backup singer in PRIDE, won this years new artist Grammy with St. John’s tune, “Smooth Operator.” Now as the royalty checks are arriving, a new version of PRIDE is verging on its own record deal, and St. John may soon own a flat of his own. Now what if UPEPO had moved to London. . . . Speaking of Northwest music in the U.K., our own premier bluesman Robert Cray has grown to phenomenal stature abroad. He had 2 top-20 albums on the charts and filled the 3,000 seat Hammersmith Odeon on his last European tour. Mick Jagger and Elvis Costello John Waiteembodies theBritishpopstar dreambecause he wasable to leave this over-taxedandunderemployed countrywheremusicians often fall prey toa registered heroin/methadoneprogram, a35-year-oldwelfarestate, andaconfusedsenseof initiative. made it backstage. In typical British fashion, one critic commented that Cray’s shoes were incorrect for the Hammersmith venue. I hustled down to a shop on King’s Road to make sure I had a pair of “ correct” footwear and happened on the shop where Cray’s bassman, Richard Cousins, had just bought some flashy stage gear. There I bought my prized possessions: a pair of blue suede Beatle boots. I just hope to play the correct venues for the shoes. Robert Cray’s success reflects the across-the-dart-board interest in American music in the British Isles. I saw a prime time BBC special concert by Carl Perkins that our major TV networks would never consider airing. “ Mr. Blue Suede Shoes” was backed by George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Dave Edmunds, the Stray Cats, Roseanne Cash, Eric Clapton and others who were highly honored to be on camera with Carl. The typical music fan in any neighborhood pub can name a dozen tunes written by Perkins or any other Rock’n’Roll pioneer. Razorback cover material that is usually too obscure for most professional music critics here in the States was received with familiar enthusiasm at our shows. It was a breath of fresh North Sea air. Communication is always a problem for the traveller and the barriers of language heighten in proportion to consumption in England. English and Scottish accents combined with the infamous Cockney slang left us Yanks without a clue. In Cockney slang two like terms are presented to rhyme with an unspoken word: apples and pears (stairs), pen and ink (stink), Adam and Eve (believe). The classic is: “Good God I was Brahms and Liszt last night!” Brahms and Liszt? Pissed. The Brits have a hundred meanings for the word “ piss,” but the most common is getting legless, or drunk. The pastime of tippling is all-pervasive. Any minor street intersection will house at least 8 pubs, one for each side of the corner. The names reflect historical and humorous content. Our homebase in the North London burrough of Islington was called the Hare and Hounds, dating back to the 1700s, where a famous highwayman housed his horses. Next door is the Hope and Anchor, the center of the post-punk music scene and springboard Thepastime of tippling isall-pervasive. Anyminor street intersection will houseat least 8pubs, one for eachside of thecorner. for such acts as the Police, Dire Straits and Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Nearby are the Cock, The Swan, The Pied Bull and the Flounder and Firken. A firken is a cask of ale, and the wonderful chain of pubs (Frog and Firken, Pheasant and Firken, et al) brew their mighty ales on the premises. One can stare down through plexiglass tiles in the floor to the microbrewery below, on the way to the loo, W.C. or bathroom. The publican who runs the pub will sell you an amazing variety of flavored crisps (potato chips), TheNorthwest’spremier bluesmanRobert Crayhas grown tophenomenal statureabroad. Hehad2 top-20 albums on thecharts and filled the3,000seat Hammersmith Odeon onhis last European tour. from salt & vinegar to scampi, to those with a few quid or bob to spare. All in all, the Razorbacks went to England for the gusto—not for the profits. On our last night in London I was faced with the dilemma of covering my phone bills before we left town. The banks, bureau de changes, and American Express offices were closed—it was a sticky wicket. My friend Dennis Weinreich from Videosonics stopped by to say goodbye. Dennis once ran the 8-track studio at 39th and Division in Portland (now Horseshoe Music). He has since engineered and produced for Elton John, Jack Bruce, Supertramp and many other English rockers. He said, “ Don’t worry, London seems like an impossible place to get things done, until you understand the system." So he took me to an all-night “ travel agency” hidden behind the King’s Cross railway station. Here I bought a one-way ticket to New York on Air India on my Fred Meyer VISA card. I couldn’t believe it, but the strange old man immediately cancelled my ticket and handed me the pound sterling in cash less a commission. Brilliant!! That’s the way it is in London, ambiguous. The roads, the trains, the hours, the gigs, the electricity, the coin-operated house heating, the free methadone, the expensive petrol, the new pound coins that are a fifth the size of the 50 pence, the Imperial pints that are a fifth taller than our own. It is impossible until you understand the system, and then it’s as charming as kidney pie. It’s that charm and the impact of American music that will bring the Razorbacks to London again this fall, to get legless in Soho one more time. Artist Joanna Yardley just moved to Eugene from the East Coast, where she studied at the Rhode Island School of Design. 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