Mark C (Live Skull)
SPB: Technology has drastically changed touring since the 1980s, often making it easier. What is something you miss about the pre-internet days?
Mark C: I always liked paper road maps, large in scale and laid out precisely in colorful detail. I remember Live Skull’s first tour of Europe, unfurling crisp Micheline maps on the hotel room floor, the four of us huddled there, admiring them. A bit intimidating at first until you catch on and see where we are headed! None of us could really speak any foreign languages but we could read maps. We always drove ourselves and when we got to town, we would look for the first punk rocker (easily identifiable in those days) that could give us the exact location of the club. They would sometimes hop in the van and lead us there, in exchange for a spot on the guest list. A more friendly way to arrive at our gig vs. following the anonymous GPS!
And pre-IG there was a lot more postering -- not just for the big commercial shows. It was always a trip to arrive in a town covered with posters advertising your gig. A lot of cool graphic work, done mostly by unknown artists, interacting with the local landscape.
One last thing: it felt more intimate to tour before everyone became glued to their iPhone. I mean, the four of us all really there for those long drives, looking out the windows, maybe occasionally reading a book, or jotting down lyrics, but feeling the movement of space and time together as a band.
Of course, our endless searches for working phone booths and mad attempts at deciphering phone numbers on crumpled scraps of paper, were not that fun!
