Alehouse #2

There was an Alehouse reunion (with Dave Gregory of XTC and the other original members) on July 14th.

RR: "I had one last gig of my own that year: an Alehouse Christmas gig (with Phil McMullen in attendance) on December 12th.

Four days later a lump was discovered in my throat, at the Royal United Hospital in Bath. I was told not to sing at all (as the "range" of my voice could be permanently damaged) until I had been under observation and (possibly) given treatment As it turned out, it had already been damaged as far back as 1988 (it is just as well I sing through effects boxes all the time anyway these days. You cannot smoke pipes and sing rock'n'roll for thirty years and expect still to sound like a canary on amphetamines; I thought in another five years I'd sound like Lemmy!!)".

Anyway, I underwent speech therapy earlier this year (93) and by simply giving up certain bad habits I didn't even know I had (like hour-long phone calls during which I would shout myself hoarse) I have regained my old foghorn plus an added half an octave. I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to many of my pals for not being able to "come to the phone" in 1993.1 hope my next album will prove that (vocally) it was worth it!