October 19, 1997, France, Plouneour Trez, Les Hesperides

Fourth day of the Ball Of Fire 1997 tour The breakfast in Rennes was as small as all the other ones so far on this tour. Brevett is a lot talking in monologues. The feeling in the crew is not that easy as it should be. It’s too much moaning about this and that. I don’t know who is talking shit, but nobody is on the same line. The way to this wonderful place was all through the nice Bretagne.

October 17, 1997, France, Apremont – Le Grand Duc

Second day of the Ball Of Fire tour 1997 The breakfast in Bordeaux I was talking with Will Clark about his wonderful session last night and about Lady Diana. He told me he’s in a new life since 10 days. Barney the driver told me, he has less troubles with the young american ska bands.   The band took too long for soundcheck. So Shay and I played soccer in the audience. They tried to play My Boy Lollipop (a Millie Small hit from 1964 and Barbie Gaye Original from the 50s), but it was awful. Lester Sterling had the

October 16, 1997, France, Bordeaux – La Lune Dans Le Caniveaux

Beginning of the Ball Of Fire tour 1997 I have no particular pictures of this date in Bordeaux. In my diary I have found the following about that day. It is Thursday, 16th of October 1997 (exactly 20 years ago), 2.45 PM, I am at the Montparnasse train station in Paris. I should sit in the train to Bordeaux now, but I was running to the wrong train. I wasn’t easy, because I only had little time for changing. And there were two trains called BORDEAUX. One “promené” the other “depart”. This two french words upsetted me a little. That’s

Day 8, Saturday, august 22, 1992, Saint-Nazaire, first show | The Skatalites Euro Tour 1992

This is the day when The Skatalites played their very first concert in France The first thing I did today, 25 years ago, was to buy a camera. That’s why I have no pictures of the whole tour until this day. Don’t worry, it was the time long before digital cameras and each picture was one dollar to get it. That was awful, but on the other hand, the number of pictures was limited and does a lot of pictures make anything better?

Day 7, Friday, august 21, 1992, day-off for The Skatalites | Linton Kwesi Johnson, Rolando Alphonso, Tommy McCook, Saint-Nazaire, France, Lloyd Brevett, Dennis Bovell

This is the day in 1992, when The Skatalites and I arrived in Saint-Nazaire and met for the first time My bicycle ride today was about 160 km from Saint-Georges-des-Gardes to Beaupréau and Vallet and Vertou to arrive on time in Saint-Nazaire. The Skatalites took another 500 km to arrive in Saint-Nazaire as well.