1. So now you’re home…Have you had time for reflecting on the last tour?
DC… Not really…there’s plenty of time for that…Most important is for me to relax in the moment & the loving embrace of my Family… I’ve missed them immensely, as you can imagine… & I need to reconnect with Tahoe… which isn’t difficult, as it’s one of my favourite places on Earth!
I’m trying to get up on in the mountains for my walks… hikes… There is an immense benefit for me as a person when I commune with Mother Nature… Indescribable… I go up there with problems… & return with solutions… ‘Tis a magical place, I tell you!
2. How did this last tour compare with previous tours?
DC… It was the hottest tour I’ve ever done!… Both in temperatures & performances!… Also, this was by far the most successful tour in terms of the amount of people we played to since I returned to performing live in 2003…
The consistency of the shows…the camaraderie with the band, our crew & assistants…Everyone pulled together admirably…Memorable moments…many magical evenings in the company of friends…Mmm… where have I heard that before!…No matter…it’s still true! We overcame most of the challenges, real & imagined, that come out of the blue to try & stop the momentum…We did it, Baby!
Man…we are blessed with a great crew…A GREAT crew…the best! We never stopped moving forward…even against the most adversarial & difficult situations…Onwards & Forwards!… The motto of the Snake…
3. Everyone I talk to hopes you will keep this line up…There’s a lot of people who feel this is the best Whitesnake yet…
DC… I would love to keep this band together…& it is a remarkable chapter for Whitesnake… People welcome the individuals more positively now than ever…& quite deservedly so… & yes it is a superb chapter of the band…I’m thrilled with them…
I love working with each of them on a personal level… great guys… & also, more importantly, as a band… I hope the circumstances support us continuing… it’s a ton of fun!
4. There have been so many musicians thro’ Whitesnake…Are you a hard man to work for?
DC…For me it has all the elements, all the ingredients that I enjoy about Whitesnake…It’s a very solid, muscular, melodic rock record with a couple of fine ballads, so, there’s a little tenderness when the moment calls for it…& of course the ballads help balance out the chest beaters! I find it a very complete piece of work, actually…It covers a lot of musical ground…A positive chapter in the Book Of Whitesnake… I’m able to sing from a whisper to a scream, with all points in between, very comfortably with the new material… We also tried some new musical keys for me to sing in…which made it very fresh, interesting & fun… When Doug & I sat down to jam on each others song ideas the structure of the album was evident pretty much immediately…it came together very naturally… There was never a danger of compromising the acknowledged identity of Whitesnake for the sake of trying to be modern…or fashionable… I’d say if there was any influence it would be all the previous elements that have come together to make what is Whitesnake, coupled with the very welcome fresh injection from Doug , Chris, Timothy, Uriah & Reb… Chris Frazier has brought a very Paicey feel back to the band…He swings, grooves, rocks & rolls…A very pleasing foundation to bulid from…Whitesnake’s got it’s groove back! As a band, these guys know how to tell the Whitesnake story very well indeed…
5. Let’s backtrack a bit to pre-tour preparations… how long did you and the band rehearse before heading off to Japan?
DC… To be honest, I’m the worst for rehearsing…the less the better for me…Fortunately, my band are more professional!… It was probably a week in LA… I had to keep zipping across town to check on the mixing of the forthcoming live album…so, I was pretty busy…
For me it’s a matter of getting my voice open & physically prepared for the vocal thrashing it’s about to undergo on the road… For the guys, it’s getting re-familiarized with the songs…discussing what we fancy playing along with the ‘necessary’ songs in the set…& messing about with arrangements to keep us from ‘going thro’ the motions’ onstage…It must be fresh…& we all take it very seriously…
6. What about the merchandise? When does the design process for the t-shirts and programs begin?
DC… My partner & I…the famous Two Cool Coyotes…are normally messing around year-round with ideas for designs…Updating the more popular designs…We work with a great design team at Signatures, the merchandising company we’re involved with…They’re headed by David Seltzer…another veteran who certainly knows his trade… The tourbooks are most definitely a labour of love for us…but, great fun to put together…Doing the layout is the most work of all the merch stuff. Some of the players are easy to pick pix of…some not so…We always try to keep the ensemble happy, but, unfortunately, we don’t always succeed!
We have to go thro’ literally thousands of pix…which can be a little wearing…The good news is my partner & I get on wonderfully…& rarely lose it with each other…We’re on the same page, as the saying goes…
7. How much input do you have in the design of Whitesnake merchandise?
DC… 100%…
8. How do you establish the quantity of merchandise needed for the tour?
DC… The quantity is dictated by the size & capacity of the venues we are going to play, so as the tour is put together, that is the sole indicator…We try not to end up with a bunch of 2006 shirts going into 2007!
We’re pretty lucky that our merch is very popular, wherever we go…Just ask the bootleggers!
9. Last year, the tour program had Chinese/Japanese characters… this year it’s Celtic designs. Is there any significance to this?
DC… Mostly, it’s just an attempt to keep it visually interesting… Fresh… My partner & I are constantly looking at ways to make the designs interesting & offer new angles…or, maybe digging something out of the past…’retro’, they call it…& revamping the idea… Sometimes it works…& sometimes it doesn’t pay off as well as we’d like… However, part of the fun is in the research… the experiments… When it works, we’re like two kids in a candy store!
We were especially happy with this year’s book… It was much easier to put these things together when I toured once every 3 years… but now, with going on tour annually, it takes a lot of time & effort to keep coming up with good, interesting ideas…It’s a good, creative challenge…
10. Can you describe a typical day when you are on tour?
DC… What… & compromise the magic?… Ruin the illusion?… Ha Ha!
When I’m on tour my day is pretty much routine for the duration… Workouts… vocal exercise… meditations… & rest… All preparations for the show…
Days off are usually travel days… but, a great opportunity to rest my voice… tho’ I’m constantly asked to do interviews… For some reason, they don’t seem to think that if I’m �talking’ all day isn’t stressful on my voice… but, it is… My poor, ol’ cords take quite a thrashing out there! I am constantly aware of the possibility that if I don’t take care of my voice, then the next show, or even the tour could be jeopardized…
I will share with you that I had arranged some spectacular, unusual days off in Vienna during the tour… Cindy, Jasper & I stayed there, while my band drove onto the next city, so my daughter, Jessica, could drive in from Munich with her two stunning daughters, Georgina… who is a MAJOR handful, but, utterly beautiful & can get away with it easily…& for the first time we met our new grandaughter, Tilda Lily… who is simply breathtaking, of course!
So, all I hold precious in life was with me for a few days…& for the very first time ever, I was an active Grandpa in the middle of a tour!
It also made sense for me to base there so I could meet with the prospective record company representatives from Germany… so… a little business was mixed in with the pleasure… Tho’ I must say, it is a pleasure doing business with SPV… Their enthusiasm is infectious… & a very welcome… Very much removed from the relatively uncaring attitude I see from the major record companies…
11. Some people have expressed disappointment that Whitesnake didn’t come to their country. How were the concert locations chosen?
DC… Once again at the risk of repeating myself… this aspect has nothing to do with me…
My Friend & agent, Rod MacSween, puts the word out that we’re going to tour, & promoters get in touch with him if they are interested… That is it… plain & simple… or, promoters may open dialogue with him & he sees the opportunity to launch a whole tour… I think Japan was the first piece of the puzzle this year…
I promise you it has nothing to do with us NOT wanting to visit another country & play… or us only playing our favourite places… it is very simple… you have to get your promoters to get off their arses & step up to the plate… & we’ll be there… if it all works out, it all works out… & there is always routing the tour… sometimes it is impossible to get to a place on a tour that has a venue that is only available at a particular time… & it may be miles out of the way for our trucks…
Another instance on this last tour, I saw that Ireland wasn’t on the original tour plan so I asked Rod to look into it… I love playing & visiting there… but to the best of my knowledge, there was no invite… Apparently, the promoters weren’t ‘feeling the love’, Baby… & if anything came later… it was probably too late to route the tour there… Believe me… it’s disappointing for me, too… & there is always next time…
12. Any unpleasant memories from the tour, disappointments?…
DC… Yes, unfortunately… I was very unhappy that the organizers of the Bang Your Head festival didn’t fully articulate, or explain that it was not Whitesnake’s fault that we went on late & had to cut the show short by 5 songs… They had trouble with their generators, I understand, just before we were to go on… & while this was being fixed, I happily had pictures taken with the promoter & the artist who designed the festival logo, etc… & nobody said anything about a curfew before the show… or that we would have to cut our performance so drastically short… so, I didn’t find out until I came off for Doug’s solo piece before ‘Crying In The Rain’… I had all these people around me, panicking… telling me I had to stop before 11pm, or I & the festival organizers would be charged 100,000 Euros a minute!
As you can imagine, that was rather sobering… so, I said to Horst… the promoter… he should come onstage with me & help explain the problem… but, he wouldn’t… so, I tried my best… in my modest German… to tell the crowd the problem… I felt terrible… I could see a lot of them could not understand why the headliner only played half a show… Then afterwards, to be told it was our fault was beyond the pale… I was most upset by this… The show had started off great…
Budapest was another sad scenario… we were there… ready to rock… & suddenly, a huge storm blew in… & I mean HUGE!… It devastated the stage & the show site… it was to be an open air show… Man… it was some storm… flooding streets… I watched helplessly from my hotel window… I knew it was going to be called off… It would have been impossible for anyone to perform in those conditions… Our equipment was soaked… & that’s a big problem, as most of it is customized… We felt terrible for the people who’d traveled from all over Hungary for the show… just terrible… but there was absolutely nothing we could do… God Willing, we’ll make it up to them sometime…
The other disappointing thing was seeing so many cheap, bootleg WS T-shirts out there… I can certainly understand people wanting something cheaper than the quality we offer… but, really… it’s supporting the bootleggers… not the band… It was a major problem the further south we travelled… You see, the money we make from our merchandise is a very necessary element these days & it helps pay for the band to actually survive as a band… Very necessary…
We appreciate the support that people give us by buying our merch, believe me… & I take the quality & the design very seriously… I have never wanted to rip people off… I have always tried to give people their money’s worth…
13. Any amusing moments to share?
DC… Lots!
5. Let’s backtrack a bit to pre-tour preparations… how long did you and the band rehearse before heading off to Japan?
DC… To be honest, I’m the worst for rehearsing…the less the better for me…Fortunately, my band are more professional!… It was probably a week in LA… I had to keep zipping across town to check on the mixing of the forthcoming live album…so, I was pretty busy…
For me it’s a matter of getting my voice open & physically prepared for the vocal thrashing it’s about to undergo on the road… For the guys, it’s getting re-familiarized with the songs…discussing what we fancy playing along with the ‘necessary’ songs in the set…& messing about with arrangements to keep us from ‘going thro’ the motions’ onstage…It must be fresh…& we all take it very seriously…
14. How did you go about deciding on the set list for this tour? Did the band members give you any input?
DC… There are certain songs that have to be in there, or we’d get our arses kicked!… Yes… the band have input… after all… they’re the ones playing the tunes… It’s fascinating to me how passionate they are about certain songs… Don’t forget it was the band who wanted to do ‘Burn’… they’d grown up with that album… Influenced & inspired by it… so… why not?… It was not my idea… You never know, sometimes, what’s going to work & what isn’t… For instance… we started off playing ‘Guilty Of Love’ & for some reason we weren’t connecting with it… It felt kind of ‘poppy’ to us… so… Ciao, Baby!
It has to feel right in order for us to present it properly…
15. How does it feel doing the same songs night after night?
DC… Fine, really… We mix it up sometimes to keep us on our toes… & the audience response helps immensely in inspiring us to do our best… There are times I wonder if I can be as enthusiastic singing ‘Burn’ with the same intensity, night after night, for instance… but, when I see the crowd react with such appreciation, it immediately makes any misgivings vanish… Tho’ I must say I was rather concerned in Greece when some people started fires in the crowd when we started… Perhaps taking ‘Burn’ to the extreme!… Thanks, Guys… but, we don’t need those ‘special effects’!
You must also remember that when I toured years ago, it was once every 3 years… not every year as we do now… so, there are certain songs I need to dig pretty deep to perform 100%… but, hey… that’s how it is… There are some songs we HAVE to play… The hard decision is choosing the other songs…
Also, I cannot stress how incredibly consistent this band is… Firing on all six cylinders every night… from the first show in Japan, to the last show in Birmingham… Exceptional players… great band to work with… Inspiring…
16. Why did you do certain songs in one place that you didn’t play elsewhere for us…
DC… Easy… to keep it fresh!
17. What happened to ‘Mistreated’?…Before the tour you were quoted as saying it was definitely going to be featured this time…
DC… I started out with it… We played it a few times in Japan at the beginning… & I just couldn’t get into it… It’s hard to articulate, but it was suddenly like trying to get into clothes that don’t fit anymore… Believe me… it was a disappointment for all of us, as well as some of you… Even in rehearsals I felt it… but, I thought it would work better singing it to a crowd…
The band played it marvelously… Doug was scorching the solo… It was a tough decision for me to make, as the band were so obviously enjoying it & committed to getting the best out of the song… I know a lot of people were disappointed that I ended up not singing it… but, I’m not prepared to ‘pretend’ up there… Who knows… one day I may be able to pull it off… Sorry, it wasn’t this trip…
I think most people realize it’s impossible for us to play everyone’s personal favourite songs from Whitesnake’s catalogue in one concert… but, if you are coming to the show to hear ONE song… then… ooh, we have a problem…
Also, I’ve been asked why I didn’t do so much a cappella this time out… Simple… I couldn’t hear your requests! After many years, my onstage monitor guy finally got me to wear TWO in-ear monitors… My ‘hearing aids’!… The difference is amazing… I can hear the band beautifully… the soloists… the voices…
Our guy, Barry, is a great mixer, & provides individual mixes for those in the band who wear the in-ear monitors… but, as in anything, there is a price… I can’t hear one person calling out for a particular song… Not very well, anyway… I have a feeling that I will soon be needing an ‘appliance’, unfortunately, to assist my hearing… My left ear ain’t doing so well… Considering what my ears have been subjected to over the years… it will be a small price to pay…
18. The new song ‘Ready to Rock’ was very well received when it was performed. Out of the 4 new songs in the upcoming CD, why did you choose this particular one?
DC… Doug & I felt it would be fun to do one of the new songs sometimes in the set… & it was the first one we both thought of… I’m looking forward to playing more new stuff… It’s definitely time…
19. The new song was only performed a few times during the tour. Did you decide ahead of time which audiences would get to hear it live?
DC… No… it was a last minute decision… Usually, just before going onstage…
20. Speaking of the new CD, you recently signed with a new label (SPV). How did this come about?
DC… SPV are an excellent independent European company with a diverse stable of artists & musical styles… including my old mate, Ritchie Blackmore… They have very, very patiently waited for me to come around to the idea of making a new Whitesnake record for several years now… & their enthusiasm is one of the main reasons I’m going back in the studio…
I believe they actually care about music, unlike some of the other larger companies I spoke with… & that is refreshing enough for me!
I’m looking forward to working with them very much… On this most recent tour, it was obvious to me that I am missing some very necessary ingredients to help keep a band like Whitesnake up & running & moving forward… & that is a record company that is fully behind the artist & fully involved in the promotion of the band & the tour… I didn’t see one representative of any of the companies I am affiliated with in Europe on this last trip…not one…& they all benefit from my endeavours…
God Willing, the people I have been meeting with at SPV will continue to be involved with the band & I…they are exemplary as record company executives…They definitely want to run with the ball…their enthusiasm is infectious…I believe we’ll do very well together…
21. I’m a big fan of Def Leppard…How was it working with them?
DC… It was great!…The guys are kicking major arse…I was very pleased to see them & work with them…Joe & I have become e-mail pals…Yorkshire lads, you see… It was great to see Vivian again, after so many years…
My Missus is a big fan…we’re going to see them when they play in Reno…I’m looking forward to it…
22. There’s a great photo taken by Ross Halfin where you are standing between Joe Elliot and Lemmy. Was that a spontaneous photo or did Ross set that one up?
DC… Yes… I was talking to the guys backstage at the Milan show & Ross, who’s a good mate of mine… my Southern Brother… asked for us to pose for a shot…
23. You seemed to enjoy working with The Answer on the UK tour…In fact, you were actively promoting them…
DC… I thoroughly enjoyed working with them… I feel they have a great future, if the necessary opportunities unfold for them… Great singer… great players…Yes…I had a similar feeling years ago when I worked with ‘Thunder’…
As I said to the guys…a lot will depend on how much they want success…There are more challenges out there than ever… You must be strong… committed… passionate… in order to cut thro’… push thro’… fight thro’ all the bullshit this business can throw at you… Even people who work with you can steer you wrong, if you ain’t careful… Be true to yourself… You’re the ones doing it… Oh… & work on the kind of songs that THEY want to play… Songs are the key… You can be the best band in the land… but, without songs that connect to the crowd… you’re just a good band…
The Answer have all the ingredients… all the elements… it’s just running with the ball now… & God Willing, the opportunities will happen…
They gave me an iTunes Gift Certificate as an appreciation at the end of the tour… Unnecessary, but very thoughtful…& much appreciated… ‘Tis a gift that keeps on giving… Ahh, music… The best!
24. Which places gave you the best reception?
DC… Ahh…I know what you’re after!… I must say we are blessed to be received positively wherever we set up to play… It’s amazing… This time out we had the pleasure of going to countries we haven’t played before & the response was overwhelming!
For instance… we played Beograd… Belgrade… in an old, war ravaged hockey stadium… An amazing, soulful atmosphere!… So appreciative… I played there 32 years ago with Deep Purple… & I sincerely hope we have the opportunity to return… Slovenia… Macedonia… Turkey… Yeah, Baby!… I hope they invite us back!
25. There must have been more excitement than usual in the countries that waited so many years to see you perform. When you arrived, were there a lot more press requests than usual?
DC… Yes…& very generous they were, too…But, to be honest there are always lots of press requests…It’s sometimes hard for me as my focus is on my work… Please don’t misunderstand, I find ‘promo’ a necessary evil, most of the time… like shooting videos… Talking about music is like singing about football for me…
I try to do as much promotion as possible before the tour so I don’t have to compromise my time on tour… but… it never works out that way!
I do appreciate that people are interested in talking with me… it’s just when I’m on tour I need all the rest I can get for my voice…
26. We heard rumours you were ill for quite a lot of the tour…what was it?
DC… Well… the first thing was that food poisoning, whatever it was, after the Manchester show… What is it about coming back to my home country???… Only joking, Gang!… If you remember I had food poisoning at the start of the 2004 UK tour… & ended up having to reschedule the first night in Glasgow… Fortunately, we could honour the Birmingham cancellation by rescheduling at the very end… That’s never happened to me before… having to apologize to the audience that I couldn’t continue… Their response, by the way, was totally supportive… Incredibly generous, considering… They could see I was struggling…
Sadly, the same could not be said for the Budapest show… Hopefully, we’ll get back there to play next time…
The other stuff was the usual tour problems… sinus infections… sore throats… Not bad, as it happens… I’ve had tours that have been plagued by illness… My band & I are pretty heroic, as it happens… Fight thro’ the pain!… There’s nothing worse than having to cancel a show… It is never a decision taken lightly… never…
27. When you were in North Yorkshire for the Newcastle shows, did you get the opportunity to visit some of your old stomping grounds, Saltburn for example?
DC… Yes… I met both my Aunts at my dear Friend, Eugene McCoy’s fab restaurant, the Cleveland Tontine, outside of Middlesbrough, for a terrific lunch… It was genuinely touching to see them again… & we had a fine lunch together.
Also, I hadn’t seen Eugene, or his Wife, Barbara, & their children for maybe 10 years…The kids are all grown up!… Amazing… & they’ve grown beautifully & are all doing wonderfully… It was an absolute treat for me to see them, & doing so well… His daughter Mary is a working actress… His son Eugene is in the musical Mamma Mia in London… & Rory is acting in a movie about Dunkirk they’re shooting in Redcar, of all places…
After lunch we visited my closest Friend, Tony Z & his gorgeous Missus, Linda, at their exquisite home for tea & whatevers… It was exceptional company… a stunning Yorkshire day… Simply breathtaking… An excellent diversion from my normal tour activities… & most welcome…
It was at the last minute I decided… also, under orders from my Wife… to go to Saltburn after all these years… After losing my Mam, I visited all the places I’d lived & grown up, as I had a strange feeling I was cutting the connecting, umbilical cord to certain aspects of my past… the ties that bind… & I’m glad I went there…
First, we stopped at the home of some dear Friends of mine I hadn’t seen for many years & surprised the buggery out of them!… In fact, I think the Angels were at work that day, as it was Chris’s birthday, & I turn up like some goofy, singing telegram out of the blue!…A real treat…& photos to prove it!
We drove down to the beach & had an early dinner of dressed crab at the Ship Inn…Splendid fare…a pub I was never old enough to drink in when I lived in Saltburn!
A rarified day I will never forget…It unfolded perfectly…
Another treat for me being in my beloved North of England, was having the great pleasure to reconnect with my dear ol’ pal, Mac Mason & meet his beautiful wife, Wendy, after the second Newcastle show…Oh, & Ravishing Roz & her huz, the Infamous Body Artiste, Russ Pool, a rogue if you ever saw one, made a very welcome appearance as well, just before taking their marriage vows again…She brought me a Yorkshire Tea Loaf…Utterly sinful, & devoured that very night by Christie, KJ, Sascha & me…Nothing left but crumbs the next morning!
All in all, it was a very emotionally charged, fulfilling time for me in my old stomping grounds…& hard to leave, to be honest…
28. Did you enjoy playing those big festivals this year?
DC… Absolutely…but, the security fences were placed too far away from the stage…At times I felt I was performing for the security men!
I much prefer being able to physically connect with the crowd…When they’re so far back I feel it necessary to project much more…It’s more tiring & not as satisfying…
I can understand security concerns, but 12 to 20 feet is quite the chasm!
29. Adrian Vandenberg joined you on stage at the Arrow festival in Holland. Which songs did he perform with Whitesnake?
DC… ‘Here I Go Again’…after all, his solo is on the most successful recorded version…The place went crazy…& justifiably…Adje should be designated a Dutch National Treasure…
A dear Friend…He’s welcome up there with us whenever he wants…
30. We were happy to see Reb get his own solo spot at last… Did you enjoy what he was doing?
DC… Totally!… He ripped the joint to bits!… He was in such joy… Reb Unleashed!… Yes… I was very happy he was shredding his heart out…
I must bring something to your attention… I was trying to shy away from too many individual solo spots, to be honest… Most of you who have followed me thro’ the years know that from Purple on there have been a lot of free form solos going on…a LOT!… & usually, some people complain… or go to the bathroom… but, I enjoy my players stretching out… as long as it doesn’t go on forever & bore the pants off the crowd…
Reb & Doug just light it up… & their pleasure shines thro’ to the audience… Such incredible players…
31. What was the story on the new necklace…Was that a rosary you were wearing?
DC… The necklace was a gift from my Japanese promoter, Naoki-San…I like working with him, very much… & I really liked the piece… The rosary was a gift from a fan… I just slipped it on before going onstage… & liked wearing it… Of course, I mean no disrespect to the Catholic faith… It felt good to wear…
32. We saw some different girls with you this time out… What happened to Christie Lee?
DC… Christie started the tour with me… Japan thro’ ’til the Glasgow date… We had always agreed on the first two months… The longer I stay on the road, it becomes more difficult for Christie to be away from her family & her other professional activities… She is a very popular massage therapist & a Pilates instructor, & has quite a substantial clientele who miss her terribly when I spirit her away for too long…That includes my wife, Cindy, who misses her massage work big time!
Christie was gracious & professional enough to seek a replacement for her after her two months with me…As you can imagine, it’s quite a demanding & somewhat intimidating role to fulfill… after all… Christie & I have worked incredibly well together for over 10 years now…so, to come in to replace her is very daunting… However, we found a charming & very accomplished assistant in Karie… or KJ… She did exceptionally well under some very difficult circumstances…but, she pulled it off very well & very satisfactorily for someone thrown headfirst in the deep end!
Joya was my new wardrobe girl & some may remember her from the Meet & Greets we did during the 2005 US tour… She was the coordinator & impressed the buggery out of me with her professional approach, her people skills & her work ethic… She is excellent & a very welcome addition to the WS Family…I hope she enjoyed working with me as much as I did with her…
33. You were at Heathrow on the 10th of August to return home to the States…How was it? Were you scared to fly with all the threats?
DC… No… I was determined to get home… I was ready!
Well, as most of you know, I subscribe to astrology & I knew we were still going to be in the afterburn of a very, very ‘fluffy’ Mercury Retrograde…so, interestingly, I wasn’t expecting it to be smooth, let’s say…Tho’ I didn’t expect quite so much drama… I first knew about it when I received a call from my good Friend, Tony Z…who told me to turn the news on…
Our Tour Manager, the exceptional Gideon Hogan, rose way above the call of duty that morning to ensure we all got on our flights, against all the odds…a definite mention in dispatches for that lad…
Once we cleared security & after having every single piece of our hand baggage taken from us…including bottled water…I saw Heathrow at its most empty…A very strange feeling, I can tell you…Anyway…we were in the lounge watching the news & keeping an eye on the arrival & departure screens…& seeing every single flight, in & out of London, cancelled…APART FROM OURS!…Unbelievable, thinking back on it… As it happens, I had a perfect flight…I was interviewed by CNN when I cleared customs in LA…this woman, very dramatically asked me how I felt flying on such a day with all the threats of terrorism…I told her, quite honestly, that NOTHING was gonna stop me getting home to Family…
I was told there were 4 airplanes flying over the Atlantic that day…all three of them had members of the band & our crew on them!… “Snakes On A Plane!!!”… Obviously, nothing can stop these Snakes, Baby!
34. “Be safe… be happy… and don’t let anyone make you afraid”… you have been making this statement at the end of your shows since 2003. Is there any particular significance to this?
DC… Yes…for a bunch of reasons…but, particularly when most of our elected representatives seem to be doing their best to keep us in fear so, they can get away with shredding our liberties in broad daylight & control us easier…Absolutely…
If you’re a student of history, you can see similar approaches have been used forever, unfortunately…by church & state…& bullies, of course…telling us it’s for our own good…
I appreciate this is an age of increased terrorism…but, to sacrifice so much for some new’ agenda to supposedly keep us safe is unacceptable to me on every level…
Risk is part of our everyday lives & we should be suspicious of anyone who tries to control us thro’ fear…
Actually, I see a lot more people waking up to some of the nonsense that’s being perpetrated on the premise of our safety…the smoke & mirrors…the distractions…
We have to get on with living our lives…regardless of what others are trying to achieve, or if your partner in a relationship is abusive, or doesn’t appreciate who you are, or what you’re trying to do with your life, or compromises what makes you happy…
Our freedom of choice to live our lives as we want should never be compromised…so…as much as you can in this day & age…stay safe…Be in joy…Oh…& I wish You All LOVE, too!
