So I was reading a post over at DANG! (see the link over there on the right??) about Thee Headcoats & Billy Childish & I felt compelled to share the following with you.....
Many years ago in Chicago, Thee Headcoats & Thee Headcoatees were playing a show at the Empty Bottle -- a more perfect line-up could not have been put together, no?
My good friend was the Bottle manager at the time & asked me if I could do her a favor & put Billy & Thee Headcoatees up for a night or two at my apartment. I lived nearby & apparently their alternative was staying in a skerry vietnamese hooker hotel uptown. So as a fan & a friend, I was happy to hook them up...but oh, it turned out to suck.
Here are some highlights:
According to Kyra (a Headcoatee), Holly G & Billy were having some sort of affair. Now, K & B had been sleeping together for years so she distraught & having a nervous breakdown IN MY APARTMENT. She was breaking down into tears every five minutes & had hives all over from the stress... Now that I think about it, she may have been crazy. I really have no idea but she was the only really friendly one of the bunch... although Bongo Debbie was all right.
It was a steamy, hot Chicago summer & I had no A/C. The Brits could not handle it -- it was making them into a bitchy, angry bunch. Plus Billy REEKED, in fact he has quite a MUSK. It smelled like a combination of stinky armpits & corn chips. It didn't help that he was also quite an asshole...as was Holly.
They smoked 24/7 & my apartment stank for about a week as a special bonus!
But after all was said & done, they left my apartment spic 'n span when they left (they were there for THREE DAYS)...a bouquet of flowers in the kitchen & a hand-drawn card. And a few weeks later, I received Billy's book of poems in the mail ("I'd Rather You'd Lied") with a warm, personal inscription that made it seem like we'd really made a wonderful connection when we met...so I guess that was nice.
Still, it took me awhile to be able to listen to Holly & Billy's music again, Thee Bastards.
OMG. I think you told me an abbreviated version of this story once. I have had many bands stay with me in the past and never had to deal with rank odors, THANK GOD! Three days is insane. PU!
I always seemed to have really nice people like Low or Boyracer stay with me.
Posted by: bryce | January 06, 2006 at 01:43 PM
Great story. I think it`s probably better not to meet your heroes!
I found the girls OK on the few occasions I`ve spoken to them. I`ve never really talked to Billy, though. I think I may have felt slightly intimidated by him.
Funny thing is they all seem to be pals now. Kyra even sings in the band "The A-lines" with Debbie and Billy`s wife Julie.
Posted by: mark | January 06, 2006 at 11:17 AM