Expecting Rain

but did i miss something? he, at no point mentioned he was about to take a pic of bob, he just had his (small digital by the way) camera around his neck, nothing else, and as i mentioned over on the MK forum, the whole prolly went down the way it did coz bob simply did not notice him, as you sometimes don't see someone you know when going down the street, as you're focused on something, and he later also wrote that he does not care at all, exactly as he is having a ball on this tour, enjoying every minute of this, for him, exceptional occasion.
also, for the number freaks, he shares the same birthday, only 20 yrs less.

and i too find this constant dissin' (in both camps) ridiculous, as both artists CLEARLY appreciate/admire each other. and no it was NOT just a business deal.

EDIT: and i wanna stress that i am loving both artists to bits, and defending each one on the other one's forum.

nice. have to disagree that it was something more than good business, but I like your spirit (as always)

Says who? And Bob doesn't invite him to the actual stage because he admires him so much. *cough*

Guy writing

paris entry:
http://guyfletcher.co.uk/index.php/2011 ... 11_-_Paris
interesting bits again.

reply to a bob/bagpipe question:
John actually sourced the bagpipes for Bob in Glasgow, he had to phone a mate who then went and reopened a music shop so Bob's pipes could be purchased. We haven't heard any dulcet tones emanating from any of the tour buses yet!

John would be John McCusker.

Not sure if it's been mentioned but a few weeks ago there was a bizarre story in a newspaper claiming that Alistair Campbell(Tony Blair's former press officer) was taking part in a UK TV reality show. I forget the exact story but the basic premise of the show was for 'celebrities' to master new skills and demonstrate those skills in public. Campbell's challenge was to learn the bagpipes. Apparently the makers of the TV show came up with the idea of getting Campbell to play bagpipes onstage at a Dylan gig and were contacting Bob's people to see if he would agree!

Too ridiculous to be true...isn't it? I forgot about the story until these reports surfaced about Bob buying bagpipes.

Are Bob and his band staying at the same hotels does anybody know?

I don't purport to have any special insight or discernment into Bob's psyche, but I do feel that I share two traits in common. Those two would NOT be talent or intellect, but a painful shyness and insecurity. The insecurity obviously does not lie in his gift, he is all kinds of bold when it comes to being true to his art. That comes after he has laid his bare inner-self open for people to receive or to reject.

When you are painfully shy, it really does not matter how many accolades or awards you receive. It does nothing to change the reality of the person that you are. You can try all day long to be something different, but you can not. So, when this keyboard player (or fan, or reporter, or other artist, etc...) walks by, first, you do not imagine that they even want to speak with you. You do not see yourself any differently than the regular person that you are. Not the messiah, extraordinarily gifted songwriter, rock star, or whatever else someone's perception of you may be. So it would be presumptuous of you to assume they want to meet you. Secondly, even if they do want to meet you, you do not know what to say. Conversation is as difficult as anything you can imagine. IT. IS. PAINFUL. It is frustrating. It can be humiliating. They way he communicates is his art. That is the expression of himself.

He is able to overcome shyness to perform because of several factors, probably. This is where he shines. He doesn't have to interact, except intuitively, and this is the place where he feels the most secure. Also, I think this could have been why he wanted a band and why he had so many others tour with him during the RTR. He is an artist and he has no choice but to do what he does, but there is a sense of security in having people around you and relieve a bit of the pressure of glaring, critical eyes. He probably was able to perform solo when he was so young, simply by sheer force of will, but it caught up with him.

All I am saying is, he doesn't hate his fans, or people in other bands, or even the media. This of course is how I perceive him to be. I may be way off base, but I think I am able to recognize that he is very shy because it is my reality. Talking on a message board is much easier than real life

Oh, and one more thing. People that do not have these characteristics do not comprehend this. They believe you are snotty, stuck up, rude, or something along those lines.

Bravo. You express that reality very well. Just know that it is mine, too.

Thank you. Maybe we can meet at a show one day and be exceedingly awkward together

Are you going to any this tour?

Sadly, no I'm looking forward to any new dates in the US. New to this whole thing, so I'm really hoping he will still be touring this coming year!

I hope you enjoy all of your upcoming shows, and thanks again for the live set list threads. I love reading them and feeling the excitement!

Great: Mine too

thank you raging glory.. that was very perceptive and i dont think you are far off the mark on your view.

thanks, Maria and Queen of Love. Throwing that out wasn't the easiest, but it is comforting to not feel alone. Sometimes shyness makes you miss out on things. I have canceled concerts and other social things many times because if it, but if I want something bad enough, I will overcome almost anything. I will not miss Bob if he comes my way again

Nice to see so many people sharing my reality

every time i read something like this, it makes me happy not to be alone...!

We are coming out of the woodwork, I feel at home

back to the diary, stu seems to work on his physique, or so i read:
"Back to the task at hand. I was greeted in the gym by Mark and Tim doing their stretches, Glenn going through his paces and Stu Kimball, Bob's guitarist on the mill next to mine. As I've said before, you'd be hard pressed to come across a nicer bunch of guys, indeed the same goes for everyone in their production"
the whole thing:
http://www.guyfletcher.co.uk/index.php/ ... Oberhausen

back to the diary, stu seems to work on his physique, or so i read:
"Back to the task at hand. I was greeted in the gym by Mark and Tim doing their stretches, Glenn going through his paces and Stu Kimball, Bob's guitarist on the mill next to mine. As I've said before, you'd be hard pressed to come across a nicer bunch of guys, indeed the same goes for everyone in their production"
the whole thing:
http://www.guyfletcher.co.uk/index.php/ ... Oberhausen

"When I returned to the dressing room Mark was there with a Set-list in hand. Not ours. Bob had sent message and invited Mark onstage for four songs. The two band dressing rooms were adjacent and Charlie and Tony came popped in to our to run Mark through the arrangements."
"We left the stage for Bob to rapturous applause and headed back to the dressing room where Paul (Crocks) waited with set-list revisions from Bob. Some last minute homework for Mark. Tony dropped by again, this time in stage clothes to offer some assistance. Before we knew it, Mark was being ushered to the stage for Bob's show. We all grabbed our drinks and went to the area to stage-right where our monitor system HAD been. Our boys load out whilst Bob's crew set up his stage. Incredible. This vantage point offered a great view of Bob's facial expressions.Bob, his band and Mark took to the stage and the band launched into Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat and then into It Ain't me Babe. Then came a fabulous version of Blind Willie McTell with Mark sailing in and out on his customary Les Paul. Mark then continued on 'Things Have Changed' playing some lovely stuff in amongst Bob's harmonica wailing. Bob's band are great to watch as of course is Bob, looking as sharp as ever."

i have read some of these posts from guy fletcher- a little too, life styles of the rich and famous from where i sit, it seems it must be easy to get very spoiled

do you have the impression that he´s very spoiled? reading his entries, he seemed quite down-to-earth and not very withdrawn from "real life" to me, despite his professional success and fancy touring lifestyle. i also like it when he writes about his appreciation for the people behind the scenes, like when he described how the equipment is packed some days ago.

yeah, i hope you're right... on reflection i do kind of regret saying it, after all i have never met him- i guess it was the hotel complaints that got me going, unfairly perhaps