Run run Rudolph, Santa..s coming to town!
Dec 2008

Good Morning to you all,
I hope you will bear with me as i grapple for the new eyeballs that sit in a jar next my bed. You see, i arrived home at 5am after the long drive home from Ripley in North Yorkshire last night to my home in Kent and i am a little jaded.

We have just had three fantastic shows to finish our year. The first one in our beloved Newcastle at the Cluny music venue, where we had such a great night up there with the great Geordie crowd. I think Dennis is the only man in the world who can wind a Geordie up without them taking offence to him. This was followed by a frantic dash after the show into Darlington Central where we always stay with probably the nicest kindest people on the planet. I'm talking of course of dear Gary and Edythe Chapman... Eydthe must be the Nigella Lawson of the North east, with her various culinary delights always prepared for us when arriving. PS, I take great exception the coathangers (GREAVES) remark that whilst you have the Angel of the north in Newcastle, we, NBZ have the Queen of the south in me.

Anyway, Derby, and the Flowerpot, or pisspot as the gaffer calls it was as ever sweltering with atmosphere in a cold and damp town on Friday night and we are indebted to all our friends who come out to see us there and made it yet again a memorable night too. Thanks go out to Sid the front of house Engineer there for doing a remarkable job with difficult acoustic surroundings.

Onwards to Ripley town hall in North Yorkshire where we traditionally always finish our year and one of our great shows of this year with Dan??? (please someone help me with a sirname here) and pls excuse me Dan if you read this, playing keyboards for 3 or 4 songs. Fantastic.

The dust has now settled, its Sunday morning. Gerry has headed back home to Southwest France via Paris and Easy jet from Newcastle, Brendan is busy entertaining any guest he can find in the street and go on endlessly about his wine collection in his cellar. Dennis throws a massive Fort-like bolt across his door and shuts out the entire world and sits around a roaring fire in his home in London with his family, and I sit here with my beloved Captain Beefhearts, Blue jeans and moonbeams, and contemplating going disco dancing tonight in some seedy old club somewhere in nowhere land... Sad old sod that I am.

This just leaves me good people to thank you even more for turning out to see us in what has been a difficult last six months financially for all of us with the credit squeeze etc, and give to you the warmest regards from the band for a happy Christmas and new year.

Ps, now where did i put those flares and stack heels?

God bless you all, Mark, Bren, Den and Gerry xxx