|
Saint Sway
|
from Ross....
A sunny day, but so cold it could snow.
Go and watch Metallica at 11am, playing Train Kept a Rolling with Jeff Beck, Ronnie Wood, Jimmy Page and Joe Perry, plus Flea and Jason Newstead on bass. James sings and considering he has never sung it before he does a good job. It's like a huge train of sound coming at you. Lars looks a bit unimpressed 'Where's Ritchie Blackmore?'. Lars does hold it all together - it is impressive.
I go for a walk to the soldiers and sailors monument, it's still sunny but freezing. Quite good, the statues showing the soldiers in mid-battle.
The strange thing about being in a hotel when every body in the city knows you are here is that it turns into a siege. You feel surrounded and can't move without being assaulted from all sides. I came over because Metallica invited me, then ended up with Jimmy looking after him, which turned into telling people 'NO' when they came from all sides. People come over with guitars and records begging to have them signed then get abusive when he says no, or in this case when I have to say no. No one considers that Jimmy might want to be left alone without hearing the hunter's cry of "Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy " Look, I'm a fan as well but doing what I do makes you realise what it's like to be pestered all day long without respite - Jimmy doesn't want to take photos or sign guitars...
After soundcheck we sit in the hotel going stir crazy all afternoon. We leave at 6pm to go to the hall where there is a cocktail reception. As we walk in and find Ronnie Wood we are attacked from all sides (that is really the best way to describe it). I stand with Rocky (Ronnie's chap) and try politely to say 'please leave him alone he doesn't want to do a photo with you.' It is so bad we head to the table - full of wealthy drunks all zooming in to do the same thing.
I line up Jimmy, Ronnie and Jeff and bang, I have five photographers trying to push me out of the way. It turns into a slanging match. I told I'm an ASSHOLE and one two of them threaten me. I tell them to fuck off. 'We're with the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame,' they lean in menacingly. 'Fuck you' is all I can come out with. Peter Mackay (Jeff's tour manager and a fine human) steps in. 'Move,' he says to them. Then a woman from the event comes at me. 'These are our photographers and they can take anything they want!' 'Not if he doesn't want them to,' and they try to shoot while Jimmy, Joe Perry and Jeff eat. I mean, would you want to have your photo taken chewing food? A bunch of cunts and I mean that - at least the old school of photographers were actual photographers instead of cunts with digital cameras thinking they are.
The show is not bad apart from the speeches - people thanking God, their children, their mum and dad, it goes on and on. Wanda Jackson's was twenty minutes then Bill Black's son, who is sixty one, starts crying 'For my daddy.' His daddy's been dead since 1965. Give me a break, be a man and get over it. Eminem is good then Run DMC go on and on and on and on. If I'd had a gun I'd have shot the other two to put an end to the misery and all the 'I thank the Lord Jesus'. Thank Jesus? For what, giving you the opportunity to bore us with your boring speech?
The worst, most boring speech had to go to the two bores from the E Street Band, Max Weinberg (so full of himself) and another one who was so boring he was nondescript. They both read off an autocue for so long, it was longer than an ELP cd and dull and no one cared except them. Bruce, PLEASE fire them soon...
The speeches by Ronnie Wood, Jimmy, and Jeff are short and to the point. Jeff said 'Thanks, I've been very naughty.' Metallicas went on although I thought Lars' speech was good. Odd watching Metallica play Sandman without pyro. Got a great (and I truly mean it) line up shot of them with Jason Newstead.
We left immediately at the end, straight back to the hotel. Check out, see Lars as we leave who invites Jimmy out to go wild. Well, have a drink anyway...
|
Pages: 1 2
Pix of and videos Woody at the R&RHoF yesterday (Read 2,784 times)
