Friday: Three weeks in and work is definitely feeling easier, and I'm kind of glad for it because with my parents in Canada I don't spend so much time in the house by myself. Got all my work finished before lunch and got sent home at twenty to two as everyone else was going to a meeting. Came home, watched The Toxic Avenger part II, ate, showered, dicked around on the internet then started walking to the Tap. When I crossed over the bridge two young Chav girl said "Hello Prick" then laughed to themselves as they passed me, that one thing I hate about it being cold, when wearing a coat Chavs can't see that you have big arms covered with tattoos so they fuck with you more. Got to the Tap found Ollie and a couple of his friends, hung around with them 'til Mills came along, they fucked off to the Manor, I talked bollocks with Mills until he left before eleven, took a walk around the Tap and found literally fuck all people I knew, stumbled into the empty Hip Hop room and thought to myself "are the police doing drug searches outside again?" (I'm not generalising, the last time the Hip Hop room was empty on a Friday night was when he police were at the door of the Tap searching people for drugs). Left and found no queue(!) outside the Tap and decided that Medway's Alternative night life is officially fucking dead, got a portion of chips in pita from the kebab shop walked up to the taxi rank and saw a young Chav pissing in a bus shelter on my way.
Saturday: DVD of Cannibal! The Musical came through the post. Walked into Strood, with some records I planed on selling to Chris, got a return ticket to Chatham at the station, Got to Sounds Perfect, Chris tells me he's hit his weekly allowance from his boss so I agree to pick up the money from the records next Saturday as I'll be popping in there before I get my tattoo anyway. Got a Public Enemy album and a Hank Williams III and Antiseen split picture 7", went did my food shopping then headed back to the station, felt weak so I bought a cheap nasty coffee at the station caf to keep me going. Got home listened to music watched Cannibal!, showered, dicked around on the internet then left the house to get a bus to Chatham. Walked in the Tap, went up to the bar, Chris came over to me, said "hello" then turned behind him and said "this guy is as 'core as it gets round here" I turn around and there's Frank Turner, I think it was because of all the badges of Hardcore bands on my backpack that Frank showed me his new Black Flag tattoo on his wrist, Chris points to my Black Flag tattoo on my forearm "ah, we can be friends" says Frank he then said something about his mate having one too then something about Captain Planet which I didn't quiet get so I just smiled and nodded, I don't really know what to say to new people without coming off as a twat. Chris and Frank discuss which whiskey they should buy and I quietly sneak off to find somewhere I can read. Come into the poolroom, talk to James from Know/Where/the old days of Sounds Perfect for a bit then he got called away to help Manny with the mixing desk, went off to read again, found myself having to leave the room as the first act on was Rory, the guy who used to be in Screaming Keith, and the drummer from his current band, Sparrows. Came back to watch Chris do his acoustic thing then left when he announced Underground Heroes were doing an acoustic set next, I walked past one guy saying to his friend "all I've heard is that Underground Heroes are cunts" and smiled to myself. Found a place to read then took a couple of walks around the Tap, found myself having to sit outside by the fruit machine waiting for them to finish, thinking to myself "God, they're annoying" then went back in the pool room to watch Frank's set. It was really cool, Frank was just making the set up as he went along, I found myself getting singled out a couple of times:
Frank announces he's going to play a new song "and if I mess it up it's the fault of . . . That guy!" and points at me "I used to be Straight Edge for five years (at that point I realised that he singled me out because I was wearing my Starbucks piss take shirt which has the Starbucks logo with Straight Edge were the name should be and "IT'S OK TO DRINK CAFFEINE" on the back) and the man who broke my Edge is right there" points at Chris (I went through a bad brake up and Chris offered me a drink to try and sort me out."
A bit later Frank points to his Black Flag tattoo and asks anyone to put there hand up if they know what it is, me and Chris are the only people who put our hands up "no, it's not a barcode (which someone did shout), it's the Black Flag logo, that guy has one too."
Frank plays every song he knows, then finishes with covers of NOFX and Abba, he gets a standing ovation after he finishes and does an encore of We Are The Champions. I leave get chips in pita from the kebab shop which the guy only charged me a pound for, then went up to the taxi rank. I get in a taxi and the driver tells me about his last call, he picks up a pissed woman with her friends, they drop her off before going to the other two's house, the woman gets out of the cab goes round to the passenger window and gets her tits out as she walks up to her house she tries pulling her knickers down to show him something else, but one of her friends gets out and makes sure she gets in the house, he then drops the other two out at The Nag's Head, a woman the driver thinks is a prostitute tries to get in the taxi after running around the street, he does let her in a drives off, as he does he seeing a "coloured man" (his words, not mine) in just a pair of boxers short carrying a golf club chasing after her. Just in case you don't know, there's always something to remind you, this place is called Chatham.
Saturday: DVD of Cannibal! The Musical came through the post. Walked into Strood, with some records I planed on selling to Chris, got a return ticket to Chatham at the station, Got to Sounds Perfect, Chris tells me he's hit his weekly allowance from his boss so I agree to pick up the money from the records next Saturday as I'll be popping in there before I get my tattoo anyway. Got a Public Enemy album and a Hank Williams III and Antiseen split picture 7", went did my food shopping then headed back to the station, felt weak so I bought a cheap nasty coffee at the station caf to keep me going. Got home listened to music watched Cannibal!, showered, dicked around on the internet then left the house to get a bus to Chatham. Walked in the Tap, went up to the bar, Chris came over to me, said "hello" then turned behind him and said "this guy is as 'core as it gets round here" I turn around and there's Frank Turner, I think it was because of all the badges of Hardcore bands on my backpack that Frank showed me his new Black Flag tattoo on his wrist, Chris points to my Black Flag tattoo on my forearm "ah, we can be friends" says Frank he then said something about his mate having one too then something about Captain Planet which I didn't quiet get so I just smiled and nodded, I don't really know what to say to new people without coming off as a twat. Chris and Frank discuss which whiskey they should buy and I quietly sneak off to find somewhere I can read. Come into the poolroom, talk to James from Know/Where/the old days of Sounds Perfect for a bit then he got called away to help Manny with the mixing desk, went off to read again, found myself having to leave the room as the first act on was Rory, the guy who used to be in Screaming Keith, and the drummer from his current band, Sparrows. Came back to watch Chris do his acoustic thing then left when he announced Underground Heroes were doing an acoustic set next, I walked past one guy saying to his friend "all I've heard is that Underground Heroes are cunts" and smiled to myself. Found a place to read then took a couple of walks around the Tap, found myself having to sit outside by the fruit machine waiting for them to finish, thinking to myself "God, they're annoying" then went back in the pool room to watch Frank's set. It was really cool, Frank was just making the set up as he went along, I found myself getting singled out a couple of times:
Frank announces he's going to play a new song "and if I mess it up it's the fault of . . . That guy!" and points at me "I used to be Straight Edge for five years (at that point I realised that he singled me out because I was wearing my Starbucks piss take shirt which has the Starbucks logo with Straight Edge were the name should be and "IT'S OK TO DRINK CAFFEINE" on the back) and the man who broke my Edge is right there" points at Chris (I went through a bad brake up and Chris offered me a drink to try and sort me out."
A bit later Frank points to his Black Flag tattoo and asks anyone to put there hand up if they know what it is, me and Chris are the only people who put our hands up "no, it's not a barcode (which someone did shout), it's the Black Flag logo, that guy has one too."
Frank plays every song he knows, then finishes with covers of NOFX and Abba, he gets a standing ovation after he finishes and does an encore of We Are The Champions. I leave get chips in pita from the kebab shop which the guy only charged me a pound for, then went up to the taxi rank. I get in a taxi and the driver tells me about his last call, he picks up a pissed woman with her friends, they drop her off before going to the other two's house, the woman gets out of the cab goes round to the passenger window and gets her tits out as she walks up to her house she tries pulling her knickers down to show him something else, but one of her friends gets out and makes sure she gets in the house, he then drops the other two out at The Nag's Head, a woman the driver thinks is a prostitute tries to get in the taxi after running around the street, he does let her in a drives off, as he does he seeing a "coloured man" (his words, not mine) in just a pair of boxers short carrying a golf club chasing after her. Just in case you don't know, there's always something to remind you, this place is called Chatham.