My son turns 7 in exactly one month. His mum has been in NYC for a month and on Thursday he flies to spend 3 weeks there. So for 5 weeks I’ve been a full-time Dad and working full-time. Both jobs are tough, fun, and demanding. But see, I have less and less time for anything else, which means less time for emails. (i have over 1,000 emails that not only haven’t been replied to but they aren’t even visible, as they are pages and pages backward from my current emails so forgive me, people, I will eventually get there…and thanks)

Fooling your kid is just part of the Dad job description. For instance, Julian likes AppleJacks. That cereal costs $5! SO I buy ONE box and keep the box. When we run out of cereal, I go to the discount store (where they sell the generic for $1 each) and I buy 3 boxes and simply re-supply the Apple jacks. it’s all about saving money. And Kids eat with their eyes even more than their tastebuds. remember that if you plan to have children.

Make them suffer. Otherwise, they’ll never respect you. if they break an important rule, take away something that really matters to them (like tv or skateboard or computer) and don’t give in. Make em cry and they may even say they hate you. But what’s important is that they RESPECT you. Because only then will they trust you.

I’m guilty of not being able to follow through all the time so I’m a hypocrite!

When my younger brother, AJ, and I were kids I used to kinda bully him. I was bigger and older and it was fun. He’s now 6 ft. and can kick my a** so I don’t do that stuff anymore. He’s now doing music production and we sometimes work on music tracks together. And every time he has an idea for a “Bassline” or “guitar part” or a “Beat”, he calls my mobile and sings the part into the phone (he doesn’t play instruments except a tad bit of Bass). So now I have all these funny noises on my voicemail and no time to listen to them.

But on Thursday, Julian flies to NY, and late that day Hannah arrives from London. Swapping one brat for one shopper. if I last the summer it’ll be a miracle. But I’ll be a much happier person, that’s for sure.
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I got a call from a friend saying that some people were curious which L.W.A.L. was the best LAST show in that incarnation. She said someone mentioned Edinburgh. I remember all the Scot shows being good except Glasgow. I came close to not even playing that show, as Arthur and myself came THIS CLOSE to getting into a fist fight the night before the show, just outside our hotel. The Diary never wrote about this (or HUNDREDS of other funny instances like it, of course saving it for my LABOUR OF LOVE book i’m trying to finish…tee hee) but Scotland’s favorite son, Keith Stoddart, was right there – close enough to probably catch a punch or stop a fight – and he has gracefully held his tongue all this time as well.

But i remember the Lemon Tree (Aberdeen) and the Liquid Room (Edinburgh) as being stellar. The Liquid Room just may have been our last hurrah. So that woman just may well be right on that one. wait a sec; that Glasgow show in question actually happened in early ’94, not the spring of ’95 so never mind. But i still think the E’Dinburgh show was it.

The San FRancisco shows are unique in that Rusty really sang about 80% of the show and i overheard fans at a bar later saying, though Artie wasn’t 100%, he did alright. i figured, well, we did our job then.Having a ki allowed me the patience to deal with that situation, as bad as it got. i hope the band that plays with him makes out ok, provided he’s good to play again. But Arthur outlasted everyone else hasn’t he? He should whip this one too, methinks.

all the best,

Mike Randle