Column: Gordon Raphael #16, Dec 2003
By: Gordon Raphael
OK: the wrap-up and send-off of 2003, making room for an all-new cast of lovable mopheads and music-squealers in '04... Well, maybe some of the more interesting characters can stay the same, we'll see...
First off, let me thank all the people, rock bands, ladies, random encounters and fabulous songs that came to me this year here in the UK. I accidentally landed here in London in February of 2002 and the party continues, with ever-more glowing peaks in sight for the coming year.
One of the best things in '03 was the ending-tone set in Paris, where the lovely and super-talented Regina Spektor invited me along for a tour of this amazing city that I was always too frightened of to visit until now. Miss Spektor hooked me up with a group of guys and dolls that became my translators and guides, and now it seems I have a place to stay in the city when needed - which I hope will be often; it's a gorgeous landscape with art and music permeating the entire atmosphere on a gorgeous level. Rivers, islands, the Louvre and the sound of classical piano music escaping from numerous doors and walls as I passed through. That's a rich culture, and it feels quite civilized. Of course, it helps that I was backstage with The Doors (name-drop #1) eating dinner with Ray Manzerek and Ian Astbury the first night, and in-taking huge hashish joints while watching their performance from the side of the stage. Those guys were so nice to me that they even invited my band (Crystal Radio - soon to change our name, cuz of an unsympathetic rocker named Dave Davies who owns that moniker - stay tuned!) to tour with them and Sly And The Family Stone this summer. Hey, that sounds like a great first tour of the world to me... Unless I can convince my pals in The Strokes or The Libertines to let us tag along...
The next night at Le Zenith (same venue as the prior evening's outing), The Strokes and Kings of Leon appeared and - believe me - the party was in full tilt when those pals-o-mine found an audience that was as enthusiastic towards their music as the London crowd a week before, if not more-so... High energy and big smiles all around that night... And speaking of Londres - I attended both Alexandra Palace shows here with The Strokes and it felt amazing to watch the crowd really absorbing the terrific energy of the live-set containing many new songs from 'Room On Fire' for the first time. I could sense the crowd communally thinking, 'Oh, now, I understand... Wow.' It was also cool to be in their dressing room as they watched their own performance on TV of 'Reptilia' on the 'Friday Night With Jonathan Ross' show; Julian especially thought the sound was impeccable, a sentiment he also felt about the live-recordings done by the BBC for the first Ally Pally show.
Otherwise, G Raphael, your hazy narrator, finished up 2003 by recording about 20 new songs in the brand new Silver Transporterraum of London, where the bands Crystal Radio, Kennedy (from LA - an awesome band I saw quite by accident at the Metro; check 'em at The Basement Club in January alongside da 'Radio...), The Five O' Clock Heroes, a rockin' chick singer named Tarezz, My Juliette, Damion Anderson (watch out world... especially tha ladies...) C33X, Ray On, Kill Kenada, and a remarkable session featuring a band that John Hassall of The Libertines has assembled to perform his own quite powerful compositions; he sings and plays the guitar in that outfit, and I certainly hope to record more of those tunes.
Also in the last week of 2003, I finished a very sleazoid video for a song of my own called '2 Track Mind', based on the fundamental/questionable principles of rock 'n' roll itself. The video is rather nasty and loud, and contains cussing (swear words...); therefore, I think it has a great chance of making on to international television in the very near future.
Some other highlights of the last two months were... trips to Mallorca to work with the Satellites on many new tracks, hopefully to be released on my label Shoplifter Records this year... a week in Berlin helping my best freund Moses Schneider produce a very talented band called The Beatsteaks... a week in Seattle watching The Strokes play live in my longstanding hometown and recording a new track with them and Regina Spektor together at my friend's woodland paradise studio called Bear Creek... then back in London, recording the days away and partying every night at seedy and sordid nightspots (Peter-Libertine playing a Joe Strummer tribute at my home-bar Filthy McNasties; The Libertines at The Forum; D.U.N.E. at Metro; Queens of Noise holiday-dinner at The Lock Tavern in Camden; and Kill Kenada at the Camden Barfly).
The ringing in my ears tells me that it's all been fun, and I have been experiencing a tremendous time here in London these past two years, thanks to the vision and enthusiasm of the musicians and fans here; I haven't felt a music-community this 'killer' since the brief window of time in Seattle before bad drugs and over-touring finished off the vibe there.
And I will close this precious ramble-a-thon with a shout-out to Mark Chung at Sony/SINE, who - as well as being the bassist in the legendary, German industrial musical pioneers, Einsturzende Neubaten; a major influence on Seattle - is the key man in the UK with the balls to assist my label Shoplifter Records to develop and promote new young bands. And, with any luck at all, you may be seeing records by Regina Spektor, Kill Kenada, Crystal Radio (or whatever we will call it...), Anna Mercedes, and the Satellites from Mallorca out in shops, on stages and adorning your holy televisions very, very soon.
Cheers to the moment that the present starts showing signs of being pregnant with the future. Seen www.shoplifterrecords.co.uk...?
XOXOX