EUROPE PART 1!!!

I have been meaning to update for a long time. I caught a lot of crap from friends (damn you Glenn and company) for not doing this sooner. Considering I have finally gotten over jet lag, my allergy attack is subsiding and my shoulder keeps dislocating…again this morning in my sleep…I have been a little preoccupied. But the time has come for me to put all my feelings down on paper for the world to read or any one who cares about the amazing journey I was on. This will be so long…I am breaking it up…3 parts. It is nice to reflect and bring it all in. I started to update while on the road but I didn't think it would do it justice! Thanks for being patient!

First and foremost, I need thank my brother Chris and the rest of the C22 crew. I saw and experienced things I may never have in my life. Who else can say they sang on stage in front of hundreds and hundreds of people in Russia, Germany, Belgium and the UK? Not many, but I did. It was awesome. And my brother also needs a little more recognition. He really has been amazing through my changes and also worked on showing me around Europe, even to places he had already seen. I wouldn't want to have taken that trip with anyone else. Thank dude, I love you.

Now, onto the good stuff. We had a 930 flight out of beautiful Newark Airport into Heathrow. 5 days prior to the flight, many of you know that I had a pants shitting/fire incident in my house so being without AC in 100+ heat made me ready to pack and leave and see what the world had in store…and I was ready for all of it. At least I thought I was. The flight was as uncomfortable as expected, except the free veggie meal was decent. Unlike US airlines that charge you for a drink of water. I sat next to a girl that had the state of NJ tattooed in her armpit. She ruled and we managed to make fun of everyone on the plane. It made time go a little faster even though it felt like it was crawling. We landed in Heathrow, gathered our bags, made it through customs and met up with our Tour Manager, Rooster. He looked like the bastard son of Captain Spaulding and the King from the 300 (sans abs) with the homer squiggly hair line tattooed on his scalp. I literally busted his balls the entire time and by the end, I think he found it endearing. He really didn't have a choice but he did get back at me many times…Making me run after the van in Spain and almost taking my knee/body out with the door at a rest stop in France. All in all, he was a great dude and totally missed.

The first show was in Brighton. As shore town in England which coincidentally, has a very huge gay community and unfortunately, we missed the lesbian mud wresting by a few days. But Chris did get a flyer for a Pre-Op Tranny hooker which he unknowingly advertised around the city on his bag. We explored the city a little bit, I had my first cup of proper English tea at a bar and then went to the venue. The show was at this club called the Hydrant and it was the first show with our homeys The Junk. Great band and an even better bunch of dudes. The turn out was good and the energy was great. It was an awesome way to start of the tour. Glenn made the journey from Maidstone to Brighton and it was really really good to see him. We had a couple shows with The Junk so we didn't have to say the sad good byes just yet. After the show, we headed to the Travelodge for a night sleep. 3 hours is better then nothing after being awake for almost 48. I blew my back out somehow, so the entire tour I was doing down dog to stretch it out. KG hated it because my ass crack was always hanging out. In fact, my ass crack was out the entire tour and by the end, I think he started to enjoy it. He did shove my 40oz Klean Kanteen down my boxers…Thats a good sign right?



The next morning, Ian looked like he got his by a bus, Rooster asked how the night was, as if he didn't know. I ate some breakfast at the Travelodge. Everyone in the band got the "Full Fry Up" which consists of eggs, potatoes, baked beans, sausage, bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms. I had cereal and yogurt which was surprisingly good for hotel food! The next show was in this small farming town called Norwich. Dirty Rev and The Skints played. The Skints were unreal. The show was amazing. Dirty Rev killed it and The Skints blew me away. The kids were great, it was hot as hell, but totally worth it. Had some delicious curry from some local Indian spot. We didn't really see or do anything in Norwich..it was a bunk city but still cool to see. the club however was a hole. Smelled like piss the ceiling was leaking and had no fans. the bathroom had a trench on the floor you peed into. Really weird. Somewhere between Nottingham and Norwich, I purchased this ghetto lawn chair to use the in van. It was so ungodly uncomfortable in that death trap, so the POS chair made it a little better…It wouldn't last long however….

The final show in the UK took place in London at a club called the Relentless Garage. It was this cool little place in the outskirts of the city. By the English version of the "Projects"…no where near as ghetto as the projects in the US. We loaded into the club and had many hours to kill…Ian tried to slam a warm beer and proceeded to projectile vomit out side the club. The majority of the band decided to go for a walk and stop at a pub for a pint. I stole a Guinness mug for Decker and had a Ginger Beer (alcohol free!) and steal their wireless. Ryan ran into Lone Star from The Planet Smashers, he stopped into the pub and said hello and left. I wanted to go to the British Boot Company for a new pair of Docs but we never made it. Everyone split off for food before the show. I grabbed the most delicious roll from an English bakery and some food from a local Health Food Spot - Hummus and Cheddar Sandwich and this Quiona salad. AMAZING! The Skints and The Junk played amazing sets. My friend Tim made it out to the show, it was good to see him and catch up on old times. I ended up hanging out a lot with both bands, exchanged contact info and promised to stay in touch. We all said our sad good byes but we made some good friendships and I offered my house if they ever made it out to the States. Those dudes are always welcome. This trip was looking to be just what i needed to unwind from the hell i call daily life. Amazing music, friends, family and adventure!

NEXT STOP FRANCE!

Part 2 coming tomorrow hopefully!