Three Boys from Fae Fife

PART FOUR OF “THE UNVEILING”
three lads from Fife
[Kev and Andy and Ian]

After a pee, we really started to get into the swing of things.

“Hey Lucas, what about those three GUYS IN KILTS!!” Mish shrieked. We scuttled towards them. The kilts were on the move, they looked to be heading thirstily towards the bar. But it wisnae hard to catch up since they kept getting waylaid by other fans also wanting to take a photo.

Their names were Kev, Andy and Ian, and they’ve travelled all the way from Fife in Scotland, just to be here for the statue unveiling. Dedication? Well, sure. But people travel half way around the world all the time to attend cultural events, don’t they? And when they travel, tourists usually try to grab a souvenir or two to take home with them, right? A postcard or a keyring or a photo of themselves standing in front of a monument. Right.

But have you ever met anyone so passionate about an event, that they felt compelled to tattoo its name and date onto their inside wrist? I hadn’t either, not until now anyway.

bon scott tattoo
[Kev’s tattoo.]

Kev’s wife had organised and paid for his ticket to Australia for the concert, as a surprise for his 40th birthday. She also booked an AC/DC tribute band called Volts to celebrate his birthday. What a woman.

Kev told us he had once played an instrument in a band … (was it the drums? Sheesh, all that bourbon has really sapped my short term memory) … anyway, on the night of his 40th birthday party, he was invited up to play some AC/DC numbers with Volts. I could tell it had been a special night for him, by the way he got all manically misty telling the story again.

(Imagine the following in a barely comprehensible Scottish brogue at a thousand miles an hour. It was only later that I realised what Kev was trying to say.)

Lucas I’ve gotta tell ye I’m not sayin I’m the best drummer in the weld or nothin’ ye know especially when I’m a bit pissed I can play a bit off if ye know what I mean a bit out of time and all but that night fuck we nailed it. We fuckin’ nailed it!

Kev told me about a parallel monument to Bon back in Scotland. It’s in Kirriemuir where Bon was born. Kirriemuirians evidently take their favourite son very seriously.

Here’s a hot tip: if you ever get to Kirrie (as the locals call it), the plaque is located “behind the ice cream shop in the town centre.”

Kev has a CD filled with digital photos from the unveiling of the monument in May 2006 He gave me his number should I wish to book in for a viewing later in the week…

13 thoughts on “Three Boys from Fae Fife”

  1. While we’re on the topic of Fife, I have to add this silly joke, lifted from here, which I never would have imagined I’d have the opportunity to tell on a blog:

    A chap called James Hicks from Fife held the world record for swallowing raw tench (about the size of a sardine). He had swallowed eight tench in 60 seconds. He decided to challenge his record and put a notice in the local newspaper to this effect. A fellow from Denmark, Sven Pastree (presumably one of the Danish Pastree family), decided to challenge.

    On the appointed day a trestle table was set up with two buckets of tench. The umpire blew his whistle and the contestants started swallowing fish for all they were worth. Halfway through James Hicks broke a tooth, which put him right off his stroke. Sven managed to swallow nine of the little fish and took the world record.

    The following day the headline in the local newspaper read: “One tooth free for Fife’s Hicks, Sven ate nine Tench.”

    Reply

  4. Thanks for the photos Andy! You even got a shot of Glenn, with the amazing tattoo. I had heard that he was lurking in the VIP area, wearing a special tshirt with the back cut out of it, and attracting a lot of attention.

    Ben: Fifer’s have a reputation for being mean?

    Reply

  9. Or a burly boyfriend to hoist you up while ya flash ya tits, and take a photo of the appreciative audience. Not that i’d know what that’s like. The audience weren’t exactly appreciative of my sudden height advantage in me stage divin’ days.

    Reply

  10. ok here goes after painstakingly spending hours… and hours LEARNING…lol i bring you home made footage of some of the concert some of the vids are short but it gives you an idea what it was like… please dont comment on quality or length or anything re. production cos they are “As Is”… cheers…Andy
    http://www.cobbwebmedia.co.uk

    Reply

  12. bahahhahaa this “One tooth free for Fife’s Hicks, Sven ate nine Tench” is so fantastical i actually put it as my facebook status. yes. my facebook status.

    Reply

  13. Andy, do you remember me. I was drinking with you in the VIP area and ended up on the stage with you at the end to unveil the statue. I have been looking for a contact all this time and just fell on it. I have been trying toi get a hold of the DVD but no joy. If I remember right you were the clown. Hoipe you are still clowning around mate. WHAT A DAY!!!! If you have any pohots with me in them I would like to see them as we had no camera. Any news of the DVD would be good. Good luck mate. Gary

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *