Life – Terror. Ecstasy. Fight. Denial. Flight. Failure. PAIN. Forgiveness. Reconciliation. Hope. Love. Peace – Death
I was driving, a van, I think? Driving home, (from a gig)? To our previous address, 2c Lord street, Garston. As I approached the house, there was a hive of actively in the front and side gardens, at least, a dozen, busy, people. I parked up. I recognised ‘Blackie’, Fred our drummers, cousin, Paul Blackburn and his younger brother, busy, labouring in the side garden. I recognised at least a couple more familiar faces with them, familiar? They used to come and watch our band, 3D A Fish In Sea, back in the day.
Paul and his gang appeared to be working within the main garden. The garden side fence & gate entrance to be precise. I asked what they were doing? They were installing a new gateway, lintel and side doorway.
Dreams? – That didn’t make a lot of sense as they would be installing a fixed, brick/stone setup to an existing wooden fence, not a wall.
To their left, more or less in the oblong space that is the extended driveway, beyond the front wooden gates and back door, were another group of people. All were sitting, some laying, sprawled across old furniture, discarded sofas. There was a small area being used to provide portable refreshments, a table with a kettle, tea, coffee and a couple of typical, cheap, white (now weathered grey), plastic, garden chairs.
Dreams? – When I arrived (late, apparently)? Everybody ‘there’ seemed totally, normalised, unsurprised by the situation? To me, it was a most bizarre situation? Especially so, when I realised the additional people on the sofas where, Radiohead, the full band and my mate Frank (huge fan) was in deep conversation with them.
Dreams? – My favourite band working in my garden? Yes, that makes all the sense in the world!
Clearly late to the party, I didn’t want to miss out, I plonked myself in the middle of one of the sofas. Colin Greenwood to my right, Johnny Greenwood to his right and Ed O’Brien to my left. Thom Yorke was sitting to Ed’s left by the refreshments table, making Tea. Thom asked me, “would you like a cup of Tea”? I replied, yes 5 sugars please with a tiny splash of milk” 5 sugars! WTF? Diabetic, haven’t took sugar in tea for decades.
In my head, I was so desperate to engage with Thom, I rationalised, that if I asked for 5 sugars this would evoke a reaction from Thom into conversation as to the obvious hazards of extreme sugar. He ignore me passing me a small, pretty, white, China T-cup, with no comment….I could see it had the teabag left in it.
I stood up, making my way around to the rear of the house, to our kitchen, holding my precious gift from Thom proudly, telling anybody and everybody, “Thom Yorke has just made me a cup of Tea”.
In the kitchen, more familiar faces, my son Aubrey, his partner, Charlotte (both massive Radiohead fans). I proudly showed off my Thom Yorke cuppa.
I had no idea of the time of day. It was bright, sunny, but quite brisk, if not cold (Thom wore fingerless gloves, Fagen like). I took up my position on the sofas again. I had a chat about who & how they had drove to my house in Liverpool (in a Transit Van), Ed 100% owned the driving. I proclaimed, “there is always someone in every band who ‘owns’ the driving? Ed agreed. Johnny, laying more than sitting had an old dog curled at and between his feet with several, young puppies on his lap. “My son, …. (I can’t remember the name he said), loves puppies, he would love these. Johnny said.
My wife, Gail was also now on the couches, to my left, covered with a quilt, restless, fidgeting, (attempting to sleep)? There was a line of familiar faced, young ‘spectators’ sitting opposite the sofas, backed against the house wall, watching us (watching Radiohead). They all seemed to be previous students, graduates from LIPA but I couldn’t quite put names to their faces.
Some of the band [Radiohead], partners, spouses were also present, on, or around, the sofas. Gail was talking with one, a former accountant, now retired. She was explaining details about herself, her previous work. Suddenly she became emotional, choking up, with a small tear appearing in the corner of one eye.
Thom suddenly stood and walked towards the front of the house, heading out of the garden. Blackie and his work gang appeared. They were carrying a heavy, cumbersome, steel lintel, between four of them, on their shoulders. They were clearly distressed. Two Policemen were in close attendance quoting ‘health and safety issues’. They all manoeuvred to the new side doorway, attempting to position the lintel in place above the doorway. They lost control and the doorway, with the lintel collapsed outwards into the communal entry.
Uproar, pandemonium!
Thom announced, he was walking to the (a) bank. The nearest being Allerton Road, a good two miles away. I followed him anxiously, I was determined to ask him, before he left, what he thought about my guitar, my beloved Gibson Explorer (Frank had already shown it to him). Thom was, obviously, preoccupied, on a mission (to the bank), he snapped, “not really my style of guitar”.
Disappointed, but agreed (in my mind). It wasn’t his style of guitar.
With Thom departed, I headed back to the sofas. I questioned ‘the band’ firstly about them allowing Thom to walk alone, in a strange town? I also questioned the absurdity of the Radiohead ‘work gang’ presence at my house? Surely, they were not that cash strapped? As I was getting closer to awakening, I had begun to try to rationalise a completely irrational, absurd situation. I remember a short conversation about Thom being his own man, “you know Thom? He will do what he wants,” and randomly, that he [Thom] was in the middle of creating a cook-book of his own recipes & cooking sources!
Seconds later, I was disturbed from sleep by building work noises outside our (Discovery Road) bedroom. Probably a pivotal factor in the creation of my dream? I dream a lot but not, usually, in as much depth and (rememberable) detail. I recalled it all to Gail who said, “you need to write that one down”!
Thanks for Reading
#peace
