Welcome to a cloudy but warm South Manchester. According to the weather forecast the weather is going to improve further next week so that’s something to look forward to. I’m off to a see a David Bowie tribute act tonight, which should be fun. I had the chance to see David Bowie in person way back when he did his Glass Spider tour and, like an idiot, I decided against it. In terms of gigs, it is one of my biggest regrets.
Shall we answer some silly questions from Sunday Stealing?
1. What's the most daring thing you've ever done? Did it take physical or emotional courage?
I climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge and it took a lot of courage because I am terrified of heights. This was back in 2005 and we were in Australia with Mrs PM’s mum and her other half. Mrs PM said she was going to do it on her own but Mrs PM’s mum suggested that I go with her. I resisted at first and when Mrs PM’s mum tried to persuade me more, I suggested that she go instead.
Mrs PM is a very determined woman and once she has something in her mind she will almost always follow through. She was going to go anyway. Mrs PM’s mum eventually succeeded in making me feel guilty and all the way there I was having second thoughts. Mrs PM told me I didn’t have to go but I was stupid and went for it. After all, my insane mind told me, this is an achievement that I can boast about.
Except I haven’t boasted about it at all. Whenever I tell people about it, I tell the absolute truth. The whole experience terrified me and if I could go back in time, I would never do such a stupid thing again.
The worst thing about it was that they had to cater for various levels of fitness so the whole thing took three hours. I was quite fit at the time and it frustrated me that we were going so slowly. I would have preferred to just climb it in my own time but we kept stopping and looking around, which made my heart almost explode from my chest every single time.
Did it take physical courage? No – not at all. It wasn’t difficult physically and even now, 23 years later, I feel I could easily endure the physical side of it.
Did it take emotional courage? Absolutely. I was shitting my pants all the way up to the top and all the way down. I gripped Mrs PM’s hand and shoulders all the way (except for when we were climbing ladders). I told the guide that I loved the experience, lying through my teeth, and told him repeatedly that I was perfectly fine. The reality was that my apparent cool and calm exterior hid a mess of terror and adrenalized insanity.
I hated every second of it.
And when it was all over and I found myself on solid ground again, I grabbed Mrs PM’s hand and dragged her down to the nearest pub I could find, in The Rocks area, near the bridge. I pushed in at the bar and said “Give me a beer – any beer – and a BIG ONE!”
And armed with a cool beer, my fear gradually dissipated with the adrenaline, and this song came on the juke box:
At that moment, sitting there with a cold beer and Mrs PM, who was actually quite worried about me for a while, I felt more relief and happiness than I ever have.
And “Hey Little Girl” reminds me of that feeling. It is one of my favourite songs of all time.
Am I glad I did it? Yes – just to say I achieved it – but I will never ever ever EVER do anything so stupid again in my life.
2. Where did you meet the love of your life?
Mrs PM and I worked together for a couple of years. We were on the same team working on a project for Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok airport and eventually we ended up on in Hong Kong together. I had visited Hong Kong many times before this particular trip but it was Mrs PM’s first trip abroad in a working capacity. We were there for three weeks and the inevitable happened when she told me her feelings. This is why Hong Kong is a special place for us and why we try to go back there as often as we can.
3. What brand/flavour of coffee are you drinking these days?
I don’t drink that much coffee to be honest and when I do it is decaffeinated. An Australian friend of mine calls it “What’s the Point?” as in what’s the point of drinking decaffeinated coffee. I am weird in the sense that I still like the taste of coffee.
Usually I drink Kenco instant coffee but if I fancy a cup of the real stuff I will choose Lavazza Italian decaffeinated coffee grounds.
4. What's the coolest place you've ever visited and how did you get there (car, plane, motorcycle, etc.)?
I have travelled to 40 different countries and to be perfectly honest with you it is very difficult to select a coolest place from them all. I have seen many different cool things all of which have been amazing.
It would be remiss of me to pick just one, but I have to say that when I consider weirdness, culture shock, slightly eccentric and just exciting in so many ways, I will say that Japan is probably the coolest place I have been.
I love the Far East and we are planning to go to Malaysia next year, with a trip possibly to South Korea and Japan again a couple of years after that.
How did I get there? I walked. Not really, I flew from Hong Kong to Tokyo, having spent a couple of days in Hong Kong, which we reached in a plane but this time from Manchester via Munich in Germany.
5. What's the best concert you ever attended?
This is another difficult question because I have been to countless concerts. My favourite genre is Progressive Rock but I also like Heavy Metal and my eclectic taste stretches to pop music, electronic ambience and even classical music.
I have seen bands as diverse as Rush, Metallica, the Stranglers, the Human League, Bruce Springsteen, Gary Numan, New Order and Alison Goldfrapp.
When I looked at this question I decided to list the first concert that came to mind and that was German Industrial Metal Band, Rammstein.
The band sings in their native German and despite that, they are very popular amongst the metal community worldwide, selling out concerts in Europe, the UK and America, playing in vast arenas to thousands of people. Their shows involve huge pyrotechnics that make the show incredible even if you aren’t into the music or don’t understand the lyrics. In their native Germany they are very controversial because they sing about very provocative topics. For example, here is an amusing video about the cult of plastic surgery and body enhancements in the world or celebrity:
I have seen them three times but the best one was the last time in the Manchester Arena for their greatest hits tour. I speak a little German and am currently trying to improve it, so I understand why they are so controversial.
When they are live, there is fire everywhere, even on the band members themselves. Here is an example. This song is called Benzin and if you fast forward and watch from about 4:00 you will see what happens to a man in a hoody who “invades” the stage.
And that is one of the less controversial things they do.
All round good entertainment for people who love that kind of music.