.

Love
KS
Undisclosed location, United Kingdom