![]() ![]() We paddle for about a kilometre along a narrowing ria through a green tunnel of nipa and pandanus palms. Deep in the armpit of the fiord, we transfer to outrigger canoes paddled by lithe boys and girls decorated with flowers and ferns. At Watam Village, we're met by warriors who dance beneath a dragon that looks uncannily like one from Chinese New Year, weaving to the sound of hand drums and chants.Īt Tufi, we board a speedboat from the local dive resort to travel deep inside one of the fiords, formed by a coastal volcano that has been etched by wind and waves into steep-sided sea canyons furred with greenery. By night we sail, and every morning wake to another village of thatch and sticks set on a palmy shoreline with outrigger canoes bobbing around our stern. We're on an 11-night cruise between Rabaul and Cairns, exploring the villages and islands along the country's north coast, east as far as the Trobriands and into Milne Bay, at the forked tail of the bird-shaped island.Īpart from two days at sea, we're onshore most of the time. ![]() The severe nature of PNG's topography keeps the wider world at bay, but its seas and rivers provide an entree to this amazing world. 4, 1993, the 22nd anniversary of the fire.By submitting your email you are agreeing to Fairfax Media's In an odd coincidence, Zappa died on Dec. So the fire started right above where the boy was sitting on the low-lying ceiling beams." "I do not think that it was started by a flare gun as it says in the song, but by the boy throwing lighted matches in the air, and one of them got stuck on the very low ceiling. "The fire was started by a young man from Eastern Europe (who fled the very next day back home)," he continued. ![]() However, Schneider disputes one particular aspect of the famous story. The injuries forced Zappa to spend nearly a year in a wheelchair. However, that also ended disastrously when, during the encore, Zappa was pushed offstage by a fan into the concrete orchestra pit. The band was forced to use rented gear for its next gig at the Rainbow Theater in London six days later. But the casino was completely engulfed in flames, and all of the band's equipment was destroyed, except, oddly enough, a cowbell. According to Zappa, most injuries were minor cuts and burns, with only a few people going to the hospital. Fortunately – miraculously, even – no one was killed in the blaze. Shortly after everyone got to safety, the fire reached the building's heating system, causing an explosion. The building was on the second floor, or at least half a floor up, so it was quite a jump." "The glass smashed to the ground, and all the people in the front started to jump out. Who sings smoke on the water windows#I owe my life to a Swiss fireman who came in with a huge axe and started to break the windows one by one, starting from the left towards the stage," Schneider added. "I stood behind the crowd who were trying to get out through the large glass windows which covered the whole of the front of the building from one side to the other. "There was a large door on the right hand side as you face the stage but I do not know if it was open or closed. "The fire spread so quickly that all the people in the front were trapped," he later recounted. "I was just lucky that many of were able to speak English, because I didn't know what to say to them in French." You can listen to the interview above, even though it's difficult to understand at times due to an off-screen translator.Īttendee Peter Schneider wrote a blog post in 2009 about what it was like inside the casino. "They were very organized," Zappa said in an interview shortly after the fire. As depicted in the lyrics to "Smoke on the Water," Claude Nobs, the director of the Montreux Jazz Festival, ran in and out of the building to help fans escape. "Arthur Brown in person." But they soon realized the danger and Zappa had the composure to tell everybody to head calmly toward the exits. "Fire!" shouted background vocalist Howard Kaylan. Originally, the band treated it with their customary irreverence. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |