I now have Bronchitis which makes me sensitive to everything and my voice is weak, as coughing slams the vocal chords together. The concerts are a little shorter and we have dropped the guitars down a 1/2 step so the songs sit in a slightly lower key. Fans have left me all sorts of cough drops, special teas and medications; I am so grateful. Two venues allowed smoking while we played; this wrecked me further (I thought smoking was banned everywhere in Germany?!) As for the smoke machines on the stage...I have never been a fan of it (but especially not now) though I know it looks good from an audiences perspective.
On another note, something I have come to know on this tour is that my band prefers carpet on stage...David petals unplug when I stomp on a bare stage. And Stef likes the warmer atmosphere that carpet brings...me? I don't care either way.
Sometimes we get to be 'tourists' on our tour. And these past 15 days we've been lucky with having the time and energy for just such adventures! In Riedlingen at the Lichtspielhouse we got to celebrate a good show in a classic old theater...and staying late with our friends and fans. It's so good to laugh and just be a little crazy (I needed this, thank you!!). In Oppenheim (close to our show in Dexheim) there are 600 cellars below the city; originally built for refrigeration type needs and then as secret passageways. Sinclair and I put on a shower cap and a hard hat and explored this labyrinth with a tourist group...not to be missed also was the wall of bones (Ossuary?) that contained more than 15,000 skulls, which was a simple overflow from full cemeteries, since the middle ages. Between Villingen and Metzingen there were two fun stops (where a keyboarder and friend, Fuchs, lead us) First to the Wilmser höhle, the crystal clear water cave that in its entirety is still unexplored by divers. We could take a small boat (watch your head! Achtung die kompf!) through 30 meters of it. In former times the 'owner' of this cave was used in negotiations between powers in charge such as Napoleon and Fredrich the Great...) Then a total opposite experience on the same day, we hit this huge American like shopping complex in Metzingen. Putzi found a Swiss brand of clothes that fit his 2m tall body (shopping is a challenge in itself for just about anybody) It was too crowded for me to get inspired. I did look around for a hacky-sack ...none yet. After singing in Glems to a sold out concert hall and trying a special food called schwäbische Maultaschen (mouth bag!) It was fantastic to wake up to the sound of only birds and a barking Saint Bernard. We are in a strong catholic area and there are statues of Jesus on the Cross spread throughout the fields and towns. We hiked up to a special cross...a day with nature, perfect...and at the top they were offering rides on glider planes...we had a beer instead! In Villingen (a great folk club concert btw!), the city itself is in the shape of a cross...so when Sinclair used the first city wall archway as a land mark to find his way home, he was baffled and amused when on his trip 'home' ...he noticed there were 3 more identical archways (corners of the cross)! The streets of Stuttgart are wide and full of shops...the more narrow the street the more bars. Putzi and I ended up in a gay bar (it was an accident, I think!!) and laughed until closing. The castle and the general area of Marburg is stunningly beautiful and majestic...oh the castle and oh the chance to see some friends again, perfect (Angie, Tina, Claus, crazy Kissel, Christian and Weinnachtsmarkt man!!). Ulm has the tallest cathedral in Germany, no, in the world! The tip was hiding in the fog for our stay. Also Ulm feels like my 2nd home, the home of FortuneRecords.de , Einstein Cafe 'n Restaurant, Bomi, Fuchs and the Children's hospitz.
We've had extra tour help around every corner!! With Kraus, Putzi and PF selling cds and taking pictures and feeding the fans stories and facts etc!..THANK YOU!! Putzi has called himself the god of groupies (not on his IA website yet!) We also had Carsten Lips (percussion) and Thomas Fuchs (piano / keys) bring variety and colour to the stage with their vibrant style, on special selected nights.
There appears to be no dangerous animals in Germany. Although in our first few weeks we would wipe out many mosquitoes from our bedrooms before we dare try to sleep with one eager hungry buzzing one. An animal highlight: It was the most delightful discovery to come upon a Hedge Hog! Damn they're cute!! So, on this trip we've seen loads of wasps, a lama, an emu, prehistoric hairy chickens, grey geese (one in particular was a pet to a passerby who didn't even use a leash!), some curly horned sheep, fried octopus, peacocks, all sorts of barnyard cats, hound dogs (like in Elvis's song), a lot of dead foxes and rabbits (along side the hwy), a rat (who had crossed the road safely), deer in our headlights, ladybugs (so many in one hotel room that Stef had to switch rooms!), a gorgeopus lonely black swan, beautiful white swans, and we learned of doormice (Siebenschlaefer) who sleep for 7 months and afterwards are nocturnal and like to live in the walls of houses. We droves through "Worms, DE" and there are loads of piggy banks (sparschwein) which are considered lucky! Also on this tour we've seen eagles, hawks, cows, donkeys, goats (14 days old and cuter than a puppy). We are road dogs now ourselves. Fuchs is like a Terrior, Putzi like a Dobermin , Rose like a Labrador, Rapp like a Golden Retriever, me a Shitzu (ha!) and Sinclair simply a most like the quick, wise and clever Grasshopper.