The Gonzo Daily - Tuesday
Today was like something out of Kafka. And no, I don’t mean that I woke up
this morning and found that I had mysteriously metamorphosed into a giant
beetle. Graham and I arrived at the ever-so-dilapidated building which houses
Barnstaple’s Job Centre and the Committee of Affairs, or whatever they call
themselves now, but as we have mislaid the letter they sent me I can’t be sure.
We were 10 minutes earlier, but the front door was locked. Leaving me leaning on
a lamppost like a bipolar George Formby, Graham went in search of another point
of ingress, a process which took two or three minutes. He took me in through
this side door, and the waiting room was deserted apart from a visibly upset
Black Country lass of uncertain years who was waiting for her sister to be
interviewed. There was no staff of any kind visible.
For what seemed like ages, but was probably only about 20 minutes, Graham
and Josef K, I’m sorry, me, waited. The automatic door from the outside into
this peculiar ur-space from the outside world was obviously faulty, and kept on
opening and shutting irregularly but over and over again. We tried to make
cheery conversation for the sake of the Black Country lass who was by now really
quite upset because her sister and husband had been in an interview which should
have lasted 10 minutes for over an hour.
Eventually her sister and husband reappeared through one of the doors.
Something was obviously wrong, and they bustled outside pushing her sister in
the wheelchair.
Then it was time for me.
Would I be able to wait for two or three hours? They asked. Two of the
doctors were off sick. “will they be claiming incapacity benefits” I sniggered,
and Graham glared at me. Apparently, my leaverty went unnoticed, and I was told
that they would make me a new appointment in a few months time.
Seriously for a second. The receptionist from the Job Centre couldn’t have
been kinder or more caring. The same can truly be said about the nurse that I
saw back in June. But I had worked myself into quite a heavy state about it all.
Not that I think that I am in any way fraudulently claiming benefits, or because
I have anything that I should be ashamed about. But these days there are so many
horror stories going around that I cannot help but be influenced by them. Thank
you to everybody who had sent their good wishes. Just be aware that we are going
to have to do the whole thing again after Christmas.
Peace…
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40 years solo for guitarist Steve
Gonzo Weekly #153
www.gonzoweekly.com
Martin Barre, Jethro Tull. Marbin, Gail Zappa, George Harrison, Joe
Deninzon, Stratospheerius,Transmetropolitan, Digitiser, Mr Biffo, Roy Weard,
Dogwatch, That Legendary Wooden Lion, Hawkwind, Jon Anderson, Mack Moloney, and
Yes fans had better look out!
The latest issue of Gonzo Weekly (#153) is available to read at
www.gonzoweekly.com, and to download at http://www.gonzoweekly.com/pdf/. It
has Martin Barre on the cover and an interview with him inside. As well as
Doug’s interview with the famous Jethro Tull guitarist, he also interviews Joe
Deninzon from Stratospheerius,Jon interviews Dani from Marbin, John B-G
celebrates the life of Gail Zappa, and Corinna sneers at some more tacky pop
memorabilia, Mack meets Nick Redfern, plus we
welcome A J Smitrovitch as a regular contributor.... We review volume two
of Transmetropolitan, and Xtul are back in the deep woods. Neil unearths a
hidden gem, Thom waxes all poetical like, whilst the legendary Roy Weard
continues his regular column, C J Stone does his, and Mr Biffo has more of his
regular slices of insanity from the world of Digitiser 2000, and there is a
radio show from Strange Fruit, one from Friday Night Progressive and another
from Mack Moloney. There is also a collection of more news, reviews, views,
interviews and pademelons wanting a snooze (OK, nothing to do with small
marsupials who stayed up too late last night, but I got carried away with things
that rhymed with OOOOS) than you can shake a stick at. And the best part is IT's
ABSOLUTELY FREE!!!
This issue features:
George Harrison, Tom Jones, Rod Stewart, Black Sabbath, Blur, New Order,
Gong, Marillion, System 7, Steve Hillage, Strange Fruit, Friday Night
Progressive, Mack Maloney's Mystery Hour, Cory Wells, Frank Watkins, John Edward
Jennings, Brand X, The Raz Band, Johnny Winter, Alexis Korner, 13th Floor
Elevators, Nucleus, Spirits Burning, The Pirates, Martin Barre, Joe Deninzon,
Stratospheerius, Dani Rabin, Marbin, John Brodie-Good, Gail Zappa, Andrew May,
Roy Weard, A J Smitrovich, My Dad's LPs, Mr Biffo, Hawkwind, Sea Shepherd, Dave
Brock, Xtul, Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Mark Laff, Generation X, Robbie
williams, Michael Jackson, Hacienda Club, Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne, Uriah
Heep, Ray Davies, The Mamas and Papas, Mike Nesmith, Davy Jones, Bobbie Gentry,
Yes, Billy Sherwood, Steve Howe, Alan White, Joey Molland, Tony Levin, John
Lennon, Neil Nixon, Virginia Belmont's Famous Singing & Talking Birds,
Kartikeya
Read the previous few issues of Gonzo Weekly:
Issue 152 (4th Eden)
Issue 151 (Corky Laing)
Issue 150 (Roger Dean)
Issue 149 (Tony Palmer in Space)
Issue 148 (Wally Hope)
Issue 147 (Thom the World Poet cover)
Issue 146 (Bee and Flower cover)
Issue 145 (Dave Brock cover)
Issue 144 (Percy Jones cover)
Issue 143 (Billy Sherwood cover)
Issue 142 (Daevid Allen and Spirits Burning cover)
Issue 141 (Rick Wakeman cover)
Issue 140 (Jaki Windmill cover)
Issue 139 (Raz cover)
Issue 138 (Galahad cover)
Issue 137 (Chris Squire cover)
Issue 136 (Neil Nixon cover)
Issue 135 (FNP cover)
All issues from #70 can be downloaded at www.gonzoweekly.com if you prefer.
If you have problems downloading, just email me and I will add you to the Gonzo
Weekly dropbox. The first 69 issues are archived there as well. Information is
power chaps, we have to share it!
You can download the magazine in pdf form HERE:
SPECIAL NOTICE: If you, too, want to unleash the power of your inner rock
journalist, and want to join a rapidly growing band of likewise minded weirdos
please email me at jon@eclipse.co.uk The more the merrier really.
* The Gonzo Daily is a two way process. If you have any news or want to
write for us, please contact me at jon@eclipse.co.uk. If you are an artist and
want to showcase your work, or even just say hello please write to me at
gonzo@cfz.org.uk. Please copy, paste and spread the word about this magazine as
widely as possible. We need people to read us in order to grow, and as soon as
it is viable we shall be invading more traditional magaziney areas. Join in the
fun, spread the word, and maybe if we all chant loud enough we CAN stop it
raining. See you tomorrow...
* The Gonzo Daily is - as the name implies - a daily online magazine
(mostly) about artists connected to the Gonzo Multimedia group of companies. But
it also has other stuff as and when the editor feels like it. The same team also
do a weekly newsletter called - imaginatively - The Gonzo Weekly. Find out about
it at this link:
www.gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/…/all-gonzo-news-wots-fit…
* We should probably mention here, that some of our posts are links to
things we have found on the internet that we think are of interest. We are not
responsible for spelling or factual errors in other people's websites. Honest
guv!
* Jon Downes, the Editor of all these ventures (and several others) is an
old hippy of 56 who - together with an infantile orange cat named after a song
by Frank Zappa, and a small kitten totally coincidentally named after one of the
Manson Family, purely because she squeaks, puts it all together from a converted
potato shed in a tumbledown cottage deep in rural Devon which he shares with
various fish, and sometimes a young lady called Jessica. He is ably assisted by
his lovely wife Corinna, his bulldog/boxer Prudence, his elderly mother-in-law,
and a motley collection of social malcontents. Plus.. did we mention the
infantile orange cat, and the adventurous kitten?
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