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going in the wreck of Europe
?Fock, he kept saying, ?here am I among the legends! ; and repeating with
flattering pride stories of the Playboys part in the mad panic tour last summer,
when the Few and friends were racing around the Refugee-struck regions,
through the worst storms of a century, staving off anarchy with rock concerts.
?Jaysus, that was the best hard fun I iver had on a tour, barring none. Dez ye
recall that night in Manchester, or was it Preston, Sage?
?Yeah, said George Merrick. ?You bet we do. We re playing about our fifth
Altamont in a week, the Manchester Irish are in the mosh, screaming kill the
Latvians, and you fuckers start heckling from the side of the stage ?Aye, well, we re traditional
musicians. We took offence, and rightly so, at the
shite you were laying down. An then yer man Sage, ten foot tall in that fockin
spaceman outfit, dives thirty feet an comes over and sez to me, ?Will we give
you bastards what you are asking for now or later??
?An Fergal here, supplied Bill, ?says, ?We didn t know you do requests. In
that case, we ll have, ?A Nation Once Again ,?, and then
?You left out, ?If Sage can find his voice in those tin knickers?, put in Chip.
?Yeah, there was the tin knickers remark. Think that was from Pierce Lyon.
?Aye, that s right. It was when Sage picked up our Peezy he s a little man
and threw him off the stage, that the fockin punters took it into their minds to
get involved. An it was pissing down, and there was mud fockin everywhere
?I don t think I heard this before, said Ax. ?I fondly imagined we were all
trying to keep the level of violence down
?Hey, don t listen, Sah, protested Aoxomoxoa, the skull beaming rakishly. ?I
don t remember the leprechaun-tossing, it must ve been my shadow
?Oh Jaysus, I fergot, ye ve turned over a new leaf. Will it be okay though if I
tell the story of that barney we had at Glasto, first time we ever met ?
The story of the famous barney at Glasto. Stories abounding, well known but
worth repeating. Fergal Kearney, devouring red wine in astounding quantities,
was still going strong when they returned to the San after midnight: living up to
his reputation for the highest quality craig. Dilip and Chip and Ver stripped to
bodymasks and cache-sex and went off to join the dance, (it was melting-hot in the State Apartments).
Ax and his court settled regally in the Bow Room chill-out
lounge. Sweaty, glittering clubbers, passing in and out, made excuses to say hi.
The live band who d been playing the ballroom arrived to pay their respects, and
were graciously allowed to remain.
Fiorinda chatted with the singer from the band, a brash, overawed fifteen
year-old called Areeka Aziz. Areeka was a Next Big Thing, and had been
identified as prime Reich material. She must be recruited. Will you scrub hospital
toilets, kid? How are you on digging potatoes for the cameras, teaching feral
eight year olds to read and write? They ll listen to you: you re a rockstar. You do
get self-defence training. This is what happened to me, now it s your turn.
Me, Ax Preston s chickenhawk
The sound of that Irish voice grated on her. Fergal was at the other table and
the company wasn t quiet, but she could hear every word. He d reached the
garrolous stage, he was explaining why he d defected:
?Fockin Dublin government sez there s no Countercultural Problem in
Oirland, fockin shite. Right enough it s not the Counterculture that s the
problem, it s the fockin bastards using it fer their own sinister aims, an I know
where it s heading. It ll be like the fockin Catholic church all over again, and will
the people rise up against the tyranny of it? Will they fock
That voice. She couldn t help it, she just didn t like that sound ?Fockin Irish, they re a race of political
masochists, they love their fockin
chiefs and princes an a strong hand belting them. It s like the man said in the
play. Abair an focal republic i nGaoluinn?
The Few turned to George Merrick.
?He says, ?say republic for me in the Irish?, said George. ?The point being, I
reckon, that there s no such word.
?Jaysus. I had fergot ye had the Gaelic. I shall have to watch me tongue
?There s no word for republicin Cornish either, said George.
?I m only glad there s a countrywoman of mine among ye to stand up for me.
The Irishman cast a wistful glance towards Fiorinda, who was sitting with her
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