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I was never one for going on the internet and logging into chat rooms. I used it for checking my e-mail, doing some
downloading and talking online to my friends and family. Then by doing a google on a band a link came up to go to Rock Report
where a review was given on this album. The album in question was Unfinished Business by Shy. This site looked cool. So I
read about it and saw they had a forum. So I registered and went on to say hi and talk about Shy. I am sure I have pissed
off a lot of people by doing so constantly but I also know for a fact that many more have bought Shy cd’s because of
my enthusiasm for Shy. So it was worth it !!
Well I went on every night chatting away and found that after a while I had loads in common
with this guy from Norway called Deenfan !! With me being Scottish and him
Norwegian you would expect me to be a better speller than Deenfan, but you are wrong. I am terrible and because there is no
spell check on Rock Report I usually get shown up badly !! Deenfan and I started
to share views and have a great laugh and it all snowballed from there. Then at the beginning of the year he started to tease
me that he had a guest vocalist in mind but it had to be kept a secret until it was all confirmed. I was wetting myself, but
after a few weeks it was all done and dusted and the rest is history as they say.
Better was to come. Deenfan invited me down to Walsall where Tony lives to hear the cd in full and to see the mastering of the cd. Well, who was I to turn down this
once in a lifetime offer. I knew this would never happen again so YES was my answer and it all happened on Sunday the 5th
of June. A day that will etch in the memory at the back of my brain for the rest of my life. And what a ball we all had. Here
is how the story of my day went .
4 hour drive to get down south. Walk into Tony's back garden at 10.15am(someone pinch me)He is sitting outside in the garden and I walk up to him. "How you doing
Cradle, nice to meet you".(please pinch me somebody....quickly....but I was there myself.....damm. It must be a dream). Tony's
wife says Hi. I say Hi back. Tony's asks me to have a seat. "Good Journey Cradle??". Yeah Tony, great drive, clear roads,
no problems"......"Great stuff" replies Tony. WOW. I’m in heaven, well Tony's back garden sitting beside the great man
himself, so it must have felt better than heaven. Mmmm I will get back to you on that one when I die, but I am sure it will
NOT feel any better than what I felt yesterday
We start chatting about stuff. Everything. Tony is a wonderful laid back
guy. As the day goes on he opens up more and by the end of the day you realize just how sincere Tony is and what stunned me
was how taken aback Tony was that I wanted to travel down South to meet him. He could not understand it. So I turned the tables
on him and said, "Who is your Idol? Who would you love to spend a day with??". Tony replied, "David Bowie. I was be dumbstruck
if I spent a day sitting with David Bowie....chatting and having a beer with him all day". So I said to Tony," You know what.....YOU
are my David Bowie. You make my hairs on the back of my neck stand up when I hear you sing, when I hear your songs. Can you
see where I am coming from"?? F****n hell cradle, I know how you feel. So thanks Tony. If I never see Shy again live, if you
never make another Shy or solo cd again THANKS. Yesterday was worth 20 years worth ......in fact, a lifetime worth of following
Shy to me. You shared you home, family and friends with ME. A wee Scottish guy. A wee nobody from up North and made me a King
for a day. It don't get any better than this mate...I tell you.
MMMMmmmmm. Maybe it does. All this time and.....no I have
not forgot about Deenfan ."Oi Tony, where's Deenfan??" Oh, he's in the toilet. Took him out for a chicken balti last night.
He aint never had one and it's acting him up !!! (I think you get the picture!!) Some 10 minutes later, through the back door
and out into the back garden....appears A MONSTER of a guy. Ah....Deenfan my man. How the hell you doing man. A grip on him
like a man clinging onto his last £20 note and a hug like the kind you get from your Gran at a Christmas party. But that was
alright for he made me a very happy man yesterday.
Well to cut to the chase....breakfast, then off to the rehearsal studio's
where I walked in and to my UTTER AMAZEMENT, Steve Harris was sitting down...he stood up and said, "Ah you must be Steve (
big shake of the hands )How you doing mate, I brought you a present". WOW, a big 2 litre bottle of Irn Bru .”ROCK'N'Roll”.
Then in comes Ian and Roy and last of all Joe the keyboard player. Tony gave me a very rare 12inch Shy single "Broken Heart"
which is MINT condition. All the guys sign it. I have it sitting on my lap just now. Tony said, "Look after that, only 12
of them made for promotional use only". Don’t worry Tone!!! The wife shall be in the spare room now and I shall sleep
with the single
We are all chatting and drinking and in walks this guy. I look at him, look back to Tony and said, "That's
Pete Way.......UFO....Waysted".
"Yeah I know, he comes in here quite a lot. And that David Lee Roth, he comes in to clean the toilets as well". What a day.
The WinterStrain cd is playing "Very Loud" in the background. All finished. It is an immense cd.
Deenfan by this time
is onto his 4th beer. Well it's time for a Shy Group photo after hours of chat with me in the middle. I have my rock report
t-shirt on you know !!!. Then we are leaving and as I go I said to Pete Way....any chance of
a picture Pete. Sure man, no problem. WOW.
Back to Tony's for dinner and then the rest of the night talking away until
midnight. Getting to know the real
Deenfan and Tony was a pleasure. I made 2 new friends and told both if you are ever up in Scotland, give me a call and you can stay at my house. You and your families are more
than welcome. We will was the reply from both Deenfan and Tony. I said, look guys, I need to go. Not that I want to but I
need to get the kids up for school in 7 hours time. 4 hours of that as well I will be driving !!
We said our goodbyes and
off I went.
It is like a dream really. I try to relive the whole of that day all the time. Bit by bit. Tony Mills
my hero. Deenfan, my adopted wee brother.
Guys, thanks for the time of my life. I will never forget the 5th
of June 2005 !!!
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