A civilized kind of tour

It's been three years since I quit touring. I was beat up at the end of the North American tour and when I finally got home, I canceled the European tour due to "exhaustion." I had it with playing live. Had it with sound check. Had it with looking at the band. Had it with eating shitty random food on the side of freeways (though I did love the truck stops). Had it with sitting at the merch table... Had it with waiting around 23 hours of each day for that one hour we would play. I was done. I was bored.

And then somehow this tour materialized out of nowhere. Last month, I decided to plan a little mini European solo tour for First Husband, Mr. Bickerson, erm Darren Rademaker! This is an "inspirational" tour, greatest hits mixed with new "soon to be recorded" hits! It will mainly be Darren and his electric (in his short shorts) but I think I'll be accompanying him on some Tyde tunes... only if it feels right. The London show will be a special one. We have lovely friends from Fujiya and Miyagi, The Loves and Comet Gain joining in that night. Very loosey-goosey... Part tour, part holiday, I think this might be the best way to go from now on... I'm genuinely excited about playing again... See you out there somewhere Owley fans? And this time, no merch whatsoever...

***

The Short Shorts Euro Tour 2009

30 Oct > Paris @ Panic Room + DJs Magickrew

31 Oct > Paris @ Ground Zero Records
31 Oct > Paris @ Tigre + Deejettes Magickrew

01 Nov > Paris @ La Maroquinerie

03 Nov > Stockholm @ Last Waltz, Bonden Bar

04 Nov > Göteborg @ Woody West, Pusterviksbare 

05 Nov > London @ The Lexington

Pandemonium

Jeremy, didn't it seem like another lifetime when we went to see Pet Shop Boys' Pandemonium Tour at the Greek Theatre? And that was around two weeks ago. It was a hot and humid Indian Summer's evening. Our timing was perfect. We made it to the Redwood Lounge and just had enough time for a drink and barely a second at the mediocre buffet. Then the show started. I'm sure it reminded you of how weird LA music fans can be. Similar to the phenomenon of Latino Morrissey obsessives in Southern California, the mix at the show consisted of drunken sorority girls dressed up to the nines which gave us a good chuckle and a nudge but mostly it was the bears and otters that I was most fascinated by... especially the one standing to your right.

But the show. What a show. We were wowed. We were giddy. The Greatest Hits Tour. The Greatest Art Installation. It was a proper show. True entertainers, Neil Tennant and Christ Lowe are masters at bringing together the high and low, the refined and camp, all with a fun sense of irony. The production value was like no other. It was a visual homage to the masters of contemporary art and their eccentricities. I saw obvious references to Gilbert and George, Derek Jarman, Ellsworth Kelly, Rei Kawakubo, Warhol, Albers, Hockney, Richter and Archigram. Phew. That's a nice nod to a major list.

 

Josef Albers, Study for the homage to the square

 Gilbert and George, Existers (1984)

 Gilbert and George, The Wall (1986)

Ellsworth Kelly, Colors on a grid, Screenprint (1976)

Rei Kawakubo's CDG Spring/Summer 09

David Hockney, Mother I, Yorkshire Moors (1984)

Archigram, Instant City Airships (1968)

 

Gerhard Richter, for the Köln Cathedral (2006)

 

Derek Jarman's Prospect Cottage

PING!

Okay I can't help myself. I seriously was not going to blog on Owley Patrol for a while as I focus on something much more important, much more life-changing and stimulating than erm... this... but this is special...this is precious... I needed to follow up on this... This will complete the cycle.

This morning, a fellow LOS told me about Ping! for the iPhone. Remember how I went on and on about BBM and that's why it's been so hard to fully embrace the iPhone in this last year? Well... Have a look at this application. It is totally Awesome. And it actually works! I've Ping! four friends (John, Amy, Sam and Bob) just in the last hour. I'm hooked! Just like when I was addicted to BBM.

Don't ask for my Ping! ping... You should know that already you dolt... dolt! It's a given! And remember to keep up okay?

Less is More...

And more exists elsewhere now...

Lately, I've been feeling disconnected with Owley Patrol... A break is needed.

But for now, I may be found here sometimes... www.dotcomdotcodotuk.com
(The search engines are not going to be pleased about this.)

Last weekend at El Matador, Malibu. The last of the warm summer rays.

And so I leave you with this song: El Perro Del Mar's "God Knows (You Gotta Give to Get)."

See you soon.
I already miss you.
x

fall mix, part two

Normally my mixes are not made in any sort of order, I prefer "shuffle by song." But somehow in this instance, try playing it in reverse alphabetical order upon first listen.

a bit heavier... it's really fall now...

Bestest Song Ever.

Really? Another blog? I'm in deep now...

http://bestestsongever.blogspot.com/

Somehow, out of nowhere, I got invited to contribute to BESTEST SONG EVER. How did they know? Thanks Duskin... Have fun in Paris. x