I liked it so much I bought the venue!
Bruce Milne - Infidelity Recordings
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| Stories | |
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Many people have stories about The Tote. We're collecting our favorite ones here. If you've got one then drop us a line thetote@hotmail.com |
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| Who: | Text: |
| Vernon The Sailors |
In 2001 Viktor returned to Melbourne for a 2 week spell to rescue the city from Hector and Vernon's Sailors Duo, and to launch the first Sailors album Violent Masturbation Blues. The bulk of Turning the Other Cheek was recorded during this time one afternoon at the Tote, 1 day prior to Viktor's return home to his wife in Taiwan. The songs were recorded with Spencer P Jones and a beady-eyed looking keyboard player who later became known to us as Geronimo. Ramone was hit up up for a slab at lunch-time and though the tape machine died around the same time, Fatty managed to find alternative apparatus launching the sailors into the digital age. A long, long and increasing degenerate afternoon followed... Spencer disappeared around dark and in the evening a mike was set-up upstairs in the room that was later to become Ramone's lair. Hector also disappeared at one point but was eventually spotted by an unfortunate and terrified lass in the upstairs ladies. He was hanging across the toilet divider in chameleon pose and was changing his pattern at the time. Mid-way throught the vocals on Paperless Office at around 2am Spencer reappeared, joined Viktor at the microphone and began snorting and yelping to a hitherto unknown rhythm culminating in a faithfully recorded squeak of "Prediction!" at the end of the song. |
| Dave Thomas | Dave Thomas story #1 - Mudhoney playing to a packed moshing crowd. Mudhoney asking Ian Rilen on stage to draw a chook raffle he grabs Mark Arm in headlock and punches a roadie in the head. Mudhoney look scared. A girl called Rachel plays Steve Turners guitar, half the audience onstage. Unreal. |
| Dave Thomas | Dave Thomas story #2 - Rusell our bass player drunkenly tongue pashes a girl called Julie. They don't see each other for another year. They then start going out, now they are married. True love Tote style. |
| Dave Thomas | Dave Thomas story #3 - Easter Sunday and The Poppin Mommas play the Tote. Ox their singer walks through the room to the stage dressed as Jesus dragging a huge cross to their catchy tune 'I've had a cunt of a day'. Oh! the Passion. |
| Dave Thomas | Dave Thomas story #4 - Ando lead singer of The Dirty Lovers punches a heckler down front of stage in the face. Punchee persists in threatening him with a violent death when they finish their set. Show over punchee buys Ando beers all night! Respect!!! |
| Dave Thomas | Dave Thomas story #5 - A friend celebrates 21st in front bar, dusty yard glass comes down off the top of bar fridge, unwashed it is filled with beer, remarkably it all goes down friends throat unremarkably 3 seconds later it all comes back up- everywhere! Barman hands him a mop. Best and most tolerant bar people in the world of rock. |
| Dave Thomas | Dave Thomas story #6 - Seeing God play for the first time. One of the best bands there has ever been..................ever. |
| Dave Thomas | Dave Thomas story #7 - The Splatterheads make-up on and cutting themselves up on stage with a broken bottle. Bleeding, sweating and rock n rolling like the crazed motherfuckers they were. Das ist Kunst!!!!!! |
| Dave Thomas | Dave Thomas story #8 - Bohdan X singing on stage with Bored! and for some reason he decides to do some fire breathing in the midst of a pretty rockin gig. Setting the carpet and curtains aflame. Panic ensues with several pots dousing the fire. What was he thinking!!!!! |
| Dave Thomas | Dave Thomas story #9 – Seeing Richie Ramones band The Detonators play wearing denim! Richie had the smallest pair of denim shorts on about 4 sizes too small and the family jewels were hanging out for all and sundry to see. Even John Wayne had smaller saddlebags! By far the most truly disgusting thing I have ever witnessed at the Tote! My eyeballs are still stinging! .yuk,yuk...... |
| Dave Thomas | Dave Thomas story #10 - My dear old friend the beloved jukebox. With out doubt she has no equal, almost every disc a killer. When the bands shite or the conversation runs dry, the ever faithful jukebox can blast out a tune that will keep you there for that one more beer, one more ciggy, one more bad joke, one more bourbon, one more song, one more ciggy, one more long conversation you know nothing about, one more beer, one more flaming sambuca, one more ciggy, one more song, one more er um ahh fall over, spill drink, make a dick of yourself etc. etc. ............................taxi!!!!!! Cheeeeeers to the Tote! Dave Thomas |
| Ian - Fugazi | We stayed upstairs and hung out with dear lucy. i remember that there was some sort of impromptu party carrying on down at the bar and at some point guy was playing bartender and making up drinks on the spot. there was some sort of concoction that he called a 'rickenbacker'... but the ingredients are long, lost on me. i do remember that at least one of the drinkers who risked a shot of it ended up at the toilet later on. i also remember nirvana's 'nevermind' lp being played over and over on the jukebox (or perhaps it was a dj). this was just a week or two after the release of that record (which coincided with the release of our 'steady diet of nothing' lp), and it dawned on me that their record may well become a popular one. |