I look now at the cover and how many names inside the fanzine never made it outside. I look at the Dance Factory ad and saw it was the Cocteau Twins only Scottish gig at the Assembly Rooms, DF had finally arrived. Who knew they'd dominate our summers in Kinross.
Those adverts from Stuart at the dance factory and Bruce and the guys from Regular Music paid for half the costs of printing. It was huge for us, especially this wee alcoholic. In the early days it was £20 when we were selling 500-800 but by #24 we were nearer 2000 and UK wide so tried to get £40. The truth was free entry to all the gigs was worth it for us. Taking a trip to London or Liverpool, Norwich or Newcastle, wherever to pick up a few quid and see some gigs that was a lush lifestyle for this jakey.
It was all about the music and that marvellous moment you were in. New town, new faces, sounds and accents. We did stand out. Afterwards grabbing 10 minutes with exhausted performers who were coming down or just getting slaughtered and thinking, hmm should've done an interview.
We did the odd interview in the flat, the coffee shop on sauchiehall street, the Tayside bar but after the gig was best. Annie after Eurythmics in a Dundee hotel for #11or on the fire escape at the Barrowlands with Gillian Gilbert after those practical jokers Barney and Peter invited me to sit on a chair for a Chaplin'esque gag, were my favourites but every time any band gave us the time of day it was a joy. We were nobodies, not Screaming nobodies they were #18, and we loved it.
Whenever you hear who's doing what today whether they're cleaning windows, sound engineer, printing t shirts, nursing my mum or still playing their trade, these days are as fresh as the fruit that falls in my allotment, fantastic and thank you.
Click on the home page and choose any issue and chuckle at how good or bad we were and feel the power of those early 80's bands.
