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Post by HallowsEve on Jun 24, 2003 7:21:09 GMT
Report from Scotland! This is from the morethanspike board. Members of the board gave the band members gifts including kilts. More details of the SA and concert will be forthcoming.....  I got to the venue at about 3:30pm, as requested, but the band weren't there yet. Their flight was delayed so they didn't get to the venue till nearly 4:30pm, and the press officer was in a hurry to get the kilt shots done. So I presented the kilts with the card from all of us, and they seemed genuinely pleased. James shook my hand, focussed on me in that way he does, and thanked me, and we talked a wee bit about the Fringe programmes I'd given them all. He said he had tried several times to bring a production to the Fringe, but they had fallen through. Kevin came over to say thanks and to ask if it was a MacPherson tartan, but I had to say no!
James, Charlie, Kevin and Aaron put their kilts on - and disaster! James' kilt was far too small - it must have been wrongly labelled, 'cos it was inches too small. So he just held it together for the photos (giving me a glimpse of thigh). Steve was talking to the press somewhere and wasn't being photographed, but he did grab me as I walked past and thank me. I asked him why he wasn't wearing his, and he said he was too tired to change. Once James was changed, I took the kilt off him and legged it back to the shop to change it for the bigger one.
At the SA, all of them except Steve (he is such a cutie) were wearing the kilts, and the audience were very appreciative. I asked why Steve wasn't wearing his, and he just said he liked it very much, but he was in a combative mood (he was in combat trousers) and that he would wear it in the hotel, walk up and down the corridors in it knocking on peoples' doors. I was first up with the questions, so I gave them the gift bags on MtS's behalf, and they looked genuinely pleased, and thanked you all. I'll post what I can remember of the questions another day. They said they would open the presents afterwards, and I'm sure they did, 'cos Lucky's friend had given them lollies, and they were eating them when they came on for the gig. In fact, a girl begged James for his lolly, and he gave it to her, and she and all her friends took turns licking it!
When they came back on for the gig, James was in jeans and a Celtic football top (someone should have warned him not to wear a football top; it will instantly alienate 3/4 of the audience! especially in Scotland where football is so tied up with sectarian violence), Steve was still in his combats, but Aaron, Kevin and Charlie were in kilts. They clearly loved wearing them; it was like they had a whole new range of movement!
I think we can say the presents were a hit!
I used 2 40-exposure films, so I will hand them in tomorrow, pick them up on Friday when I'm back from my jaunt, and will post them asap!
Off to bed now, wishing James was here to rub my sore feet. Next time, I go for comfort over style in the shoe stakes.
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Ummmm....James "held" his kilt together for the photos....giving a glimpse of thigh....but, underneath...ummm..no underwear?  |
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Post by Cyrus on Jun 24, 2003 7:26:48 GMT
Sans underwear is traditional... oh the thought...  Can't wait until pics of that come in! James in a kilt without pants this time! Thank you Scout Eve!  |
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Post by nightnurse on Jun 24, 2003 7:37:43 GMT
;D Hey gotta go try and get some sleep here , and you just had to mention the no pants thing!!!!!!  I feel a COLD SHOWER coming on!!!!! |
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Post by Incogni2 on Jun 24, 2003 11:52:00 GMT
Poor NN, must be waterlogged by now!
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Post by HallowsEve on Jun 24, 2003 15:40:36 GMT
More of "Kirsten"'s report from mts:
I don't know where best to post about the SA and the gig, but given that they were wearing kilts, I'll do it here, and the mods can move it if they see fit.
My memory is somewhat garbled, so I'll do the best I can.
Someone called out to them about the fact they were wearing kilts, and James started talking about why kilts were invented. He was talking about how the Scottish warriors found it impossible to move in trousers when they had broadswords, and some guy called out "We don't have that euphemism here" which cracked me up. Unfortunately, James didn't really hear the remark and was saying "Well, what do you call them then?" and Kevin was sitting next to him saying "Wieners." It took a while for James to catch on to what had been said - it was very funny.
He thanked us for the presents and said "I love you guys" and asked people to give them more questions, but with a "give us presents" kind of gesture.
Someone asked what music they have in their CD players at the moment. Steve said his car has just been totalled, so he has no idea what's in it - he said he left it with a friend, who parked it on a main road (he gave the name of the road but I can't remember it - Pacific something?) and a drunk woman in a BMW 5 series ran into it. James said Norah Jones, Kevin said something that sounded like The Osmonds, but probably wasn't.
Someone asked if they find a difference between American and European audiences - Charlie said they're more European over here. James said the London audiences are a bit more aloof, it's a kind of "show us what you can do before we decide to like you" thing, but then he said the Welsh crowds were great. He said the Welsh venue they played was tiny and overcrowded, and the heating was on to make the crowd buy more drinks, and people were fainting, but the audience were just exploding, and he liked that the place was so small he could personally connect with the people.
My favourite questions were about desert islands. Someone asked what they would take to a desert island, if they could only have one object. Steve said a Steinway grand piano, and James cracked up and told him if he was taking something that big, he might as well take a boat. James said he'd take a guitar. Aaron said he'd take a gun, and Charlie said he'd take the clip. I don't remember what Kevin said. Then someone said, if all the band were on the island, with no food, who would you eat first? Everyone was roaring with laughter by now. James said they would try and sacrifice a leg each, so nobody died, but then Kevin said "They'd just try to trick me into being eaten" and everyone agreed with him - - said they'd have to trick him into going to sleep or to putting his legs in boiling water. It was very funny.
Someone asked if they could be a musical instrument, what would they be. Steve said a Steinway grand piano, and Kevin said a guitar. I don't remember if Aaron answered - he certainly didn't say drums. Charlie said he'd be a kazoo, 'cos noone takes it seriously, and James said he'd be a guitar, because the bottom of a guitar, or any stringed instrument, is woman shaped, and the top is man shaped. Then they started debating that amongst themselves - Kevin asked what he meant - so James was explaining - a guitar has curves [he was gesturing to make the shapes in the air], in and out like a woman, but it also has a man shaped bit at the top. Kevin looked appalled (but amused and appalled) and said he'd never thought of that before, so James told him to think about his upright bass. Everyone in the hall was laughing by now, and James was saying Kevin would have to go and wash his bass now.
Someone asked if they would consider writing for musicals, and Steve said he would like to so that. She said she was writing one about vampires and maybe they could collaborate (?spelling) so Steve told her to send stuff to him - her people should call his people. James told her that there's a vampire musical about to open on Broadway and there was general discussion around what does Elton John know about vampires?
They were asked what was the first record they ever bought. Steve said he had a Sean Cassidy record that Charlie's mother had bought for him after she felt bad that he'd got lost in a department store. Charlie said he had something he bought in a bargain bin, but I don't remember what he said. I don't think the rest of them answered that; or if they did I was laughing so hard at Steve & Sean Cassidy, and Aaron panicking that we could see up his kilt, that I missed it.
Then someone asked what 80s artists they'd like to work with, and there was some debate about if someone had started in the 70s and had hits in the 80s, were they an 80s artist? Steve said David Bowie. James didn't give a definitive answer, but said Duran Duran weren't as bad as people remember. Kevin said Metallica. Aaron or Charlie said New Order. Doretta assures me Charlie said Depeche Mode, but I missed that.
And they were asked how they define success, and how they will know when they've achieved it. James talked about success being about being able to express yourself in the way you want to. I don't remember what the others said. Charlie (who looks like he has the potential to be a major star) went into some disjointed ramble and then said "I'd have to get a dictionary to define it" and James said "he means world domination."
There were other questions about how they met, and James said he considers himself to be the weakest in the group, musically, and having seen the gig, I think he's right. He's not bad, and he really wasn't well, but I do think the others are very strong musicians.
My brain is tired, and I can't think of anything else, but as it comes back to me, I will post it.
Oh, I meant to say - their manager Steve spent some time going through the food goody bag asking what everything was, and asking about tartans, so I explained how tartans work. Apparently the boys are drinking a lot of Irn Bru, so I'm glad I put a bottle in!
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I think they'd had a tough time. Their flight from London was delayed, so they were 4 hours late arriving, and things were clearly tense amongst the-group-and-those-who-surround-them, but everyone in the group, and of course Lucky, was as polite and pleasant as could be to me. James said they were all tired and sick, and they'd had a bad day, but they all took the time to come over and shake my hand and say thanks. No hugs though.
One of the other questions asked was do they get to see much of where they tour, or is it just on the road, on the road, on the road? James said it was too much of the latter, and not enough of the former. They all commented on how beautiful Edinburgh is (which was polite of them, but absolutely true of course!), and Kevin said he would like to move here. He must feel a need to connect with his roots.
Steve commented on how beautiful the castle is, and James talked about how well Edinburgh has preserved its heritage and the old buildings and stuff (well, he didn't say "and stuff"). I was nodding along with James at this point, and we had a moment of connection! Then they all had some banter about how bad America is at doing that, and how even some of the museums don't always have old stuff, they have new copies of old stuff! They were talking about a railway museum in California which has replicas of things (not sure what things exactly, I couldn't hear all of it well, but it might have been trains) but not actual original old things. Charlie in particular, & Aaron & Kevin were amazed to learn that the things in the museum were not originals, and there was some discussion about the destruction of illusions and the loss of innocence and no Santa Claus etc.
I love showing foreign tourists around Edinburgh, and this whole discussion just made me wish I could have had a few hours to show them around - I'm sure they would have appreciated it.
There was another question about which song they were most proud of, and they all said German Jewish, I think. And Steve said that Valerie is the combination of 3 women.
More as it comes back to me ...
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Post by HallowsEve on Jun 24, 2003 16:11:39 GMT
More, more, more... It's more than just a  Marsters plan - GOTR review
Review from the Edinburgh Evening News
news.scotsman.com/archive.cfm?id=691102003
:oETA: A picture has been added to the article at the above link.
It's more than just a Marsters plan
ROCK REVIEW
KAYE MCALPINE
Ghost of the Robot, The Liquid Room ***
WELL, despite their capabilities, nobody was there for the support act. In fact, it's debatable how many of the audience at the Liquid Room last night were really there for Ghost of the Robot's music.
It was all to do with the headliner's line-up. Take one band from California, co-formed by one of the most popular cult stars of recent years and Bob's your uncle, or rather James Marsters (Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) is your main man.
Marsters is the guaranteed draw - and the band all know it - but all credit to him, he was in full-on Ghost of the Robot mode. And while Charlie DeMars and Kevin McPherson's opting to wear the kilt might be questionable in terms or originality, their lead singer did well not to wear black, keeping a visual distance between himself and his vampiric alter-ego. He and the band got down to business.
The business in question is almost thrash, it's definitely rock, and it's very American. You could hear the same sound in clubs up and down the country, but here the laid back Californian accents are genuine - though there was little opportunity for any banter between songs. Ghost of the Robot are all about keeping the bass throbbing in your throat - courtesy of McPherson - while the drums and guitars drive the beat up through the soles of your boots. And if that doesn't get you, then the occasional eccentricities from DeMars or Sellers on keyboard should.
Much of the hour-long set drew from the band's recently released album Mad Brilliant. The title might not quite hit the mark in terms of the music, but songs like Valerie, Mad Brilliant itself, and Blocking Brainwaves have plenty thumping bass, drive and edge. And that was enough to make sure both the material and the band more than held their own: it's rock, Jim, just as you know it.
A short acoustic set mid-way through the gig showed a more gentle side of their musical capabilities, set the focus on Marsters and highlighted his own songwriting abilities.
Ghost of the Robot has no one songwriter, which brought a certain ebb and flow when it comes to lyrical impact. While some of the songs have a lyrical naivete which is awkward at best, others have a neat sense of irony and self-awareness - at one point Marsters stands in front of a crowd and sings from Seller's song David Letterman: "Wouldn't it be rad, if I could be your favourite personality."
Ghost of the Robot play a pretty tight gig, and given the nature of the band's popularity, it didn't need to be that way. If they had stood stock still for the hour and played repeated renditions of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, or put their front man out on the stage all by himself, there's no guarantee that the audience reaction wouldn't have been the same. But Ghost of the Robot didn't.
They went for it, and they got what they deserved, a hyped-up crowd and the distinct message that while Edinburgh isn't Santa Monica, any return-gig would be just peachy.
Tue Jun 24, 2003 2:50 pm
James...holding onto his kilt...OMG..... |
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Post by HallowsEve on Jun 24, 2003 23:34:34 GMT
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Post by Ditto on Jun 29, 2003 1:34:44 GMT
Excellent.
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Post by HallowsEve on Jun 29, 2003 16:43:11 GMT
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Post by PokerKitten on Jul 4, 2003 10:37:28 GMT
Hallows dahlin'.... and any other kilt obsessives out there! - The Scotsman newspaper is now offering a glossy version of the kilted Ghosties, plus a not so revealing one but which does include Steve. Wonder why he is kiltphobic....?! The Scotsman Photogallery We are delighted to offer you a selection of images from our archives, covering a wide range of people, places and events in and around Scotland. Picture sizes are: 12 x 8" (30 x 20cm) and 16 x 12" (40 x 30cm) - sizes are approximate. photogallery.scotsman.com/index.cfmThey have masses of other photos avaiable of lesser people (like Robbie Williams ) so you will need to do a search on the band or James' name. |
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Post by Ditto on Jul 4, 2003 18:42:42 GMT
The MSN gels were bemoaning the fact they forgot kilt socks! Kilt pix were fabulous.
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Post by PokerKitten on Jul 6, 2003 14:46:57 GMT
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Post by HallowsEve on Jul 6, 2003 19:41:23 GMT
Oh....Pk....I saw these but I'd forgotten where! Thanks for finding them (yeah, like I really need some more ) The arm...that arm...around...whoever. But what a nice arm...I've got another fixation now. Oh! And I e-mailed the arm shot to I2 a few days ago. Her response was delayed as she'd hit the floor. Says she is still sore... |
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Post by nightnurse on Jul 6, 2003 22:21:36 GMT
;D Good Lord , did I read that right... he squeezed her boob?!! I feel a really bitchy moment coming on!!!! No... I'll be good for a change and restrain myself to *sigh* |
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Post by HallowsEve on Jul 7, 2003 0:15:32 GMT
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Post by nightnurse on Jul 7, 2003 0:38:41 GMT
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Post by HallowsEve on Jul 7, 2003 1:12:58 GMT
Sounds to me like it is a question of interpretation.....
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