A trip to the top

Another brilliant piece from the City Fun fanzine.  This one is by The Distractions bassist, Pip Nicholls, and it describes the day the band signed for Island Records (Nick "Bill" Stewart).  'Kevin the camera' must be Kevin Cummins, and Brandon, Brandon Leon, the producer of FAC 12 - Time Goes By So Slow.  Thanks as usual to Mike Noon for the scans.

A TRIP TO THE TOP

Waking up, it just felt like any other morning, I heard Jaqui shout "Adrian, Mike's here."  Mike's here, I thought, should I get up?  I thought about getting up for ten minutes before I did.

When I got downstairs and went in the front room, I found it was Alec and not Mike.  I said hello and sat down.  Alec left.  Ade made some tea, I made myself a peanut butter sandwich.  I attempted to straighten my hair out but Jaqui's hairdrier's a bit funny, but I did what I could.  Is this vanity?

Sometime after twelve, me, Jaqui, Judy and Ade set off dropping Jaqui an Judy at their mothers and grandmothers.  Work that out.

First Ade and I found Bernie and the three of us went into the bar and guess who was there?  Yes, Mike and Steve that famous drunken duet, but they seemed quite sober, in the presence of the legal chappie and Bill the squash player (and cricket).  Alec arrived soon after we did, he shook Tony's (the legal chappie) hand, which reminded me that I forgot to.  I like shaking hands.  (I think I'll write to Forum about it).  Tom bought me a pint of Harp lager and we all sat down in a row.

When we'd finished the drinks we call set off to meet again in the Film Exchange and also meet young Tony and Brandon and Kevin the camera.

Not a bad place, Bernie said to join you need three people who are members already to OK you.  Then it's four pound a year.  The atmosphere was totally undisturbing, you see I'm suffering from acute paranoia at the moment.  But in here I could relax with five bottles of wine and endless beef sandwiches and horseradish.  (But who was paying I wonder).

Then we all walked up to Albert Square and waited ages to sign pieces of paper.  I sat on the floor in the sunshine, but I didn't feel comfortable.  I was wondering if it was acceptable to sit on the floor in Albert Square when you are about to sign up.

The signing started, Bill was sent to get a bottle of champagne.  Ade started signing - he had to sign his initials on every sheet of paper.  The rest of us just signed each contract.  The bottle of champagne was opened by Steve, but Kevin the camera missed the opening so Steve had to shake it up and pretend to have just opened it - we all had swigs, it tasted like pomagne to me but Mike said it was OK and he usually knows about these things.

We all said goodbye to Bill and Tom and I shook their hands.  Bill's handshaking is very limp and Tom half crushed my hand.  I wondered if he knew and if I ever hve crushed anyone's hand without knowing.

I went back with Ade (because we had a practice later in Stockport) to Jaqui's dads house.  When we arrived back at Ade's house we had to shift all the gear into Alec's van.  There was a group of young girls who kept asking "Are you a boy or a girls - ooh look at his shoes, you're half boy and half girl aren't you."  I saw a black cat jump from an upstair window sill, about twenty feet down to the ground, and then ran off.

Anon.

LIFE IS FULL OF LITTLE DISTRACTIONS