Perpetual Motion on the 'Trans Europe Express' and Memories of Amsterdam

Looking out of the window as we pull into the station in Amsterdam, I'm being transported back to my 19 year old self, that’s when I last arrived at this train station. I was with my great friend Jeff Thomas (who went on to become one of the early singers in Duran Duran). Jeff was obsessed with European life and travel, and we both wanted to live out the promise of the Kraftwerk song 'Trans Europe Express' and the European dreams of early Ultravox and Simple Minds songs.

We boarded the train in Birmingham and as we stepped out into the continental bustle of Amsterdam we seemed to be entering a whole new world. I had never been outside of my native country and at that point I think I realised that I wanted to broaden my horizons beyond my small town world. We stayed for a week in some run down youth hostel beside a street full of shop windows that contained dubious looking ladies bathed in red light ...later that year I joined Duran Duran, who could have
foreseen what the next few years would bring and that I would be returning nearly 30 years later under such different circumstances? That’s the thing about being on the road ...you are constantly re-united with a segment of your past in different cities and hotels across the world...sometimes things that you want to remember...others you don't.

We just had a great couple of shows ...in Cologne and Brussels, amazing audiences...but just wait until we get to Italy ... I think it will go off big time. After that we have August free and I'm off to Ibiza to see my friend and Pacha DJ Carlos Diaz..hoping I can get some gigs there so I will keep you posted ...oh and I just heard some of the material Mark Ronson has been cooking up for our collaboration in Paris..sounds totally inspired ...the work of a genius..can't wait!

Love,
RTx