I really wish to see them again in Athens... For 30 years 'In Fuzz We Trust'!!!
Smarter than their dogs by Rudi Protrudi
So how long has it been since we were in Greece anyhow? Three or four years now, I believe. Too long! It was a gas to play the Gagarin again, and to see so many old friends. We started making a documentary with Greek filmmaker Antigone Fakou about 6 or 7 years ago, and never did finish it. This year another filmmaker volunteered to finish the film, so when we got to Thesaloniki, I tried to look her up, so I could get the tapes back. She'd moved, and I had no way to reach her, so I was ready to give up on the film. As luck would have it, she showed up at Gagarin with all the tapes! But that's the way that I know the Greek people - always warm and gracious. Thanks Nicholas for bringing us back!
This last tour, which we did to promote our upcoming album, Preaching To The Perverted, was the longest one we'd done since 1991! Almost three months on the road. There were concerns on my part, as I suffered some serious health problems just previous to the tour, and didn't know if I'd be able to cut it. As it turned out, touring was just the therapy I needed.That's not to say that the tour was stress-free. It never is, and this one was no different. We ended up firing two tour managers, one soundperson, one booking agency and one drummer! By the end of the tour we'd gone through three guitarists!
If we hadn't already named the tour the 30 Year Anniversary Tour, it woulda been called the Hashish Tour. We had some close calls with French cops but we were obviously smarter than their dogs. A French club owner tried to spike our drinks to avoid a fight between our guitarist and some idiot in the crowd who poked Mark's guitar with his eye. We had to bribe the Serbian border patrol to get into the country. We'd never played Serbia and it was great. Same with Lisbon, Portugal - nothing short of magical.
This time we hit Southern Italy, territory that few bands explore, evidently. Ten dates in the most beautiful part of my favorite country. Old pals, the Indian Bikers, sent 4 of their best down to Palermo and ended up escorting us outta there after the show. We did our annual Halloween show at Berlin's Bassy - with former Cramps guitarist Kid Congo dropping in - last time I saw him was in 1985 when he brought Lenny's daughter, Kitty Bruce backstage for an autograph. We finished the tour with a sold-out appearance at London's legendary 100 Club. It was a kick to play on the same stage as the Stones, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, and a host of other icons. Our new album hits the stands on Feb. 10th - we hope to be back out on the road again in Spring. Thanks to everyone for making this one of the most memorable tours ever!
- Rudi Protrudi
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