Guildford (England)

I have odd memories of this festy, mainly due to a harrowing nine hour car journey. As I stretched my arms on getting out of the van in the well stewarded car park, the legend that is Bob Harris
walked past me. Good start I thought. By the time we had got in heaved bags around for awhile a companion decided that as we'd missed everybody else we couldn't miss Alice Cooper who was due to commence in but five minutes. So I found myself somehow in a sea of mullets and denim and some little memory of Alice (I think with broken leg) Sadly he was not the Alice of my youth, I or he had become old but I rather think it was the M6 and sundry roads beyond.
Next day the sun rose and Guilfest shone, the days that particular performers appeared are gone from my mind. But there was some beautiful music played, Madness, YES! Drunk In Public, YES! ... But for me the music is only part of what a festy is about. The vibe at Guildford was really good, as friendly as you could wish for. A wide range of punters from Crustys to Proper Toffs, friendly good natured stewards an exceptional clean site. I discovered how as I walked aimlessly in a pleasent post alcholic Sunday dawn, for then I saw a host,
a crowd,
of day glo yellow cleaners
picking up every can, plastic glass, fag packet, food wrapper, bit of food, fag end, rag, tattered scrap of saturday
binlinered into huge heavy duty nylon SKIPS and then gone.
Hard workers at the crack of dawn did that all over the site every day.
Well done and thank you from a gratefull punter.
Toilets also! CLEAN AS A WHISTLE!
Also I gave my own contribution with BLUESMONKEY a puppet that sings the blues, it was my first outing with it, a test flght! and the lovely lovely punters convinced me my monkey puppet was a winner. Special mention too to the Caribean Chicken stall, Sitting singing and playing the blues with the beautiful serving ladies, the chefs and my puppet is a joyful highlight in my life.
They say Guildford is where the stars go to chill and listen as well, well I don't for sure but I did a few really familiar faces, but I don't know for a fact that it really was Des Lynam down in the mosh pit for the Stranglers.