THREE SHEETS TO THE WIND WITH SILVER APPLES

I took this picture of Simeon Coxe having a cup of strong black coffee this morning after one of those 'late ones' you invariably have when running a bar. We'd been drinking mini bottles of Oliver And Greg's Sauvignon Blanc*, and eventually got around to the profound idea that 'The Governments don't run the world, The Banks do!'
Dave Myers was on double Vodka and Red Bull, and was well up for fucking the system. Simeon was bent over thumping the bartop with the heel of his fist at the outrage of it all. "Obama, Hilary Clinton - I don't give a shit who's in the White House - they're all puppets of the Multinational Corporations!" Ever had this conversation at 2.30 in the morning, three sheets to the wind - I bet you have!

The Silver Apples show tonight was an important one ... if you know your rock and roll history.
Formed in 1967 the music of Simeon Coxe and drummer Danny Taylor not only pre-dated and informed Krautrock bands like NEU, but also directly influenced punkrock and hip hop. "Sid Vicious told me" Simeon said "that the Sex Pistols always played Silver Apples in the dressing room before going onstage."

Danny died in 2005 but Simeon keeps those amazing beats alive on loops he plays alongside his infamous oscillators. The songs are breathtakingly beautiful, and you can see why his fans include Blur, Sonic Youth, Devo and James Lavelle. The 1960's scene must have been astounded to hear such sounds coming out of a table full of vintage electronics...

We got lucky tonight actually, because all Simeon's gear is powered off a 110 supply and needs a step-down converter to fit The Cavern's 240v plug sockets.
I got one for £14.99 in Maplins, but the kid said "It should be fine so long as you're not running musical equipment off it."
It lasted exactly 52 minutes before burning out - but that was alright - Simeon didn't want to do an encore anyway!

*People don't seem to like this as much as the Zinfandel Rose, which is why I've got fridgefuls of it!