washington consists of big polished mercedes and back alleys of rats. i slip the new JBC single into the dance mix before the set and only the band notices! laurence is overheard using the pickup line "its your loss, not mine". JBC fans from new jersey fill a hotel bathtub with booze and proceed to feed them to the band. for a group one would image to be total alcoholics, the JBC were surprisingly sober, i found out. realistically, with only a few hours to sleep each night, it doesnt make sense to drink heavily. BUT! the shades *are* for real. the JBC always leave the hotel in the morning wearing sunglasses as a hangover deterrent.

Ah, yes, I was present for this one. This gig was at the OLD 9:30 Club, which was at 930 F Street in DC, and the Mr. Whittemore is correct, the rats in the the old 9:30 were quite brazen, occasionally known for sneaking out of the cellar coat check room to beg for smokes. I spoke to Butch for about five minutes before this gig; he was wandering about the dark club in his sunglasses, bumping into pillars, whilst searching for his girlfriend, a very nice gal clad in a faux leopard skin coat. The band was in fine fettle that night, although the sight of the band was interesting, with the other guitartists (not Butch) curiously haberdashed in fur hats and green fatigues, that gave them the appearance of refugees from a Bolshevik fashion pageant. All in all a fine gig, the highlight being a spot-on version of "Partytime", performed graciously after numerous requests from a rabid crowd - "Well, this is a democracy, so I guess we have to play it" was Butch's comment, I believe.

Ah, those were the days.

There's such a fine line between a democracy and a jukebox

"Brzzl, mate. Do us all a favour, why don't you? Go fuck yourself.

Where's your sense of humour, my son? I may have compressed two shows from two different years into one cunty comment but fuck it. Gladly awaiting your next request for self-love.

So I'm trying to figure out which is worse:

Brits who live in America or Americans who try to sound British by using words like "cunt".