Rick Witter is former frontman with Brit-pop pioneers Shed Seven, a band which enjoyed a run of 15 consecutive top forty singles, including the classics Going For Gold and Chasing Rainbows.
He can boast about knocking Take That off the top of the charts - but left the band in 2003 to concentrate on his family, bringing up his three kids (two boys and one girl).
But in between the school runs and domestic chores, his guitar and notepad were always at his side and now he's back with Rick Witter and The Dukes - only this time Rick is playing gigs in tiny, sweaty venues, doing rounds of interviews with local press and student radio and meeting /greeting sessions in record shops around the country.
It’s notoriously tough for any new band trying to break it in the music business, and few would have the stomach to attempt it a second time around, but Rick Witter is ready. This is his Eyewitness blog...
Friday
Here we go then, on the road today - destination Dundee. We hope to arrive 4-ish depending on the traffic and how many stops we make for our various needs such as food / toilet / fruit machine / RAC cover etc...
We like to stop whenever possible just to annoy service station staff. I feel it gives them something to do, plus the prices they charge are ridiculous to say the least. It cost me a fiver to weigh myself and check my blood pressure, which was alarmingly high, but having just paid £6 for a sandwich and bag of crisps, I'm not surprised.
When we cross the border, all hell will break loose. The Scottish smoking law dictates that the only place you can have a ciggie is outside or in your own home. Apparently our tour bus is classed as a 'place of work' and therefore it's illegal for us to smoke onboard.
In the past we would get stopped by police for speeding, seat belts etc, but things have changed now, and whenever we see a cop car up ahead, we find ourselves frantically stubbing out tabs, blowing smoke out of window and passing round mints in order to avoid a fine.
And it's difficult coming to terms with not being able to smoke onstage, or in our dressing room, especially as that's all I've been used to over the years. To me drinking ale and smoking go hand in hand. The fact that I'm told I can't smoke, makes me want to do it all the more.
I do believe that for next generation of kids, it is a good idea, as it will be the norm for them, and hopefully they won't feel the need to smoke. When the ban is first introduced in England, I'll probably have to slap on a couple of nicotine patches before heading down the pub.
But in all seriousness, maybe I will think about quitting this summer. For the record, I don't smoke in my own house, but I do have a little smoking den rigged up in the back garden.
Despite the ban on tabbing it, Scotland is always ace for gigs and I'm really looking forward to this weekend. For some reason the Sheds and the Dukes go down really well north of the border, I think Scottish music fans are more up for it, and they appreciate that bands have made the journey.
There's a free after-show party for our fans in Glasgow on Saturday, so it could be a bit of a messy one. I expect there'll be a few casualties on the bus on the way back ...
I'll be home on Sunday, and then it'll be the start of a whole new week.
This is the end of my Sky News Blog, but you can keep up to date with what I'm up to by visiting me at www.rickwitter.com, and we've even put up a free download for you all. Thanks for reading, see you soon.
You are my hero.
Posted by: Chris 30 Apr 2007 09:57:08
Nice one Rick.Enjoyed the insight this week.
Enjoy the gigs people.
Posted by: micktoon 27 Apr 2007 16:47:01
Great blog, Wicked web site and above all good toons. All the very best in your future endeavours, and you never know, I might actually one day return to normality and enjoy the spectaculors of music. I wonder how I would get to Dublin or Glasgow to hear this? mmmmmmm (Can't wait) Good Luck
Posted by: Khalid 27 Apr 2007 09:36:43