ROAD KILL – THURSDAY, JUNE 26TH – INTERLAKEN, SWITZERLAND: FLYING TO ZURICH TODAY FOR THE 10TH ANNUAL INTERLAKEN COUNTRY AND TRUCKER FESTIVAL. I HAVE THE BELLAMY BROTHERS AND DEBORAH ALLEN (WITH HER HUSBAND, RAYMOND) PARTICIPATING. BELLAMYS ARE FLYING ON DELTA/AIR FRANCE BECAUSE I’M SENDING THEM TO NORWAY FOR TWO SHOWS AFTER SWITZERLAND. DEBORAH AND I ARE ON CONTINENTAL. I ARRIVE ON FRIDAY AND DEPART ON SUNDAY. HOME FOR ONE DAY, THEN OFF TO KOREA FOR THE 4TH OF JULY FESTIVAL! NO PROBLEMS AT THE AIRPORT BUT WE WERE ON A LITTLE 50 PASSENGER JET. I HAD NOT BEEN TO BED THE NIGHT BEFORE AND DIDN’T GET ANY SLEEP ON THE LITTLE “PUDDLE-JUMPER”! IT WAS A ROUGH RIDE. THE FLIGHT FROM NEWARK TO ZURICH WAS, THANKFULLY, UNEVENTFUL.
ROAD KILL – FRIDAY, JUNE 27TH – INTERLAKEN, SWITZERLAND OUR DRIVER WENT TO THE WRONG TERMINAL TO PICK US UP BECAUSE SOMEHOW THEY HAD MISREAD THE ITINERARY AND LOOKED AT ONE OF THE BELLAMY’S FLIGHTS. WE SPENT ABOUT 30 MINUTES TRYING TO FIND EACH OTHER AND FINALLY HOOKED UP FOR THE 2 HOUR DRIVE TO INTERLAKEN. GOT CHECKED INTO THE HOTEL, WHICH IS THE SAME HOTEL I’VE STAYED AT FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS. THERE ARE TWO “SIDES” TO THE HOTEL AND WE ALWAYS IN THE “NEWER” SIDE. THIS YEAR THEY PUT US IN THE OLD PART. MY ROOM SMELLED HORRIBLE AND I ASKED TO BE MOVED. I WAS TOLD THERE WERE NO ROOMS IN THE NEW PART. THE MAID CAME UP TO SPRAY THE ROOM WITH DISINFECTANT AND LEFT HOLDING HER HAND OVER HER MOUTH. THE HOTEL THEN AGREED TO MOVE ME TO ANOTHER ROOM IN THE OLD PART. IT WAS MUCH BETTER BUT NOT GREAT. KEPT TELLING MYSELF IT WAS ONLY FOR A DAY AND A HALF. DEBORAH AND RAYMOND DECIDED TO TAKE THE TRAIN UP TO JUNGFRAU SINCE THIS WOULD BE THEIR ONLY OPPORTUNITY. AS TIRED AS THEY WERE, I KNOW IT IS AN EXPERIENCE THEY WOULD NOT HAVE WANTED TO MISS. THE BELLAMYS ARRIVED AN HOUR LATER THAN ANTICIPATED AS THEY STOPPED IN ROUTE FOR LUNCH. GAVE ME TIME TO GO FOR A 5 MILE JOG ALONG THE RIVER. IT WAS ABOUT 90 DEGREES WITH 100% HUMUDITY AT THAT TIME OF THE DAY BUT STILL IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL RUN. THE HOTEL DOES NOT HAVE AIR CONDITIONING AND THERE ARE VERY FEW FANS. I GUESS THEY FELT SORRY FOR ME BECAUSE OF THE FIRST ROOM AND WENT OUT AND PURCHASED A FAN FOR ME. EVERYONE HAS TO LEAVE THEIR WINDOWS OPEN JUST TO CATCH A SLIGHT BREEZE. SO, OF COURSE, THERE IS NO PRIVACY. WE ALL HAD DINNER TOGETHER AND A BELMONT STUDENT WHO LIVES IN SWITZERLAND BUT ATTENDS CLASSES AT IN NASHVILLE MET ME. HE’S BACK IN SWITZERLAND FOR THE SUMMER AND WANTED TO SEE THE FESTIVAL AND WHAT I DO FIRST-HAND. A GROUP CALLED “MUSTANG SALLY” WAS ALSO THERE TO PERFORM AND A COUPLE OF THE GIRLS IN THE GROUP ARE NEW MEMBERS OF THE BAND. HE WAS SHOCKED TO WALK INTO THE HOTEL AND SEE THEM. WE WENT TO A RADIO INTERVIEW THAT EVENING AND THEN OUT TO THE FESTIVAL SITE. IT’S THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE EVENT AND THEY WANTED EVERYONE TO SING “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” AT MIDNIGHT FOR THE “FINALE” OF THE EVENING. ONLY THE “BIRTHDAY BAND” ONLY KNEW A FEW SONGS AND “LET YOUR LOVE FLOW” WAS ONE OF THOSE. SO, ALL THE ARTISTS GATHERED ON STAGE FOR THE FINALE. I HAVE A NEW CAMERA AND WAS TRYING TO LEARN HOW TO USE IT. RAYMOND AND I WENT OUT INTO THE “PIT” IN FRONT OF THE STAGE. WHEN THE SONG ENDED THEY SET OFF PYROS AND SCARED US PRETTY GOOD. THEN WHEN THE SPARKS STARTED LANDING ON US, WE RAN FOR COVER. I HAD HAIR SPRAY IN MY HAIR AND WAS CONVINCED I WOULD TO UP LIKE A TORCH! ONE SPARK WAS SO HOT, I THOUGHT I HAD A SPOT BURNED ON MY SHOULDER.
ROAD KILL – DAY THREE – SATURDAY, JUNE 28TH: NEXT DAY WAS SOUND CHECK AND THE BELLAMYS DID AN AUTOGRAPH SIGNING AT A DEPARTMENT STORE. MANFRED, A SOLDIER THAT I MET IN BOSNIA IN 1996, DROVE OVER WITH HIS NEW WIFE TO SEE THE SHOW. AND LEO, A PROMOTER THAT WORKED WITH THE BELLAMYS FOR MANY YEARS, ALSO DROVE OVER WITH HIS WIFE. LEO HAD JUST FINISHED PAYING OFF THE IRS FROM PREVIOUS CONCERTS. HE AND HIS PARTNER WERE AUDITED WHEN THE NEW GERMAN TAX LAWS TOOK EFFECT SEVERAL YEARS AGO. HIS PARTNER MOVED TO THE USA AND LEFT LEO WITH ALL THE RESPONSIBILITY. HOWARD AND JENNIFER TOLD US ABOUT A “SHOW” GOING ON OUTSIDE THEIR WINDOW THE PREVIOUS NIGHT. EVIDENTLY THE COUPLE IN THE ROOM ACROSS FROM THEIRS FORGOT TO CLOSE THE BLINDS AND PUT ON QUITE A PERFORMANCE – FOR ALL OF 2 ½ MINUTES! WE ALL WENT OUT TO THE VENUE FOR A PRESS CONFERENCE AND “MEET AND GREET” WITH RADIO WINNERS. DEBORAH WAS ON FIRST AND DID A FANTASTIC SHOW. SHE IS A CONSUMATE ENTERTAINER AND THE CROWD LOVED HER. I STAYED OUT FRONT WITH SUSAN MOST OF THE TIME HELPING HER WITH MERCH SALES. THE CONCERT TAKES PLACE IN A HUGE TENT AND IT IS ABSOLUTELY FILLED WITH CIGARETTE SMOKE – MY “FAVORITE” THING. I DID GO OUT FRONT OF THE TENT A COUPLE OF TIMES WHERE THERE ARE NUMEROUS STAGES FEATURING LOCAL TALENT AND LOTS OF FOOD AND “WESTERN WEAR” BOOTHS. LOOKED LIKE A MUCH BIGGER CROWD THAN LAST YEAR. BELLAMYS GAVE THEIR USUAL SPECTACULAR PERFORMANCE. THEY ARE A “FAVORITE” WITH THE EUROPEANS AND WERE CALLED BACK FOR ENCORE AFTER ENCORE. IT’S LIKE WATCHING AN ELVIS CONCERT IN DAYS PAST. THE CROWD STANDS FOR ALMOST THE ENTIRE SHOW AND SINGS ALONG WITH EVERY SONG. WE FINISHED UP AT AROUND 1 AM AND HEADED BACK TO THE HOTEL. OUR POOR DRIVER HAD ONLY HAD 1 ½ HOURS SLEEP IN THE PAST 48 HOURS AND I WAS WORRIED ABOUT HIM. HIS NAME IS SPITZ AND HE’S GREAT. BY THE TIME I PACKED AN ANSWERED EMAIL IT WAS 2:30 AM AND I HAD TO GET UP AT 5 AM. NO TIME TO EXERCISE BEFORE I LEFT. MUSTANG SALLY TOOK THE 2 HOUR BUS RIDE WITH US TO THE AIRPORT. DEBORAH AND RAYMOND TOLD US ABOUT A “PEEPING TOM” THEY HAD OUTSIDE THEIR WINDOW LAST NIGHT. I THINK WE NEED TO INSIST ON A HOTEL WITH AIR CONDITIONING NEXT YEAR…
ROAD KILL – DAY FOUR – SUNDAY, JUNE 29TH: THE LINE AT CONTINENTAL WAS INCREDIBLY LONG BECAUSE THE ATTENDANTS WERE SO SLOW CHECKING EVERYONE IN. IT WAS VERY FRUSTRATING BUT WE GOT CHECKED IN AND THROUGH SECURITY IN PLENTY OF TIME FOR OUR FLIGHT. BY BACKPACK HAD TO KEEP GOING THROUGH SECURITY BECAUSE SOMETHING WAS SHOWING UP. I HAD FORGOTTEN TO TAKE MY SWISS ARMY KNIFE OUT AND PUT IT IN MY CHECKED LUGGAGE. THEY TOOK IT AWAY FROM ME AND KEPT IT. THESE ITEMS ARE NEVER RETURNED. SO, I’LL BE BUYING A NEW SWISS ARMY KNIFE NEXT WEEK IN KOREA. I’M ON A FLIGHT NOW TO NEWARK. I HAVE SOME CUBAN CIGARS IN MY LUGGAGE FOR JOLIE’S PRODUCER AND AM WORRIED THAT I’M GOING TO GET BUSTED! I STUCK THEM INSIDE A BAG OF COFFEE BUT I HAVE A BAD FEELING ABOUT THIS. I HAVEN’T TRIED TO BRING THEM BACK IN SINCE 9/11. SO, IF I DON’T FINISH THIS REPORT, SOMEONE LOOK FOR ME IN THE NEW JERSEY STATE PRISON. WELL, WE MADE IT THROUGH CUSTOMS WITHOUT BEING SEARCHED. TOOK FOREVER FOR OUR LUGGAGE TO SOME OUT AND I WAS CONVINCED THEY HAD FOUND THE CIGARS AND WERE “SEARCHING” THROUGH IT. WHEN I GOT HOME, THE COFFEE BEANS HAD SPILLED ALL IN THE SUITCASE. UNEVENTFUL FLIGHT HOME EXCEPT THAT ONE OF DEBORAH’S AND RAYMOND’S SUITCASES DIDN’T MAKE THE FLIGHT FROM NEWARK TO NASHVILLE. OFF TO KOREA ON TUESDAY. JUDE