Hey -

Saw the first two Turbo shows on the tour last week. I was so blown away in New Orleans...dream come true, stain my jeans kind of experience. After they played they were milling around with people outside the green room, I couldn't even talk to them because I was afraid I'd just babble on and on and make them think I was a retard. So I sorta did the "great set, thanks from coming to the US" thing and waiting for Memphis to do the babbling idiot thing. Hank was pretty fuckin' lit after the Memphis show (we waited out by the bus for a good two hours with a few other select jugend) so I didn't talk to him so much, but I talked to Tom for a few minutes and he was totally like I thought he'd be...very awesome guy. I gave him a couple of our CDs and can only hope he listens to them and marginally enjoys them; I told him as much, but told him that I felt so strongly about their music and them as a band for the last few years that I felt like a tiny part of the whole and that I wanted to give back just a little if I could.

I think they were freaked out that my friends and I were singing along to the new songs they put in the set ("Fuck The World," "Sell Your Body"). During a break in the NOLA set Hank said "we are going to play a new song for you, we recorded a new album called Scandinavian Leather that will be out for you soon in two months." There was a quiet pause and I was right up front so I yelled "Train of Flesh" thinkin' I'd confuse them a little. Hank looked right at me, pointed his cane and said "How do you know that? We will not play that, you dirty male prostitute, now you sell your body to the night!" That ruled.

Ah man, I could talk about this forever, just as I'm sure you could talk about your Turbo experiences. I'll tag on my fave pic from the trip to this e-mail.

You enjoying the new album more now? I can't quit listening to it. At first I was a little disappointed but now I think it's an amazing album, it just took a few spins to grow...now I crank it constantly when I'm driving around at work. I hope other people give it a chance, too. In other news, the tour merch sucks, only one t-shirt with the album cover over the left breast and "Turbonegro-Scandinavian Leather" between the shoulders on the back. Underwhelming at best, and that was all they had.

- Mike