Vienna 2

This a shot from a cabin on the famous Riesenrad Ferris wheel. It is steeped in history, having been almost destroyed by fire and was also going to be pulled down (but they did not have the funds to do so at the time). It also survived WW2 by the skin of its teeth.

It was also used in a scene from the film "The Third Man" with Orson Welles.

Every second carriage was removed during restorations, with the disused ones being kept in a minature museum at the base of the ferris wheel. Well worth the 8.5 euro ticket.

Kevin Nitrovane

Vienna 1

This is the tallest "merry go round" in the world. It's about 26.5 kms high. Well it seems like it anyway.

Simon Grocott is 3rd nut bar (dot) from the left. He is hanging and screaming. Seen framed by the Reisenrad ferris wheel which is the oldest wheel in the world (1897). More on that shortly.

Kevin Nitrovane

Paris

Those crazy Parisiennes. They find someone they like and texture their name on a padlock and place it on a fence over a bridge on the main waterway through France. There are thousands of them.

As I took the photo I watched numerous people come along, search for a particular lock, quickly cut it off and then walk away. So I guess locks, like friendships, don't endure forever.

I could only count about 55 of my own this time as I think some one has come along with some bolt cutters and cut off all the rest.


Kevin Nitrovane

My first tulip in Amsterdam

This is JJ (John James).

He is the original designer of the Orange distortion guitar amp in 1970. Indeed a legend in his spare time. He was also good friends with Frank Zappa and was at the infamous fire at Montraux in 1971, for which Deep Purple wrote that now unlistenable song "Smoke on the Water".

He is a world class monitor man and a genius to work with. JJ said that Frank noticed the fire and suggested that they all leave in an orderly fashion. JJ agreed. Frank yelled down the microphone a request , "has anyone got some finely sliced onions?" JJ replied, "how will that help?" Frank replied, "I just like finely sliced onions"

No one died but all of Frank's gear was lost. He was quite philosophical about it, however he never ate finely sliced onions ever again.

Kevin Nitrovane

Paris Pre concert with Sebastian

This is Sebastian, the most helpful, funny, enthusiastic French guy I've ever met! He has a handshake of such force it could crush diamonds. He has a grip on the English language similar to some African tribesmen yet to meet modern man. So we got off to a great start with him finding every thing I said extremely funny, therefore raising my stand up routine audience up to three people (including Karyn and Emma).

When you're hot, you're hot.

We got on swimmingly well, that was untill he dropped a lighting rig on my work bench missing my 40 grand guitar rack by zero mm. He dropped to the ground, pleaded for mercy (they say mercie a lot in France?) and expected to be hauled over to the Bastille, executed, beheaded, set on fire and have a large radish pushed down his throat. He was so nice, I simply couldn't do it. Instead, I got the tour manager to do it for me.

In any case we were out of radishes.

His last words appeared to be quite moving, but not moving quite enough, obviously.

And I guess my stand up routine audience is therefore diminished by one now…..

Kevin Nitrovane

Paris A: Saint Chapelle

Yesterday was my day off and I went to look for Paris, perhaps now my favorite city in the world next to Barcelona.

Perhaps the most exquisite stain glass in the world lies in Saint Chapelle in the heart of Paris. I asked everyone there to leave, as "I vont to be alone, as Greta once said. Am I looking at the best of man or the heart of God through man? It is completely breathtaking. It was built in the 1200s by King Louis IX.

It has been damaged and repaired through time, including the mess of the French revolution where the spire was removed and then replaced afterwards and they sold off some of the glass.

Tonight, Yusuf ( Cat Stevens) plays at Palais de Paris, Bercy. After an amazing time in Morocco, everyone is keen to do their best for the show tonight. Yusuf is adding Sad Lisa to the song list for the first time on this tour and I simply cant wait to hear it played.

Kevin Nitrovane

Rotterdam part 2

Some more flicks of Rotterdam.

People have asked me often how this city got started. Well, in 1263 a lot of logs of wood floated down the river from the area of Nasi Goreng. The early settlers there decided to collect them and build a massive "weir" or "dam" as they said then. As concrete and cranes were in short supply due to a financial crisis, they built this spectactular dam over 120 years. Unfortunately, the wood rotted and the dam broke, hence the name 'Rotterdam".

The breaking of the dam caused massive flooding, all their cloggs floated away and much heartache and the stamping of angry feet ensued as the dam was only in use for 3 weeks. However, it created the canals which we still have to this day. And they are very thankful for….

Kevin Nitrovane

Rotterdam

An amazing city, completely levelled during WW2. It's the 3rd biggest port in the world and just wonderful to visit.

The Germans were very angry with those folks in Holland and let them know about it. They ran out of beer in Berlin and the Dutch would not lend them any. History was set.

They have this interesting way of parking their fire engines though. Top left picture is quite commonly seen in Rotterdam. How they fill the gas tank I have no idea, as it's on the right hand side. Those crazy Dutch people have a way, no doubt.

One of the nicest things to do is catch the Spido ferry which takes you on a 75 minute tour of the canal . You get on from under the tension bridge. It was odd as the captain walked around the deck with the ferry steering wheel attached to his belt. I asked him what the steering wheel was doing attached to his belt. I don't quite remember his reply, but it went something like,  " I don't know but it's driving me crazy",or "driving me nuts" or "driving me to drink". In any case i asked the first mate to drill a hole in the Captains head to let the sap run out . Thanks Hank Marvin for the Dismal use of his even more Dismal but favorite joke… And for Simon Grocott for stopping the Captain from throwing me over. Instead of throwing me in the drink, the Captain and i had a drink, where we discussed not seeing each other ever again which would add years to each others lives...

If you ever come to Rotterdam, do not stay at the Hilton. It sucks. You have to pay 22 euro per day for internet. I sorted them out though. I have a good idea to ring their doorbell and run (Groucho).

Kevin Nitrovane

English Gardens , Munich

It's seemed a strange thing to do in Munich, but a visit to the English gardens was well worth the trip.

Here be three of the finest folks I've ever had the pleasure to tour with: Simon Grocott (everybody's tech for everything, and a darn good muso), Peter Mills (Elton's tech for everything, and although I have not seen him play yet he says he's just ace) and Alun Davies (Cat steven's guitar player and best friend from the late 1960's).
It started to rain and there became many puddles to walk through. Alun thought it would be a good idea for me to throw my coat down over a particular nasty puddle so his boots did not get muddy. He promptly took my coat and threw it on the ground. Unfortunately i was still wearing it. Ive decided to write a new song. Its called "boots and mud" ( Boots and Sand, get it? …. oh well)
Kevin Nitrovane

Art Deco Amp

An amazing "art deco" Carlsbro amp on display at Lite Structures reheasal studios. Just thought someone out there might like to see it...

Munich

Munich is a stunning city which you can spend a day walking around. Here is a small collection of shots. I'll post more soon.

The top right photo is a picture of Dom, a 15th Century Church which was bombed during the war. It has twin spires, one of them shrouded and undergoing restoration. It is so high, you have to climb 86 steps to reach a platform where you can catch a lift which takes you to the top. You can then get a 360 degree view of all of Munich.

The bottom right photo was taken inside St Marys. The two left photos are pictures from St Peters. The detail in the golden altar is breathtaking. I would love to have heard the pipe organ but, alas, it was not working. They have two monkeys to grind the pipe organ, but one unfortunately was on holidays in Bali, and the one who was there was not very agreeable, and it seemed I didn't have the right kind of peanuts. He threw them on the floor, turned away from me with folded arms with a "humpf" and mentioned something about choc coated ones next time?

I'm staying near the Marienplatz which is a plaza in the centre of Munich. All the interesting sights in Munich are close together and easy to access on foot from here. I thoroughly encourage anyone planning a trip to Germany to include Munich on their itinerary.

Kevin Nitrovane

Bullitt

Walking the streets of Munich.

Something I would love to buy: an original print from the 1968 film Bullitt. No room unfortunately, and 120 euros is another reason not to buy it. Anyway if you haven't seen this film you are missing something. It contains wonderful glimpses of San Francisco in the 1960s, a complex plot, and one of the most iconic car chases ever filmed.

You may want to read this review about the book and the film: 

A review of Bullitt
Bullitt locations in San Francisco

Huber

They are quite a lazy bunch in Oberhausen. I practised my best #Robert Plant vocal techniques to scream at the German support crew at the O2 stadium who were working overhead ( Mark Gale and Mike Haggerty take note), I was not using speech level singing . This was to get them to stop working both above me and above #Yusuf's guitars, as they were carrying hammers, bolts and spanners. Huber, however was very helpful in the sense that he did not do very much either, but he was very funny.

Germans are generally as funny as watching a dead dog trying to climb a ladder (form a mental image of that!!), but not this guy. There is nothing like good ole "German Huber" to get the day off to a good start.

I placed myself on security detail by addressing the miserable security guards ,and demanding to see their papers to make sure they were in order. I got a few laughs, and a few bemused looks. By the time they had worked it out I was off to the next one. Heels a-clicking.

"YOUR PAPERS PLEASE". ....Where is Steve McQueen when you need him? I may have to plan a not-so-Great Escape.

Oh yeah, the concert here was amazing. Indeed. There were a few technical difficulties, but watching a genuine superstar like Yusuf overcome them was staggering. I think most of us would have crumbled in the same position. Well I guess I should just speak for myself…

Now just take one more look at Huber. Like putting on a poncho, ( #NoelFielding) it's simply impossible to be unhappy when you see Huber….

Kevin Nitrovane

Thats not a bus, this is a bus

This is the type of tour bus used for bands these days. We have two of them for the crew. They have an upstairs and a downstairs lounge with a bar, TVs, games and sleeping bunks upstairs. They cost about $700,000. We travel on them between cities overnight and it's great to get the travelling done while we are asleep so that we can enjoy discovering the next day. So far we have travelled from Stockholm to Hamburg, then to Oberhausen, and now we are in Berlin. I woke up yesterday just in time to see the fresh green fields flash by as we moved towards Berlin. Amazing wind generators everywhere! Indeed.

Kevin Nitrovane

Emilie is a diesel mechanic who works for Volvo (believe it or not). She was caught pinching some lunch back stage so they made her the chief cook for the Stockholm #Yusuf concert.

She has also served at my interpreter and translator and has told me much of the strange Swedish dialect. I understand nothing of what she says and less than nothing of what she has tried to teach me. I enjoyed the lessons all the same.Its not possible for some one from from Sweden to look bad.
 p.s. Everyone Sweden was kind

Tak Soar Muket (thank you very much)

The Swedes and the Dobro

Flew into Stockholm yesterday.

I've now travelled on British Airways twice within Europe and the flight attendants are second to none.

In Stockholm I met Bjorn Borg precisely five times in one day; or is it perhaps that all Swedish people look alike?

Two things I want to say about the Swedes: they're all attractive and they're all nice. I've started to learn the language, which I test out on every unsuspecting Swede I come across. They have all been excited to help me learn.

I've spent countless hours on Yusuf's Dobro (pictured). I hope to upload some sound clips soon. Yusuf wants to play it like a normal guitar, so I had to dismantle it, pull the neck out, reset the neck angle, do a partial refret, and take humps and bumps out of the fretboard.

At rehearsals today the Dobro went really well. It's probably going to be used for Yusuf's song Popstar, but there was also a jam on Peace Train with it, so you never know.