[kj] Vienna

[Jpwhkj at aol.com]

Yes, you can.

In 1985, I went to visit a friend in Vienna. As it happened, the Stranglers were playing, so we bought tickets, and off we went. Yours truly in those days had a mohican, plus the usual collection of ripped-apart-sewn-back-together punk accoutrements. Bullet belt. Studded wrist bands (with added nails). You get the picture.

Of course, by 1985, the Stranglers weren't quite the angry young men of 1977, but in England they'd still have attracted an identifiably punk audience. So imagine my surprise to find people in suits at the gig. Any if they weren't wearing suits, they were nonetheless *very* well turned out. "Down the front" turned out to be a spacious area where the more adventurous punters were dancing as if it was a Wham gig or similar. After half an hour or so, I started to contemplate the stage. I'd heard bad things about the likely result of ending up on stage with JJ (i.e. karate kick to the head) so I was slightly nervous, but in the end it was too tempting. So up I climbed (must have been about 5 feet high), danced around a bit, keeping a leg's length from JJ. Then it was time to get down, so I launched myself enthusiastically over the heads of the audience.

At this point, time stood still. Well, for me. Beneath me, the Viennese took the opportunity to get make a dash sideways for safety (which at a packed UK gig they wouldn't have been able to do) leaving me heading for the floor with no bodies to cushion my descent. For a long moment I contemplated how much this was going to hurt. Then my mate Ben appeared, and managed to take my full weight. We collapsed on the floor in a heap, a bit bruised and winded, but nothing broken, while around us the Viennese looked on aghast. Crazy English punks!

Jamie




iPat <pmdavies at gmail.com> writes:

>Jamie
>can i remind you to tell us about stage-diving at a Stranglers gig in Vienna?