You're from Texas...it's beautiful
And so, I have safely arrived back from the Lone Star State after an interesting week, shall I say.
Muse - Dallas: Get to the Gypsy Tea Rooms. Tickets and passes all ready which was cool. Watch Razorlight, who are actually incredibly good. Still not a massive fan but they put on a bloody good show to a rather indifferent crowd. Then Muse come on, and much as I hate to admit it, they are so fucking good live. Played 3 of the new songs. Crowd was funny...lots of kids doing devils horns and one person waving a Mary Poppins style brolly! Wtf?
See Heather, Shannon and Ryan briefly as we are waiting for the aftershow and arrange to catch up on Sunday night. Aftershow is funny. Tom is being barman and makes Joceyn and vodka and cranberry. However, as it was Jocelyn's b'day he stuck in a whole lot of cheap white wine too. Lovely. Spent most of the time chatting to Dom Howard about muff scuba diving and holidaying in exotic locations and Chris and Oli, their lighting guy, about cars, being addicted to the internet, computer games and how it was so hard for him to find a new house that had a decent garage. Very rock and roll eh? Eventually get back to the hotel at about half 1 in the morning and we do the classic 'drunk, walking through somewhere quiet shushing loudly' thing. The people next door must have thought we were a couple of witches, we were cackling so loudly.
Thursday: So, we try to get out of Dallas, get totally lost and end up in some slum. Slums in America are so...slummy. Clapboard houses that are all rickity, lots of very scary dudes standing on street corners, railways tracks crossing the roads. I almost expected someone to be sitting on a porch, playing a banjo and crying "Squeal piggy, squeal". Very effocative, like a thousand movie scenes, as long as you have a gun...otherwise just don't get out of the car.
So, beautiful, sunny day. Drive to Houston is uneventful apart from the fact that my eyes start itching. If anyone has hayfever do NOT go to Texas. I get it occasionally and my eyes were so sore. Evidently, Texas is the allergy capital of the US. I can verify that, they even have bits in the hotel guides about it!
Manage to find the way to the hotel which is lovely. So posh, so huge, it has a swimming pool on the roof! They give us free drinks. Two massive king sized beds, and a strange fun fur bolster thing that was orange. It's called The Magnolia. Anyone who goes to Houston, you have to stay there. Dead posh like :)
So the gig is at the University of Houston, on campus. Get there ok, get in. Bit of a mix up with the guestlist but we eventually got it sorted. Gig is so loud. It's an all seated venue apart from a tiny bit at the front which is sectioned off and you need to get a wristband to go in there. Jocelyn and I are quite happy with our front of house seats, being so old now, like. ;p Anyway, there is this Britsh woman sitting next to us. Imagine if you can a REALLY ugly Spice Girl, complete with Union Jack clothing and that was her. She was going mental during Razorlight and lost it so badly during Muse that the security people nearly asked her to leave. Then Tom turns up and gives us these wristbands so off we go from our comfy seats and stand with the die-hards. Good to be right near the front and not get killed though.
No aftershow this time, waiting for a taxi back to the hotel, we're on a junction. A police car drives by us really slowly and stops in a car park. After about 15 minutes he calls over and asks if we're waiting for a cab. "No mate, we're actually on the game and looking for punters." Actually, we don't say that. You're always very polite to police who carry guns in my book, so we say we're waiting for a cab. He tells us that it isn't a safe area and he's going to give us a ride back to the station where we can wait for the cab. It is so funny, must look like we've been arrested. He was a cool though, even offered to take a picture of us in the back of the patrol car. Cab turns up though on the way to the station, so no picture of Lizi and Jocelyn in the back. Cab driver found it funny though.
Friday: Get out of Houston ok, sad to leave the oh so posh hotel though. First stop off at NASA. Glad I did it but at $18 I think it's overpriced for what you get. Historic Mission control was interesting though and I am a tourist so have to do some touristy things. Anyway, eyes start steaming again once we hit the road proper. Interesting drive towards Austin. Beautiful countryside and tiny little towns that you'd miss if you blinked. Jocelyn and I even sang along to some Abba until the cd started skipping. Got into Austin, and no word from Jocelyn's friend who we were meant to staying with, so off to find a hotel. Ended up in the Radisson, which is right on the Colorado river, overlooking the bat bridge. A really nice city and finally some decent heat.
Chill out and go to watch the bats. It's such a beautiful evening that everyone is sure they will fly. Get chatting to some advertising guys who are over from LA to film a pizza commercial, lol. Have a really good conversation about the environment, Bush, the Gulf War. Various members of Razorlight amble past with video cameras, to film the bats. However...bats are tempramental artists it seems. After an hour and a half of getting a numb bottom and attacked by midgies they don't show. Bastard bats! I'm going to sue.
Head back to the hotel, get something to eat, go for a walk along 6 Street, which is where all the bars are and then bed.
Saturday: Have a really nice day chilling and ambling around. Sit by the pool for a little while. It's just so nice to kick back and not have to do anything, especially after all the diving Jocelyn has been doing. See some turtles (cowabunga!), and ducks. Still no bloody bats though.
And the gig. They wouldn't let us bring cameras in. I was caught red handed trying to amuggle Jocelyn's in. "Oh, a camera. How did that get into my bag?" *looks innocent* Ended up having to hide it under a massive trash can. Luckily it was still there when we got back. Muse were as good as ever, we got to watch it stitting on the lighting platform. Bless the nicest security person ever, for letting us sit there. There were balloons and things which is always fun. Had a quick chat with Oli, and then drama. Won't go into it as those who I want to know, know.
Got back to the hotel and decided to eat at the TGIs under the restaurant. Got the nicest server guy there, a real anglomaniac. Jocelyn liked him, hehe. Gave us a 50% discount on the food, bless him. We've left him our email addys so see if he contacts us.
Sunday: Wake up to a torential downpour. Driving conditions are so, so bad. Massive thunderstorm that seems to last forever on the way out of Austin. See people who have gone off the interstate and Jocelyn and I are starting to get scared.
Me: Maybe they'll be a tornado. I know we're meant to look for a wall cloud.
Jocelyn: Yeah
Me: You know what a wall cloud looks like?
Jocelyn: No
Both: We're fucked
Finally outdrive the storm and get into Dallas at about half one that afternoon. Jocelyn heads back to Oklahoma and I call Heather to arrange a proper catch up. Go buy my cowboy boots, yes, I succumbed, and some souviners for people. Nancy I got you your pony!
Met up with Heather about 8ish and got some tacos at a really nice restaurant uptown. Then headed off to the Lizard Lounge, one of Dallas' hip and happening nightspots *cough*. It was weird...imagine if you can a 80s prom night run by goths for goths. Well, we were there. The music wasn't even proper goffick, just really bad 80s crap. No Cure, Dead or Alive, Duran Duran though they did play Shout by Tears for Fears which I'd forgotton how much I loved. They played NKOTB which caused Heather and I to almost need oxygen. Goff dancing to The Right Stuff...priceless, utterly priceless.
Got back to the hotel about 2am and crashed right out.
Monday: Get up late and chill until 12 when I have to check out. Head off to this seafood reastaurant I've seen downtown and manage to eat my body weight in seafood. So nice and such good value. Maybe the marguerita wasn't such a good idea though, I was pretty tipsy as I headed off to the airport. Had a really nice cab driver. We slagged down right wing American Christian fundamentalists and stuff. Gave him a big tip. Got checked in ok and all.
Decided to buy an upgrade for the flight back. Another $250 wasn't going to make a difference on the card as it's smoking so hard anyway, haha and I need an aisle seat as I have the world's weakest bladder once I start. However, just as I was about to pay, turns out they'd upgraded me for free anyway. Yay! So I got a free Daily Mail (oh so worth it), and a bigger seat. Flight totally uneventful. Watched the Life Aquatic and I love Owen Wilson so much. Got through baggage reclaim really quickly and was home by 9am. Hooray.
I'd like to thank Jocleyn and Heather for making it such a fun trip. xxx
Muse - Dallas: Get to the Gypsy Tea Rooms. Tickets and passes all ready which was cool. Watch Razorlight, who are actually incredibly good. Still not a massive fan but they put on a bloody good show to a rather indifferent crowd. Then Muse come on, and much as I hate to admit it, they are so fucking good live. Played 3 of the new songs. Crowd was funny...lots of kids doing devils horns and one person waving a Mary Poppins style brolly! Wtf?
See Heather, Shannon and Ryan briefly as we are waiting for the aftershow and arrange to catch up on Sunday night. Aftershow is funny. Tom is being barman and makes Joceyn and vodka and cranberry. However, as it was Jocelyn's b'day he stuck in a whole lot of cheap white wine too. Lovely. Spent most of the time chatting to Dom Howard about muff scuba diving and holidaying in exotic locations and Chris and Oli, their lighting guy, about cars, being addicted to the internet, computer games and how it was so hard for him to find a new house that had a decent garage. Very rock and roll eh? Eventually get back to the hotel at about half 1 in the morning and we do the classic 'drunk, walking through somewhere quiet shushing loudly' thing. The people next door must have thought we were a couple of witches, we were cackling so loudly.
Thursday: So, we try to get out of Dallas, get totally lost and end up in some slum. Slums in America are so...slummy. Clapboard houses that are all rickity, lots of very scary dudes standing on street corners, railways tracks crossing the roads. I almost expected someone to be sitting on a porch, playing a banjo and crying "Squeal piggy, squeal". Very effocative, like a thousand movie scenes, as long as you have a gun...otherwise just don't get out of the car.
So, beautiful, sunny day. Drive to Houston is uneventful apart from the fact that my eyes start itching. If anyone has hayfever do NOT go to Texas. I get it occasionally and my eyes were so sore. Evidently, Texas is the allergy capital of the US. I can verify that, they even have bits in the hotel guides about it!
Manage to find the way to the hotel which is lovely. So posh, so huge, it has a swimming pool on the roof! They give us free drinks. Two massive king sized beds, and a strange fun fur bolster thing that was orange. It's called The Magnolia. Anyone who goes to Houston, you have to stay there. Dead posh like :)
So the gig is at the University of Houston, on campus. Get there ok, get in. Bit of a mix up with the guestlist but we eventually got it sorted. Gig is so loud. It's an all seated venue apart from a tiny bit at the front which is sectioned off and you need to get a wristband to go in there. Jocelyn and I are quite happy with our front of house seats, being so old now, like. ;p Anyway, there is this Britsh woman sitting next to us. Imagine if you can a REALLY ugly Spice Girl, complete with Union Jack clothing and that was her. She was going mental during Razorlight and lost it so badly during Muse that the security people nearly asked her to leave. Then Tom turns up and gives us these wristbands so off we go from our comfy seats and stand with the die-hards. Good to be right near the front and not get killed though.
No aftershow this time, waiting for a taxi back to the hotel, we're on a junction. A police car drives by us really slowly and stops in a car park. After about 15 minutes he calls over and asks if we're waiting for a cab. "No mate, we're actually on the game and looking for punters." Actually, we don't say that. You're always very polite to police who carry guns in my book, so we say we're waiting for a cab. He tells us that it isn't a safe area and he's going to give us a ride back to the station where we can wait for the cab. It is so funny, must look like we've been arrested. He was a cool though, even offered to take a picture of us in the back of the patrol car. Cab turns up though on the way to the station, so no picture of Lizi and Jocelyn in the back. Cab driver found it funny though.
Friday: Get out of Houston ok, sad to leave the oh so posh hotel though. First stop off at NASA. Glad I did it but at $18 I think it's overpriced for what you get. Historic Mission control was interesting though and I am a tourist so have to do some touristy things. Anyway, eyes start steaming again once we hit the road proper. Interesting drive towards Austin. Beautiful countryside and tiny little towns that you'd miss if you blinked. Jocelyn and I even sang along to some Abba until the cd started skipping. Got into Austin, and no word from Jocelyn's friend who we were meant to staying with, so off to find a hotel. Ended up in the Radisson, which is right on the Colorado river, overlooking the bat bridge. A really nice city and finally some decent heat.
Chill out and go to watch the bats. It's such a beautiful evening that everyone is sure they will fly. Get chatting to some advertising guys who are over from LA to film a pizza commercial, lol. Have a really good conversation about the environment, Bush, the Gulf War. Various members of Razorlight amble past with video cameras, to film the bats. However...bats are tempramental artists it seems. After an hour and a half of getting a numb bottom and attacked by midgies they don't show. Bastard bats! I'm going to sue.
Head back to the hotel, get something to eat, go for a walk along 6 Street, which is where all the bars are and then bed.
Saturday: Have a really nice day chilling and ambling around. Sit by the pool for a little while. It's just so nice to kick back and not have to do anything, especially after all the diving Jocelyn has been doing. See some turtles (cowabunga!), and ducks. Still no bloody bats though.
And the gig. They wouldn't let us bring cameras in. I was caught red handed trying to amuggle Jocelyn's in. "Oh, a camera. How did that get into my bag?" *looks innocent* Ended up having to hide it under a massive trash can. Luckily it was still there when we got back. Muse were as good as ever, we got to watch it stitting on the lighting platform. Bless the nicest security person ever, for letting us sit there. There were balloons and things which is always fun. Had a quick chat with Oli, and then drama. Won't go into it as those who I want to know, know.
Got back to the hotel and decided to eat at the TGIs under the restaurant. Got the nicest server guy there, a real anglomaniac. Jocelyn liked him, hehe. Gave us a 50% discount on the food, bless him. We've left him our email addys so see if he contacts us.
Sunday: Wake up to a torential downpour. Driving conditions are so, so bad. Massive thunderstorm that seems to last forever on the way out of Austin. See people who have gone off the interstate and Jocelyn and I are starting to get scared.
Me: Maybe they'll be a tornado. I know we're meant to look for a wall cloud.
Jocelyn: Yeah
Me: You know what a wall cloud looks like?
Jocelyn: No
Both: We're fucked
Finally outdrive the storm and get into Dallas at about half one that afternoon. Jocelyn heads back to Oklahoma and I call Heather to arrange a proper catch up. Go buy my cowboy boots, yes, I succumbed, and some souviners for people. Nancy I got you your pony!
Met up with Heather about 8ish and got some tacos at a really nice restaurant uptown. Then headed off to the Lizard Lounge, one of Dallas' hip and happening nightspots *cough*. It was weird...imagine if you can a 80s prom night run by goths for goths. Well, we were there. The music wasn't even proper goffick, just really bad 80s crap. No Cure, Dead or Alive, Duran Duran though they did play Shout by Tears for Fears which I'd forgotton how much I loved. They played NKOTB which caused Heather and I to almost need oxygen. Goff dancing to The Right Stuff...priceless, utterly priceless.
Got back to the hotel about 2am and crashed right out.
Monday: Get up late and chill until 12 when I have to check out. Head off to this seafood reastaurant I've seen downtown and manage to eat my body weight in seafood. So nice and such good value. Maybe the marguerita wasn't such a good idea though, I was pretty tipsy as I headed off to the airport. Had a really nice cab driver. We slagged down right wing American Christian fundamentalists and stuff. Gave him a big tip. Got checked in ok and all.
Decided to buy an upgrade for the flight back. Another $250 wasn't going to make a difference on the card as it's smoking so hard anyway, haha and I need an aisle seat as I have the world's weakest bladder once I start. However, just as I was about to pay, turns out they'd upgraded me for free anyway. Yay! So I got a free Daily Mail (oh so worth it), and a bigger seat. Flight totally uneventful. Watched the Life Aquatic and I love Owen Wilson so much. Got through baggage reclaim really quickly and was home by 9am. Hooray.
I'd like to thank Jocleyn and Heather for making it such a fun trip. xxx