40 Years ago The Clash

40 years ago....

With The Clash...

June 28th Friars Aylesbury...I think the Local Authorities were still trying to decide whether or not to allow the band to perform, the gig went ahead without any problems. This is when we discovered we didn't need to cover the fold back to protect the speakers

June 29th Queens Hall Leeds (under a railway) Support Band called Chelsea were good, was that Billy Idol?  fantastic hair 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelsea_(band)

it gets more interesting....

Life on the Road

Aha...can't remember how this works...as Johnny Winter once said 'Still Alive and Well'

more of Life on the Road...

Was toying with the idea of recounting what I can remember of the Clash Tour that I was on 40 years ago. I found a gig list on-line which seems fairly accurate, one or 2 anomalies. Anyway the first gig was June the 28th 1978 at The Friers Aylesbury, so, I'm guessing we must have been in rehearsals by now.
During rehearsals I remember dropping a roll of Gaffer Tape from the lighting rig onto Topper...oops, he was ok though and I didn't get fired.
There was a bit of excitement one day when Bernie (Rhodes) wandered in with a guy the band seemed to hate. They were for walking out and not coming back unless the guy left. Turns out he produced one of their records and the Band were very unhappy at whatever he did  with their work ( someone said he speeded it up..who knows) He stayed and the Band didn't leave.
How did I end up on this tour...Well the story goes that a company called Entec (still on the go) got the gig and either they didn't have enough of their own crew available or none of their crew wanted to do it. Anyway I got a call from Dave Black asking if I was available and I was.
 Now I didn't actually know anything about the Clash having been on the road for the last 6 or 7 months you kinda lose touch with whats's happening...anyway in their world I was an old hairy hippie, part of the old established rock scene, but, they needed bods like me to actually do gigs, so, they put up with us being there... I remember a tale one of the sound crew told me, it concerned a Lighting Tech who ended up working with the Pistols. During rehearsals he tried over and over to find out what the hell they wanted in the way of a light show, he eventually collared Mr Rotten and asked him...he said, 'When I walk on stage switch the lights on, and, when I walk off stage switch the lights off .'  Easiest gig ever.
Turns out the Entec crew were concerned about several aspects of the tour. The fact that the Clash were barred/banned from several towns because there tended to be a riot every time they played, the sound crew were a bit worried about the fold back monitors getting wet...The crowd for some reason used to spit at the Band so they covered the monitors in a foam rubber material to protect them...Turns out a combination of the heat off the lights and the crowd running out of Spittle meant we could abandon the protective material.
Strummer hated the spitting. If you see any video of him watch how he keeps turning his head to the side to avoid being hit in the face.
 tbc I'll recount some memories from the gigs on the 40th anniversary

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/315227974/181741
short walk...

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/315227974/181741

I asked a question re Income Tax in the event of Scotland gaining independence. I live in Scotland but work in England, the following is the answer?

Thank you for the question on taxation which you submitted to the scotreferendum website.

The Scottish Government published Scotland's Future - Your Guide to an Independent Scotland on 26 November. Scotland's Future sets out the gains of independence for Scotland and explains the process by which Scotland will become independent following a Yes vote and how a newly independent Scotland will work.  You can read and order a copy of Scotland's Future at http://www.scotreferendum.com/.

As set out in the answer to Question 37 on page 388 of Scotland's Future, the Scottish Government will build on the existing definition set out in the Scotland Act 2012 and general international protocols to establish a definition of a Scottish taxpayer based on residence.  In general, this means that people who live in Scotland for most of the year will pay their taxes here.  Where people split their time between Scotland and other countries, including England, Wales and Northern Ireland, there will be clear rules set out in statute to determine which tax authority they pay their taxes to. 

The Scottish Government will seek a double taxation agreement with the Westminster Government following a vote in favour of independence which clearly allocates taxing rights over all forms of income based on residence.  This will ensure that people with earnings in one country and who reside in the other are not taxed twice on the same income, gains or transactions.  It will be in the interests of both Scotland and the rest of the UK to arrive at a double taxation agreement that ensures that the tax affairs of individuals who incur tax charges in one country and reside in the other are as simple and predictable as possible. 

The passing of the Scotland Act 2012 means that by 2016, whatever the result of the referendum, there will be differences in the tax systems in Scotland and other parts of the UK.  With the full powers of independence, we have the opportunity to create a simpler tax system in Scotland which meets Scotland’s needs and reduces the compliance burden for taxpayers.

Independence will provide the Scottish Parliament and Government with the powers to set tax rates which are right for Scotland, allowing Scottish Ministers to develop policies that will deliver sustainable economic growth and a fair society.  More detailed information on the current government’s taxation priorities and the use of tax powers can be found in Chapter 3 of Scotland's Future (at pages 117-123) and in the Taxes and Taxation pages on the Questions and Answers section of the Scotland’s Referendum website.

Right. Here's a challenge. Can you find Bryntallone?

 Is Barntalloch, or Bretaloch the same place?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/letsbikeit/10342949813/in/photostream/

hint as to location   http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/user/181741

Endomondo Walking Workout

Endomondo Walking Workout

went to 9 Stane Rig, forgot to switch on gps til I was half way up the hill, took the wrong route was tough going through the brash.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/letsbikeit/sets/72157635233994608/

Canonbie Flower Show day was particularly wet and wind this year...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/letsbikeit/sets/72157635113873208/
h