DIARY OF MY TRIP TO SEE OSAKA POPSTAR (MARKY RAMONE ON DRUMS) AND
MISFITS SHOWS IN UK IN SEPTEMBER, 2006
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Text and photos -> Copyright 2006 -> : Jari-Pekka Laitio-Ramone.
Expect photo featuring Jari-Pekka.
The full-length CD/DVD combo Osaka Popstar And The American
Legends Of Punk was released in May, 2006. Osaka Popstar is helmed
by John Cafiero (vocals), Marky Ramone plays drums,
Jerry Only
(Misfits) is on bass, Dez Cadena (ex-Black Flag/ Misfits) on guitar and
Ivan Julian (ex-Richard Hell & The Voidoids) on guitar. Marky and
Cafiero are also main men behind of the Ramones Raw
which was released in 2004.
I added to my homepage infos on August 16, 2006 that the Misfits will
headline Fiend Fest 2006 tour in the USA and Canada in October and
November, and Osaka Popstar will tour then also. Only five days later I
announced to the Ramones fans that the Misfits and Osaka Popstar will
tour in the UK and Scotland before Fiend Fest 2006 (nine shows on
September 21-30, 2006). I also then started to think if I do travel to
see some shows in the UK, like about show at the Electric Ballroom in
London on September 21. I didn't knew many Ramones fans who lives in
London area at the moment. With Fulham FC's (Premier league football
team from London) goalkeeper Antti Niemi I've known for years. I also
heard that Alfie Deliss lives in London and I sent him an E-mail. It's
always better to hang
out in a city with people who know it and it's also great to get to know
with new fans. Alfie was helping me with many things in advance. I was
also E-mailing with Marky Ramone, John Cafiero, Bram van Schaik (great
journalist and my friend from Netherlands) and Lynne Cameron (my friend
from Scotland, who also run Marky Ramone fan site) and calling
with Antti Niemi about Fulham FC's games. I decided to book my flights
on August 31, departure on September 19 and return on September 25. I
got pretty cheap flights from the Ryanair company. Also Bram van Schaik
decided to travel to see show in London with his wife Yvon. I had some
plans to visit Lynne in Scotland but it would have became too
expensive.
I got to know with Grace Crook and her father Kelvin Crook in NYC in May
2005. They travelled then to NYC also because of Joey
Ramone Birthday Bash. I've E-mailed with Grace occasionally after
that and on September
17 she E-mailed that she will move to London on September 24 and I'm
welcome to stay in her apartment last night of my trip.
I had hectic weekend before I started my trip, I did then for example 10
newspaper articles and I replied lot E-mails etc. After I started my
trip, I visited wonderful and lovely Piia Voutilainen and then Arska
(he's in both of my
books, in Heaven Needed A
Lead Singer: Fans Remember Joey Ramone and in Rock In Peace:
Dee Dee And Joey Ramone. Arska's current band is Jann Wilde & Rose Avenue) before I headed
to the airport in Tampere, Finland.
Flight went without problems and I landed to London (Stansted airport)
at 11PM and then I was going to take express train to Tottenham Hale
train station. We were checked with Alfie Deliss that it should still go
so late. But it didn't. Then I started to try to find infos of busses
and we sent SMS's with Alfie. One bus drove pretty close of Alfie's
house and there we met and we changed first time gabba hey greetings in
real life. We had chatted shortly on phone before I came to UK and
already in car we changed many Ramones experiences. Alfie saw the
Ramones first time at live at Hammersmith in London on February 2, 1978.
He saw the Ramones at live in all around 15 times, last time in 1988.
Few times Alfie was also lucky to hang out with the guys. Like he did
show to me really great photos from 1988, he had then fun with Marky and
Dee Dee in hotel. With Dee Dee he also visited tattoo shop (Dee Dee took
then tattoo) and with Joey Alfie did interview in 1987. He also did show
to me his Ramones press articles collection. Alfie had asked many times
me to take books with me, he wanted to get them and his first
impressions seemed to be great. Also afterwards he has wrote many times
positive comments of them. We started to sleep around 3-4AM.
Next morning I was chatting more with people who were living in same
commune with Alfie. Everyone had own room and they shared kitchen etc.
That day (Wednesday, October 20) we watched DVD of German version of
Gabba Gabba Hey! musical, I was just got it some days earlier from
the Michael Schaumer, producer of musical. It was fun to watch, even I or
Alfie can't understand German language.
I also replied some E-mails before we headed to the Fulham-Wycombe
football game. It was Carling Cup game, not Premier League game, and I
had got press tickets for us. Carling Cup didn't seemed to be so
important to the Fulham and many of their important players weren't
playing. Also Antti Niemi wasn't playing. Fulham lost 1-2. It was cool
experience to attend football game in UK.
Alfie drove me to Camden Town where was located Camden Inn hostel. I was
a bit excited because I was read conflicting feedback of Camden Inn
hostel. Some praised it and some had wrote really negative stories. But
from the first moments I got there good service. I shared my room with
five other people.
I slept pretty well and next morning I was excited because it was day of
the Osaka Popstar / Misfits show. Alfie was working that day and he
couldn't attend a show. Last time he was seen Marky at Dingwalls in
London in 2000, then Marky was doing a spoken word show.
So Camden Town was really close of the hostel and I decided to go and
wander there. Camden Town is well-known for it's markets and shops which
are selling goods of all types including clothes, lifestyle, books,
food, antiques and bizarre goods. There were lot young people wandering
and doing shoppings. Lot punks were also walking in streets. I saw there
as well lot Ramones products (also official ones). Bram Van Schaik then
sent me an SMS and we decided to meet at 5 in front of Electric
Ballroom, where the show was going on to be. We were confirmed in
advance with John Cafiero and Marky Ramone that we can go to soundcheck
also. We met outside of Electric Ballroom with Robin Guy. He is a
drummer who has been in many bands, also he has played some shows for
example with Lars Frederiksen (Rancid). At the moment he's playing for
example in The Business, The Grit and Conspirators and with the Bruce
Dickinson (Iron Maiden guy's solo shows). He's also currently recording
an album featuring Kip Winger, Marco Mendoza, T.M. Stevens & Steve
Stevens.
We got in together and first we met with Tank. Tank is really great guy
and he has been Marky's drum technician etc. many years. In this tour
Tank was tour manager. Later he introduced me to Roger and Chris who
were also in crew members.
Osaka Popstar where on stage when I and Bram got in. Marky waved to us
behind of drums and then came to give a hug. We went to the front of
stage and John Cafiero greeted us through microphone. Then soon Osaka
Popstar started doing soundcheck. They played whole set (same as later
at the real show) and it was so great to watch it relaxing way. I and
Bram were taking some photos. I also went to take some close shots of
Marky.
After soundcheck was time to change more greetings with everyone. I
didn't met with Marky, Jerry Only or John Cafiero in New York in last
May, when I was there because of Joey Ramone's Birthday Memory Bash. But
before we were met many times and hang out together. With Ivan Julian I
met in May 2005. With John Cafiero I had only been in touch via E-mail
before and it was great to meet him finally. All of them were really
friendly and we were chatting 1 hour. They also asked soundcheck
opinions from me and Bram. We told that of the some reason Dez's guitar
was hard to hear etc. I and Bram got all access passes.
Marky asked what I've been doing and I also gave him a hug from our
mutual friend Lynne Cameron. I had brought with me copy of
False Alarm CD and I gave it to Marky as well. CD's cover is
painting by Dee Dee Ramone and Paul Kostabi.
Then I found out that We Are Invasion, Park Royal and The Bones were
going to play also. The Bones is a great Swedish
band and I was also E-mailing with their singer-guitarist Beef Bonanza
in spring 2006, when their Partners in Crime Vol. 1 10"/MCD was coming
out. 10"/MCD starts with the Ramones cover I Wanna Be Sedated,
featuring Roger Miret (Agnostic Front) and Lou Koller (Sick Of It All)
on lead vocals. It was released by the cool German label I Used To Fuck People
Like You In Prison. I went to say hi to The Bones.
Soon I was signing my books to the great photographer from the
Netherlands, Willy-Jan van Gemert, I dedicated another book also for his
dorothers Celine, Reinate and Elaine. Willy-Jan wanted to buy my books
and Bram was taking them with him. Bram also gave me nice letter from
Willy-Jan and two photos of Antti Niemi.
I walked together with Dez Cadena to their hotel. Dez told to me really
great news of his personal life. Next I headed to the Vietnamese
restaurang, where I drank Vietnamese beer and I ate my vegetarian food
only using sticks.
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