# THAT chat with Richard in full...

It's a normal Monday night and I'm down at the Louisiana, a small pub which doubles as a venue, near my house with my friends. I have come to watch Topper and because I promised someone I'd go. One moment I am sat down having a quiet drink with Sam wondering when the free records and cds will be distributed and then the next I am thrown into turmoil after spotting the presence of Richard James. That's right, he's sat on a table nearby enjoying a quiet pint himself with his friend Sean. Argh Sam, it's Richard from Gorky's I stutter as I am in the process of trying to get the guts up to go round people's tables casually dropping fliers for this fanzine. I can hardly go up to his table and give him one can I? I'd look like a prat. None the less this is what I settle upon after failing to stammer a greeting as he walks right past me on a trip to the lavvy. Assuming, what I hope to be, a pose of semi- nonchalance, I walk on over and give a flier to his friend then one to him and the conversation follows like this:
Emily- Um, this is kind of redundant for you because it is about you
Richard- Oh, oh yeah, I saw this the other day. Is this the one with the Euros doll in?
E- Yeah that's right . So you got a copy then? (Dur, of course he did if knows what's in it) Because I wasn' t sure it'd reach you
R- Yeah, yeah it did
awkward silence in which I fidget
E- . .. Um, so how come you weren't playing the other night? Are you Ok?
R- I'm having a well deserved rest
B- Oh, right. What's going to happen now Mercury have dropped you? (ever the one for tact)
R- We've had some interest from other people, other um, what do you call it?- ur, offers
B- So the future's bright then?
R- Oh yes
B- Good, um ok, thanks. Bye.
stumble off and walk into the back of a chair, fortunately not witnessed. BUT, and this is a big but, later on I spoke to him properly for ages, like about 15 minutes and he was sehr, sehr lovely. I can't remember exactly what we talked about but it was just really nice. It was like a proper chat. I asked him if he was alright and he said he isn't. He's feeling pretty dismal and is trying to sort his shit out, something he thinks John needs to do too, but isn't. He distrusts medication as he thinks it is addictive and doesn't want to mess around with that kind of thing. He is just chilling out with friends and having a break. I asked if I could interview him some time and he said did I really want to as he isn't the best person to because he doesn't have much to say and he is awkward. And that Euros or one of the others would be better. He took my phone number and said he'd ring me the next time he was in Bristol but that couple of weeks have gone and he never phoned. I didn't really think he would and kind of sounded incredulous when he said it. I have since convinced myself, (because that's the nicest reason) , that he lost the number.
We spoke about Sparklehorse and how good Neutral Milk Hotel are and he informed me that when Olivia Tremor Control have a night off they team up with them to form a ten piece. I wasn't too keen on the later and he said that he likes them. I'm desperately trying to, but I just can't seem to manage it . He said that Infectious, V2 and some one else that I can't remember, are interested in signing Gorky's and that they are just mulling it over for now and having some time off as they are pissed off with the whole thing. Within the last year and a half the music has began to pay a wage, and that previously they were all on the dole, except Megan who was a librarian (none of the rest of them have ever had another job outside of the band) . I said I liked Gorky 5 a lot to which he replied, thankyou very much, 's not bad is it? Catrin is his favourite. Hush The Warmth is mine, and Mercury, the little shity bastards that they are, have stopped that from materialising as the next single now that they have dumped them. Argh. AND, to make it worse Poor Ditching Boy had the potential to be the b- side. I then admitted that I had gone into Virgin the day after I last saw them and looked through all the Richard Thompson stuff and listened to the original and ordered Henry the Human Fly. He told me to listen out for To See The Bright Lights, and said it was a fantastic album. Need less to say I have subsequently put it top on my birthday list. Still, it's not all bad though because they played PDB at Sound City and I taped it. Hooray.He did say though that they are thinking about maybe releasing it on a mini album.I asked if they will ever release Ice Cream and he said they won't
He said Euros girlfriend has a bad back when I said I had to go because mine was killing (I curse you you damn thing) , and that he thought it was quite a serious medical problem that she had. He asked what I did, and I said art, and then we spoke about their artwork. He told me who did the newer covers (ie. Let's Get Together, Sweet Johnny and Gorky 5) and I'm ashamed to say I have forgotten her name, but I'm pretty sure it is a woman, and she does covers for Stereolab as well I think he said. He asked Sam about his band (The Pudding) and was genuinely interested. He apologised when I said it had taken me all night to come over and talk to him saying oh I'm sorry if I made you feel like that I'm just not very good with people or something along those lines and I said no it's not you, it's me. I was worried about going over to him incase it pissed him off. After all, he was just out with friends watching a band. I thought he might not like it if people recognise him, or worse still accost him for it, but he said he didn't. It was stupid too because he is so completely not scary. We spoke about Topper and how good they sounded, and he said he liked the Euros doll in my fanzine. I said I wanted to do a Megan one for this issue but that I didn't have any suitable photos so he said he'd have a ruimnage around and try and find one that met with her approval. But, it turned out ok because I got my film back after I spoke to him and I have quite a few, don't know if she'd like them or not. What else did we talk about? Um... Bristol and how we both like it. He asked where I am from originally. Ur, I can't think of anything else. But he was really, really nice and I'm sorry I didn't get to go out for a drink with him, but that's ok. He's a busy, stressed man with better things to do. I just hope he's feeling better. I can't get over how nice he was though. I mean, I have spoken to him before, years ago, and I thought he was lovely then, but, oh he's just so sweet, and quite alarmingly bears a close physical resemblance to one of my uncles and the whole way in which he stooped down to hear what I had to say and was so attentive is like Rob too. I don't know how to end this, except just saying Richard I think you are great and it really meant a lot to me that you took the time to talk to me. My housemates will vouch for the size of the grin on my face when I got home.

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