Glastonbury 2007 pt1: the build-up

[david dissadent]

Oi oi post count one more and your at 1000

 

[Tort]

Then I'd just like to say

FUCKING GO ME!

Nearly 4 years to get to 1,000 posts!

Actually I'm sure I've been here a lot longer than that but quality not quantity eh!

 

[david dissadent]

Congratulations.



Umm I cant find anything in the press about clear channels selling. Ill have to go to the FT or something. They are PLCs so far as I know so it should be in the public domain....

 

[William of Walworth]

A Games Area is also being planned in place of the Tee Pee Field, where festival-goers will be invited to take part in a range of organised, participatory games. The Tee Pee Field is being moved out to the fringe of the festival to make way for the new hands-on attraction.

A Games Area is also being planned in place of the Tee Pee Field, where festival-goers will be invited to take part in a range of organised, participatory games. The Tee Pee Field is being moved out to the fringe of the festival to make way for the new hands-on attraction.

Don't quote selectively you naughty moderator you!

Now I'd fully agree that this Virtual Games area sounds crap, and marginalising the TeePee Field (where to? Would like to know!) is also crap.

But quoting that para selectively makes it sound like the TeePee field is being abolished ...

 

[William of Walworth]

my only issue with that is that the spelling of "Tee Pee" which is rather too unusual for comfort.

100 acres extra sounds huge- how many acres was the site last time?

The games area might be a good idea- somewhere for people to participate rather than consume.

100 acres!

Would like to see some breakdown at some point of how that extra space is going to be used ...

Last para ... worth a thought, maybe. I don't like the sound of Games Area myself, at all, but then I'm an old stick in the mud hippy fart. Good on someone slightly older than me to point out some (possible) sense ...

 

[William of Walworth]

The only game I intend on playing (presuming I get a ticket) is hide and seek with my mind!

Bleedin kids, they know nothing about drugs

 

[William of Walworth]

Moving the Tipi field?
Well, you know what, after two decades of the festival, I might not ever go again. It's just gonna be a scout camp at Reading, not the same - where the romance? Eavis, your event is being killed.

The more people like you and Lisa and other old schoolers pull out (even more), the more the site WILL be monopolised by Readingesqe 'festival' goers (inverted commas deliberate).

Fuck that. I'm still going and I'm going to get difficult!!!!

 

[William of Walworth]

I thought I did but this has thrown it back into confusion. Mean Fiddler's contract, like most at Glastonbury, was for 4 out of 5 years 2002-6 so the contract effectively expired after the last festival. Vince Power sold Mean Fiddler to Clear Channel but I was told recently that Clear Channel had themselves sold up in November, relinquishing all remaining rights over Glastonbury & telling Michael Eavis to find a good home for all moneys that they may still have been due. Melvyn Benn is still very much involved but I'm afraid I have no idea who the actual holding Company is that may have taken over the Mean Fiddler role nowadays. I expect GFL are playing their cards fairly close to their chest at the moment & details will emerge after the license hearing.

Blimey O'Riley! If true, the above is far more significant information than the Virtual Festivals stuff ...

Despite the unwelcome drivel about Games Fields, moving the Tipi Field and such, this could actually be good news .....

BTW a possible good factor. In the expanded licence application, the allowance for numbers of crew/performers/'etc.' has been significantly increased (don't know an exact figure yet) and this will surely increase a few ops for OLD SCHOOL CRUSTIE MARGINALS, and skint folks generally, , to get working blags ...

Not a perfect solution obviously,. but perhaps some of those excluded between 2002 and 2005 with the severe decrease in crewing/performers/legit blagging numbers compared to those of former times, might have a few more openings ....

Time will tell ...

 

[Tort]

Congratulations.



Umm I cant find anything in the press about clear channels selling. Ill have to go to the FT or something. They are PLCs so far as I know so it should be in the public domain....

I don't think Clear Channel have sold up per se, just their interests in Glastonbury although I may have misunderstood entirely. I was purely going on something Infoman posted on TOS in direct response to my question as to whether Clear Channel were involved. He's unable to give too much away on cewrtain subjects & as a result he can deliberately be a little bit woolly sometimes but as he is an employee of GFL, very close to the inner sanctum & generally 100% trustworthy I have no reason to disbelieve.

 

[Tort]

BTW a possible good factor. In the expanded licence application, the allowance for numbers of crew/performers/'etc.' has been significantly increased (don't know an exact figure yet) and this will surely increase a few ops for OLD SCHOOL CRUSTIE MARGINALS, and skint folks generally, , to get working blags ...

I doubt it. Of the 30,000 proposed increase only 5,000 are for additional crew / traders / performers.

 

[david dissadent]

The lost vagueness people were saying last year that they would not be at glastonbury if clear channels were involved. Given the very nasty anti gay and pro bush reputation that Clearchannels has in the US, I could see why they were angry..... so its not entirly just about abstract ethics.

Actualy a mate of mine thinks there company might get some rigging work with Lost Vagueness so it is an issue I follow quite closely. We'll see what comes out in the wash.

 

[Tort]

.... and btw if anybody genuinely believes that the tipi field is going to be taken over by a bunch of school kids playing kiss chase & throwing beanbags to one another then I despair! You all know damn well that this happens every year. Everybody moans about the fact that one of their favourite attractions is disappearing to be replaced by something that cant possibly be as good & every year we get there & say "fuck me what a brilliant idea!" Get over yerselves!

 

[William of Walworth]

I doubt it. Of the 30,000 proposed increase only 5,000 are for additional crew / traders / performers.

Actually, thats not TOO tiny a figure ... but OK, take your point ...

 

[William of Walworth]

The lost vagueness people were saying last year that they would not be at glastonbury if clear channels were involved. Given the very nasty anti gay and pro bush reputation that Clearchannels has in the US, I could see why they were angry..... so its not entirly just about abstract ethics.

Actualy a mate of mine thinks there company might get some rigging work with Lost Vagueness so it is an issue I follow quite closely. We'll see what comes out in the wash.

Signals look reasonably positive for CC's non involvement IMO ... time will tell!

 

[david dissadent]

Signals look reasonably positive for CC's non involvement IMO ... time will tell!

To be fair imagine how there core audiance in the US would react if they got wind of how they made there money in 'England'*.

*Thats seppo for the united kindom of great britain and nothern ireland.

 

[free spirit]

They have bands there ?

I dont go for the bands... never seen one act on the pyramid stage in 10 years.

lol - in that case we must have met at some stage wandering round somewhere in the vicinity of lost vagueness stone circle hippy fields or possibly on top of LOVE? searching out the late night parties... one year the only band I saw was the baghdaddies (who live round the corner from me) who I bumped into at 7am playing on the grass outside lost vagueness, who then gathered up anyone still awake and did a procession through to avalon.

I accidentally stumbled on paul macartney on the pyramid stage last time I was there, stood there for 10 minutes out of respect then realised I was coming up on a pill and legged it to the glade quick before he played frog chorus.

bands ha your rock and roll antics don't impress me

 

[free spirit]

3 new stages bit got me all excited til I saw what they are... I'm guessing they'll need an experienced stewards crew over there, but me not want to steward pop bollocks, why can't they have the lost stage back again to complement the glade stage... was a right pisser that they had to cancel it coz it was too popular, then when they get all this extra space to play with they go for a fucking silent disco, 'pop' bands stage & accoustic stage.

shrugs:

 

[Riff]

So it's the solstice weekend?

Fucks sake, they'll be even more bloody hippies than usual

<polishes dowsing rods>

 

[moose]

when they get all this extra space to play with they go for a fucking silent disco, 'pop' bands stage & accoustic stage.
:shrugs:

To be fair, Michael Eavis has made no bones about the fact he wants to change the demographic, so if it doesn't make older festival goers (like myself) rub their hands together in glee, I suppose that's quite reasonable. His festival, his rules.

 

[bluestreak]

*grows beard*

 

[newbie]

900

so this is >10% extra space.

think of all that extra walking

 

[moose]

Think of all that extra fencing!

 

[free spirit]

To be fair, Michael Eavis has made no bones about the fact he wants to change the demographic, so if it doesn't make older festival goers (like myself) rub their hands together in glee, I suppose that's quite reasonable. His festival, his rules.

hmm - just been for a look and realised I'm out of date - looks like the entire glade music stage has shifted to the dance village anyway, which is a bit of a shame in a way coz the glade site worked well being on the way to stone circle / greenfields and away from the commercial side of the festie IMO.

never mind eh... I think I'm starting to remember why I gave up on glasto last time.

 

[Sunray]

*grows beard*

spooky...

 

[pagan]

My problem is that I'm going to New Zealand next week for a month so I'll have to apply from there which is a bit of a hassle. I might get Mrs P to register with a NZ address so we can try on the overseas quota as well.

 

[bus]

.... and btw if anybody genuinely believes that the tipi field is going to be taken over by a bunch of school kids playing kiss chase & throwing beanbags to one another then I despair! You all know damn well that this happens every year. Everybody moans about the fact that one of their favourite attractions is disappearing to be replaced by something that cant possibly be as good & every year we get there & say "fuck me what a brilliant idea!" Get over yerselves!

hoo-fucking-ray..well said tort.

"Ooooh, its not like it was in 1989"...really, well I was there in 1989, and my main memories were less stuff, worse drainage, crap bogs, more crime, less food etc etc etc...

"ooh, but the music isn't as good" Thats cos the world's moved on mate...young people no longer listen to skiffle.

"ooh, but the vibe's changed!"...Oh fuck off. What you mean is YOUR vibes changed. Festivals, like most things in life look different when you're young/don't have a mortgage/legs don't ache after 20 minutes/have the capacity to get pissed on 2 cans of carling.

If you don't want to play games (and nor do i)...go someplace else, you're not exactly short of shit to do are you? think the new bit sounds shit (and btw, the silent disco's fucking ace)...do summat else!!

Jeez, for some of you if michael eavis was giving out fucking tenners they'd be the wrong shade of brown!

 

[aqua]

if that was aimed at me, I didn't say it wasn't as good, nor did I say that anything has changed for the worse

what I said was "fuck that sounds awful"

see, just a statement

besides which I'm not sure I can afford to go this year, its great fun though

 

[Tort]

if that was aimed at me, I didn't say it wasn't as good, nor did I say that anything has changed for the worse

what I said was "fuck that sounds awful"

see, just a statement

besides which I'm not sure I can afford to go this year, its great fun though

Usual time, usual place then!

 

[aqua]

heres hoping I'm trying to get rid of the last bit of my debt (£11k down, £3.5k to go) and the cost of the festie is quite a chunk of getting rid of it quicker

so any donations gratefully received

 

[newbie]

Melvyn Benn is still very much involved but I'm afraid I have no idea who the actual holding Company is that may have taken over the Mean Fiddler role nowadays.

I see from
here that he picked up something called the The Virtual Festivals Outstanding Contribution Award last year.