Here's an article about the Mowing Club. Its written by Berbera van den Hoek after an interview in the Paradiso in Amsterdam. (Dutch)

Am 27.11.2008 um 15:34 schrieb Melle:

Gordon,
Did H. Kuper contacted you yet 'bout a release in Scandinavia?
A booker is interested in booking us overthere....
M.

Op 27 nov 2008, om 15:47 heeft Gordon het volgende geschreven:

NO!
G

Am 27.11.2008 um 15:52 schrieb Melle:

He will.. soon i guess
M.

Op 27 nov 2008, om 15:57 heeft Gordon het volgende geschreven:

Oh, good!

The 'John Dear Mowing club presents: Melleville' Songs does not end up on CD. The 12 songs will be released in a restricted edition on 6 vinyl singles, each with a signed silk screen.The first vinyl single ' Devils' with Daniel Johnston will appear February 2009.
 The songs are, except the trip to Daniel' s Texas, recorded at my art studio without intervention of producers or technicians or other folks. With Henk Koorn (Hallo Venray) I mixed the songs without decoration and direct as possible. It has become a personal document with contributions of many befriended musicians.

Yesterday there was an interview with Live XS, a radio show. By phone.
The radio interviews in a studio I got sort of under control but these phone live interviews are terrifying. My stuttering just wont accept the fact that it's okay. How come? Phones have alway been my enemy. Not seeing the eyes of the one your're talking to. The eyes on the other side of the line not seeing mine. Years ago the ringingsound of a phone scared the hell out of me, it pavlovd a reaction and I blokked totally. So all those different ringtones on cell phones now are a good thing. Well..the radio interview resulted in strange silences and noises for the listener. Apperently some part of me needs this awkwardness though I don't know the profit of it.

Here's a review from the show with Daniel Johnston in Gent. (Dutch)

Driving througth the night is like listening to a bad songwriter's song. I like it. Rob sleeping next to me, sometimes he wakes up asking me if i'll manege. Stopping at a gas station to eat things you'll regret the moment they're finished. Saying goodbye to Rob and his standing bass at 4 or 5 in the snowy morning.

Rob is sleeping in his standing bass bag till the late afternoon, but in the happy village of Rijswijk where I live, they started early this morning the Annual Fanfare Contest. A contest for the best fanfare interpretation of Sinterklaas songs. In Rijswijk there are a lot fanfares. Dragging, moaning, false sqeaking "O, come and look "(oh kom er eens kijken) and "the pocket of the saint" ( de zak van Sinterklaas). Songs which have nothing to do with driving through the night.
Drummer Mark Koppen who played the whole set with us in Eindhoven without practising once was super!  You should've been there.
Later today I'll go to the openening of an art show at NEST. One of the Amazing Panton Chair drawings of the late, great Edward Budding is hanging there.

Tonight we'll play in Eindhoven at the Popronde Festival. And we are honoured to tell

The respected Marc Koppen from the even more respected band Stuurbaard Bakkebaard will join us on drums!

So be there: we'll start at : 22.45h

Café DelftsBlauw
Kleine Berg 60
Eindhoven

ANKERMAN'S CRAZY CAVE CLUB' presents: 'HENK KOORN' & 'MELLE DE BOER'
Wed.03/012/2008 21.00 uur

Saturday 22 november 16.00h. The opening of an art show at NEST in The Haque, Holland. Artists were asked to show a work of art under a pseudonym. Well, I decided to participate with a drawing from a friend of mine. Edward Budding. A long time friend I met in Art School, who is related to the famous E.B. Budding. Unfortunately Edward just passed away. He died one month ago because of the consequenses of a heart failure. Out of respect for his familie we won't mention the reason for this heart failure, but between us, alcohol didn' t do any good. Farewell Edward!

Here's one of his latest works: The Amazing Panton Chair #4, 2008. Work on paper, 100x140 cm by Edward Budding. (unfinished) To be seen at NEST

A refreshing cold shower in Haarlem. After the great Daniel tour this was a good old fashioned gig in front of a handful of people, most of them talking, screaming to each other during the show. I have to decide, besides some secret gigs in our favorite bars of course, not to do these free entrance gigs anymore. It's too much of an ordeal.

So booker Henk, a big task is resting on your shoulders.

The Daniel tour feels like a dream. Waking up from narcosis after a rib is removed or something. We used the big American van to go to Haarlem. A farewell to the GMC and back to reality.

Six-pack or Champagne.

The show in VEGA, Copenhagen was a worthy final of our tour with Daniel.

Right now I'm to tired now to write further but more will come!

Tonight (14 november) We'll play in at the Popronde festival in Haarlem.

A chronic rain in Arhus. The people walk the streets as if they're used to it. Kind faces and durable clothes. Healthy looking people, maybe because the alcohol is so expensive over here. Noticeable cliches.
The Voxhall in Arhus was a place with lots of codes to get from the dressingroom to the stage and back. A nice place and again friendly faces.
I played 'Devils' on the grand piano and I liked it. the piano makes you concentrate on the song without any distraction except for the familiair piano tones off course. A grand vehicle.
Today we drove to Copenhagen. Across the Big Belt Bridge to Stockholm, our last show.

The Vera in Groningen is a great place. The ghost of stage-trouble sabotaged a microphone cable but maybe by ignoring the ghost it'll go away. I won't write about it anymore.
After the show Daniel said: I'm having so much fun, I'm sad it's almost over.
Today we had a travel day.
I'm driving across the Danish border and suddenly I'm filled with thankfullness. Bassplayer Robbie is next to me is watching 'Festen' on his mini DVD player, Drummer Sean is sleeping on the backseat after he drove for a long time. In front of me the big American van with Geert, who is made of bricks and iron behind the steering wheel, driving Daniel with his brother Dick.
Somehow writing songs brought me to wonderfull countries with these great people. I'll try to hold on to this thought.

Dressingroom Vera, Groningen

More photo's: here

Daniel's solo part was over and said: I'll be back with the band...But double bass player Rob was gone.
Called him and got his voicemail, dressingroom was empty I ran with Sean through the hallways searching and shouting for Rob. Nowhere. We ran back to the stage and and brother Dick Johnston suggested to go without double bass. Then i saw Rob's double bass bag moving. And Rob came crawling out. He slept in his bass bag.
We did the Daniel part with some sound difficulties on stage again. We dragged ourselves through it.
This time Daniel intruduced Sean as Ringo star, Rob as John Carradine and me as Neil Young.
After the show he was very enthousiastic. He said he was having a great time.
Right Now we're in the VERA in Groningen. This place always feels good!

Sean's birthday this morning, his girl suprised him with a visit in Antwerp.

Soundman Geert slept next to Rob in one bed and he dreamed that he woke up and saw Rob waving. he wove back and Rob started laughing maniacally. Geert woke up and Rob was just sleeping. We're having a nice time in the dressing room in Antwerp after a strange evening in Ghent. I really like Belgium and I think their music and art scene is way ahead of our spastic Dutch scene. So I was exited to do a show in Belgium. We walked in a beautifull theatre to our dressing room and saw our name spelled wrong on the name tag on the door. Well, okay... then I was called by a number of people, they couldn't find the Mowing Club playing in the theatre. Another support was announced quite clear. Ow, we could play after this support. Well, okay... I got aggitated about all this but decided to put this anger in the show and that worked well. But the long pauses between the shows must felt wierd to the people who off course came for Daniel. Afterwards while bringing the gear back to the van Rob appeared to be locked up in dressingroom and was locked up there for more then a hour. Tonight in Antwerp we just do the Daniel part.

I dreamed I broke into a house and stole little things. Then I bought the same things in a store and brought these new things back to that house to place them back. Just then the owners came back, cought me and locked me up.
The Cologne show felt really good! The Daniel part was one of the best so far.

Discussing Al Pacino's younger wife in the Cologne hotel.

In Vienna I accompanied Daniel to a comic book store. He had to sing a song in the store for a music internetsite. His own 'guitar' is not acoustic so I  lend him my Gibson.The moment he saw the store his eyes grew twice as big and he started to run towards the store. Inside the store he ran restless from shelf to shelf. Ran to the girl behind the counter and asked: are the old ones upstairs? The girl had not say yes yet and Daniel ran upstairs and grabled fanatically in boxes.  Than he sang the song and and left the store with loads of comics. I got the idea Daniels main reason for touring are these visits to the local comic book stores.

Daniel Johnston on Mel's Gibson...'when I pick up Mel's guitar I sound just like Mel'

I really enjoyed the Vienna concert. It gave us enough energy to wake up at 5 o clock in the morning and drive to Cologne.
Rob drove with soundman Geert and the Johnstons, me and Sean took turns in driving and sleeping in the backseat of our van. I'm feeling pretty good. So mom don't you worry!

Arena,  Vienna

More Photos: Here

A good show yesterday in Munich. A great sound on stage but the tour is starting to take its toll.
Long drives, restless days, late nights and little time to sleep.
Daniel is getting moody. Yesterday he kicked some fan out of the dressing room after the show.
A strange tension is building. We could use a day off but there ain't no day days off.
Tomorrow the drive, the one we're afraid of is knocking on the door. From Vienna to Koln. An 8-9 hour drive. Somewhere down in the bookerhell someone is laughing.
Maybe I can talk the Johnstons into some kind of mutiny. I know they're willing to listen but captain Geert will not.

more photos: here

In the backseat of our van we have our own supermaket. It started with a carton box fulled with dressingroom food like soda, candybars and bread to avoid the gas station food.
The carton box cracked open and the supermarket moved into a plastic crate we found in one of the venues.
Its a good looking supermaket now. We got a plunderlist (rauslijst) on which we make notes to fill up te resources. Water, more chocolate, a knife and with this list we plunder the new dressingroom.
It was a long way to stuttgart.  I was standing on stage. I still rather sit but my new rule is: when people see me sitting it's okay to sit but in bartype venues like the one in Stuttgart I'll stand up.
There were many loose cables on stage and i got stucked in these cables during the Daniel part. One big knot. "Wait a minute Dan!" I could lift my acoustic guitar just a few inches from the ground. Not enough. So I played most of the songs on my brother's Fender.

Volksbuhne, Berlin, a grand theatre in former east Berlin. A few years ago we played at the Popkomm festival in the Gruener Salon, wich is attached to the Volksbuhne. I remember walking through the buiding an peaking through a curtain. We saw this great stage with all those chairs in front of it and imagined playing there. And now, thanks to Daniel we played on that stage. The venue was sold out.
And what a great experience it was!
A grande piano stood on the stage and I played 'Devils'. My first live piano performance ever. It was the same song I sang with Daniel in Texas.

Volksbuhne, Berlin

More photos here

The Übel & Gefährlich in Hamburg once was a huge anti aircraft nazi bunker, now a huge cultural events nazi bunker.
A couple of years ago they tried to tear the place down with dynamite  but it didn't give in a bit.
I took some photo's of the incredible staircase.
The audience seemed to be under the influence of some kind of drugs but it was a great evening.
I still don't know wheter I have to sit or stand up during our show.
Sitting feels much more confortable. With my organ and guitars it's a save place. A kind of a hide out.
Standing makes me feel like a rockstar. Much more contact with the audience. People tell me to stand up. But I don't wanna feel like a rockstar. It's a diffcult thing.
Some days ago in 'El Local' Zurich I decided to stand up halfway the show. Full of energy I jumped up setting my mircophone stand higher. But I forgot to strap up my guitar strap and my guitar fell on the floor. But this place was cursed.
I'm writing this after the Great Berlin Volksbuhne show.

stairway Übel & Gefährlich, Hamburg

More photos here

I had a bad feeling when we drove into Zurich. Some cities have bad vibes.
We had an accident with a speedy motercycle. No harm thank god.  The Aprillia motor had some damage. We worked it out together and the police was very friendly.
Strange coincidence thinking about the 29 oktober dream. The Asian motorcycle guy had the word 'angel' on the back of his jacket and his last name was Lee.
The Zurich venue, El Local was a big bar. Completely packed. Very difficult to get from the 'dressing room' to the stage. you had to walk through the crowd. Kinda scary.
Many technical problems on stage and a bossy barowner who said we sounded too much like 16 horsepower and wanted Daniel to sing more songs. No way.
Back in the designed prison cell hotelroom.
I woke up and could not find the toilet. I panicked and stumbled around and found it, feeling hazed and confused. I fainted and fell on the bathroomfloor. Wake up and thought i was dying. Had to concetrate on my breathing to calm down. I slept a few hours on the bathroomfloor and crawled back into bed.
The next moring i felt a little better but slept in the backseat of our van the whole way to Hamburg, a city with real good vibes. We played there a last month during the Reeperbahn festival. We talked about my attack and thought it was some kind of hyper ventilation. I had the same thing a couple of years ago.
Thank god we dit not have to play that evening. The next morning i felt okay again. With Sean and Soundmen Geert, who is in real live a fitness instructor we found a sauna in the hotel. I felt reborn.
Tonight we play in the venue were Leonard Cohen performed yesterday. He probably slept in the same hotel but didn't show up in the sauna.

more photos: here