Mr.Sun and Mr.Rain

Kev attempts to re-create the Radio Sunshine Mug....

Chastened by Miki’s assertion that I had insisted on a contribution from her, I humbly submit a new entry from myself .”What’s good for the goose…etc”.

It is, as you will observe a rudimentary sketch of a coffee cup. but although the sketch may be unassuming, I can assure you, dear readers, there is a tale to tell behind it, and tell it I shall!

The title of this piece is really a referral to an old saying we had in one of my bands. It referred to those charming clocks, where a “Mr. Sun” would emerge from one door, and a little later, a “Mr. Rain”, holding a brolley and a glum face would emerge from the other. We used this as a metaphor for smiling welcomes received when you arrive at a gig, hoping to squeeze the most from you, and the guy at the end who just wants you gone, or has unreasonable demands. I think it applies to the following….

As the year of 1995 stuttered to a close, the band I was with at the time, “Yellow River” hitmakers CHRISTIE were booked to play the New Years Eve show at the verbally-challenging Wehrzweckhalle in Schriesheim, a small town east of Mannheim and north of Heidelberg in Germany.

The event was sponsored by the regional radio station, Radio Sunshine, and we all got freebies like the one you see inexpertly rendered by yours truly. Now, a simple new year gig, well paid, in and out, no problem you might think – but our promoter had other ideas. it transpired that somewhere nearby we had also been booked for a “quickie” set beforehand, and the night quickly turned into something out of a chase movie, ferried around from one strange venue to another, unfamiliar equipment, a number of drivers, and total disorientation. By the end of the evening, we were exhausted, (having done 2 shows and celebrated 2 new years, German and UK time) and desperate for the hotel. I guess we must have arrived there well after 1 a.m. and were looking forward to perhaps a quiet drink and welcoming sleep, but we were suddenly beseiged by hordes of drunken German businessmen, demanding another show!!

The promoter, God bless him, had told these buffoons that they would probably get an impromptu gig from Christie when we returned to the hotel! It got quite nasty as the business man seemed to revert to type insisting that “you vill perform!!”.

We ended up sitting at a long table signing autograph cards, which were hurriedly snatched up with a sneer by the inebriated ubermensch. It seemed to placate them. Either that, or the jaegermeister had rendered them finally comatose.

Shame on the promoters who treat you like a human juke box. At the time I was angry as hell, but of course, the mists of time cause one to look back not in anger, but with a wry smile at the absurdity of it all. Now, every time I open the kitchen cupboards and see this mug, I’m reminded of the New Year’s eve from hell!

Kev Moore

Poster advertising the original, singular gig. Little did we know, etc. etc.