2010
JANUARY
January 4th: Back to work with the snow as my companion, no bike till my ribs heal in fact this cold weather seems to have bought the tenderness back arrrgghhh. As always busy busy busy with site work playing catch up, but now i have a reliable server, im hoping i won't get no more delays...slowly but surely!!!
January 11th: The big FREEEZE is still with us, luckily public transport is still working in our area but some ain't so lucky. Bet gigs are few and far between over this period. Just been watching John Lydon's 30 minute interview on BBC4 pretty good insight and interview with some rare live PIL footage rehearsing for last years tour!
January 13th: What was supposed to be just another working day turned into a life changing experience. Got out of bed to be met by the tender warm embrace of nausea as I got dressed. So hit the loo to try and be rid of this sickly feeling. It was then I felt a scarily intence pressure in my upper chest, not pain but an extremely uncomfortable tightness. A sensation ive never experienced before. I tried to vomit with the fingers down the throat routine numerous times hoping it would relieve the symptoms, but could only muster acidic bile as it continued. By now I was sweaty more from the vomiting I assumed. As always I took my insulin injection and made a bowl of breakfast to try and take my mind off the discomfort. My movement by now was at a snails pace sorta similar to when your really flued up with aches n pains and can only saunter to the bathroom and back. It was now getting on fer 30 minutes approx but there was no shifting it? I realised then I better get up the docs. So I phoned the twin surgery in Wednesfield after my regular surgery was engaged (again grrrrr) and with no alternative emergency number huh. Luckily Wednesfield did answer and as I told them my situation and symptoms it mustve dawned on them more than me that I needed help fast. They said I could go up to my local surgery right away. It took me another 20 mins to get changed as it was snowing heavily outside once more. As I trudged the 10 minute walk to the surgery feeling like shit walking through the 4 inches of snow thinking is this where im gonna collapse?.... on noooo? But luckily I managed to get to the surgery and grabbed a much needed seat sweating like a dog. I told the receptionist who I was and it was only then I noticed the chest tightness and nausea had ceased. But I felt extremely drained and having not eaten my insulin started to kick in and began feeling a diabetic hypo coming on, those heavy sweats were now dripping off my forehead. I was ushered in the surgery and luckily for me as I explained my symptoms the doc he was sharp enough to notice my condition and got me on an Esg monitor right away. As I was experiencing my Holby City moment with leads attached to my chest lying there bare chested on a examination couch with no boots or socks on having an ESG stuffing my face with two handy Mars bars I had secreted in my jacket pocket, the paramedics arrived as my reading were showing some cause for concern. So they wheeled me out to the ambulance and New Cross here I come. Strangely the mars bars had by now kicked in and I was feeling my usual self even ready and fit enough to walk out of casualty if I got the all clear. But they dont let you do that with suspected heart attacks. I spent the next 12 hours being injected, bloods being taken and given two more Esg's which were now reading ok as far as I could tell. Phoning my daughter (who was a real star) and family were the hardest parts and had to use text messages as my phone was in need of a battery charge (great timing). I started feeling a little drowsy as I was finally moved to the overnight ward. As I was being pushed through the hospital I seen my old Torcha Shed bassist (who works at the hospital) strolling past in his hospital blues. I wasn't in a mood for reminiscing about the old days and the geezers who were pushing my bed weren't hanging around. I spent about 2 hours in this ward and then was moved yet again to the observation ward which is were I was told I may be home by tomorrow yesssss. I finally went to sleep next to a poor old geezer who was having a triple bypass the very next morning. I sort of felt a little guilty with my going home the next morning story, so I kept it quiet. At last I could relax and ponder the days events as I fell asleep around 2 oclock in the morning. It was then that I awoke to find a couple of nurses stood whispering by the foot of my bed. Was I on the move yet again apparently so? But they also had news for me... my blood results had come back and I had indeed had an heart attack!!!! Utter dread hit me as I was told I was gonna have an Angiogram the next day and was moved to the Cardiology ward.
January 14th: New ward, new nurses, new patients a revolving cycle in hospital life these days. However what amplified my doom 'n' gloom even more was in every ward I had been in I hadn't seen anyone under 65! I realise lots of younger ppl get this kinda condition but not here in the wards of New X. Welcome to Cardiac Arrest world!!!.. Gotta say I was looked after extremely well by most of the staff. The NHS do get a bad deal in some respects and its sometimes very true. But from personal experience I had great FREE British healthcare which apart from the meals was very good. The old blokes were very brave and extremely amusing in a far worse healthier condition than I was. Good job I had my new I-pod handy as it helped as the clock ticked on the wall. I was now getting hungry as breakfast arrived but being as I was on Nil by mouth I couldn't eat before a prodedure grrrrrr. New morning and new shift one nurse recognised me from my school days when I used to catch the same school bus in the mid 70's. And my old drummer from Stench knew her ex husband. Small world innit? She was a really great dedicated nurse working 12 hour shifts who would prove a really good allie over the next few hours as my fate and hospital care unfolded. Mid morning we all get an unnanouced visit by hospital royalty... Dr Singh my consultant a confident late 30's bollywood looking star who was surrounded by eager nervous looking understudys. He was the man who held all our destiny in his hands literally. I didnt quite catch what he said but one poor bloke was told he was going home because there wasnt much more they could do. I dont think it really sunk in what that meant? They were now heading my way. He shook my hand and asked me what happened. I told him everything i could recall I was expecting the technical explanation of what he was gonna do later then like the hand of god he said as he read my notes that he doesnt feel this patient will benefit from an intrusive investigation. Was I hearing him right as he quizzed his understudys on my condition? He called over the head nurse and said put this patient on a treadmill and see how he responds then we will decide how to proceeed. I found it hard to contain my utter relief at escaping the dreaded groin procedure fer now at least. Kerry the nurse later told me it meant they would monitor my heart readings as i walked on a treadmill that would slowly speed up. Seems strange for a suspected heart patient to go through this kinda barbaric torture in such a fragile state but this was my last throw of the dice. Another bonus was i could now eat as dinner was finally brought round yipppeeee. Late afternoon finally get strapped up to the monitor and start my treadmill edurance test. For the average bloke in the street this would've been a doddle. But I was nervous and relieved as walking is my best form of transport so was really in my element as the machine kicked in it seemed ok but i was assured it would be speeded up and the incline would increase. I knew i had to stay on over 9 minutes to have any chance of a good diagnosis. 6 minutes in and im sweating like a pig once more and my muscles in my legs were starting to tingle luckily my breathing still seemed ok and my chest wasn't giving me any trouble. I was informed any discomfort with chest pain and i should tell the nurses immediately who were encouraging me to take long strides which made it easier to maintain. As time wore on and what seemed like 15 minutes i had visions of all those marathon runners who done this and more for hours but this was the most important walk of my life. Desperation was setting in as it got very uncomfortable. At the pit of my stomach I was noticing slight discomfort which was slowly rising to my ribcage. I was panicking about the time and the fear of it moving into my chest and turning into another chest tightening experience so I finally had to ask them to stop. Feeling defeated and worried i hadnt done enough i asked the stern Australian nurse for a prognosis but she was adamant the doctor would inform me in due course. I was given a drink of water and paper towels to dry me off as I was led back to the ward wondering if i had really done enough? As I got back to the ward a neat suprise took my mind off my fate. I spotted my daughter and brother were here to visit which was a great moral boost. There was also a novovirus bug outbreak in the hospital so visiting was cut to 5 minutes but they certainly bucked my hopes up. It was then that Nurse Kerry who had read my notes from the treadmill test told me the news i was preying for. It had somehow proved favourable and that I would be going home yesssssss!
January 15th: After a great nights sleep in my own bed and with a ? mark still hanging over the
cause of my hospital stay. I realised my whole diet and new meds regime were gonna mean a
life style change if I wanted to survive much longer. Kids take it from me, the older you get the
longer you wanna live! 9 units of alcohol a week however is a major bummer to comprehend
for someone who loves his lager like I do. So I'm hoping the docs will let me have about 6 pints
on the occasional celebratory night out, but its up to me to do the right thing now. I seriously
hope this is the last medical entry I have to write after last summers Liver episode and I don't
wanna become a hypochondriac morose bore, but had to explain it all as its easier and good
therapy to put it all down in one place just in case anyone asks as its getting a drag explainin
I can point 'em here.... On a positive note Pure Punk Records out in Italy are about to
release a second Stench album called 'Obsessed With Evil' anytime soon, which cheered me
up no end!!!!!
FEBRUARY
February 13th: My taste in women never seems to amaze me.... I just don't have any lol.
February 25th: Another birthday but this year left me with a certain feeling of dread as the
day drew to an uneventul close worrying news arrived. Family mean more to me than
anything in the world (even a new Stench album) and today bought that home more so
than ever.
MARCH
March 3rd: My little baby girl who is now a mom in her own right is so brave!!!!
March 17th: Book St Patrick's day off work but for the life of me i dunno why? Like a lot of my social routine these days due to drink restrictions it turns out to be very quiet and pretty dead round town maybe I'm not missing too much after all. Did see Jenny from the Stench days and Torcha Shed's old guitar slinger Mark Nowhere who won't be playing guitar every again due to a tendon injury.
March 21st: Very quiet on my particular punk front. I'm reading Hugh Cornwells 'A Multitude Of Sins' book amongst the zines but at least the website is starting to take shape..... halfway there!
March 24th: Things are looking up as Wolves annihilate West Ham yessss. First time we won at Upton Park since 1978!!!!
APRIL
April 8th: Malcolm McLaren former Sex Pistols manager dies of Cancer.
MAY
May 9th: Wolves finish off their season in 15th position with a good 2-1 win over Sunderland and 38 points in the bag, bring on the shit!
May 22nd: First gig of the year for me at the salubrious, dark 'n' dingy Old Wharf, five mins from Brum central. It's a 12 till 12 'Punks Alive' promotion on the hottest day of the year so far, but the extortionately high door price of £15 quid left another burning sensation in your skyrocket even for an array of 13 punk bands from all walks of life and styles. Great location but very tiny venue with the crowd soon spilling over onto the street outside as the bands dressing room was the front bar for the day. The Varukers were headlining with Menace's Noel and Charlie Casey doin a selection of numbers from their back catalogue. But I was here to see External Menace. Before hand managed to catch an impressive new crew from Stoke called Wasted Life who were aggressive and had a powerful stage presence with notable lead frontman Jeff formerly of Dead Heroes outta New York. They have just released a split CD with Ratmonkey out on Dirty Old Man records. External Menace had an hard act to follow but didn't dissapoint with singer Welshy a long time trader and correspondent launching into 'Don't Conform' as we got a salvo of EM numbers from skanky grooves to powerful full on punk attacks. Founding member Sneddy maybe looking a little world weary after over 30 years of punk rock indulgences but his song structures and vocals are a brilliant foil for Welshy's snarling approach, they left the stage to rowdy applause. Good to see Rikki Flag from outta Red Flag 77 looking as enthusiastic as always about punk rock in his neat Joan Jett t-shirt. They had arrived from Ipswish in a decomissioned police van lol. Rikki kindly threw their latest album,'Rotten On The Inside' in my direction as he reeled off some more amusing tales of punk rock life. Sadly I had to miss the Flags late slot as my alcohol intake had almost run out, but before I went I caught Dragster who not only have the sexiest singer of the day, but she's definitely well up for raunchy rock 'n' roll in a hell hole like this or on a big stage no doubt, and a delight to view as they blast out a mix of tight garage rock and punk 'n' roll trash. Trvia corner:...3 creeper wearers in attendance were Rikki, Dave Decadent and the big bloke outta Dragster.
JUNE
June 4th: The Stench album 'Obsessed With Evil' is finally out, although due to a pressing plant misinterpretation they are now all out on BLACK vinyl instead of Green. Sorry to anyone who was expecting Green we are as dissapointed as you, but it was beyond our control. We eagerly await our copies of the album and hear it sounds as good as it looks! Available from Pure Punk Records
June 15th: Joan Jett & the Blackhearts sells out a secret 100 club intimate gig in 5 minutes. 300 lucky punters were there for this small club performance. And Ged Babey kindly reviewed it for this site here. I'd only just bought the Runaways Anthology when i spotted a copy in HMV you cant take it away from those sexy broads they could play.
June 27th: What can you say? Betrayed, let down, humiliated, belittled, robbed, decieved, patronized, sneered at. The
growing list of snidey insults and abuse that the England football squad engineered on this campaign and spluttered
to an inglorious pathetic halt on Sunday, can not be less overstated. Kicked out the World Cup with a whimper not a
roar from a whole team and set up of cowardly lions and incompetence. People say its only a game, but hold on a
minute this football tournament actually gave a whole nation some much needed optimism and hope for a few weeks
in this depressing scenario of economic gloom and uncertainty. But the grossly overpaid ego's who are so so tired and
homesick couldn't or wouldn't perform with at least a little hunger in their hearts on not one, but 4 occasions is beyond
belief. It shows us the fans exactly what they really think of us as a nation. They slunk back onto the coach and
luxurious hotel complex with little or no regret or sympathy (except for maybe Gerrard). They are led by a manager
who can't utter a single sentence of the Queens English without assistance and who will be £12 million smakerooney's
better off once he gets the boot. That fact just about sums up this whole fucking calamity. Try telling the fucking fans
back home, the ones who travelled abroad and the ones in warzones that the team were maybe under the weather.
Because I don't think the British public or those poor cunts in Hellmand province are gonna buy it this time! World
class players huh, the distinction between the football elite and the fan on the street is now
as far away as Pluto! Their attitude stinks as much as the corrupt political greed mongers
in politics who govern us or the out of touch Royalty. "They're better than us" so it doesn't
matter because we adore them week in week out, and we can't change a fucking thing!
Fuck off!!!!!! These cunts oughta take a leaf out Joan Jett's book by performing night in
night out for over 30 years giving 100% and still with a hunger and pedigree on the worlds
stages. Lets just hope this debacle will force a change of attitude in UK Football because
wealth, adoration is great when its really earned...but on Sunday it wasn't! England fans
will carry on supporting England because thats our nature and its our homeland and
England is bigger than any individual so were told by the irritating football pundits, but
the celebratory mind set makes some people extremely and hideously sycophant by nature.
Harry Redknapp I think your time is fast approaching!
JULY
July 4th: Might be American independence for some but for me its another setback website
wise. 110mb my latest squat have like 50webs previously pulled the plug on PUNK
ROCKER for whatever reason their stupid rules set out. Violation?...me, heaven forbid.
So the last 12 months work getting the site rehoused has went up in a puff of smoke.
Sounds familiar doesn't it anyone whose followed the site from its Nihilism On The Prowl
days will shaking their heads once more. Luckily i have all the pages saved on my PC but
this is the final straw i have spent a decade squatting in other peoples basements
homestead, tripod, geocities, 50webs and 110mb to realise some things aren't meant
to last. I'm going legit and buying my own web space so watch this space lol.
July 23rd: Anyone who says cataract surgery is a walk in the park is lying! My experience was one of the most traumatic periods of my life and the 5 hour wait before hand didn't help. It wasn't painful but very uncomfortable, the procedure before you go in is very weird a needle is inserted just above your eyeball socket and slid in to freeze your eye. It makes you clench your teeth when your paranoid mind thinks "are they ever gonna stop" as it slides in further for what feels like a journey into your brain. Then the actual surgery itself is performed while your awake. (the option of being unconscious wasn't offered). Your head is covered in green cloth with an opening for your eye as they detach your old lens and replace it with a new one. You would never withstand the pain or not blink without the local anaesthetic as you enter the murky world of eye surgery. You really do witness a sensation of looking through a murky pool of lights as the surgeon pulls and tuggs as more water gushes into the vision to lubricate your eye. Then it goes very dark which is weird but luckily doesn't last for long then more light and all the time you can hear the medical terms being spoken as they do the 45 minute procedure. At one point I heard an instrument fall to the floor (hope they cleaned it before its next use). The only comparison i could make would be Alien abduction in some respects, you were just too terrified to move an inch as the very cold clinical procedure takes place frozen to the spot while they go through their gruesome task. Apparently there was a slight setback with my operation. The lens connection was weak so they had to go in further oh no thats all i need. My heart was pounding the sweat was running down the back of my neck. They perform this operation all over the world on a daily basis and is usually over within 25 mins. There were about 9 patients in my list I was last boo hoo. No-one says its all over your thinking is it isn't it? When it was all finally over they patch you up and roll you out to the corridor. You never see the people who do it, but my surgeon had to come out and gimme a brief reason why it took so long. What a relief. The anxiety subsides, the thing i noticed as i peered through the patch was no significant pain or discomfort but the floaters like red splashes of paint floating in your vision were alarming as they crossed my vision every time i moved my eye. These are due to the disturbance of the jelly in yr eye as they had to go in further than usual. Gotta have another one done next year gawd wish me luck!!!!
July 24th: Have my patch removed sunglasses are required not just to protect your eye from dust but because the bright sunshine really does make your eye sting. I need a few pints think I deserve that after yesterdays trauma. I noticed the tenderness in the eye is starting to kick in now and can't enjoy my drink as much as I intended so head home early to put more drops in.
AUGUST
August 5th: I know this is becoming boring but yet again FREEBIE web space shows you why they're ok for a short fix but for the long ride and over 500 plus pages of information you REALLY do need your own space. After a decade of various squats to vent my spiel I was yet again in August booted out my last squat for no conceivable reason and without no warning! So have now finally bought the rights to www.punkrocker.org.uk which will be my main portal for eternity, or at least 2015. I stress this has no connection with punkrockers.com in case you wondered. Punk Rocker isn't very original but it really does describe this particular website Punk Rock is the soundtrack to our lives well thats my excuse and im stickin too it. Oh and anyone who visited my old sites and had links could you please redirect them to the above thanx.
SEPTEMBER
September 25th: Go and see the Steve Ignorant gig in Brum tonight. Gotta say its the second gig of the year for me and not half as satisfying as the first but will get to that in more detail sooner or later. Biggest downer was my camera fucking up and a shitty packed to the gills venue (the old Academy was way more inviting). Although Steve's voice was shot to pieces Beki Rackets vocal and performance more than made up for it in the end with her brilliant Eve Libertine rendition.
September 28th: Good news the Stench album finally arrives from Italy after
a looong wait and have to say the cover is as eye catching as I'd hoped for.
The album apparently plays a little faster than the tracks were recorded so
Daz tells me. He does have an ear for for such detail but im not complaining,
a little speed never hurt anyone, particularly Stench, just ask Gazza!
OCTOBER
October 1st: To celebrate the arrival of the Stench album I don't go out for
a drink (was working anyway), instead I buy myself an X-box 360 purely for
my Fallout 3 fixation. Oh how the times change!
October 17th: Just had this review sent in from Tom Freefall (cheers
mate) its from Maximumrocknroll #330. Don't know where
'Wolverhampton's greatest punk band of all time' came from? It
certainly wasn't from us? I'd say that would have to be Neon Hearts,
but we were certainly the most wild. 'No Escape' is one of our more
accomplished moments and has definitely a great riff and 'From Hell'
was not inspired by Stephen Knight, but by a letter supposedly
written by Jack The Ripper in blood and signed 'From Hell', which
could be on the actual cover for any of you observant punks out there
who actually buy a copy.
21st October: Shock news Arri up of the Slits dies of cancer gawd!!!
NOVEMBER
November 6th: Second batch of Stench records arrive. Great it will
enable me to start posting some out to fanzines. Any zine writers
who want one while stocks last get in contact.
November 30th: Get a PUNKTURE riding to work boo hoo, worse case scenario for a bike rider
with no spares, good job my brother was visiting so I give him a call and he picks me up in his
van within 15 mins drops me off at work and takes my bike home, else could've been an
expensive taxi ride. Cheers Dan!!!!
DECEMBER
December 21st: Neat X-mas pressie arrives despite the snow Jenny Lens 'Punk Pioneers'
and is highly recommended. Great pics of mostly the early LA punk scene which are
fascinating, but not nearly as many as I was hoping for. She must have literally thousands
waiting for an eager audience. As a side note didn't realise she had quite so many flings
with some name punks. You'll have to buy it to find out who as I don't wanna lose my heart
on the burning sands, and can't possibly besmirch a ladys reputation lol.
December 24th: Quiet Christmas Eve drink in town after work, not many old faces about.
I suddenly realise x-mas died when i found out santa clause was a lie (hope my
grandkids ain't reading this, its not true im only kidding honest).
December 29th: KOP A LOAD OF THAT!....Wolves BEAT Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield. First time
we won there in 27 YEARS yesssssss!!!!!!!!
December 31st: Decide to head into town this afternoon for a drink or two. Unsuprisingly went over
my limit by quite a lot, but its only once a year and can remember almost everything. Again it was
quiet but a little more livelier than Christmas Eve, bumped into Boltthrower (AKA Fat Cyril) in the tap he was his usual entertaining self and kept me amused for a very long time till he dissapeared as usual into the night. As a last resort head into the Giffard Arms host to a couple of Torcha Shed gigs back in the 90's now home to local rock/goff fraternity. Im met by a fiver entrance fee. So I begrugingly paid in and was BEMUSED to witness not a bursting at the seams rock joint, but a very sedate 30 or so bunch of very sober looking metal heads. There was even seat room, it was quiet and boring and definitely not worth the fiver, what a mistake. I had a few drinks and decided my new years Eve would be better off spent at home (wish id stayed in and played Wow lol). Good riddance 2010!!!!