An early start, a couple of lagers to start the day followed by a trip to the pub for breakfast. And they've got nice, clean toilets, too. At least until after the festie-goers turn up. Then, a festival miracle - the pub starts serving beer at 10am. In proper glasses, too - fantastic!
Saturday seems like a good day for getting drunk - aren't they all - so we spend several happy hours getting nicely pissed and talking shite until we decide to waddle off and see some bands. Well, you might as well try and make an effort. We stop by the Concrete Jungle Stage and hear Shelter's ropey, average hardcore.
Back to the main stage for Frank Black. Now I know who ate all the pies - and it wasn't me - but Frank, if one of the best things about the Pixies' split was never having to play 'Monkey Gone to Heaven' again, why are you playing it?
Rancid play some dull ska-punk and still think they're the Clash, and Feeder play another underwhelming set. Still, the kids seem to quite like 'em.
It's all becoming a bit of a blur by the time Supergrass play, but I'm sure they were very good. Perhaps I'll see them sober one day (me, not them), then again perhaps I won't.
It's time to avoid the Fun Loving Criminals at all costs - who the hell thought they were big enough - or good enough for that matter - to be second on the bill? Shame on you, whoever you are.
I wander off to catch a bit of Teenage Fanclub - hey, it's something for the old folk, and this old folk liked it a lot. So much I wish I'd got off my arse and watched the whole set.
Then a stroll to catch two songs by the Manics (hey, that's more than enough for me), followed by the Backyard Babies.
There's a seemingly endless wait for them to come on stage, and, ace though they are, I'm getting old and jaded and frankly too tired to stay till the end. I just need a nice sit down and some warming lagers round that smoky fire before a nice kip. So that's exactly what I do.
• Lager
• The Donnas covering Judas Priest's 'Living After Midnight" - and
• Missing all of Travis
• Sunshine - for two days, at least
• Getting pissed for four days and not getting a hangover
• Vegetable Tikka
• Challenging Mariko to match me drink for drink on the Sunday
• Mariko getting pissed and scary
• Pub breakfasts
• Return of the halfway decent botle fight on Sunday - started by a
• Seeing all the bands I meant too, apart from Mercury Rev, and a few more besides
Bad things about Reading 2001
• Endless queues to get into the arena
• The Strokes
• Steve Lamacq not reading any footie results on Saturday
• Mean Fiddler not giving me a free ticket - after all the free publicity I've
