Transvocale

11-11-06 Frankfurt Oder.
Flew in to Berlin and hopped in a van packed with Simphiwe Dana’s band from South Africa and the wonderful Marion from Griot. We headed to Frankfurt Oder on the German polish border for a festival of the voice called Transvocale with various singers from around the world.
Go to hotel and slept for 10 mins before being woken by Julian from Griot who had bumped into a fantastic German double bass player and asked him to play with me as Kate Ellis who had to cancel at the last moment due to cello problems. So we had a quick run through of the songs in the hotel lobby an headed for the show. I played to a full room of really great people and I sang really well. It was one of the better concerts I have played this year for sure. The double bass was great. I got to meet and see some brilliant voices including Urna from Mongolia and of course Simphiwe Dana from South Africa. Hung around till everyone was done and then headed back to hotel for much overdue sleep.

The next day I woke up and cruised around Frankfurt Oder for a while which was dead. It can’t compare with the cheap prices across the border so everyone drives across the river for cigarettes and petrol. All the restaurants etc on the German side are closing up. I walked across into Poland for a while and got to speak the few words of polish I had learned from my polish friends in Dublin (good old county Poland!). So minus the swear words I could say please, thank you, how are you and good bye.

On the way back the German border guard refused to believe my passport was not a fake. I have to replace it. I actually went to passport office in Dublin months ago and got the wall of stupidity that is Irish governmental bureaucracy, They wouldn’t replace it saying it was valid and fine. So I told the guy to stick it up his arse. But I always get stopped by border police so I have to swallow my pride and pay for a replacement. Ah well I have got some funny stories to tell about Police in various countries not believing I was Irish. “But he looks Palestinian?” . Next time I’m wearing a red wig and red beard with a little green hat and I’ll tell him “ Top of the mornin to ya officer”. The hilarious bit is we were smuggling loads of crack cocaine into the country. And for any dry fuck who is reading this and actually believes that and wants to search me next time. Don’t be stupid, I wasn’t smuggling crack cocaine into your country. It was rocket launchers. (I put the rocket launchers in condoms and swallowed them).

After I was left back in I got onto a train to Poland. Had great fun with the insane conductor who spent 10 minutes convinced my Polish money was counterfeit. So I swapped a Rocket launcher for a ticket and was on my way.