Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:33:43 GMT

gratuituous post to say...whoot!

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:35:31 GMT

When I was over there, I noticed the same thing about how UK residents view distances. Suffice to say I learned quickly to stay quiet about travel itineraries.

There are a few pictures here and there for Googlers to find of you with your gorgeous beard, but for sure many more without. There have been a pile of people Googling you (and Googling GBS too) since word has gotten out about your wonderful detour, not just the ones on the set. No worries - you look spectacular in all the photos, even if a tiny bit more so in the ones with the beard. I am going to miss that beard.

You're not the only one looking foward to a concert. I hope you sing as many extra as you can be persuaded to sing, that night and on all the nights thereafter.

Thank you for keeping us posted. It is very much appreciated. And, for the record, you are still very much missed. Halfway done, halfway to go. Keep making the most of your grand adventure.

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:32:54 GMT

I like the way you capitalize Mountain Bike!

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:07:19 GMT

What are your plans for the beard later on?
(Where will it live if the two of you decide to separate?)

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:48:37 GMT

I understand the distance thing. I grew up in Upstate, NY but now live in NYC. It's a 3-hr drive to get from Manhattan to my parents' house in Albany, NY yet it takes me over an hour to get to Brooklyn on the subway. Walking the 0.3 miles from my high school to my parents' house was torture (especially in the winter), but now I think nothing of a 2-mile walk to 59th Street in a torrential downpour if it will save me $2 on my Metrocard. :) It's all relative.

I'm heading to London for the first time in two weeks... anything I should check out?

Amy

P.S. Can't wait for the NY gigs in October!

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:53:53 GMT

Oh my..you dont want to keep the beard?..lol...well..the mountain bike will be fun..Rock On Doyle Man !!!!

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 22:42:25 GMT

A very much appreciated post! Thanks and I hope you have another great 11 weeks.
Greetings from Glasgow which is what 5 mins away?

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:24:26 GMT

Beard! What beard? I thought that was some form of facial moss or lychen or something like that from Sherwood Forest. Sometime to keep the British damsels fooled and at bay.

Enjoy Wales but watch out for the dragons. They particularly enjoy roasting people on Mountain Bikes. If you spend enough time there, you may be able to write a song consisting of one word and a handful of vowels scattered amongst many other letters.

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:50:42 GMT

I found this to be true when I lived in Massachusetts. I met people who were in awe that I'd been to New York City (dude, it's a four hour drive!). I'm from California, where that's nothing. It's all perspective, I guess....

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:56:51 GMT

As my friend in Yorkshire has heard me say: To the British 100 miles is a long way; to a Canadian 100 years is a long time.

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:09:59 GMT

Funny what perspective does...

Here's hoping you've still got a few extras in you when you get to Toronto!

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:10:55 GMT

Alan you're a peach for taking time to let your fans know how you're doing. You guys aren't playing near me anytime soon but when you do, I'll be there with bells on. :) Have a great next ten weeks. <3

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:27:23 GMT

That reminds me of talking to people who don't live in walkable cities. "So are we taking a cab?" "Dude, it's 10 blocks away." "Yeah. So are we taking a cab or the subway?"

Thanks for the great update, as always. Much as I am excited about the film, I am also excited about the concerts.

PS - consider selling the beard on eBay. I think they once did that with Britney Spears. (With her hair. Not her beard.)

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 07:58:17 GMT

Way hey hey to go, Alan. I agree you're the best for keeping us in the loop. Have 10 more wonderful weeks exploring your new world then you can come back and play a few shows. We can't wait for the movie and the shows! I grew up in California too and we commute longer distances daily there than some folks drive on vacation. :)

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:52:11 GMT

Alan, your posts always put a big smile on my face. Can't WAIT 'til Wolf Trap! Here's hoping you sing a few extra that night as well.

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:50:19 GMT

Hi all! Just a quick note to point out that not all UK residents are travel phobic or distance ignorant. Travelling from North East Scotland on the 20th August, myself and my brother will make our way over the Great Big Sea and touch down in Toronto that same day. Niagara Falls is our destination on the 21st, The Molson Amphitheatre then beckons on the 22nd, day of reflection and copious amounts of The Old Black Rum planned for the 23rd before catching our flights home on the 24th landing back in Aberdeen in the wee small hours of the 25th. Hows that for a long weekend commute??!
All the best!!

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:29:14 GMT

Great post!!! As I was born in London, and my wife is from Shropshire, we travel to England and Wales very often. The main thing with travel over there is not distances, but times. If traffic is backed up, which it is usually on the motorways near main centres, it can add hours on to your drive.Picture an large spider web. That is the road system on my tiny island back home. Enjoy South Wales, although North Wales is much nicer even though the water is colder!

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:58:20 GMT

Make sure you have a few extras for Wolf Trap~~

I live in Northern Virginia right now but, proudly, I grew up in Southern Ontario. It's funny to hear people complain about an hour drive. Come on!! We would drive 1 hr for our favourite piece of pizza and now I drive 9 hours for a Timmy's (oh yeah, to see my family too!)

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:05:57 GMT

Thanks for brightening my rainey day ... making me smile : ) ... & Keep The Beard !

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:43:30 GMT

Cannot wait until the Great Big Sea reaches Bloomington, Illinois! I will be attending your show, Yeah!

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:57:01 GMT

We (I'm sure I don't speak alone) are soooo happy for your new experience...you are right...those in England have no clue about distances in Canada LOL I remember relatives from the UK thinking Ottawa to Toronto was a day trip and back LOLOL.......

Anyway, enjoy the rest of the ride, stay safe for you and family, and bring your healthy self back to Canada to sing your heart out....we miss you!!

There's alot of folks who are very happy that you have taken the artistic risk and we will be the first in line when tickets for the movie are released!!

Take care & I'm sure you're really home sick for your family... your fans miss you, too :-)

All the best, Alan.... come home soon

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:30:42 GMT

As a Thunder Bayian(??) residing in London, I completely understand the distance thing. People that I work with are shocked to hear that it takes me 18 hours to drive to Toronto, and even more shocked when they realize that I view that as completely normal.
Therefore, a five hour train ride to Scotland really isn't so bad.

Though, after living here for nearly a year, I'm starting to have moments of that mentality. For example, I was thinking of going to Cornwall to experience some of their beaches, which are apparently really good. I started whining when I realized that it was 5 hours away.

Enjoy Wales, it is lovely!

PS. If you need a bit of Canadiana in London - there are three places you can find.
1) The Maple Leaf pub in Covent Garden
2) The Canada Store (on same street at the Maple Leaf). Sells Canadian food at ridiculous prices, but who cares?
3) The Spar convenience store on Haymarket Street, just off of Piccadilly Circus, has a mini-Tim Hortons in it. Coffee isn't that exceptional, but they have donuts!

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 05:29:05 GMT

I'm glad you're having fun. It is sort of sad that time flies so quickly when we're enjoying ourselves but, then again, if the days felt like they were rolling by slowly, it would most likely mean that we weren't enjoying ourselves. So have a great ten more weeks! I hope they fly by!

By the way, you're doing a good job of telling us about your experiences on set without revealing any spoilers. Thanks!

It would be weird to know people who never knew you without facial hair. I'm getting used to the beard but I still have to recommend shaving it when you're done filming. Honestly, the beard makes you look like either a castaway or a hippie - no offence.

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:57:48 GMT

Seeing as Scotlands just up the road,you could come up for a wee visit!!!Bring your pals and you could do us a wee concert. Go on!!!!
PLEASE!!!!!!

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:53:04 GMT

Yes, we Thunder Bayites measure distances between pockets of civilization in hours, rather than kilometres! Very cool that Kevin is a hometown boy; I had no idea.

Wonderful to have the update of how things are going on set. I can't wait for the movie! Speaking of movies, I just wanted to comment that hearing you guys at the start of State of Play made the whole movie for me.

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:22:32 GMT

I HOPE THAT MISTER ALAN DOYLE is reading these ,hi there mate greetings from BIRMINGHAM UK.Hope you find the time to see a bit of WALES,ST.Davids is nice[nothing like ST.JOHNS,thats 4 sure!]God luck with the movie,hope to see you in it,when it gets released.More importantly i HOPE[and pray]that i will see you and the rest of GREAT BIG SEA LIVE!COME BACK and play BRUM...PLEASE!IFyou have any spare time you might want to seeTHE POGUES next month,LIVERPOOL,LONDON ,NOTTINGHAM,AND SEE SHANES NEW TEETH!GOOD LUCK ALAN CIAO .JOHNMAC

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:38:55 GMT

Ahh yes, The Pogues. I went to see them in Seattle and Las Vegas a year and a half ago. Their shows, as well as the most recent GBS concert in Calgary, were the best I have been to by far!!! Shane MacGowan looks smashing with his new gnashers!

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:24:07 GMT

I will be at the Cape Cod show (and the one the next night as well in Cohasset) so I will look forward to any extra songs! :) Glad to hear things are going well for you on the set. Love reading the tales.

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:53:37 GMT

Thanks once again for providing us with a window into your adventure - it's extremely entertaining! There have been several photos posted around the internet of late of the filming in Wales - the beach is absolutely gorgeous and you all look grand in costume. As a side note, sincerely hope that Arthur did not decide to toss you on the beach, and that whomever was injured is well on the road to recovery. If it was you, just bang on the keyboard with your forehead or something (read of broken "limb(s)" so that we know that you are ok.

Looking forward to your return to the musical stage and any more tidbits from movieland that you are willing to share! Cheers!!

re: Tour Diary - June 8, 2009 - Surrey, England (On Set)

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 05:24:03 GMT

Meh, if Alan had just broken limb(s), would new shows be going up for sale now? Not likely. Alan'll do fine w. Arthur, he knows how to let the pro lead the way. BTW can't someone delete the spamcrap here? :(