Barsham Fair, Suffolk England circa 1975

From Warwick Moreland -- Barsham Fair, which is where Johnny Melville said he met Georgio in 1975.

A friend from way back gave me these two photographs of George. They must have been taken at Barsham Fair in Suffolk England, probably when George was on some sort of sabatical from you guys. Thought you might be interested. I remember the Curiosity Box, it was great with the kids. Years later I saw a fabulous version from the Natural Theatre using a bath chair and three people as well as a small box.
My stage name with Friends Mobile years later thanks to Madness Novotny was Horswick the Horrible.

well yep here then is the duck, with my house in the block on the left, third top window 3 to 6, and I recall sharply a meeting full of democratic hazards, finding red- and longhaired gregorowitz banging his head on the wall in the hall, stealing my heart in the act and one reason one day soon he is to be back in clown ghetto for a reanactment in front of my camera. Avaiable Jelly forever.

this here very photo reminds me of special affection I had for this eloquent dancer, who may have been a victim of a trick of mine. Ever since the boss calling me helping out his friends since april '73, I got sick and tired of all these ignorant backpacker artists either ringingmy doorbell ( Hi, I am a friend of J.) I recall sharply picking up a group of GSLMT"s at Amsterdam CS, loading them in my car, feeding them spacecake and consequently drove em trough, eventually passing a family statue, confusing em almost delibaretely to make em listen and not ask all these silly questions all the time. I even recall having painted the city map on my wooden floor. Matthew Child ( Hi, how are you, how come you never write anymore like you used to) may have been among the victims....

this here is the group picture of oud-valkeveen, probably shot by debra, with the guy on the left being ronald, my special assistant in those day, passed away in1998.

Shhh -- keep it under your hat!

Mark-O has added some color in his new comment under Ireland Anyone?

This is me, shot at oud-valkeveen in Het Gooi, and in hindsight I can honestly tell it was the first time ever I had a red nose, in spite of having worked with the Friends since april 1973.
This here is 1975, must be april/may and little did I know, as naieve as I am now I was then, little foresight of what was to come, a mayor influence on my life, in a sense that never stopped.
thank you for intruding on my life.

The Wide World Responds!

A close-up version of Michael Evans with Suzzette Bronkhorst in the University District of Amsterdam during the 1st Festival of Fools 1975. Marion Onnekink, a former member of the busy Melkweg staff (like Suzette) kindly wrote to me via Facebook to tell me her surname and her current organization.
Thanks again to Ellen B. for the photo!

Welcome New Team Members!

(Click to see a larger image.)
Foots Barn Theatre in 1973, posing in the field at Trewen, just south of the actual barn, with the Seaton Valley over the hills behind them.
Front: Davy Johnston, dog Lorrian, Tank, Maggie Watkiss (sitting) unknown, Joey Cunningham, Sarah Dunkley and Richard Worthy. Rear: Serena Henderson, Maggie Bruce, Stevie Lawrence, Simon Fraser (on bench), Keith Bruce, unknown, Angus Fox, unknown, hidden, unknown, Nancy Foot holding Jesse Foot, Oliver Foot holding Mary Rachel, Kathy, John Paul Cook, Mike Novotny.
(Some of the unknowns may be members of Richard and Foxey's band Charley and the Widebouys. Those two were later part of a group led by Davy called Touch the Earth.)
I met Davy, Joey, and John Paul again in the Summer of 2006 at Footsbarn's base in France. I was friends with Foxey, Tank, Maggie Watkiss, Richard Worthy, Stevie Lawrence, and Michael Novotny when I lived in England. I met Serena, Simon, and Oliver as Footsbarn toured the entire county of Cornwall.
Mr. Foot no longer lived in the converted barn that bore his name at the time I was there, but he brought his young family to see our Beauty and the Beast pantomime during the winter of 1975-76 in the ancient town of Bodmin. (Listed in the 11th Century Domesday Book.) We had a full house and he was favorably impressed.

Ireland Anyone?

Mark Nelson's personal story of traveling to Ireland via England, after the 1st Festival of Fools, is now online! Read It HERE

(L to R) Mark Nelson and Georg-O at Trewen, the farm which was Foots Barn Theatre's home base in 1975.

Happy New Year 2010!

A preview of the upcoming, previously untold, tale of Mark Nelson (Left) and Georgio (Right) in Dublin, Ireland 1975 -- watch for the announcement and link on this blog when it is ready! (Thanks to Mark Nelson for his generosity -- listen to the fine music on his WEBSITE.