Heartland

Maybe you can help a friend with her project?

Mission
If you ever followed a band, at any time, for any amount of time, we would like to hear about your experiences. Or if you were in a band, or worked for a band that had a following we would like to chat to you to as well!

We are all independent, professional writers, photographers and artists who originally met on the road in the eighties. So if you were part of this culture between 85 and 95 we probably know you anyway.

We'd like to pop over to your house again and listen to you talk about your experiences and look at your photos, see your treasured t shirts and memorabilia. Put some records on. Have a laugh, maybe shed a tear. Perhaps have tea and toast (if that's alright with you).

We are in a position to make a professional looking documentary, which may even become a movie with the right backing (You never know!). But it is your input and belief in the project which is vital, if we are going to tell our collective story objectively. The time has come. This is our Quadrophenia (but without Sting and his rubbish hair/dancing).

Via Facebook: (preferred)
http://www.facebook.com/Bugwriter
http://www.facebook.com/Bugwriter/info

Direct email:
bugwriter@ymail.com

Or via Heartland:
http://www.myheartland.co.uk/profile.ph ... ile&u=5077

Thanks in advance

The project is being driven by a gang of old sisters, ghost dance, salvation & mish followers

Quiff Boy wrote:The project is being driven by a gang of old sisters, ghost dance, salvation & mish followers

...and by people who fancy having some free tea and toast, apparently. But you know it won't stop there - oh no, they'll expect marmite, or jam, or marmalade, or some other thing, and "oh, I don't like teabag tea" so they'll have you running down to the shops for some oolong.

Be warned - if there's a knock at your door, and standing on the doorstep is a group of people who make the Mormons look like people you'd want to invite in, and some of them are carrying their own china, don't let 'em in!

honey, those people are us...

I did follow some bands in the 80s and 90s, but when they played in Germany, so you'd have to travel a bit for that cup of tea

EvilBastard wrote:

Quiff Boy wrote:The project is being driven by a gang of old sisters, ghost dance, salvation & mish followers

...and by people who fancy having some free tea and toast, apparently. But you know it won't stop there - oh no, they'll expect marmite, or jam, or marmalade, or some other thing, and "oh, I don't like teabag tea" so they'll have you running down to the shops for some oolong.

Be warned - if there's a knock at your door, and standing on the doorstep is a group of people who make the Mormons look like people you'd want to invite in, and some of them are carrying their own china, don't let 'em in!

marmite? jam? marmalade? Manna from heaven that... I think I lived on white toast and co-op tea from 86 - 92

BTW thanks to Quiff Boy for plugging the project

Emerald Green wrote:

EvilBastard wrote:

Quiff Boy wrote:The project is being driven by a gang of old sisters, ghost dance, salvation & mish followers

...and by people who fancy having some free tea and toast, apparently. But you know it won't stop there - oh no, they'll expect marmite, or jam, or marmalade, or some other thing, and "oh, I don't like teabag tea" so they'll have you running down to the shops for some oolong.

Be warned - if there's a knock at your door, and standing on the doorstep is a group of people who make the Mormons look like people you'd want to invite in, and some of them are carrying their own china, don't let 'em in!

marmite? jam? marmalade? Manna from heaven that... I think I lived on white toast and co-op tea from 86 - 92

I can accept all of the above.....as long as they've got no dogs with a piece of string as a lead.

emilystrange wrote:honey, those people are us...

...precisely!

Gollum's Cock wrote:I can accept all of the above.....as long as they've got no dogs with a piece of string as a lead.

Well, you know, if you allow New Model Army fans into your home then you deserve everything you get!

I was never a follower but was always fascinated by them....i used to feel superior but also very jealous of them...

Gollum's Cock wrote:I was never a follower but was always fascinated by them....i used to feel superior but also very jealous of them...

What i meant to say was i'm looking forward to seeing more of this project....

Quiff Boy wrote:Ever followed a band around?

Not since the restraining order.

There was a good quote in the Comments underneath that recent Goffs article in the Guardian about this phenomenon : "Though give or take the odd band still going from that time (New Model Army being the obvious example), following a band about & doing all the pyramids & shoulders stuff isnt really something you seem to get anymore. A wet tuesday afternoon spent at Trowell services waiting for a lift to take you to Leicester to see a dodgy band you've already seen five times that week - youngsters dont know what they're missing!"
Sums it up really. I stopped following bands in that way once the followers started giving themselves a name, printing their own t-shirts/fanzines etc, thinking they had a divine right to be on the guestlist and that they had proprietorial rights over the moshpit.

I love all that following stuff - I think its a real shame it doesn't exist in the same way any more.

I once followed Spiritualized around for a grand total of 2 gigs, but I don't think that's quite what they're looking for...

I was too fond of my creature comforts to ever properly follow a band. The closest I ever came was hitching back to Leeds from the Sisters NEC gig in '92. And that was a fracking disaster, I think I got back home around 11am the next day.

markfiend wrote:I was too fond of my creature comforts to ever properly follow a band. The closest I ever came was hitching back to Leeds from the Sisters NEC gig in '92. And that was a fracking disaster, I think I got back home around 11am the next day.

You should have got the coach back with the rest of us!

IIRC I missed it.

Where's Scotty? He'd be the man they want.

Nikolas Vitus Lagartija wrote:There was a good quote in the Comments underneath that recent Goffs article in the Guardian about this phenomenon : "Though give or take the odd band still going from that time (New Model Army being the obvious example), following a band about & doing all the pyramids & shoulders stuff isnt really something you seem to get anymore. A wet tuesday afternoon spent at Trowell services waiting for a lift to take you to Leicester to see a dodgy band you've already seen five times that week - youngsters dont know what they're missing!"
Sums it up really. I stopped following bands in that way once the followers started giving themselves a name, printing their own t-shirts/fanzines etc, thinking they had a divine right to be on the guestlist and that they had proprietorial rights over the moshpit.

I couldn't believe it when I saw that article!

I think that's why the whole thing was such an interesting social phenomenon. With hindsight it was at times (well very often) a ridiculous thing to do but the tribalism & camaraderie held it all together. Sadly this tribalism encouraged some really unpleasant attitudes and behaviour at times, experienced both as tension and one-upmanship within followings and sometimes as outright violence to people outside the 'gang'.

Where the f**k is Scotty?

It's a big regret of mine that I never got a kit bag out & followed any of my favorite bands on tour. In hindsight I'd have loved to have followed the Sisters, Smiths, Chameleons, Spear in 84-85, The Mish 86-88 or ROA, Balaam in 86-87.

My gig going years were 1985-90 (I was aged 15-20) & peaked in 1990, when IIRC, I went to 100 gigs but 90+ were in either Leeds or Bradford. Sadly I was too young to follow the above bands when I was 14-17, going on 18 but kick myself now that I didn't go for it with the Stone Roses in 1989. I was finally earning decent money (relatively speaking as a 19 year old) by then & should have gone on the road. Can't really think of any bands that I've liked enough to follow post 1989.

Nikolas Vitus Lagartija wrote:I stopped following bands in that way once the followers started giving themselves a name, printing their own t-shirts/fanzines etc, thinking they had a divine right to be on the guestlist and that they had proprietorial rights over the moshpit.

Ah yes. Because there's no such thing as a Heartland t-shirt!

weebleswobble wrote:Where the f**k is Scotty?

I've no seen or heard from him in over a year. Mind you I'm shite at keeping in touch myself

We need a mini-meet!