MY DAY AT GLASTONBURY WITH RY COODER

RY COODER

Out of all the artist I have worked with at Glastonbury Festival with out a doubt Rye Cooder has to be the most courteous and dedicated . In 1990 he played the Pyramid Stage with David Lindley a legend in his own right .

1990 at Glastonbury was the year

Now officially The Glastonbury Festival for Contemporary Performing Arts - The Green Fields are extended to 60 acres. Circus, comedy, theatre and cabaret areas. Travellers and security clash causing £50,000 worth of damage -The Cure, Paul Oakenfold, Happy Mondays, Lush, Sinead 0'Connor, James, Ry Cooder, Aswad, De La Soul - 70,000 bought £38 tickets.
£100,000 raised for CND and local charities.

It was an event full year with sun and rain . Happy Mondays forged back stage passes (tell you about that an other time). Trouble with the travellers and security . (I will leave that for an other day as well).

But the joy of having worked with Ry Cooder was in an other league to anything else that went on .

The stage manager came over to me saying . “Norm I have got a special job for you today” 

He went on to tell me that until early evening I would be at Rye Cooders beck and call. Wow I was the envy of  the rest of the crew . “Nice laid back day for you then” was the general comment . 

But working a festival like Glastonbury. You expect nothing and expect every think . But on this occasion they were spot on.

Suddenly he was there it was not 10.30am yet. I was introduced he shook my hand .
His comment to me was . “So Norm your going to have a wander round with me today” in a very laid back American accent . At once I was at ease with him . He had a brief word with the stage manager . Then it was off to his dressing room . In his porta cabin dressing room was a stack of a dozen Guitars . One by one he I opened the cases . He quickly showed me how he wanted to me to handle them, not in a patronising way . As I handed the guitars to him he stripped them of their strings and handed them back , putting them back into their cases and so on .

All the time he was asking me about things . He had loads of good things to say about Liverpool , How he had met the Beatles, many times and their contribution to music was huge . He told me how he wished that there where more festivals like Glastonbury in the USA . After stripping the strings we made six trips back and forth to the stage with the guitars. It was muddy he did not look energetic but he just plodded on . Seemingly enjoying him self . Funny I remember thinking the young bands don't lift a thing . I was still a bit confused on what he was doing . But it all came clear when all the guitars were on stage .

He had some fight cases at the back of the stage that the lads had got up on stage . We made a little workshop at the back of the stage . I started the process all over again . This time it took longer as he was stringing and tuning all the guitars . He handed them back this time I placed them in guitars stands forming an impressive semi circle .

He explained he liked to string and tune his guitars in the environment he was going to play more so if it was outdoors , temperature constantly changing . He was constantly telling me to hand him back the guitars once they had been in their stands as temperatures changed . What a perfectionist . Finally he was happy he told me to get a Security man to guard the guitars .

DAVID LINDLEY

We made are way back to the dressing room . He had now became my work mate it was a surreal feeling but so good . In the dressing room a buffet had been delivered and a long haired guy was picking at it . It was David Lindley they cracked jokes so laid back

There was still 2 hours before they were due on stage . Ry Cooder started to pick at buffet . He said “help your self Norm” .

I did being with him lunch had gone out of the window (a small price to pay) .

Chit chat over .

“Right Norm the big one”

He pointed at a tiny Marshall valve amp .

“I have had this from the beginning it is very special to me”

“Every think on stage will go through this first ”

“Its still muddy out side I will trust you with this Norm”.

“Take a step have a think take another step”

“I don't care how long it takes you just get it there safe” . He smiled .

I picked it up, for its size it was heavy . It was gorgeous looking thing he had it customized over the years by the look of it , Anyway it was in my care , no pressure . He let me go on my own . It took me ages I hugged it getting there safe had a minor slip on the ramp, (pumping heart)

With still over hour to go before set time . Ry was back on stage . He started on the semi circle of guitars again fine tuning . As I passed them to him and then returned them . His two man crew turned up who started to work on the huge effects rack . But it was all going to come from that tiny golden Marshal valve amp . 15 minutes before he was due on, my role was coming to a end . He shook my hand and thanked me.

I had just purchased the Sony recording walk-man . Plucking up courage I asked him if he minded if I recorded the set . Showing him the walk-man ,

He said “set it up put it under my chair” . Wow so cool .

The set was great huge crowd all his guitars around him .David Lindley was good he he played slide guitar and tabla . To top it all half way through the set he signalled to me . At first I shit my self . But he was trying tell me the tape needed turning over under his chair ,so cool . I scurried across the stage flipped it over . “How cool was that” ,one of the crew said ,I was chuffed . Will never forget my day with Ry so good what a man .

But baton down the hatches the HAPPY MONDAY'S WHERE ON THE WAY (coming soon )

More info on Ry Cooder click link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ry_Cooder

More info on David Lindley click link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Lindley_(musician)