PAUL "ROADIE" GODDARD - US TOUR DIARY

6 June
Wake up, go and have a look around. Couple of big fishing ponds and pits where they do drag racing through the mud, and advert banners saying 'Jail is hell, call... for bail bonds...'. I guess a lot of hill billies go to Jail down here. Then it starts to rain, so Hal and I retreat to the RV for a cup of tea. Have a shower then we're off to New Orleans which is about an hour and a half away. Pissin' wiv rain still. Find the club, then go and park up in the French Quarter. Go and have coffee and donut at the Cafe Du Monde, then have a wonder down Bourbon Street, where it all goes off at Mardis Gras. Stop and go and get a beer, can't believe this is my last day. Then go and park up and go and get some pasta. Get to the gig, play first, drink, drink, drink.................. This entry has been cut short cause I got shit faced and now I'm late for my plane. Bye everyone. Fuck, I gotta pack!!! Paul.

5 June
Wake up quite eearly, go and have a wash and go buy some milk with our last $1.37 to have some muesli. Have an interesting conversation with Hal, about how funny he thinks it is when cat's are shittin' because they look so ashamed - we all agree. Today was obviously going to be a shockin' day cause Jamie said he'd wash up... but then he didn't. Listen to Sweet Home Alabama - just had to. Drive for a while then stop in Mississippi at a camp site. Real cool place, get burgers, pork chops and buns and stuff and have ourselves a big ole BBQ. Hal has his shirt off as it's stupidly muggy, I put on my jeans' t-shirt and trainers. When we get in the RV he's got about 15 mossy bites all over him - it was worth being hot. Two kids that live at the site - Jake: 8, Tony: 11. Both buy CDs off us, they're running around in shorts and vest bare foot in the dark, with out a bite on them and there's Cotton Mouths out here. Then we play cards, the looser has to stand outside in just their boxer shorts for 1 minute. It doesn't sound too bad but we all watch out the window, with glee at Sam getting eaten alive... hee hee hee! Really early night about 1ish.

4 June
Wake up cold, we left the AC on all night, go out side. BANG! like steppin' into an oven - go lie by the pool, catch some rays, then have a swim. Try to phone home, yet again, but shite phones won't let me - proper getting on my tits now!!! Spot of brecky and we're off to Jack Daniels distillery which is only 40 minutes away - sweet! It's a great tour, well worth doing and it's free. But no samples cause it's in a dry county - which seems well bizarre. They said that outside the States, the place where Jack Daniels is consumed the most is the UK - we're dedicated to our course. Then we drive for about another 4 hours, going through Alabama, it's really lush, green hills and forest. Near Birmingham now, how do they think up there names? Hal cooks up bangers and mash, with me helping over a few beers, then cards again. Quite early so we go into the truckers lounge to watch a movie, they start Fist Full of Dollars for us - classic Clint - what a hero!!! Bed about 2.30ish.

3 June
Wake up early, stupidly hot again, sweating like a Pregnant Nun. Bit of toast and a wonder about and we're off on the way to New Orleans. It's a long drive though so we'll try to get half wayish. Stop and gte a great milk shake and burger at Johnny Rockets. Then we stop in an RV park where there's a pool so we swim for half an hour, have a shower, then start to cook up a lasagne over a beer. Great food, well done again Sam. Then it's a few more beers, a couple of bottles of red wine and poker - big money! A penny a game. Go out for a cig with Hal and there's green flashing lights everywhere - no I'm not trippin' - Fire Flys buzzin' about all over the place. Then bed about 4ish.

2 June
Wake up about 12, go into the house and meet Blue (Zabrina's boyfirend), take a shower and put on clean clothes - doesn't sound like much but that's a big deal - first time I