Liverpool, England. The Beatles, The La's, one of the fiercest derby matches in football; a place I've visited a few times over the years. Some choice comments about its' citizens caused then Tory MP for Henley, Boris Johnson a headache. It's got its' good and bad points, like all big cities. It turns out my great-grandfather was a Liverpudlian! So just as I'm starting to feel some affinity to the place... ...Slade's last ever UK gig was at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool. Before they set out on the ill-fated second US tour. While I was doing the research for the Jim Lea biog, I read Horace Panter's book 'Ska'd For Life', about his life and times with The Specials. It was a particularly disastrous gig at the self same venue which finished off that band. Then there's the episode at the Liverpool Empire which saw Tommy Bolin and Glenn Hughes chucked out of Deep Purple, effectively ending that band. Hmmm. Weird? Maybe. If I find any more incidences of Liverpool-related band implosions, I'm gonna have to start defining some sort of Merseyside band-Bermuda-triangle! Eek! So watch this space peeps...and in the meantime; be very wary of playing Liverpool! Or as Richard Richard says to Eddie Hitler: "You only like Liverpool 'cos it's got the word 'liver' in it, and that's got something to do with drinking!" Hear, hear. And I'll raise a glass to the passing of J.G.Ballard. I'm sure he'd appreciate.