Mark Lanegan | awritersfountain

A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to catch Mark Lanegan perform his acoustic set in a tiny venue – 500 people or so, I was practically on the stage – right at the front – just a few metres away from him. It was the first time I had heard him LIVE and had only recently started to hear his low tones coming from Mr G’s Ipod. It was an amazing gig, left me feeling how music should.

So to my delight we were asked to go to see him again – of course we both jumped at this chance. It was only in the evening on our pre-gig tour of the city that I began to think about expectations. Mine were incredibly high as that first gig left me feeling something I can’t even express in words!

It was A M A Z I N G ! copyright jackseattle cbslocal.com

For starters he played with his band, he looked 10 years younger than the gig I saw in the tiny venue – we were still up close to the stage – something I never expected – it was a seated gig with the option of standing. Mr G and I went to see Seether last Autumn and felt we had become too old for standing all night and decided we were going to only go to seated gigs – something we might have said without the intention to practise 😉

And as if the night couldn’t get any better we queued to meet the man himself, Mr Lanegan (we noticed when we walked in) that he was signing.) We shook his tattooed hands and gushed praise and starstruck clichés at him. I wish we had asked for a picture -plenty people were. But the boys were a little too embarrassed or in awe of meeting their hero.

He was so cool that he spoke to every fan, which for those of you familiar with Lanegan is incredible as on stage he is a man of very few words (apart from the ones he sings that is!)

I felt truly honoured and of course we all got our gig tickets signed.

Then we made our way back through city streets to the last bar before making our way home. Feeling invincible and repeating our happy mantra – We just met Mark Lanegan!

This is my entry for Slice of Life Challenge hosted by TwoWritingTeachers – follow the link and savour accounts of weeks from around the world. Take part – add a slice of your own.

Enjoy!

It seems I only have the time to join the slicers every fortnight or so (and I thought going freelance would give me more time) seems – whenever life does this you fill the time with other things!

I do love only having school work 1 night a week – as opposed to every night and all weekend though!

Since the end of the Literature Festival I thought I would have more time and energy but think I am in recovery! Zapped of energy and full of tiredness, I battle on.

I have managed to get a lot of work over these past few weeks and have also managed a few lazy days over the weekends (thanks to bad weather – had it been dry Mr G and I would have been kept busy harvesting the allotment).

We have at least managed to get out into the garden and plant roses and other things for Spring flowers.

Writing wise I have only managed 1 day in the past 16 to write and most of that was filled with admin tasks. I am currently busy putting the finishing touches to INKSPILL – our online writing retreat this weekend, pop over to the blog and find out what it is all about – read the full programme here… INKSPILL

I have attended my 2nd Poetry Stanza meeting and received some constructive feedback to strengthen my work. I have also arranged two open mic spots this week, the first is tomorrow night in Stratford Upon Avon at the Emmapress book launch for their latest anthology of ‘Mildly Erotic Poetry’ and also at the Spoken Word Open Mic event in Birmingham on Thursday evening.

I am very excited and even treated myself to a new stage outfit (in the Sales) … when I popped out to buy us lunch, milk and bread on Saturday lunch time and came home late afternoon after several hours trying on clothes, our lunch, no milk (ironically it was too heavy) and 4 bags of frozen food to stock up our new chest freezer (delivered on Thursday)!

I am lucky I can still type after giving my arms such a weighty workout!

Next week is half term *a week off to WRITE< WRITE>WRITE – yeahhaaa… It is also my Great Aunt’s birthday, celebrations this weekend and Halloween of course – gutted that the only fancy dress party we were invited to we cannot attend – due to double booking – we are off to see Mark Lanegan – for the second time! Last time was a tiny venue and we were front row – it was truly amazing- so when we heard he was playing again, we jumped on tickets!