Raining Rock n Roll,
Molotov Jive never need much encouragement to go to Hamburg. The place rocks like very few others, and once more we are heading for the airport.. Everyone is fit and ready to go. All except MJ video director, Emil, who was drinking wine until 7 am that morning and is currently looking somewhat ragged around the edges.
We arrived at Skavsta just over an hour before the flight. That is usually plentry of time. However today seems to be very busy and it is not long before we suddenly have a problem. It's 15 minutes to the closing of check-in and there is about 20 people in front of us. The check in desk in dealing with all destinations so many of them are checking in for much later flights and to other places. To make matters worse, directly infont of us is a family party with around 10 people plus 4 baggage trollys that are holding the entire contents of their house. They must have 20 cases! Theirs is not going to be a quick check in. 9 minutes to go. There is nothing for it. We go to the front and ask if we can jump the queue. Thankfully they are really nice about it and agree to let us go next. Wouldn't you just know it! The 2 guys currently checking in are over weight with one of their cases and decide to have an argument with the check-in girl.. 6 minutes to go.
We finally check in with a few minutes to spare. We even have time for a quick beer in the deaprture lounge and run into Markus, guitarst with Stompin Souls and drummer with Friskor Vilior. Markus is very pleasant guy and somewhat amusing company. Stompin Souls are playing the Kaiserkeller with MJ tonight. Markus doesn't know where it is, who else is playing or how he is getting there. After tonights gig he is on tour with Friskor for 2 weeks. Someone asks him who has booked the tour. He then spends the next 30 minutes trying to remember what his booking agency is. Its all rather amusing. He's more disorganized than Anton!! Now that is Disorganized.
An hour and ten minutes later we start to decend through the clouds towards Lubek. Emil and myself are seated together near the wing and are chatting about nothing inparticular as we continue to come down through the white clouds. We are both looking out of the window and waiting for our first sight of Northern Germany. It seems to be taking a long time. Emil notes that either were are decending very slowly or the cloud is very low today. Suddenly were are through it. Jesus Christ! Were are only a 200 metres above the trees! We hit the ground with a solid thump, much harder and faster than usual it seems.
For the next hour were are going to be at the centre of a comedy sketch straight out of Fawlty Towers. Last time we arrived at Lubek there were not enough buses to take everyone the 70 kilometres to Hamburg. We sat impatiently on the bus while the driver had big argument with members of a Korean orchestra who were insiting they be allowed on the bus. The bus company eventually ordered them taxis.
Surpise surprise! We encounter the exact same thing. There are 20 plus people angrily demanding they should be on the bus. 30 minutes goes by while the driver messes about trying to organize another bus. He climbs on board and asks if anyone has left a grey bag on the side walk. No one claims it and he goes back outside to continue getting his ass kicked by the mob. 45 minutes has now gone by and everyone is getting angry we are not going anywhere. Finally it all seems to be sorted out. He gets back on the bus and once more inquires if any of the passengers own the grey bag that is sitting on the sidewalk.
Once again, no one claims it. He then mentions that it has drum sticks in the side pocket.
Markus suddenly sits up and looks out of the window. It had 2 weeks worth of clothes, his passport and money in it. What a muppet!
The driver then proves he is also a muppet and starts to drive off with the luggage doors still open. After almost an hour we finally begin to move. We get 300 metres and then stop again. And now the crowning glory of The Idiotbus Co. A second bus is on its way to collect the other passenger. Only the bus driver does not know the route from Lubek airport to Hamburg. Our bus has been told to wait for him to arrive so it can follow our bus. One of the German passengers informs us what is happening and their air fills with angry sighs and swearing. The driver seems to realise he is going to have a riot on his hands and decided to pay one of the local taxi drivers to accompany the second bus and show the driver the way to Hamburg. Finally, after over an hour, we get moving.
So hear we are at the legenday Kaiserkeller. It is a great place. A big basment club in Grosse Freiheit were the Beatles played 3 sets a night for up to 7 hours and provided the background music for drunken sailors to fight to. Time is moving on and , after greeting our friends Felix and Dennis, MJ hurridly prepare for a soundcheck. Oskar has his new weapon of choice. A 1968 Hagrstom guitar and he clearly cannot wait to get it cranked up and making a big noise. The sound in the club is great and the adrenalin is now being pumped up for a great night. We greet the rest of Stompin Souls, who had arrived the day before, and then MJ sit down with Hartwig, Maja & Isa from MJs German website. Interview soon to be posted there I guess. Emil and myself leave them too it and go and have a beer down at Schlemmer Ek. By 20.30 Anton and Johan have joined us there to conduct 2 magazine interviews, and at 22.00 we head back to the Kasierkeller to watch The Stompin's. They are a great live band. Thomas has a Jim Morrison thing going on and it is great pop garage sound. They have a good show and by the time they finish the KK is gettting close to being full.
MJ have a new intro and a new set. Most of the album is there, plus new songs, Paint the City Black and Song for the Fallen Apart. It is a great show. The sound totally rocks and the boys have turned the lever from stun to kill. Its great to see so many of the hardcore Mollies have turned up from all over Germany. I think it one of the best gigs I have seem them do. All the touring is paying off. The crowd are crazy and loud and the band put on an energy charged and furious gig. Just before the end of the set little Anton from 1000 Robota, decided to climb on stage and grab the mic. He is really pissed and, although he thinks it's funny, The Bean ain't too happy to have his space inavaded. Unfortunaltey for little Anton, the security did not find it funny and threw him out of the club. Pretty dumb move as 1000 Robota were due to play next. MJ finished the set in style before Anton starts the encore with Hold Me Tight Like a Gun,before running through Sorry to Call and Friday Im in Love. By the end, the place is going crazy and MJ really brought the house down. The guys take five before doing the last press and media of the day, and its getting to on towards party time.
As it is now 1 a.m we deside it might be sensible to go and check in to our hotel before everyone gets so wasted they cannot find it. Felix and Dennis informed us it was the best hotel in Hamburg and I have to say they were not wrong about that. The Moevenpick Hotel is quite something. It is a converted water tower standing in the middle of a public park. It is very space age with moving walkways and crazy modern art pieces everywhere. I check the band in first and the attempt to check in myself and Emil. What is with check-ins today? They cannot find our reservation. I am tired and not in the mood to mess about. I inform the consierge I am going to have a cigarette in the bar and whn I come back he will have sorted it out. He starts saying ths might not be possible. I inform him that he doesn't undestand what I am saying. He will have sorted it out by the time I get back. He seems to get the message the second time and , sure enough, by the time I return we have a room. Once again it is very cool with amazing views of the park and glass walls between the bed room and the bathroom. Ten minutes later we are once more in a taxi and returning to St Pauli. First stop Lunacy and some famous white Russians.
Stompins join us, accompanied by Felix, Dennis and our booking agent Bibo, It is not long before the party gets started and we finally move on to The Molotov Club amd meet up with some fans. Emil starts everone off on vodka shots and it is not long before everything beyond this point becomes a blur. I leave MJ at around 3.30 am. The next morning they infom me they left at 6.am.
We meet for breakfast and, in keeping with this excellent hotel, it is a huge and delicious meal, accompanied by bottles of Krug champange. Thank you to the Reeperbahn Festival. By mid day we are all half pissed again but it fights off the expected hangovers.
We check out. Emil has stolen the rubber duck from the bathroom! We head to Hauptbahnhof and Anton finds some comfy lounge chairs chanined to a lamp post, just a few meters from the airport bus. It's a strange thing to find but most welcome. We buy some cold bottles of Astra, park ourselvves in the chairs for an hour a amuse each other with jokes from Rick Gervais's genius show,Extras, and sing the Spider Pig song from The Simpson movie. As we board the bus for the ride to Lubek, Thomas, Calle and Henke from Stompin's show up. We tell the driver they are trouble causing drunks and not to let them on the bus. Its afar more pleasant drive back to Lubek. It's the first time the bands have met each other and they all seem to get on great. Henke then creates a big laugh when he produces Markus's bag once more. He is now setting off on a european tour with Friskor Viljia, except his passport, keys and money were on their way back to Stockholm. Earth Calling Markus! Earth Calling Markus! There is time for a couple more cold beers in the airport bar and then its back home. Johnny and I carry on with some whiskeys on the flight. We are quite smashed by the time we arrive back in Stockholm but, hey! No point in going to Hamburg and not making the most of it.
The MJ European tour kicks off on Oct 31st and this was a great day to start the ball rolling. Lots of press and TV, a great gig, and ,as always, great fans and hospitality.
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