05.18.09: London Day Off 1

It’s 3:30 in the am, and we gotta hit the airport. It's also my birthday.

With tissues in hand, these six lucky bastards cry me goodbye at Heathrow. I ride the tube toward London on a minimal amount of sleep. Arwen and Chloe buy me breakfast, which is completely drugged. Unconscious, I wake up in the ATC offices, where Dan firmly exercises his power of authority. For hours on end, he pummels me on merch strategics and tactics until I no longer fear death. Then the room fades a slow black.

I awake in The Colombia hotel to the ringing of an overly ecstatic Japenese-Londoner. It’s Natsumi, and we make plans to see Deerhunter at Scala. The phone rings again. Arwen and Chloe want to meet for beers and food beforehand. Why are all these girls fighting for their moment of Kang? There’s just not enough of me to go around, ever.

At King’s Court, the ATC group is eating with Mike Bones, another member of the Vice Records roster. However, as soon as I settle in, Nat and Taka dissuade me from my meal to meet up at Scala. After using up my Oyster card credit, they greet me outside wearing all denim. They are uniformed like the Yakuza.

The place is packed to the balconies. Natsumi grabs me and Taka by the collars, determined to find us a spot at the front of the house. Deerhunter sound great, even with Bradford back on guitar. It's hard to imagine them as a 5-piece. It’s their sound man’s birthday, so they sing him Happy Birthday through various onstage effects pedals. Then Bradford purveys the audience, seeking the Almighty John Kang. I'm onstage. A different, but equally contorted version of Happy Birthday engulfs the room. We head backstage to chill with some more fellow Atlantans. I meet an old London acqaintance for 3 minutes.

With ciders and cigs in hand, we head to Nat’s after the show. I learn them some Atlanta music, much to their chagrin. It’s amazing to see two strangers fascinated with our city of notoriety. It makes my heart swell up like a massive bloodclot.


-Kang