Friday 25th July 2003 - Flying in to Newark Liberty
Ohmigod. Here I am, a year later and another year older, jetting off this time, for three weeks of mayhem in the USA. Once again I am accompanying a bunch of senile punks, The Skeptix, who are old enough to know better, but too old to do anything about it! Ha! They'll love me for saying that. But I don't care! I'm a rebel!
I flew out from Manchester, on the Friday, with the guitar player, for a reason which I can no longer remember, to join up with the others, who were flying from Heathrow, the following day. The general idea being that we pick them up from the airport on the way to Baltimore, with a case of beer to quench their inevitable thirsts. Well, it almost worked out like that... more on that later, I'm digressing.
OK, so I cheated. These pictures are from 2002, but, so what. The airport hasn't changed since then.
Well, that's not strictly true, it has. Newark International Airport appears to be now called Newark Liberty International Airport. Yadda, yadda. The ghost of 9-11, I guess.
I flew out from Manchester, on the Friday, with the guitar player, for a reason which I can no longer remember, to join up with the others, who were flying from Heathrow, the following day. The general idea being that we pick them up from the airport on the way to Baltimore, with a case of beer to quench their inevitable thirsts. Well, it almost worked out like that... more on that later, I'm digressing.
OK, so I cheated. These pictures are from 2002, but, so what. The airport hasn't changed since then.
Well, that's not strictly true, it has. Newark International Airport appears to be now called Newark Liberty International Airport. Yadda, yadda. The ghost of 9-11, I guess.
Union NJ
Anyhoo, the flight was, well, a pretty standard, long-haul, transatlantic flight; loads of nice fluffy clouds, far-off land-type bits, water, plastic food and a couple of not too bad movies. Agent: Cody Banks, starring Malcolm in the Middle übermoppet, Frankie Muniz, and Lizzie McGuire teeny-perv totty, Hilary Duff, was quite amusing. Granted it was derivative, clichéd and full of exactly what you'd expect a movie aimed at teens to be, but I enjoyed it. It was a giggle and it passed 90 minutes. Another movie, Second String, would really only have appealed to (American) Football lovers, which I am, so I thought it was a good chuckle too. Then I watched an hour or so of Continental's CSI channel for my forensic fix and, before you knew it, we were ready to land. Doesn't time fly by when you're having so much fun? Seven and a half hours doesn't seem long when you're asleep, but Hell, when you're awake and stuck in a 767-400 it seems like an age.
We landed and, much to our surprise, walked straight through immigration and baggage collection with barely an acknowledgment of our entrance into the land of the free. But then again, I suspect they reserve the marigold treatment for the dodgy-looking types, like Skeptix drummer Chig Hussein.
We were met at the airport by the lovely Adi, of the NY Rel-X, who ferried us back to her house in Union, where we were staying the night. Also staying there were, of course, the amazing Jonny Kray, a gentleman and a scholar if ever I met one, and the lovely Jeff and Heather of Midnight Creeps... wait a minute, that should be the lovely Heather and Jeff of Midnight Creeps. Jeff would be our driver, tour guide, pimp, pusher and fixer for the next couple of days. Of course, if we'd known then what we know now, we could have saved ourselves a lot of grief and well, Kev wouldn't have got that black eye, would he? Oh, yeah, you don't know about that, do you? Stick around for Baltimore then...
We landed and, much to our surprise, walked straight through immigration and baggage collection with barely an acknowledgment of our entrance into the land of the free. But then again, I suspect they reserve the marigold treatment for the dodgy-looking types, like Skeptix drummer Chig Hussein.
We were met at the airport by the lovely Adi, of the NY Rel-X, who ferried us back to her house in Union, where we were staying the night. Also staying there were, of course, the amazing Jonny Kray, a gentleman and a scholar if ever I met one, and the lovely Jeff and Heather of Midnight Creeps... wait a minute, that should be the lovely Heather and Jeff of Midnight Creeps. Jeff would be our driver, tour guide, pimp, pusher and fixer for the next couple of days. Of course, if we'd known then what we know now, we could have saved ourselves a lot of grief and well, Kev wouldn't have got that black eye, would he? Oh, yeah, you don't know about that, do you? Stick around for Baltimore then...
Jeff Creep
Now, I don't know whether it's me getting old or what, but when we stayed at Adi's last time, we'd just flown in and she whisks us off to a NY Rel-X/UK Subs gig, until the early hours of the next morning, this time, she say, all casual-like, "Do you guys want to come and watch, while we practice?"
Sure thing. Does The Pope shit in the woods?
So, off we go to their practice rooms in Union City NJ. Any band practices I've ever seen before are a quick hour or so of arguments, fights, more arguments, another fight and someone whining about whose turn it is to go for the beer. This, was very different and unlike any band practice I'd ever seen. And, do you know what the real bugger of it all is? I didn't take my camera, because I thought it would just be 90 minutes of shambolic farting around in near darkness and a drunken stupor. Well, that's what The Skeptix do...
Sure thing. Does The Pope shit in the woods?
So, off we go to their practice rooms in Union City NJ. Any band practices I've ever seen before are a quick hour or so of arguments, fights, more arguments, another fight and someone whining about whose turn it is to go for the beer. This, was very different and unlike any band practice I'd ever seen. And, do you know what the real bugger of it all is? I didn't take my camera, because I thought it would just be 90 minutes of shambolic farting around in near darkness and a drunken stupor. Well, that's what The Skeptix do...
Jam
So, we all get in the room. Adi on bass, Jonny Kray on guitar, Heather Creep on guitar and Jeff Creep on drums. Or was that Jonny Kray on drums, BJ on guitar, Carlos on guitar, Jonny Kray on bass, Adi on vocals, Jonny Kray on vocals, BJ on vocals or... Ow! My head hurts!
But, seriously folks, what I witnessed was one of the most amazing jam sessions in the history of the world. Six and a half hours of playing, from members of some of the finest of the young US punk bands, including Midnight Creeps, The Krays and the NY Rel-X, gathered together in one room and just playing for the sheer enjoyment of it all. If I've missed anyone off the list, I apologise, but there were so many people wandering in and out, picking up an instrument and just joining in, I got completely lost in it all. They played everything from Tom Petty to Siouxsie and the Banshees to The Adverts and I'm sure I detected the odd Iron Maiden riff somewhere.
The NY punk scene is a thrilling and vibrant one, full of life, vitality and some fine young musicians. It was a privilege to sit in on that session and an education too. I told them at the time that they should have been charging people to see stuff like that, it was amazing. I'm just sorry I didn't take the camera.
We eventually got back to Adi's at some late hour. I was just going to have a quick sit down and relax, before joining everyone on the deck for a beer. The next thing I know, Jeff Creep is covering me up with a blanket as he goes off to his bed! Oh, it's just so rock and roll...
Click here for the next bit
But, seriously folks, what I witnessed was one of the most amazing jam sessions in the history of the world. Six and a half hours of playing, from members of some of the finest of the young US punk bands, including Midnight Creeps, The Krays and the NY Rel-X, gathered together in one room and just playing for the sheer enjoyment of it all. If I've missed anyone off the list, I apologise, but there were so many people wandering in and out, picking up an instrument and just joining in, I got completely lost in it all. They played everything from Tom Petty to Siouxsie and the Banshees to The Adverts and I'm sure I detected the odd Iron Maiden riff somewhere.
The NY punk scene is a thrilling and vibrant one, full of life, vitality and some fine young musicians. It was a privilege to sit in on that session and an education too. I told them at the time that they should have been charging people to see stuff like that, it was amazing. I'm just sorry I didn't take the camera.
We eventually got back to Adi's at some late hour. I was just going to have a quick sit down and relax, before joining everyone on the deck for a beer. The next thing I know, Jeff Creep is covering me up with a blanket as he goes off to his bed! Oh, it's just so rock and roll...
Click here for the next bit
