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Chatabix

S13 Ep 673 Listeners Mailbag: School Bands and David’s Wire Mill Gig

08 Aug 2025

Transcription

Chapter 1: What emails are discussed in the listeners' mailbag?

41.307 - 80.19 Unknown

it's email time now that's who the time is right now we're opening up all of the old emails now i wonder who has emailed in now and craig and stew have emailed in now and sally too has emailed in now and john and bob Oh, oh, we're gonna read em now Oh, oh, we're gonna read em now

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111.31 - 133.15 David

Oh, happy Friday. Happy Friday, ladies and gentlemen. Best feeling in the world, this. I wonder if this does give anyone, gosh, the start of the weekend, because I get to listen to mail back. I've seen a couple of comments. This is when my weekend starts kind of comment. Yeah. Fuck. It's all I ever wanted. Is it? Well, no. No.

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133.17 - 138.055 Joe

But it's nice to know. Yeah, it's nice to know rather than all I've ever wanted.

140.633 - 176.028 David

Well, the mailbag is in your hands. You just tell me to rummage and I'll find whatever you want. As far back as you can go, even if it annoys you. That's what she said. I was about to say I gave you a lot of space there and then you would have said that's what she said. Okay, I'm getting annoyed. I'm getting annoyed. My hand's going down the mailbag. I'm stopping. No, no. I'm only in marks.

176.048 - 208.075 David

No, no, go back. I want to go back. I want to go back as far as you can see. Oh, right. Yeah, you said it was in my hands. Yeah, okay. I want to be reminded of what we were into. All right, I've gone back. This is from Michael Wilson, sent four years ago. Just over. I have no official weathering skills as such, but I do love a bloody good chat about it. Four seasons in a day, I've experienced.

208.676 - 212.963 David

I would very much like to be considered for this role. Warmest regards.

213.128 - 242.258 David

oh yeah when we go back there's loads of people wanted to be weatherman weatherman isn't there yeah okay so let's stick around there though okay because you'll have to move and get annoyed thank you yeah what what it's like getting a thank you for your email after four years yeah it's wonderful this is from marty ramone nice no this was sent nearly four years ago

Chapter 2: What was the story behind the weatherman audition email?

260.821 - 291.35 David

Well, I'll tell you what will happen if we do. Yeah, I know, I know. Yeah, yeah. We won't listen. Right. Stay around that area. Do you know, can I guess what we get next? This is my band. This is my band. Are you having a laugh? What? My shite school band. There we go. From James Spooner. That's mad. There's a sort of time that was stuff that was said around then.

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292.452 - 322.287 David

Whether person, this is my shit band you can listen to. James Spooner, four years ago. Hi, David and Joe. Here's five white 16-year-old boys from Surrey who each had happy families and privileged upbringings, writing about their worlds falling apart. and becoming steadily more suicidal as the days go by. My school band was called Violet Shock, and this was our crowd pleaser, tear the page away.

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323.688 - 345.131 David

I was going to send you the MP3, but rather than a highly polished version of things, I thought I'd show you a visceral live performance. For context, this was recorded on a potato back in 2009 at the Rose and Crown pub in Godalming. I had a bit of money. Godalming's really nice. Yeah, our first and last gig, and the quality is about as shite as you'd expect.

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345.151 - 360.67 David

We spent two solid years practicing every Thursday and Sunday for this, and I'm devastated at how bad it is. We only had eight songs, and we were given a three-hour slot at the pub. A three-hour slot!

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360.65 - 381.223 David

i'll put the lyrics down below in case you can't understand it and or fancier sing song we each got 50 pounds for playing and my girlfriend at the time refused to come and watch i'm the guitarist on the left take note of my musician and proud t-shirt it's been 12 years and this is honestly painful for me to go through this again but i thought you might get a kick out of it here are the lyrics

382.942 - 407.818 David

My world falls to pieces and my strength has gone away. I'm my own worst enemy and I think I've gone insane. And all those words meant nothing that turned out to be true. This time, if you stand by me, then I will stand by you and the chorus. And now we wish there were more ways to burn down the yesterdays. That's very David Earl.

408.22 - 414.047 Joe

Sideways down. What was that?

414.067 - 414.688 David

What was it?

415.208 - 418.432 Joe

Side up down. Sign up down.

Chapter 3: What memories does David share about his old school band?

451.29 - 451.931 David

Verse two.

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452.272 - 454.494 Unknown

Tide asphyxiation.

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454.574 - 456.797 David

Can you say it, because it's hard to work out what he's saying.

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456.817 - 466.347 Unknown

Please leave these words, just don't release. We poured ourselves through thick and thin, and we're brought down to our knees.

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468.31 - 475.858 David

You wouldn't do this with eyes on legs, but suddenly you're fucking flying. Well, it's not mine, it's like...

476.159 - 481.066 Unknown

I hear them screaming and bleeding, fading to grey.

481.807 - 501.255 David

It's time to take back control and tear the page away. Fucking horrible. That's his words. It's got a bit of shanty at the end. Well, I... That's how I... Wow. God, it's... Here we go, it's the... What? OK.

503.198 - 503.398

This is...

507.833 - 517.732 David

I hate it. I hate it. It's not my type of music, James.

Chapter 4: How does David reflect on his final gig at the wire mill?

700.715 - 735.035 David

Good. I'm there, I'll be there. What's he doing this time? Fucking hell, what's he doing this time? Can I tell you something? You just reminded me. The final gig I ever did was at a wire mill in East Grinstead. The what? The wire mill. Listen. Well, it's just an odd fucking name for a place. The wire mill. The wire mill. In East Grinstead. So it was a big thing. We're playing the wire mill.

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735.255 - 752.21 David

You go, oh, okay. They've got something about them. You mean the one with the lake where you can do jumps on boats and skis? Yes. What's that got to do with music? Nothing. Look at you.

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752.51 - 754.232 Unknown

Looking your talons are out.

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754.752 - 785.038 David

Yuck. Yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck. Destroying this path. No, it's just fucking wire mill anyway. The wire mill. We're playing the wire mill. I'll tell you what it is. It's mature. It's mature. I'm playing the apple tree in Crawley, are you? Oh, right, yeah. We're playing the wire mill. Okay, another level. What? I don't understand any of this. Nor do I. It sounds like older people go there.

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785.058 - 808.195 David

Yeah, with a bit of money. You don't want this shit. Less understanding of your face. But you just reminded me, this is about a year or so. This was at the end of our career. How long was the career? How long was the career? Two and a half years. Two and a half years fucking whacking out in Peter Robinson's bedroom. Poor Peter's mum.

Chapter 5: What insights are shared about early retirement experiences?

811.533 - 834.717 David

Why don't they do it at David's house or Mike's house or James's house? Yeah. Yeah, because I live miles away in Hartfield, so let's go to Peter's. They're close to Rooster Institute. Let's keep it simple. Let's keep it simple. Or go to Dean's and do it in his garden where they had a caravan. Garden? To annoy all the fucking neighbours? Well, your dad owned a coach company.

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835.518 - 857.616 David

What's that got to do with not annoying the neighbours? Well, they didn't have neighbourhoods. They had a fucking great garden with a caravan, from what I remember. Let's do it at Dean's. Can't do it at mine. I had a bloody fucking hell. Two up, two down. Do it in big garden Dean's house, then. We did.

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858.017 - 883.069 David

How about, oh, John, there's no way there weren't people nearby who wouldn't have been affected by outdoor band practice. I'm telling you, Dean had a big old place. From what I remember, it's a fucking great garden. His dad owned a coach company. His brother owned Corley Football Club at some point in the 2000s. There's someone who could hear that racket, is what I'm saying, if you're outside.

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883.808 - 914.187 David

Yeah, and they'd probably go, do you know what? The boys are having a go. They do it once every two weeks. Let them have a go. Not fucking how we knew that fucking racket. Let them play. Let them express themselves. Okay. Not like the boy over there who watches Only Fools and Horses. At least he's quiet. With his pig. The China pig girl gave you. It's more of a trinket.

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924.882 - 925.823 Unknown

What was my point?

925.843 - 955.21 David

Two and a half years into your career, wire mill is mature. You can do jumps. Then it went off to practice. I think you can do water skiing on that. I think you could, you know? Yeah. Cause you said it. How would I know if you can do a jump at the wire mill? I remember when I used to go there, I was like, fucking hell, this feels like another level. This is lovely.

955.23 - 958.514 David

But all the other levels got nothing to do with music.

Chapter 6: What humorous anecdotes arise from the listeners' emails?

959.675 - 988.55 David

No. No, I'll tell you what it was. It's a good venue because you can do jumps on the lake. Did you notice your last gig at the time? No, I don't think so. No, I actually thought this was the beginning of the next chapter. So you're perceptive. Yeah. Why am I telling you this for? Why, Emil? Let me tell you about it. That's why I even brought it up.

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988.63 - 1012.464 David

Well, because we got this video from this lad two and a half years ago. So I felt like we hadn't gigs for like eight months. Friends and family, Anne and your sister in the front row. That were all that chat. Yeah, so that was about a year or so ago. So we got better. I'd written other songs. I got better as a songwriter. I knew I had. I could tell.

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1012.484 - 1045.83 David

I wrote that song about the painting in the toilet. Let's see. Or I imagine drowning, drowning in love. Let's see. Yeah. So we played this gig. Martin on keyboards, Andrew on bass, James, good drummer, James on drums. Was there someone? I hope there was some. If there was, if I've forgotten the other ones, I wholeheartedly apologise. Some poor bugger going, Paul on keyboards? Maybe Peter.

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1045.89 - 1058.686 David

I don't remember Peter on keyboards. Anyway, my point is, this felt like a, not a homecoming, but we're back. We're back on the wire mill. Live from the wire mill.

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1059.127 - 1059.227

Yeah.

1060.979 - 1090.715 David

Indeed, it felt like I'm back with new material. I'm a better songwriter. I've matured. I was probably about 18, 18 and a half. This is the start of the next step or the very last gig we'll do. I was just hoping people were going to go, oh, sideways down. This is good. And... A lot of my mates came. I felt like they were from a different part of my sort of friendship group, so they came.

1091.456 - 1092.137 David

Jesus, I'm stressed.

Chapter 7: How do the hosts react to the emails about silly names?

1092.157 - 1121.484 David

It's absolutely insane that I got up behind a mic. It's fucking mental. It really is. Isn't it? Yes. This is on video somewhere, this gig. But Andrew's got it. Andrew, please, if you're listening, message me directly. He's definitely got the audio. Don't listen to the audio. You need the full video experience, dude. Live. Just don't listen to the audio, whatever you do.

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1121.504 - 1151.513 David

So, because it felt like we're back, this is the new material. It felt like a bit of a buzz. I don't know if I was... Purely in your head. Are you going to David's thing? What's David's thing? Oh, I'll tell you what it was. I think it was the end of A-Levels. So everyone was like, ooh. So maybe there's more of a buzz of the fact that David's was gone. But we were doing our. Don't forget us.

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1151.653 - 1179.782 David

There's only one way to celebrate finishing our A-Levels. Let's go and see Color of Mary. Where? Live at the Y. There's a felt like it was a buzz. And for me, this would be like you doing a stand-up gig, going, this is my new material. Take me or leave me. But I think this is good. So I got up on stage.

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1181.264 - 1216.35 David

And I think the Cures album, The Wish, had come out and they started their album with loads of feedback. So you did. But feedback that made it sound like cockatoos, like exotic birds. So I put the old flanger on, blow the chorus. And I try to get that old wobble of the noise. Such a unique style. Literally copying an album that's just come out. That's just come out and gone to number one.

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1217.782 - 1259.764 David

And dressed like him. And dressed like him but a pasty-faced 17-year-old. Someone said to me once, there'll only ever be one Robert Smith, David. I remember I got my back up. I got my back up a bit. Fuck you, mate. Playing at the fucking wire, Bill. And we did loads of, like, that distortion for about three minutes, like, trying to create, like, an ambience.

1259.784 - 1265.676 Unknown

Fucking hell.

1266.331 - 1296.437 David

And I just remember I felt like there's loads of, you know, when you do a gig with new material and there's goodwill and then after five minutes, just remember no one's sort of giving anything. I think you should have been grateful for them giving nothing. Oh, yeah. The end of A-levels. Remember, there's the end of A-levels, so you're in a good mood. The end of A-levels, guys. Where are we on?

1296.557 - 1296.878

Woo-woo-woo-woo!

1297.988 - 1301.413 David

I remember really fucking going with a flange. I'd just go, fuck it.

Chapter 8: What final thoughts do the hosts share to wrap up the episode?

1440.993 - 1441.353 David

I don't know.

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1443.116 - 1447.922 Joe

Anyway. It's stressful when you talk about music with you.

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1447.942 - 1462.101 David

Well, it is when you're fucking digging holes in it. I was just trying to express myself as a 17-year-old. I get that. That I love. Anyway, back to the wire meal, live at the wire meal. Well, we're done. It just didn't quite hit home. The new album didn't... Well...

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1463.448 - 1498.152 David

all off the back of that one chap's band they like this semi-retired age 57. so this was sent uh five minutes ago oh brilliant god they're gonna get a quick old thing send an email now send it quickly now they go the quickest ever yeah Hello, Joe and David, listening to the pod from the 12th of June, and you're asking for someone who is semi-retired early.

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1499.273 - 1523.357 David

Well, this happened to me early in April this year, so I'm almost three months in. Oh, yes. It's been amazing. God, I love this. Yeah, I do. And I really think it's changed me as a person to some degree. I'm sleeping better now. I have reduced all anxiety

1526.307 - 1552.551 David

I found I have time to do the things that I always knew that I should be doing but found difficult to find the time when working a nine-to-five job, like helping out around the house and looking after myself health-wise. At 57, I knew that I had more to give rather than to literally stop and do nothing. So I've thrown myself into my hobby, football photography.

1553.054 - 1574.912 David

And we'll be doing a lot of this once the new season starts in August. Football photography? Yeah. What, one of those blokes around the side? Is he going to be with a big camera? It's a weird old old bit, but good luck to you, mate. What's his name? Stephen Flynn. It should keep me busy two or three days a week, which is plenty. I want to know how much he's got in the bank.

1576.014 - 1599.442 David

Well, that's made it all gross. Well, I want to know how much you need. Yeah, do you know what? I get that, actually. It's important to know, you know. How are you not panicking about running out of cash? Yeah. Yeah. Still early days, but I thoroughly recommend it to anybody that can do it. Happy to chat more if you want. Oh, my God. Thank you for email. That's it. Yeah, that's the rules.

1599.542 - 1605.791 David

He knows the rules. Yeah. Well, I'm going to say that was a great, that was great.

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