JASON MANNS / LIFE OF RILEY - EVERY GOOD TOUR MUST COME TO AN END...

...and they will be back in fall!

What can I say, that hasn't already been said? The tour was brilliant, I can honestly say, hand on heart and hope to die, that this past week has been the best one in a long while.

So this is the last time.


My journey is under way...

I had booked the train down to London, arriving at 2pm at my favourite train station St. Pancras which I love dearly and knew before they have carefully restored it - what a tragedy it would have been had they followed through with their plans to demolish it!

As I arrived I rang V as she was supposed to pick me up and provide me shelter for the night as my train back into the Midlands was not due until 2pm the next day.
As I finally got through to V's phone I said that I was in London now and she sounded rather surprised even though we had planned this well in advance. After about an hour waiting at KingCross with my backpack on me shoulders and a Frappe Caramel Dulce Leche Starbucks thingy (after having bought a toothbrush and paste as I forgot to pack this) in my hand, V finally showed. It was almost 3pm and the event was supposed to start at 4pm. The bus to hers took about 30 mins - we had to get changed and ready VERY quickly.

Rushing back to Kings Cross, not sure which bus to take to the Canal 125, we finally arrived at around 5pm and it turned out we hadn't missed much as Riley & Hank were running late too, leaving poor Jason to deal with the excited crowd of female fans to deal all by himself.
Sometimes I am not sure whether he enjoys all the attention, as he is such a nice and quiet guy - can he actually say "no" ? :)

There was BBQ and the potato salad was great, I had trouble eating it all even though I was starving it was that much.
The venue was very nice, I loved the fact that it had a balcony decking outside - the fans were all a little more dressed up than usual which gave the whole venue a special touch.


Not much happened until Riley & Hank finally showed, urging the guys to do a very quick sound check. Jason stood amongst the crowd listening out for the speakers at various points in the audience.

Then nothing happened for a little while which gave me an option to finally have a little chat with Jason after all this, although again, all the questions I had slipped my mind the very minute I could ask them. Nonetheless it gave me the chance to get to know the man a little and he is really just as nice and caring as I thought he would be. Very honest and open and genuine, a quality I appreciate in people in general. What you see is what you get. Even tough Riley can be very much outgoing and "loud" and Jason is generally more "quiet" he seems much more confident in himself and he doesn't seem to get too stressed by his fans. My little chat sadly was interrupted but I didn't really care, I probably would have made a fool of myself anyways after a certain point and it was just nice to see him talk to these other guys, having a genuine conversation about music and the Stones if I remember correctly.

Anyways, the gig kicked off with Riley and he apologized for not having done a proper sound check beforehand but I think at this point no one really cared any longer.

By now I should know the lyrics by heart as their CD is all I am listening to this week, but somehow there is still an element of surprise to their songs and I like to keep it that way as long as I can - same goes for Jason. I felt like I was the only one in the crowd not singing along (and coz I am so tall I have no where to hide) but somehow I didn't feel like I wanted to sing along - I do it in my car, if I know the lyrics, which I still haven't managed yet ( I can sing Crazy Love though if that counts) - and again, I want to leave the singing to the guys I came to listen to - I don't want to hear anyone else singing really...

Jason's last G-string

Right, LOR's show was great, Riley screwed up some lyrics at some point which was very entertaining - I think he finally allowed himself to relax a little. I can understand that they want to deliver a great performance, but on the last day of the show anything was allowed to happen.

Hank was squeezing the last juice out of his guitar in a solo and Riley joined in and they were so overwhelmingly good, that Jason who was patiently awaiting his turn aside the stage, burst out clapping - what a great gesture!

No rest for the wicked though, as Riley did break yet another string on Jason's guitar (so was his own guitar broken since Birmingham then, so it wasn't just a dead battery?) - and Riley dearly apologizing, handed the guitar back to Jason who didn't seem to mind, which is surprising, because I have met guitar players(and not even professional ones) who would not let you even touch their guitar - so that Jason was lending Riley his guitar must be a great act of trust and faith in the guy.

So, while Jason was cowering on the floor, putting a new string on, Riley had nothing to hide behind now and performed a little more a Capella than he was used to. Hank had to play a little louder.

When Jason handed his guitar back to Riley he said "I wish you wouldn't keep breaking the same string - that was my last g-string" - this is the great thing about Jason's jokes, they take a while to settle in peoples mind, they come so unexpected.


Hallelujah!

When it was finally Jason's turn to take over the stage and his own guitar back - still intact, he started off with "Hallelujah" which maybe wasn't such a good choice to start with as he missed a note in the first verse, but who cares. Everyone is entitled to a mistake, if I want to hear a flawless performance than I'd listen to a studio album. It's the ever changing unexpected events of a live gig that keep it fresh and personal.


As always Jason delivered a great performance. Can this man ever go wrong? The only song I could actually sing along was the "Sitting at the dock of the bay" and I liked how he changed the lyrics to "I left my home in VA - heading for the UK" - he is the only man I know who can sing a song whilst smiling a cheeky smile and may I also point out, actually has genuine eye contact with people in the crowd! I have never seen this anywhere before.

After Jason was done (yet they didn't want him to stop) Riley and Hank came back on stage to join forces in a medley and they were murdering their guitars - in a good way! At one point Hank was ready to finish up the guitar-athon and he said "Are you done, coz I am done"

The end is nigh

Throughout the tour Riley kept joking how all these fans who kept following the gigs have become like family now and that together they could be the biggest band - imagine the size tour bus! So it almost wasn't surprising when Riley suddenly pulled out his phone and said "this will cost me 20 pounds or something, but I want you guys to say Hi to my mum" - so he called her, the crowd yelled "Hi Mum" and then they sang a song all together, the band and the fans! (I am not sure what Mum did say to this, as I couldn't hear her very well, so if you read this and where closer to the stage, feel free to leave me a comment.)

It was nice to see that the boy from Iowa hasn't lost all his sense for what's really important, because I have a feeling that LA/Hollywood can do that to some people - stay true to yourself, no matter what!

After the gig they hung around as usual, I got my picture taken with my new friends as a reminder that this was not just another weird dream. I felt like such a fan but I didn't care anymore. It takes me some time to warm up to strangers but now they are no strangers anymore. I genuinely respect these guys for what they do and the effort they put into all this and I couldn't help but give them a hug - you have given me a great week, one I will not forget so quickly.

As a thank you Riley presented a red rose to everyone from the Slique Events Troopers who had worked so hard to bring these guys to you - so do go check them out on myspace and tell them that they rock!

Ergo?

Maybe we will all meet again fall for part 2 - I will definitely be there, wherever I am by then. I hadn't heard of the LIFE OF RILEY before, and only a bit about JASON MANNS, but through this years tour they have at least found 3 more loyal fans/listeners: Me, Smiley & mmmms...and many more we hope.



Thanks again for a great time!


-posted by N.-

THE LIFE OF RILEY/JASON MANNS GIG IN PORTCULLIS, FISHPONDS, BRISTOL/FRIDAY 16th MAY 2008

Smiley's and mmmms (very long) report of the Bristol gig:

Ok then.... To first set the scene.... prior to us actually reaching the gig... I was working until 6pm.... and between mmmmms and I successfully found homes for all five of our kids for the night.... my 'Mini Me' went AWOL 'til Monday... pure bonus all round there!

Anyhow, darted down to mmmmms house, picking chippy [that’s fish’n chips for our American readers-N.] up on way there... ate chippy in about two seconds flat... and showered, changed, ironed clothes... put on outfit... took off outfit... picked other outfit.... ironed other outfit... took off outfit... put first outfit back on... etc...etc...etc... you know the usual girlie drill!

We managed to get out of house at 7.20pm-ish... bearing in mind, both mmmmms & I live only about 5 miles from actual gig venue!!! We have lived here years... We even did dry run the other day.... had precise written directions... just in case we had a mental block on where we were.... and what did we then inevitably do? yep... we got lost.... ended up going back again down so many ring roads ... we practically had to drive back as far as her house again before turning around for take two!!!

Eventually we arrived at the pub.... ok we guessed that the gig would be upstairs... we figured this one out really quickly when the locals all stopped mid way through their conversations and supping their ale to have a good look at us as we entered...

And up we went... unfortunately gig had already started maybe five or tens minutes prior to this and we paid money at door and slipped in, mainly unnoticed we hoped! We sat near the back, over a bit to the side.... over by where the merchandise stuff was.... In fact during the night... mmmmms gave me a right ticking off for resting my feet on their merchandise suitcase.... that was on the floor beside me!!!

I have to also add at this stage that throughout the evening, the three guys (Jason, Riley and Hank) had to sort of jump over this said case as they took breaks to loo or up to the bar! I suggested to mmmmms at one stage that maybe I should just arrange my feet on the case like a sort of obstacle jump thingy....make their jumps a bit more interesting and varied for them. I kind of figured that they were finding them much too easy and maybe needed the challenge... she was not amused by that one in the slightest and promptly removed me and the chair away from the case!!!

The three guys sat side by side playing various songs from both their albums and a few random ones like Dobie Gray's 1973 song Drift Away.... which had us all singing along!!!

Having to really admit that it's only in the last two/three weeks that I have even heard of Jason Manns, found his myspace blog and played his songs a few times before then telling mmmmms about them... Riley's stuff, we admittingly knew absolutely zilch about! So we weren't quite sure what to expect! We were pleasantly surprised! They varied their act... joked around a bit... intermingled a bit with the small but intimate crowd there. At a guess, maybe 20-30 people were there. Most of whom, we also guessed had been to see them at least a couple of times before! Mmmmms joked that they were all probably at venue hours early arriving even way before the guys even set off for the gig at all! They were a good lot though as they sang along with all the songs!!! [I think some of the tour ticket holders have actually been allowed in for the sound check prior to this gig if I remember K’s words correctly-N.]

Minutes into us getting there though, Jason had a fit of coughing that seemed to go on for ages... Bless him.... but he showed amazing professionalism by trying his best to cough at certain times during Riley’s song.... not wanting to disturb the general flow of what was going on! I was quite impressed by that effort... he was nearly turning blue over in the corner at one stage!!! :) In fact, I believe slightly later on in the night, one of the crowd gave him some cough sweets that seemed to sort all out for him!!!

Riley made a reference to the whole xanax and alcohol on the plane story.... which got a big laugh! These were seriously funny guys... with a good sense of humor, who although, they were professional in their approach to what they did as regards their music etc... they also didn't take themselves too seriously... so whole night on a whole was quite lighthearted, which at the tail end of a long busy working week ... was just what was needed.

Anyway.... as they were busy playing up the front.... mmmmms and my attention turned briefly back to the whole suitcase thing.... still on the floor near my feet.... as a couple of fans decided that they were going to purchase some Riley T-Shirts at that stage... Smiley was now nearly at the bottom of her second double vodka and mmmmms asked me ... what's the word written on the T-shirt... I glanced over... and not actually clicking that 'Trouble' was one of Riley’s songs.... jokingly told her that the word 'Shovel' was stamped across each one... mmmmms spent next five minutes asking the same question over and over again..... Why Shovel??? We eventually got the whole 'Trouble' connection thing!

Ok, then now dangerously near to bottom of his glass... Riley made yet another jump over this case... thankfully closed at this stage... (and yes... I moved my feet... Riley had also had a few drinks at that stage...) and we get to bar more or less one after the other. Riley got his all sorted and had a break while Jason sang one of his songs....(the Rufus Wainwrights song... Halleluiah song....) beautifully slowly done, not rushed... as a fellow guitar player... I appreciated the effort put into that one...You could hear a pin drop in the room during the song. Nice professionalism from Riley at this stage too ... I've been to a few gigs over the years where even the band members are not giving soloists the correct respect... moving around doing things distracting things when a fellow band member is performing...and it's not nice and is never ever necessary, IMO, but no matter... all three of them respected each others talents etc... all night! :)

Now at bar, towards very end of song... I was busy having brief conversation with the barman about my Irish accent and how many years I've been over here etc... as I was getting next round of drinks in! With that... I turned to Riley and uttered.... hmmmmm.....'You are doing well... you're not as good as my vodka here though.... but you are doing well all the same! '' ... Yes... again very much a case of 'brain stop mouth from talking'.... or... 'BETTER KEPT IN HEAD' etc.... but anyway... as Riley walked back towards stage area, taking yet another jump over the suitcase... I sensed he truly knew where I was coming from!!! He didn't look too disappointed to be rated second to a decent drink though.... :)

Together the three of them varied their tempo.... mixing fast songs with slow ones... taking song requests from the crowd and honoring most of them, also told a few stories, shared a bit about the friends they had in their lives... etc... They also spoke about possible ideas for next L.O.R. video.... cracking ideas... but they did ask us not to share some of their stories etc... online youtube etc... so in respect of that, I will leave their stories there.... On a personal note for me....Jason did however, make a massive huge jump up in my estimations by saying that he was familiar with James Taylor's music! I have seen Mr. Taylor live in concert some years ago and am quite a fan... I really respect those who write a good song as well as sing them!!! Then Jason had to jump back down then every single rung on the ladder by then mentioning his liking of James Blunts music... yeah I know... Jason ... what are you on????

They then talked a little about some English rhyming slang words in common usage... a wee debate followed about why it was necessary at all for all these confusing rhyming slang words. Being from Ireland I have to say I kind of agree with them on this point.... we Irish tend to call a spade a spade.... we don't call it something that rhymes with it and hope that the rest of the world gets it's meaning.... but no matter... they then learned a few new ones from the crowd before them!!! Riley then spoke of his love for the band The Kooks.... most of us, to be fair in the room, me or mmmmms being no exceptions... if honest... probably only know the one song from The Kooks... The 'She Move In Her Own Way' one.... so I guessing maybe on the strength of his insistence that there is some merit to this band... The Kooks fanbase might grow a few in the very near future!!!

Time was coming up to about 10.15pm.... we sensed they would be wrapping up soon.... Riley made a quick announcement that they would all be available for CD and ticket signings afterwards... BTW... on entering as we paid they hung onto our tickets at the door so they could be signed later on in the evening!!! A last few songs followed... many, admittingly, neither mmmmms or I knew but... then the rest of the crowd did so we sort of followed them!!!

Around this time as I was about to head up towards bar for yet another round.... I decided a trip to loo was more in order and not thinking... I then said to mmmmms.... 'I'm off to the loo, do you want anything?' ... We both hit a fit of giggles that just wouldn't stop.... she of course kept saying ... yeah bring me back a loo roll.... a handful of handsoap..... maybe a toilet brush... etc.... I swear we were doubled over laughing at the back... We got a sharp look or two from one or two about us.... but nevertheless, we didn't seem to disturb the boys.... so to add... I eventually did get to loo.... didn't bother, on this occasion, bringing any souvenirs back.... much to mmmmms disappointment!!! Did, however then made yet another trip up towards the bar.... where I managed to bring back yet another double voddy from there... :)

Gig finished in or around 10.30pm.... they guys looked wrecked! They worked hard during the night... gave their best! They then spent the best part of the following hour signing various things... CD's, Tickets... etc.... they also mingled with everyone... mmmmms and I got the sense again... that a lot of this crowd were possibly known to them... maybe some of them even came to a few other UK gigs... I did mention to Hank that N. was asking for them and that she hope they were doing well after her F1 type drive from the airport with him & Riley in tow.... Hank was thankful for the ride.... although he did also admit he too was a bit worse for wear at that time and didn't recall very much of it..... Which admittingly is probably the best way to tackle N's driving excursions.... I hear she tends to 4x4 it ...on two wheels most of the time.... but no matter... she got them there safe and sound... THANK YOU N.!!!! :) [stop it, I’m blushing-N.]

At this time, we also met a blonde haired friend of the guys [this could have been K. the tour manager maybe? – N.]... many apologies, as I didn't get her name, but she also recalled the trip with N..... so a brief conversation followed about how and where we heard about Riley, Hank & Jason... I related back the story about being on the SPN forums... and chatting with others... found Jason's myspace site and then as gig was following... all managed to pretty much fall into place to present day... no rocket science involved... but the usual word of mouth stuff and recommendations! I was so obviously a bit worse for wear at this stage.... but night was a good one!!! Everyone was walking out the doors happy.... which was the whole point of the night!!!

I must mention at this stage... that camera wise... both mmmmms and I had a catalogue of mishaps with various cameras etc... over the 24 hrs prior to this gig.... Firstly, my digital just decided not to work... no matter what I did with the damn thing... it just wouldn't work... then mmmmms digital camera did a disappearing act around my house.... still can't find the thing...so mmmmms, while out in the afternoon...picked up this disposable one... now as mmmmms is very much into her pinks and purples... so this one was not a discreet little black colored one that may have half passed for a half decent one... nope... it was a flaming great big purple thing that made the loudest noise every time we wound the thing on..... so in a effort not to disturb any surrounding people or worse still they guys as they played.... gave up on the disposable camera idea.... and then went for our mobile phones.... At this point mmmmms then realized hers was left in full view on her seat out in the car outside.... and then she launched into prayer like mode that the car would not be broken into for remainder of night... as pure laziness then overtook both of us... and neither of us really wanted to leg it back down those stairs and back out past all those lovely local men... thru those doors... and over the sodden crossing again... nope... we left it where it was!!! At this point, we then started to rely on my phone to do the pics.... No matter how we tried to take the pics of them performing.... they still looked a bit like little gummy bears up there... even after I worked out how to zoom in a bit.... they still looked small... my zoom feature, BTW.... just doesn't zoom in quietly..... it sounded more like the Terminator whirring then anything else.... another fit of giggles from both of us followed... hell it is hard enough to take pics when you are sober.... but try doing so with a few drinks inside you... whilst trying your best to not bother anyone else around you with the constant whirring.... was seriously hard work.... we gave up pretty quickly!!! We did get a few pics of us with each of the guys at the end of the night... Smiley does apologize in advance for the eyes glazed over look.... You can thank Mr. Double Vodka's for that one.... mmmmms looked reasonably well!!! My hair was also having a SPN moment of it's own on the night too.... I decided I would straighten the usually curly locks for the evening.... and it just sort of started getting a bit possessed half way thru night... anyway.... it's settled down today.... :)

Anyway... to conclude.... Gig was great.... Lots of fun! Well done to the guys for a top effort!!! We did end up also purchasing a copy each of Riley and Jasons CD's... to which they gladly signed... mmmmms took Riley home... I took Jason home.... or rather the CD's:) Sorry, Riley... I know Smiley confused you a wee bit when I asked you to sign Jason's CD.... the 'Why not one of my CD's? question that followed although making perfect sense to you on the night.... maybe I didn't fully explain to you that we also shared out the love and also bought one of yours... but as mmmmms and I are sharing custody of named CD's.... thought that all three of your scribbles on Jasons CD would work just as well!! Both mmmmms and Smiley... hands on hearts promise that next time you all come over for your next lot of gigs... we'll be singing along to all your songs!!! PROMISE!!!! :)

So thank you Jason, Hank and Riley for a great gig night out.... Come back to see us again very soon!!!

Love and Peace,

Smiley & mmmmms

-posted by Smiley-

JASON MANNS & THE LIFE OF RILEY UK TOUR MAY 2008 - "Kickoff Opal Lounge, Birmingham"

Yesterday was possibly my weirdest day ever.

Let me explain: I went to the Aslyum Convention last weekend where I met all sorts of interesting people and quite late on Sunday I met K. She is the mastermind behind Slique Events who happens to organise Jason Manns/Steve Carlson & The Life of Riley UK tour in May.

As she was discussing the plan for the next day with her team member L, I overheard them talking about cars and it seemed that they needed a bigger car than a Clio, so I was foolish enough to mention that I had a 4x4. Their heads turned and I had no idea what I had gotten myself into there and then.

That was Sunday. On Monday I had to get up at 6am and make sure to be back at the Hilton in Birmingham by 10am to pick K up and then take her to Heathrow to pick up Riley and Hank -both part of the Life of Riley-who by the way I had no idea who they were.

The drive to London was pretty easy and I had time to get to know K better, since I only met her the day before, not even 24 hours ago, but I don't know about you K, but I like you and I had a great time with you yesterday and I am still so impressed how you manage all this and the tour...and the guys of course. You know what I mean..keyboard..wink wink.

Now, having safely arrived in Heathrow Terminal 3 on schedule the only thing that wasn't there on time was the guys plane. Their flight with American Airline was delayed by fantastic 3 hours and Riley later told us that they had to turn around back to LA after 1,5 hours in the air because there was a problem with the plane and they had to switch over. This would have not happened had they taken Virgin Airlines which arrived on schedule at the same time the AA plane should have - damn you airmiles!

While discussing the options, K got a call that the damn sound guy plus equipment back in B'ham never showed, yet the sound check for Jason and Steve was due around 1pm. No guy, no sound check, so a replacement had to be found quickly.

Having 3 hours to kill we went to a nearby place in London to kill the time there, I met K's cute daughter which now officially brings the count of kids I know and like up to 3. She is a very cute and bright kid, yet a crazy old lady can make her get scared of a spoon and a yogurt.

I was incredibly tired, not too mention hungry, so I kinda fell asleep on the sofa until around 3pm it was time to head back to Heathrow. Our main worry was the rush hour traffic back to B'ham which meant we had to get the guys straight to the gig. My main worry was that they had big luggage, because even though I have this 4x4 it's a small one and not to roomy in the trunk region.

Finally having met Hank and Riley, who needed a smoking break after the long flight first, we somehow managed to squeeze them and the luggage and the 2 guitars in the car and driving like the devil was chasing us we got the guys to the Opal Lounge by 7pm. The last hurdle was the parking garage called Touchwood (touch wood, bang my head into a wall more like!) and couldn't find the exit out. In our defense we were not the only people wondering how the hell to exit this place on foot.

Eventually L came to pick us up and guide us to the Opal Lounge were a bunch of guys were already cuing up and I recognised some faces from the Asylum Convention.

Jason and Steve were already doing their sound check-I forgot to mention that their van had a puncture earlier on-so they had been wondering around a shopping center while K and I were stranded in London.

I wish I could remember more from the sound check as it was pretty cool. I remember Steve running around sorting some of the technical issues always lending a helping hand and for some reason his hair looks cute up in a ponytail thingy. It's sometimes the oddest things you noticed when you are really tired. Oh, and I liked his shirt too!

Everyone was really involved and it shows how down to earth and really into their stuff these guys are. Steve made up a song during his mic check, Jason lent chaotic Riley his guitar as his battery went dead, in my opinion all very fascinating stuff.

The gig eventually started at around 20:30pm with Jason kicking off, by then I felt a little delirious and really spaced out, but I managed to remain in an upright position standing on my own two feet, as I really wanted to see Jason and as much of the other guys live as I could take, as I have never been to any of their gigs before and I love acoustic guitar gigs like these...well, maybe not with all the logistical stress involved.

Not knowing what to expect I was fully taken by Jason's excellent voice and the humour he brought along with him. From my experience and having met my fair share of musicians through another friend of mine who does events in Germany, I find that they tend to ramble on between songs, and it's usually stuff that is boring as hell, or they explain a song and you just want them to shut up and get on with - but not Jason Manns.

Not only is he a great musician, but on stage this big quiet guy (who currently resembles a bear I think, a cuddly one though) becomes a great entertainer and at no point did the cranky voice in my head want him to shut up-not ever.
I also like the fact that the audience was allowed to interact - in general I was surprised that the guys just mingled with the crowd like that and did not hide in a back room until it was their time to play - I wonder if that was just tonight's occasion or a usual thing?

Dear Jason, I am also looking forward to see if you will name that new song "It's going to be okay"- "The lala song" or just "Jim" - which did win? - I also wished that as I left and saw you outside I could have had a proper conversation with you - there is so much I wanted to say and ask but my last brain cell was already flickering like an old light bulb before burning out - not my proudest moment. Still you have been very kind and I'd like to thank you for even talking to me.

Right, the person I wish to not give any thanks to is that lady that tells every one at the gig and who is unfortunate enough to be standing near her to shush as she wants to listen to the music, which is kindaok , since we all came for the music, right? But this ain't a cinema my dear, we are allowed to talk you know, and next time you tell the tour manager and the girl who drove some of the guys to the show so you could see and listen to them, off for talking near you, then I have 11words for the overeager fan in you: Shut your cakehole, have some Purple Nurples and enjoy the show!

I only wish I had been more awake last night and could have paid more deserved attention to the whole event, however when it was Riley's turn and he told the crowd that he came with a bus (my 4x4 is and will never be a bus I'm afraid) I had to call it a night as I still had to drive myself home and I had been basically driving all day yesterday (a total of 600km probably). Before I left there was this loud bang and before I knew it Riley's back was against the wall and the chair in a horizontal position - the good man had fallen off and I thought he grew up with horses. Expected better balance man!

Anyways, it was an eventful day and as bizarre as it could get, yet I know it was all worth it. All the sweat blood and tears that goes into making an event like this tour happen is fascinating to me and now I can truly appreciate what all these guys do and how hard they work for what the love doing the most - like getting off a delayed plane hopping on stage and falling off a chair all in one night but still keeping their spirits up and the people entertained.

I also want to thank K for taking me along for the ride. She does an amazing job and these gigs are worth every penny (only 10 pound a ticket); so if you read this and are within the UK, get moving and go to one of the shows(or all of them) while you can - you got until Sunday then they'll be heading back to L.A.


-posted by N-

Asylum - Day Three (11.05.08)

They felt the love of 1200 people.

The 3rd day started of bad as I had missed the fact that Steve and Jason were performing live on Saturday night and since I was commuting to the event I wasn't around to see them.
Apparently the sound was really bad though and no one could understand what they were saying between the songs.

Wow, well, were to begin. Well, autographs session turned out to be a real pain for the actors and it was like factory work it seemed. Would have been easier to put the fans on conveyor belts and have them slowly swoosh past. My friend V was the last to get an autograph signed by Travis, the new hero of the crowd, and he looked so exhausted, I felt bad when I had to take one last photo of him and V for her, but, this can be said that he tried to keep his game face on right up to the very last minute.

But well before this, AJ and Travis had a Q&A session together and not only did they spoil us with their great slo-mo walk, but also some cool lines from Ghostfacers. So what's the deal with those webisode? Are they really going to happen CW? What are your plans, hm?


Also a precious moment: This little girl had a question and AJ & Travis invited her to come to the stage and she became part of the show; it reminded me a little bit of Sesame Street - anyone else thought that?

The rest of the afternoon was really just filled with the autograph hunt and I decided to get at least a couple since I had not much else to do - I got Steve Carlson and Jason Manns (also bought a CD which is fantastic stuff!) and even got AJ's who said he was feeling fantastic, a bit like an insane and broken record, especially funny because I don't remember having asked him how he was. I said " I bet you do" and smiled.

I must say, up close all these guys are just normal guys. I never felt intimidated or weak round the knees and since they are sort of my age it just feels like I could have been to school with them at some point in a very weird and twisted universe.

A memorable moment, for which I took no pictures (yet many others have and the pictures will surely be popping up on the net over the next few days) was the closing ceremony. It felt like the actors were saying goodbye after they had finished their first successful play in front of an eager British and very thankfull audience.

I am still somewhat happy that the 2 J's weren't there, the whole event had such a cosy comfy feeling to it. At one point Katie and Laura stood next to me at the door of the Q&A room and I didn't realise it at first...everything got to a certain point where everything was just normal.
Then suddenly AJ talked to my friend V as we passed them in the corridor and it again just felt normal, and later, when another new friend I made had a chat with Jason and Steve I just sat there, again taking it all in.

Oh, and big Kudos to Jim. He stayed behind in the Lobby still signing autographs and talking to some hardcore fans while AJ & Travis (with girlfriend?) were hiding behind the bar getting their well deserved drinks.

I hope those fans let you go eventually, you are such a nice guy. Hope you have some great remaining holidays in the UK and get to see lots of cool things. Don't forget to blog about it.

And in case anyone needs to know: There will be another convention next year.

I now need to rest my weary head and tomorrow I am off to Birmingham again, to see Jason Manns, Steve Carlson and the Life of Riley live at the Opal Lounge; I'll have to post something about that then, won't I.


-posted by Nana (near death)-

Asylum - Day Two (10.05.08)

It's day two and I am overwhelmed, yet I wonder by what.

First things first: I overslept this morning as I only had 4 hours sleep last night and as I went to fuel up my hungry car I noticed that I had no cooling fluid left (weird) so I had to buy a bottle, fill it all in and was on my way to Birmingham again.

While driving on the M6 I was having my breakfast, just a sandwich, no cereals, it's awkward to eat with a spoon whilst driving.

When I arrived at the Hilton there was no nice guy this time to help with the ticket so I had to lean half way out the window today…fudge, nearly fell out.

Of course I arrived late to the 1st Q&A with Sterling & Jim, which I was looking forward to the most, but managed to find a free seat pretty much at the front which was nice. My new friend V was nowhere to be found in the crowd, so I sat there listening to the first guests of the day telling their stories.

The Q&A was very interesting and funny. When someone asked Jim what ever happened to the dog (Rumsfeld) he smirked and said he ate it. Now that’s the spirit.

I had my doubt about Sterling, because I really don't like Gordon, but it turns out Sterling is a really funny guy in real life as opposed to the character, which makes him an excellent actor I guess.

In a way it was almost nice that none of the J's where here, it gave the other guys much more of a deserved chance to shine.

After the Q&A I tried to find my friend and found myself buying rather spontaneously a coffee lounge ticket with Jim for 15 quid (another 1,75 went to the Hilton for the unplanned use of their cash machine, dammit).

(coffee lounge with Jim Beaver)

Before the coffee it was Sam Ferris turn at the Q&A though and although she complained about airplane hair(whatever that means, I missed the beginning of the session) she was strangely what I expected: A cool woman who uses the word "hot" to describe guys. Many questions were asked if she and Dean would get together...oh yes the questions...there were so many of them...their Freudian value rather disputable though. I am still not sure what the small kids where doing there - is that the age range Supernatural should attract?

My friend had a photo shoot with Chad and complained about the outcome but I think it looks great. I reminded her that all these actors know "how" to look for the camera and that every common schmuck like us will look just weird next to them (my reason for not booking a shoot, I need not to be depressed about my looks even more).

The coffee lounge was fun (though I missed Chad's Q&A) yet there was no coffee (I am not impressed with the Hilton, not to mention the water stains on the ceilings everywhere in the Hotel and electric faults in the rooms) - I kept quiet during the intimate 20 people gig with Jim Beaver and just enjoyed taking it all in. A feisty German girl with a distinguishable accent sitting next to Jim lay into him with the questions; am I the only one who gets a little embarrassed by some fans?
Jim's PA was really kind and we ended up having a photoround and now I have my picture taken with a star anyways and I look as ridiculous as expected. I'm such a schmuck, dammit.

Next was a lunch break and V had a club sandwich for 13 quid which is outrageous considering that she had to wait nearly half an hour for it, I had my coffee this time.

After lunch it would have been AJ Buckleys turn but to this minute I am not sure if he even made it to this country yet, or ever will, so to bridge the gap they showed the episode "Born Under a Bad Sign" on the convention screen and I must say the Winchesters are certainly suited for the big screen and the surround sound was awesome! Exorcism can be so cool!

Next up was Travis and I have forgotten his last name now. Sorry Dude, I'll look you up in my pamphlet. He started of a little shy but soon became the highlight of the afternoon and a very entertaining stand-up comedian. Dude, your rendition of the Ghostfacers theme tune was AWESOME! What can I say? Travis isn't as geeky as his character Harry Spengler and he has an excellent timing for comedy and if his action figure does one day go into production, I'd buy it - after I have seen him do the special moves I am convinced.

Towards the end of the day it was the girls turn, Katie and Lauren and I must say I was quite surprised how high pitch their voices are compared to how they sound on the show.
Someone has asked Katie about her high heel boots which she bought in Atlanta....there was more, but I admit I forgot, as I was watching the clock. If I managed to leave the car park in just under 8 hours I'd only have to pay 8 pounds as oppose to 12.

Now, for tomorrow I have the chance to get my autographs but after seeing all these lost souls littering the halls, waiting in endless never shifting cues awaiting their turn while the rest had fun at the Q&A's, I am not so sure I want to get into the waiting line for hell just yet. I guess I'll make my mind up spontaneously tomorrow - I can't really say that someones signature tickles my fancy, at least not as much as the girl that actually started jumping with excitement screaming "squeee" after Jim had signed something for her after the coffee lounge.

All in all it was a great day and all of the guys from the show seem to be wonderful people and enjoy what they are doing - even this convention- although to them it's probably just another gig answering the same old questions over and over again.

I am certainly looking forward to tomorrow.



-posted by Nana (just another number in the crowd)-

Asylum - Day One (09.05.08)

Fresh from the Asylum 2008 in Birmingham...

Today was registration day. People from all over (I think even the USA; don't they have enough conventions of their own?) arrived by the bucket load.

The Met Hilton was easy to find by car and the friendly guy at the gate helped me with the ticket since my left hand drive (the only real drive) isn’t made for British gates...I usually put the car in neutral an climb over but at the Hilton the ticket machine is almost a mile away form the window, all leaning out in the world didn't help.

Once inside the Hilton the first thing that hit me was the noise, triggering an instant reaction of wanting to run away. I haven't come to the convention to meet up with friends, although a few days ago I contacted one of my before unknown myspace friends who happened to attend this Convention on her own as well, taking the train up from London, so we decided to join our demon hunting forces and met up...not an easy task in this crowd.

Her train was late and my calls went to voice mail, so I grabbed my Convention pass and the brochure and placed myself in one of the very comfy lobby chairs near the reception, reading the pamphlet and watching people meet and greet and hug and scream.

I spotted some very exciting outfits, though the warm summer temperatures made people wear tank tops and flip flops already.

Registration day wasn't really that exciting I thought and finally my phone rang. It was my new friend V who had arrived but I could not hear a word she was saying, as the reception area was still filled with noise equal to an airport or busy train station. I asked her what she was wearing but couldn't understand her. A few minutes later I got a text saying that she was near the door, which was more or less behind me, so I looked around and leaning forward to look past a bunch of teenage girls that had shifted to my right and there I spotted a girl that looked like it could be V. She was talking on the phone and as she saw me leaning forward I put a questioning look on and said V's name silently and probably overdoing it a bit. She smiled back and nodded and that's how we met.

Not really Supernatural but kind of funny as it reminded me of the scene in Provenance when Dean lent forward into the frame.

Next thing we knew we had time to kill and had a drink in the lobby, which may I say was fudging ridiculously overpriced with 4 quid for a glass full of ice and the remaining space filled up with Coke, and I kept saying to V. that I am not financing Paris Hilton's lifestyle with this. Even the cash machine charged me 1.75 for 10 Pounds! I was surprised that the soap in the toilets was free after all.

We had a great chat; V. is good fun to talk to. Behind us were a group of girls from Scotland I believe and they suddenly started shouting and screaming "Ash" - we both shuddered and frowned and felt quite embarrassed since the lobby was filled with lots of suits and business men. What must they be thinking of us?

I then said to V that these girls would be easy to work up and that we should have some fun tomorrow and start pointing and shouting "oh my god, there is xxx!" - and they would probably believe it and start screaming like hell.

We will see.


Well, that was basically it for Day One, not much else to report. On my way out I had to pay 5 quid parking which will amount to 12 quid tomorrow for a full day on Saturday and again on Sunday.

What have I done!




-posted by Nana (very tired)-

A Book every Hunter should own

I have just come back from wasting my time in Nottingham (a nice town though) going to a job interview that was a complete waste of my time and money.

Still, something good came out of it. I had an Iced Latte with Hazelnut flavour and spotted a book at Waterstone's bookshop that every Supernatural aficionado should add to his or her collection.

It's called "The Monster Hunter's Handbook" and it does what it says on the tin...no wait on the book cover.

Written by a guy from Manchester, only 2- 3 odd hours away, Ibrahim S. Amin has researched and compiled a nice collection of all beings supernatural and mythical.

But not only did he do that, he also offers examples of how to hunt, kill or generally rid yourself of these nasty beings. Early in the introduction he addresses those of us who do not wish to follow in the Winchester's footsteps:

"Even if you do not plan to go searching for a monster, there is no guarantee that a monster will not come searching for you."

So, if you want to know how to tame those yapping Hellhounds, get a Siren to commit suicide or hunt down a legendary weapon that is maybe even better than the Colt that can kill all evil, then waste no time hiding in a cupboard next time your hear those funny noises round your house.

Next time be prepared!


-posted by Nana-

only 2 more days to Candy Mountain...stop saying that...Asylum in Birmingham.

Supernatural Fun

Counting down to the Con this weekend I have decided to be a bit lazy with my own posts and save the creative juices for reporting from the Asylum, so I have dug around other peoples blogs and found this.

Some crazy chicks over at another blog called "The School of Jensen & Jared" (a blog which handles the boys pretty rough at times, but worth checking out) have already posted this under the subject of Wincest, but I must add that this is too hilarious to pass even if you don't like the topic.

I have seen lots of crazy stuff so far, including Candy Mountain, but this one has tickled my funny bone especially hard:



the previous one to this sequel:




Ok, only 3 more days to Asylum...I mean Candy Mountain! We are going on an adventure to Candy Mountain! Lalalalaaaaa...

Shunnn the Non-Believer.


-posted by Nana-

Gremlins are back!

Well, at least on TV.

I always wanted one too and though my neighbour's cat is called Gizmo it's just not the same - we tried the water. No luck!



It's good to see them back on TV as they are definitely honorary buckets of crazy.


-posted by Nana-

Challenging Societal Norms - A dangerous dance on Volcano Copyright?

Today we are being a bot more crictical and serious for a change, as we have found a great 3-part article exploring the reasons and motives behind slash-fanfiction based on the example of Supernatural, and the high percentage of women's involvement in this favourite pasttime.

Entitled Revolutionary Writers: Challenging Societal Norms Through Slash Fanfiction, the article is very informative and well researched. It can be a little heavy reading at times but we suggest it as a must read, especially for those who don't like slash of fanfiction at all.

On the other hand, a well-known and published writer, Lee Goldberg, has discussed the topic of Fanfic in his blog. As well as providing another perspective -the one of a writer writing for a living- he also gives a great insight into all the legal aspects(describing well known examples) and why and how fanfiction is or should be considered a breach of copyright laws.

We remain impartial to the idea of slash and fanfiction but think it is always good to stay informed.

-The Crazy Buckets-

My plight to Lucas & Spielberg: Grab Jensen before it's another 20 years!

Digging around on LJ is really worth it, it seems.

Someone has actually had the same crazy thought as me which is great. Even better is that "Princess of X" has visualised this very thought, and here is it:



Now, we only need to get Lucas & Spielberg to understand that after 20 years waiting for part 4 of the Indy Trilogy (yes I said trilogy as I never saw it happen) is really getting too old for this shit and before he decides to hire a young gherkin for this job who has absolutely no flavour whatsoever (sadly River Phoenix is no longer available due to other commitments up in heaven) we now have the right man for this job!

It's time for a new guy who can kick some Nazi-Ass and trust me, the world will want it to be Jensen Ackles, who you may know form such great kickass shows like Supernatural.

His major advantages include:

• loose tongue
• assertive voice that can make any snake curl up and die
• proficiency in dealing with all kinds of the supernatural (so boxes filled with weird souls and the power of god won't freak him out any longer)
• strong and reasonably bruise resistant (can take a beating, but will of course give more than take as any good man would)
• he is tall enough
• has that strong jawline you need for this job
  
• looks good in a hat
• has this rugged look you need and wears shirts beautifully
• the ladies will love him but if they want their own elephant and then fall off he will definitely laugh at them
• likes roller coaster rides through strange Indian mines
• he can climb up from near death and look perturbed as too what just happened
• will MacGyver his way out of any sealed tomb and will think about a plan occasionally
• he will chase a guy into the jungle and run away if a horde chases him (and you will get a beautiful face shot of eyes that speak more than words)
  
• he will make you tons and tons of money
• takes his job very seriously and won't leave that hat behind
  
• and yes! He can ACTUALLY ride a horse cowboy style!

I want more Indiana Jones adventures but I also want a new Indy now, I have waited too long, so it's time to pass the whip and the hat on!


-posted by Nana-

We are spreading the Bucket!

To see what the fuzz is about, we have decided to dive into the deep end and get ourselves a live journal too.

Already we have discovered how differently it works, much more complicated than it should be we think.

Well, but we have no choice if we want to keep up with technology so from now on we will post there as well, in the hope to make some more cool friends - we love friends, especially the crazy ones and having had a look at LJ we think we came to the right place.

If you want to check out what we have done so far please keep visiting our main blog http://bucketsofcrazy.blogspot.com/ but now we are also on LiveJournal http://dailybuckets.livejournal.com/ and we hope to make more cool friends, as always we can't get enough.

So, we hope to spread the joy and that some might spread it back.

Looking forwards to meeting you all!

------

Ps. There just is no stopping us (07.05.), now also on wordpress: http://dailybuckets.wordpress.com/


-The Crazy Buckets-

This Bucket is a Joke #3 - A Bucket of Nuts

A Bucket of Nuts

On the outskirts of a small town, there was a huge nut tree by the cemetery fence. One day, after a round of Salt'n'Burning some haunted bones, Sam and Dean had decided to make the most of it, got a bucket out of the Impala's trunk and started plucking the nuts form the tree, filling up the bucket until full. Then they sat down by the tree, out of sight, and began dividing the nuts, as you do being good brothers.

"One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me," said Dean. The bucket was so full, several rolled out toward the fence.

Cycling down the road by the cemetery was a little boy. As he passed, he thought he heard voices from inside the cemetery. He slowed down to investigate. Sure enough, he heard, "One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me."

He knew what it was. "Holy Crap," he shuddered. "It's Satan and St. Peter dividing the souls at the cemetery."

He cycled down the road as fast as he could and found an old man hobbling along with a cane. "Come here quick," said the boy. "You won't believe what I heard. Satan and St. Peter are down at the cemetery dividing the souls."

The man said, "Shoo, you brat, can't you see I'm finding it hard to walk as it is." But after several pleas, the man hobbled to the cemetery.

Standing by the fence, they heard, "One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me."

The old man whispered, "Boy, you've been telling the truth. Let's find out if we can see the devil himself." Shivering with fear, they peered through the fence, but they were still unable to see anything. The old man and the boy gripped the wrought-iron bars of the fence tighter and tighter as they tried to get a glimpse of Satan.

At last they heard, "One for you, one for me. And one last one for you. That's all. Now let's go get those nuts by the fence, and we'll be done."

They say the old guy made it back to town five minutes before the boy.

Have a great weekend!

-rewritten and posted by Nana-

The Ballad of Jensen and Jared

While we are waiting in limbo for nothing to happen, our myspace friend Skeezernatural has brought this song to our attention and we love it!

The Ballad of Jensen and Jared is a song by Virginia Tingley (her real name?...hmmm)
Sadly we cannot play it in this blog so well, so please click the link (3rd song down)- you have to listen to it!

We love how she beautifully speaks out (yes she sings, we know) what all the fans of the show are thinking.

Your song makes us all tingly Mrs Tingley - can we have more? We'll pay with Twizzlers!

-----

PS. We had an afterthought today(03.05): We would like Kripke to put this song on the show.
Bare with us a moment and imagine the followng scene towards the very end of an episode filled with a lot of brotherly banter which we love so much:

Sam and Dean are driving along, as usual fighting over the radio and what music to have on. As they both mess with the stations, they suddenly end up on ..."....because Jensen & Jared are in love..." Dean only gives it a WTF look and Sam quickly reaches for the radio and turns it off and they both exchange very uncomfortable looks, Sam frowns and Dean tightens his grip around the steering wheel acting like nothing is going on and they drive on into the (woosh) black. End.

Just a thought. After all we are a little crazy.


-Your Crazy Buckets-