Finally! It actually happened. Last Wednesday evening, the three Afterword contributors based in Stockholm, Locust, Duco01 and myself, at long last managed to meet up. All thanks to the magnificent Bonny Light Horseman who were playing a sold out concert at Nalen, one of Stockholm’s oldest and most atmospheric venues. When we discovered we all had tickets it was a no-brainer that we should try and get together.
This was quite a big deal for those of us living up here on the edge of civilisation far away from the maesltorm of AW activity in the UK. Despite all my years contributing to the AW, I’ve actually met very few of of the other bloggers.
A few years back, out of the blue @Clive, who I knew little about, contacted me when he was passing through Stockholm and suggested we met up. That turned into a very pleasant evening.
And then a few years back, I was in London for the weekend , staying with a friend in Islington and Hannah (Lawrence) was playing a Daylight Music lunchtime show at the Union Chapel on the Saturday. So, very briefly I got to meet her, Si Guilford and her family not to mention @Mike_H . I was even presented to the mysterious DogFacedBoy.
Writing a thread about an Afterword Mingle, it feels very appropriate to be mentioning the wonderful Hannah. Back in the day, she had met more Afterworders than anyone on the planet. She was the first person I had contact with on the Afterword and was legendary for travelling the realm with the legendary Mingle Cakes that she had baked herself. Ou sont les mingle cakes d’antan?
Things didn’t go completely smoothly on Wednesday. DuCool had a prior engagement. He and Mrs DuCool were going to eat with Pär, a friend who had come down from Uppsala for the gig. So we wouldn’t meet them until they got to Nalen.
I do not enjoy trying to have conversations in a large, noisy concert venue with an enormous amount of ambient noise, especially when it was to be someone who I’d never met before.
So I was delighted when Locust suggested that we met up and ate before the gig. I suggested Koreana, one of my favourite Stockholm restaurants.
But first we had to meet up. Locust confessed to an appalling sense of direction so I decided that a rendezvous on the steps outside the Stockholm Business School was an unambiguous meeting place.
“Look for a fat, bald Englishman wearing a John Cooper Clarke T shirt”
“Look for a Swedish woman using a crutch”
(As you may have read on the AW, Locust’s knee is still causing her quite a bit of pain. She’s waiting for an operation.)
That worked out very well. And Koreana was a perfect choice. Small and unpretentious, there are simple wooden tables, no background music and they have no license to sell booze.
It’s Korean home cooking at its best. I had a large kimchi stew as always.
I was a little apprehensive. It was an odd experience to finally meet someone I have been chatting with for years in person.
But there were no awkward silences: we certainly had no shortage of topics to discuss.
To my amusement, I began to realise that we had very different opinions on a lot of things.
I’m a compulsive iphone abuser. Locust has no mobile phone.
I can’t eat a bun without posting a photo on FB or Instagram. She avoids social media like the plague.
I work as a volunteer at our local community cinema and my happiest hours are watching films there. Locust dislikes the excessive volume of the sound system at modern cinemas and would far rather watch films at home.
But there was one very important thing we did agree on. Colin Harper!
We are both overawed and delighted by not only the knowledge and enthusiasm but also the musical and literary skills of Belfast’s finest son.
I was impressed to hear that Lo had helped @Colin_H by doing some research in the Swedish national archives about Mahavishnu Orchestra gigs in Sweden.
So basically, we had an excellent meal and a very lively chat.
It was a short walk to Nalen: An attractive old school venue with a high ceiling, I knew that it had once been a dance hall and that it was the major jazz venue back in the 1950s. It was also the venue for boxing matches and was even used a church for a few years.
Locust had been telling me that her childhood had been spent in the suburb of Mälarhöjden. And then, who should turn up but Teutonic Tim, one of my best friends and fellow member of our book circle. He has been living in that very suburb for 30 years now. So those two had a lot to talk about. Neighbours, foxes, badgers, deer and all the other aspects of suburban life.
The support act was singer- songwriter, Bridget Kearney. For most of the set it was just her and her bass guitar, performing idiosyncratic, quirky and very memorable songs. I was impressed and will be listening to her a lot more.
Meanwhile, DuCool and Co had been stuck in a long queue outside the venue and arrived just as Bridget was finishing.
So at the eleventh hour, the Mini Mingle of the Year finally took place!
Our Swedish pal got to see what an Afterworder looks like in real life and realised that we are all rather different.
On one hand she had the debonair, polyglot, bon viveur from Spånga who would be like a fish in water hob-nobbing with celebrities at the Nobel Banquet.
On the other, the monosyllabic Uncle Fester lookalike from Bagarmossen, who looked like he’d be as happy as a hippo in mud in a rather murky metal moshpit.
Variety is the spice of the Afterlife!
In a wonderful gesture, Locust had ,in honour of this momentous occasion, gone to the trouble to make us both copies of one of her favourite vintage albums. It was something of a surprise. Ariel Ramirez and Jaime Torres – Folklore en Nueva Dimensión (1964).
She has always been very good at opening new doors and throughout the years my eyes have been opened to all manner of Swedish bands, writers, TV programmes, movies etc.
But an Argentinian duo! That was not what I would have expected.
Once I got home, I was of course soon scurrying off to find out more.
Jaime Torres is well-known as a master of the charango, a lute-like Andean instrument.
And composer and pianist, Ariel Ramirez, created the Missa Criolla, a milestone in Argentinian music.
This week, thanks to Spotify, I’ve been listening to a lot of music by both of them. And that has led me on to other musicians they’ve worked with.
Eduardo Falú – a fantastic guitarist. And then the amazing Mercedes Sosa.
No doubt about it. For our next Mini Mingle, we should head for Buenos Aires!
Back to the Bonny Light Horseman gig…
Despite the fact that it was a sold-out, standing gig and most of the audience were much taller than me, I enjoyed it enormously. They played a blinder of a set.
I’ll write more about it in the comments.
Time to ask you all a few questions.
Do you have any fond memories of mingles from the golden days of the Word?
If you had unlimited funding to pay for flights and accommodation, where would you like to hold a tingling modern AW mini mingle?
A moshpit at Coachella? A dance tent at a Fest Noz in Brittany? A fish restaurant in Sardinia? The Fleadh Cheoil in Ireland? Mardi Gras in New Orleans? A Gothic weekend in Whitby?
Finally, do you have any Argentinian musical favourites? Can you play the charango? Or dance the tango?
This song was a showstopper at Nalen.
“This is a song about a handsome soldier who may or may not ever come home. And we named our band after it not just because it sounds kind of cool, but because it’s somewhat emblematic of what we’re trying to do here: sing you ancient love songs of timeless humanity and heartbreak. Songs that are gonna make you feel something no matter what century you’re in.” ( Eric D. Johnson)
I can dance the Tango, or at least I’m learning to. I went to ballroom & Latin classes for most of my twenties, once with a colleague and again with the future Mrs F. Both times I did Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep, Cha-cha-cha, Rumba, Jive, etc, and started the Tango. Both times, I hit my limit with the Tango, and spent much of my time on my arse. It involves jerky movements, poise and balance, and I’m a bit clumsy.
When we got married, we stopped going for a bit, which turned into 24 years, but we started again this January. We started learning the Tango in September, and I’ve only fallen over once. So far, anyhow.
Well I never @fentonsteve! You are a Man of a Thousand Skills! I’m really impressed.
As far as I know, the tango is fiendishly difficult to master. A very flamboyant, rather theatrical dance.
Did you know that the tango is the national dance of Finland?
This report is very amusing.
It all stems from very dull prosaic reasons. I went skiing the first year after graduating and realised I needed to (a) learn to ski before hitting the slopes again (b) get much fitter. I went to the gym and quite liked the circuit training classes, but hated the equipment. Then I spotted an ad in the Cambridge Evening News.
I thought it might be a nice place to meet a young lady, but it turned out that they all went to the university class, so I met a lot of middle-aged divorcees. As there were only me and John The Postman (not that one) for the numerous ladies to partner, I turned out to be in demand. John would take himself and his shiny patent leather dancing shoes off round the country at weekends to competitions, but I wasn’t interested in medals.
My colleague only lasted a term as she had no sense of rhythm, but I kept going twice a week for years, until the future Mrs F shacked up with me, and we started absolute beginners (again, in my case). Two hours of Quickstep certainly works up a sweat, and I didn’t need to enter a gym to keep fit enough to go skiing.
Offspring the Elder attended Street Dance locally for best part of 15 years, she even went to Ballet classes twice a week during her time at university. So I’ve known the local teacher for years, asked if she would consider teaching adults, and so here we are again, out dancing every Friday night, only we’re not 30 years younger than the rest of the class any more.
Have some Astor Piazzola.
Midsummer Stockholm next year.
The most Afterworders I’ve met at the same time is when four of us gathered in Chester last year. Alas the few times I’ve been to the Union Chapel Hannah wasn’t there though I did meet Gatz.
The only time I met Hannah was at Union Chapel, but that was at an Unthanks gig and I know you’re not a fan.
@kaisfatdad Hubes and I are connected on Facebook, and as I recall we already knew we were going to be at the same Daylight Music show. (Hannah was at another of those I went to, but we didn’t meet as she was busy paying pop hits on the church organ.)
I’m much pushier than you @Gatz.
Hannah was okaying the organ when I was there too. But I was determined not to return to Sweden without saying hello. So I went down to the organ cubbyhole, waved and said hello. (she knew I was going to be there). A brief encounter but I’m glad I did it.
Midsummer is always rather lovely here. But we’re never in town on the actual Midsummer Eve.
No one is. Everybody heads for the countryside.
How did you know it was Gatz? I’m guessing you’d planned it. There’s no one here who I would recognise on the street.
@Gatz came and sat next to me, I can’t remember if we said we’d wear red carnations and introduced himself as I don’t think I’d ever seen a photograph of him on Facebook.
Nobody but me – I stopped leaving the city at Midsummer in my mid 20s.
I always enjoy taking a walk through the city in the early evening of Midsummers Eve, watching very confused tourists looking for the natives. You can see a slight panic in their eyes, as if they wonder if some apocalyptic gas leak or similar happened and nobody told them… 😀
I was thinking it would be rather nice to wander through a partially deserted city. May just book it.
Shan’t make St Lucia’s Day either but that’s another on the list.
Iggy Pop said something to the effect of “Great steaks, great coffee, and great red wine in Argentina: what’s not to like?”. Meets many of my needs. I like tango music, and as the economy is screwed, folk apparently just live life as well as they can, and stop worrying about saving. Sounds good to me.
Tango is enormous in Buenos Aires, @Vincent, but it’s not the only thing. There’s also, for example, the magnificent Juana Molina.
I met el hombre malo in Glasgow in a rather fine cafe cum record shop, and he later took me to a whisky bar. A proper gent and very entertaining company
Gary and I are lovers. There, I said it.
Oh my, Lodey!
Whenever a thread gets limp, flaccid, lifeless and droopy, we can always rely on you to bring it back to life. You are to the AW what horny goat weed (epimedii herba) was to Confucius.
@henpetsgi
“Pictures or it didn’t happen!”
Yes, but only in your dreams.
El hombre and I once had a micro mingle at Heathrow Airport and then (I think) were on the same flight to Toronto.
Pictures or it didn’t happen!
I was at 2 organised Word events, a mingle in a pub and the cruise along the Thames. I met Hannah, Fraser, Mark Ellen and a few others who’s names escape me. I was in the middle of some serious personal problems and was drinking a little too much so my memory is a bit shaky (both were in 2011)
Also met @Tiggerlion in Liverpool a few years ago which was short and sweet. Always talked about meeting Curtis from Ohio but sadly that never happened. I thought about him on my first visit to Cleveland earlier this year.
We did try to take a photo or two, @dai, but the Duke and I were not very satisfied with the results.
The crimson lighting in Nalen made our mini mingle look like a scene from that Roger Corman classic , The Masque of the Red Death.
You met Tigger? I’m a little envious,.That must have been fun.
I have one photo that isn’t red…but instead it’s very white – we look a bit like vampires in that one!
Probably for the best, this way you can all continue to imagine us as gorgeous as you’d like us to be… 😉
Wise words @Locust!
If they want to see what we look like, they’ll just have to come and visit us in our natural habitat. If they dare!
The dark, mysterious forests of Sweden are not for the feint-hearted.
I only went to one mingle: most of the folk I met have long gone adrift, which is a shame. But that is also why it has been so much fun jumping on board BlueSky, as the old gang are all there. And most the old faithfuls here, who hang on in, in hope. Makes me feel a boy of 45 again. I don’t see it as an alternative but more as an adjunct, more for one off aphorisms than prolonged discussions.
I continue to meet more and more of you in meatworld, which is the cherry on the stone: @murkey and I met up at Niteworks. Which was nice.
Do please keep sharing your memories of Brief Encounters of the Afterword Kind. There’s a wonderful variety. of locations.
A rather fine cafe cum record shop and a whisky bar in Glasgow.
A micro mingle at Heathrow Airport
Liverpool with Tiggerlion.
A Niteworks gig.
A cruise along the Thames.
Four musketeers in Chester
Hannah at an Unthanks gig at the Union Chapel
Shame on me! I completely forgot to mention my first meeting with @pizon-bros in a charity shop on Götgatan. I was browsing second hand clothes with my daughter and this charming French geezer comes up to me and says “Kaisfatdad, I presume?” I was gobsmacked and delighted.
Pierre and I had become FB friends during the time of The Great Crash and due to that he knew what I looked like. I was very pleased when he said hello. I haven’t run into him for a while now but he posts some very amusing stuff on the Afterworders on Facebook group. The Gallic perspective is always welcome.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/560037587460511
As do Salwarpe, fentonsteve and Mike_H to name just a few.
@Locust was telling me about the Golden Age of the Word when the magazine’s website buzzed with activity. Many of those former contributors seem to have now found a new home on BlueSky.
‘A dance at a fest noz in Brittany?’ I suspect I am being targeted.
That wouldn’t be a good location, I fear, as I would just greet everyone politely then head for the dancefloor. No, I think Halsway Manor in Somerset would be the place. https://halswaymanor.org.uk/
We’d have to dream up some course that we could all attend, then just babble nonsense all weekend before and after retiring to the very lovely bar.
Argentinian musical favourite? You already know the answer to that.
On the other hand, judging by a thread elsewhere, I think we should all meet up at a cheese convention. I would be up for that!
Nice one,@thecheshirecat! Halsway Manor looks quite superb.
They do get some top notch artists.
Here’s an idea. We book Juana Molina to do a gig and lead a workshop on Argentinian music. Everyone will be happy.
Tucking into cheese afterwards?
Sounds like a special evening. Colour me jealous!