Sinister: New Diary of a Band

[Mick Cooke]

Hello all,

The Glasgow University Guardian has stopped publishing for the summer
break. We don't even know if they want to include our diaries in the next
academic year (different staff), but we're going to continue the diaries
whenever the mood takes us.

DIARY OF A BAND 
16th June 2000 

It's been two weeks now since Top of the Pops, and seeing as Stuart's been
in the States since then, and Diary time is here again, I thought I'd
better write a bit about that. 

Playing on Top of the Pops truly was a lifetime's ambition realised. It
didn't disappoint either, something I have heard other bands bemoan. As we
may never have such a chance again, we decided to make the most of it.
There was quite a crowd of us there. Our (mentally un-)sound engineer Tony
Doogan came along, and caused quite a stir with his monkey cavalier
cavortings. He was actively encouraged by us, naturally. What happened was,
we had hired two costumes, the monkey suit and the cavalier, for two people
to wear. We thought Jonny Quinn- on bongos- might want to wear the monkey
suit, but understandably he wanted his face seen on the telly. Can you
imagine- 'Look mum, that's me there, on Top of the Pops. That's right, the
gorilla'. 

So it was all down to Tony. He tried the monkey suit, he tried the
cavalier, but neither seemed quite right. It was Chris who suggested he be
a monkey cavalier, and the rest is, well, history. Needless to say, Tony
was the biggest hit with the kids. The flowers weren't our idea, by the
way. They were there when we got there. Obviously some bright spark at the
BBC thought, 'L.O.V.E, love, what does that suggest? Ah, I know, roses!'.
Quite a good thing to throw at a young teenage crowd though. We had a blast. 

Afterwards, in the bar, Stevie achieved another lifetime's ambition by
jamming with Chrissie Hynde. I don't understand how it started really, but
I turn round one minute, and there's Stevie doing his Elvis Costello
impression- he always does 'The Sun Has Got His Hat On'- to Chrissie Hynde,
and she's doing her Joni Mitchell impression back! Then she gives us a
medley of Pretenders classics. At one point she was kneeling on a chair,
with Stuart's electric guitar held against a bar table (to amplify it),
screaming away at 'Don't Get Me Wrong'. 

It was during this stage of the proceedings that some people thought it
would be a good idea to check out Albert Square. So off they trooped, past
the 'no entry' signs, into the Square, into Pauline's house, over to the
Queen Vic (all the lights were out). Neil and Richard had a piss in the
bushes in the Square. Then security arrived. Stuart legged it, and Neil and
Richard, having relieved themselves, were off, but the others were held in
the security hut while the police were called. It took the Top of the Pops
producer and Jamie Theakston to diffuse the situation. Watching Eastenders
will never be the same again. 

Mick Cooke 



_________________________________________________________

the Official Belle and Sebastian Band Site is at:
http://www.belleandsebastian.co.uk/home/
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