Vegas Dragons "LOVINGLY CRUEL"_

The best week of my life: going to Europe!

I am sorry that this has taken so long to write but I have been busy with work, catching up with friends, partying with Martin and Shane and getting ready for the Vegas Dragons gig as part of the 4 bands, 1 dream show. So here goes....

I feel very, very lucky to travel to Europe. It was the best week of my life and I just had so much fun. I love Sellaband as much as everyone and on average I spend 5 hours a day, so all the artists and Believers on this site have really become friends, even though I had not met any of them!

Wed May 30th

Sellaband Believer Bob Steven is a great friend of mine and he gave me a lift to the airport. This was very nice of him. We stopped off for a nice Indian lunch. I paid for it as a thank you for the ride and just for being a great guy. We had a couple of burbons which was nice. I went to the super market and bought out all the chocolates they had of an Australian brand he liked. We then went to the airport. We had a bit of a problem finding it but once we were there all was good. I said my goodbye and I was on my own, well... just me and 100 koalas and kangaroo toys for Believers overseas!

It was a bit of a nightmare getting my suitcase and bags over to check in but I made it and was happy when the lady did not fine me for going over the maximum weight for my suitcase which was stuffed with mostly presents, toys, cds etc etc.

I went duty free shopping abnd bought a Sony video camera to film everything. I am very happy that I did that. I also bought some discs and a bottle of Jack Daniels.

I had a bit of time to kill before the flight and I was lucky enough to find a little internet kiosk by the shops. Thanks to Sellaband I am an internet junkie, so I hungrily fed my coins into the machine and sent messages to my friends on Sellaband telling them that I was at the airport. I tried to send as many messages as possible because I knew it would be at least 28 hours before I was on the net again and I had never been off Sellaband for that long!

I spent 40 minutes sending messages until it was time to board. I had the time of boarding, so I knew I was fine. What I did not know was that it was actually the time that the gates closed! I casually walked up to my gate to have some woman hurry up to me to ask me if I was on this flight. I was one of the last people on board the plane and I got some strange looks but screw it - at least I got some Sellaband messages sent!

So I made my way to my seat and when I saw where they expected me to sit, it was like: you have got to be #$%@ing joking! British Airways sucks for leg room! So I had the window seat. I was sitting next to a French lady and her daughter. They had to get up to let me through. I felt very cramped but I guess most people did - unless they were in first class! Oh, how the other half live! I don't think I could justify the first class prices, even if I was rich but damn - it would be the best way to fly.

The flight was long. I tried to get some sleep but it was not that comfortable. I watched a great movie called "the pursuit of happyness" which I really enjoyed. It was powerful and about chasing your dreams. It was so good I ended up watching it twice!

I didn't dare drink on the plane because I didn't want to bother the two people next to me. I waited until at least one of them got up to go to the toilet to make my move. We stopped over in Bangkok on the way and I wrote a song, which was cool. I had been wanting to write a song about a special theme for 10 months. The words finally came out and I am happy with the outcome.

I tried to sleep the rest of the way but I was too excited. I ended up watching "Eragon" which is about dragons not from Vegas.

Thurs May 31st

I arrived early in the morning to Heathrow and my good friend Sue picked me up. I was lucky enough to meet her in Australia a couple of years ago. I showed her around the sights of Sydney while she was there and when she left she gave me an invitation to come visit her. She was very happy to hear that I was coming over and I was very excited to see her.

It felt weird seeing her again after two years but we clicked again almost straight away. We went to her car and she drove us back to Luton, where I met her lovely family. They were very nice and it felt very cool to be in England!

We had a scenic drive around the country side and then had a nice lunch in a pub. I had a couple of beers, fish and chips. Sue picked the place because they have creme brulees, which I am a big fan of. However when they brought it over the toffee was burnt and the inside curdled. They tried to hide it by covering it in icing sugar, which I was not impressed about. We ended up making jokes about it and I even made up a rhyme that Sue found amusing.

Later in the day we got the train into London. We had lots of overpriced drinks, nice tapas for dinner and then we went and saw a funny musical called "Avenue Q" which was an adults-only approach on Seaseme street. It was very funny. One of the best songs was "It sucks to be me".
After that I was very tired, so we got the train back to Luton.

Friday 1st June

The following day Sue and I went back to London. We did a bus tour around London. I video taped nearly all of it. We got off at the Thames. The queue for the London Eye was way too long. We had McDonalds for lunch and I got some photos. Then I got my photo with a Stormtrooper from a Star Wars exhibition, which was great.

We got back on the bus and finished the tour. Went under the London Bridge and drove past Buckingham Palace. I would love to do a filmclip in London one day. That would be great. After the bus ride we went and had a nice Mexican meal and a few beers. Then we went to the musical "Little Shop of Horrors". It was good and I would really like to write a musical one day. There is so much I would like to do but you really have to make the most out of every moment of life on this planet.

We had some more beers and headed back on the tube. We went to the local pub in Luton and had a few more drinks. I was annoyed that I could not find one pub in London with a juke box! When I have a drink I like to listen to some good music. So we went back to Sue's place and I had a few Jacks and listened to some of her CDs. It was a good day!

Saturday 2nd June  

Now today was the day I was looking forward to! I am a big Trail fan. I was the second Believer into them and "I want to know" is one of the best songs on Sellaband in my humble opinion. So I was really looking forward to seeing them live tonight.

Sue and I got the tube to Clapham Junction to meet two of Sue's friends named Donna and Chris. It was great to meet them. They are funny and very cool. We went to the pub and started drinking (just to be original!) I had three pints of a nice beer called "Star". An hour later Martin Nicholas came and meet us. It was great to finally meet him. He kindly came and picked up my suitcase. He said he would look after it so I didn't have to haul it to The Netherlands. He drove the case back home and would meet up later that afternoon.

Then we went to cafe and we had a few more drinks. It was the day of a biggest race in the UK. So I had to have a few bets. #8 and #17 are my favourite numbers, so I took them to win and place. I spend 10 pounds. #8 came in 2nd, so I got 7 pounds back and lost 3.

We took the bus to another pub and met up with Martin Nicholas. I got him a Jack n coke and he complained that he didn't drink Jack with coke. He liked it straight. So I pulled out my hip flask and poured a half a glass of jack into it. "Happy now?" I said.

An hour later it was time for Trail and I think Martin and I were half smashed. I was so excited to be seeing Trail live. I went down the very front to be as close to the stage as possible, leaving my friends up the back. I thought "This was awesome" but later I felt bad about leaving everyo ne.

So there were three distinct levels of fans at the Trail gig. There was the group of onlookers at the back who were just all too cool to go closer to the stage. They watched it all from the distance. Then there was the Trail women. They are collecting a lovely group of pretty women who I am sure go to all their gigs. These women were half way down the front. (when they stand at the very, very front you will know that Trail will be true superstars) and then at the very front of stage was a drunken long haired guy who had a video camera stuck up their nose the whole time.

I recently watched the footage back and I was cringing. I was so loud. At the end of every song I was screaming like a loud schoolgirl at a Beatles concert. It was just that exciting to be there!! I sang along to all the songs and when they played my favourite song, Charlie from Trail dedicated it to me. "This is for someone who has come a long way to be here tonight." That was great and it was a great gig. Their songs are brilliant and it is easy to see why they are doing so well on Sellaband. I hope that Vegas Dragons can one day tour and do some gigs with this sensational band.

So after the gig I got to shake Charlie's hand and then we headed off. I was very trashed by then and so was Martin. I said goodbye to my amigo and then Sue and I headed back on the tube. Thank fully Sue woke me up at our station because I had fallen asleep on the train.

We got the taxi back to her place and I crashed straight away. However I didn't get much sleep because I was so excited about going to THE NETHERLANDS!!!!

Sunday 3rd June

I woke up and I was pumped for a great day! I felt like it was Christmas!! I had a bath and got dressed. I only had one carry bag and two plastic bags. They were nearly all full of koalas and kangaroos and CDs for the Believers. Sue drove me to the airport and saw me off. I am really very lucky to have a great friend like her.

Luton airport had tough security measures. They were not going to let me through with my bag of koala toys. "One bag only". So I tried to stuff the bags into each other and then I tried to find the sweetest looking security officer and went up to her. I smiled and said hello, she was in a good mood so I got my furry friends through. When I went through the metal detector I must have looked like trouble because I got a thorough pat down.

After that I was through to an area of shops and yes... internet terminals!!! I quickly fed my pound coins in and updated my blog and tried to respond to as many messages as possible. Once again I was one of the very last people on the plane! You could sit anywhere on the flight, so I sat near the front, so I could be the first one off. There was no "first class" so there was equal legroom for everyone, which was very nice.

The flight took a little over an hour. There was fog so we were delayed by about 10 minutes. The flight was smooth and I tried to sleep on it. I had not had much sleep for the last few days, my body was just running on fun and excitement.

When the plane landed I was one of the first off and was so excited to go and meet the boss. It took me a good ten minutes to make my way throught the long airport, collect my luggage and make it through the gates.. and there he was, the great bald man himself - JOHAN THE BOSS!!! It was really special to meet him. I went up to shake his hand and he just gave me a big hug. I remember watching the Second Person video of their trip to The Netherlands so many times and the footage of them with the Boss. He seemed cool and it sounds silly but it really was a dream come true to meet him. He was there with his cool son Boss Jr and Whaley was there!!! It was so great to meet him and I could not believe he had made the effort to come to the airport to meet me. Thank you! He looked very cool in his Cubworld hat! Boss Jr, who is an adorable young 5 year old said to me: "Please to meet you, Brian Taylor." That was so nice.

So we got some pie and headed to the Boss's wonderful ride. I sat in the back with Boss Jr and he showed me his great collection of Pokeman cards. The Boss had my Vegas Dragons cd in between the seat. I don't know if he just put it there for my visit but it was very nice to see it there. He then pressed played and through the speakers came something very special....Cubworld's CD!!! Oh man!!! Not only was I riding with the Boss, Boss Jr and Whaley I was getting a sneak preview of Cubworld's CD. It sounded great!!

The Boss drove us to Sellaband's Headquarters. I was so excited. For me this was like an Elvis fan going to Gracelands or a Christian going to Vatican City. It really was that special. I walked in and it felt so special. The office was situated in the bottom floor of a building that had renovations happening in the lobby. It was not flash but it told me volumes about Sellaband. They were not pretending to be something they were not. They were a company in their infacy and they were only using what they could afford. Johan said that he wanted the office to be situated in Amsterdam itself and be close to the freeway. This is what it was.

You couldn't wipe the smile from my face! Then he showed me the Sellaband Presents part 2 CDs and there at #4 was Vegas Dragons: Hacker - which was very exciting to see! There were boxes of them there. Hopefully they would go out and spread the word of Sellaband and Vegas Dragons to the world!

The Boss wanted me to sit down but I noticed that most of the bins in the office were full. He explained to me that the cleaning lady walked out a couple of weeks ago and that's why the place was a mess. I asked the Boss for a bin bag and I then went around emptying the bins. I think the Boss thought I was an idiot (yes, I am!) but I just hated to see the office like this. This is Sellaband! The future of the music business!!!

So I emptied a few bins and said I would continue my cleaning duties tomorrow. They flew me all the way to Europe, the least I could do is clean up for them!

Then the four of us got in the car and headed for the heart of Amsterdam to meet all the wonderful Dutch Believers. I really wanted to meet them, so I invited everyone and anyone who was free to come to lunch. Dolly selected the place and it was a winner! When I entered I was just overwhelmed. There they all were. Some I knew from their photos and others I knew from their names on Sellaband. I was just dumbstruck! I shook everyones hand but I was not really sure what to do next. I thanked everyone for coming and gave them all a koala or a kangaroo. I am not sure what they expected from me but I hope that they were happy to see me. I was EXTREMELY HAPPY to see all of them.

I tried to make time to talk to each and every believer. I tried hard to remember each and every one of them. I can not tell you how wonderful it was to meet these great people. They all had such wonderful hearts. I want to list all their names but I am afraid that I will miss someone and that will kill me to do so because everyone of them is so important. I am sorry that I did not get to spend more time with every single one of you but it was so great to meet you all.

Mr Onno who I call the King of Believers and owns a remarkable 150 parts in Vegas Dragons arrived late. When he walked in I fell to my knees and bowed before him . I gave him a Wayne's World "We're not worthy" welcome, which everyone found funny.

Sadly Darth Koala didn't make it and I really wanted to meet that guy. He had problems and couldn't make it. I know one day I will meet him and it really will be a treat. I feel connected with so many people on this site and he definitely is one of them. I can tell he is a very smart and kind man.

It was great to meet Ray Gamba in his Black Jack shirt. This guy was so laid back and so cool. He looked like nothing ever bothered him and it was so great to talk to him.

I got to meet   Natassia  who has worked so hard on creating the first Vegas Dragons filmclip "Fear of life". After everyone ate we played it on Kegher's laptop. It was so great to see it and she did an amazing job. It will be up VERY soon on the website - I promise. Just waiting for Natassia to upload it onto You Tube.

There were so many great moments everyone was so great. I can't believe I got to meet so many great Believers. THANK YOU SO VERY VERY MUCH FOR COMING TO LUNCH. IT WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST DAYS OF MY LIFE!

We got a great photo of all the Believers after lunch and I got my photo with a lot of Beleivers. People who were walking by were wondering who the hell I was. It was such a surreal experience.

The Boss wanted to go but I just wanted to spend more time with all these wonderful people. In fact, I never wanted it to end. The Boss is such a good man and he was patient enough to let me go with them all to a tavern for one drink... or so I thought it would be.

There was no spare tables in the place, so we stood around. The Boss spoke Dutch to the barlady. I had no idea what he was saying. I ordered 5 pints of beer for everyone. I went to pay but the Boss had already paid. Thank you. I tried to get everyone to take a beer but I could only get 2 takers. So I was left with 3 full glasses of beer. So I downed them while talking to Pat Sticks about music and chatting with all the other cool people. I shook on a promise with joyce dijkgraaf that we will do a song together and I always keep my prmises. It will be an honour to have her amazing vocals on a song on the next Vegas Dragons CD!

So I said goodbye to many of the Believers but did something really stupid I did not go to the bathroom at the tavern. The Boss and Boss Jr both went but I was so caught up in talking to everyone that I thought it would be rude to excuse myself. That was a big mistake!!!!

About ten of us walked back to the car. I gave out Vegas Dragons cds and signed them for some Believers and then it was just the Boss, Boss jr and me. As soon as I got in the car, I knew I was in trouble. My bladder had 3 pints of beer that wanted out NOW!!

The Boss informed me that I had a 15 minute wait for a toilet and I was cringing. There was no way that I could last long. AHHHHRRGGHH!!! I tried crossing my legs and keeping it in. The last thing I wanted to do was leave a puddle in the boss's beautiful car! Some great impression I was making.

I was getting desperate and I said: "Boss, there is 50 Euros in it for you if you can find me a toilet!" I think he found the whole thing rather funny.

The Boss did find me a toilet in a petrol station and all I can say - thank goodness for that - or I would have been known as the guy who stained the Marketing Director of Sellaband's car!

Feeling very relieved we drove the Boss's house. I had a bit of a joke with the Boss saying that I can not wait to visit his mansion. Of course, the boss does not live in a mansion (yet!) but a lovely moderate home in a good neighbourhood. His wife left a sign on the front door: welcome to the mansion. I found that funny and realised that his wife does have an interest in the company he is running.

Meeting Mrs Boss was a real joy. I wondered what kind of lady she would be. She was smart, beautiful and had a real interest in Sellaband. She seemed to know many of the bands and said she was a fan of Vegas Dragons which was really great.

The Boss, Mrs Boss, Boss jr and I went out the back yard. We sat there for many hours and I drank their beer. Thanks!!! Many times I had to just shake my head and think: damn! I am in The Netherlands, I am at the Boss's house and we are having beers and talking Sellaband!!!!!!!!!!

I kept thanking him and his wife for being so good to me and this became the running joke and they began thanking me for every little thing, like: "Thank you for drinking our beer." "Thank you for thanking us." It was really funny and The Boss kept this going a couple of days. He has a wonderful sense of humour and is a great guy.

It really was one of the very best days of my life. They were such wonderful people and I admired the Boss's passion. He is a very focused man, who knows what he wants and knows if he works hard and long enough he will get it - regardless of the time frame. That is how he got his beautiful wife (who took some time to come around to knowing what a great catch he was) and that is why Sellaband will one day be a giant in the music industry.

Mrs Boss made us a brilliant dinner (so yummy!!!) and we talked until very late. The Boss made a remark about the fact that I didn't seem drunk, even though I had consumed a rather large portion of beer. I said that I have been building up my tolerence so I could drink with Arnis!

I just wanted to stay up all night talking to them but there was an important day coming up so we crashed about midnight.

Monday 4th June

By this stage of my holiday I was used to getting little sleep, so I was the first one up. I had a shower and got dressed. I went downstairs and I went into the kitchen. There were a few pots that needed cleaning so I started cleaning them. Ten minutes later everyone came down stairs and they couldn't believe I was cleaning. It was just my small way of saying thank you for being so good to me.

I got to spend some time playing with Boss Jr and later he said to his mother in Dutch: "Can Brian stay forever?" Which was so very sweet. He is a great boy and with positive and smart parents like his, I am sure he will grow into a wonderful man. I am hoping that I get a chance to spend more quality time with the family in the years to come.

The Boss got some fresh bread for breakfast. He thought it was so funny when I passed on all the lovely Dutch spreads and opted for my trusty tube of Australian Vegemite! He quoted me the "Come from a land downunder" song: "He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich."

So we had breakfast and then I was off with the Boss! Thank you so much Mrs Boss for being so good to me. I will never forget you and all you did for me. Thanks very much.

The Boss and I went and picked up Annette. It was great to meet her. She is a very smart lady who knows so much about the music industry. It was great to listen to her talk and learn from her. We had a scenic drive to the office of SAB.

Now one of the highlights of the whole trip was meeting the woman who is known as Dolly. For many months we have been writing back and forth to each other. She has a wicked sence of humour and has great taste in music. We have shared many funny messages and when I found out recently that she worked for Sellaband, I was like... oops. Maybe I should be more careful what I write. However nothing has changed and we hit it off straight away.

She is as smart as the whip she cracks and Sellaband is very lucky to have her. I also got to meet Christiaan Kröner - Sellaband's TechCrunch and the beautiful Yf. They were both great. The Boss said that I could use Pim's laptop if I wanted but no - I was there to clean and that is what I did! I emptied all the bins that I didn't finish the day before, then I vacuumed the entire office, then I washed up all the glasses and cups, then I mopped the floor of the kitchenette and then cleaned their toaster. It was just my small way of saying thank you and that I appreciate all their hard work.

After about 90 minutes it was off to the airport. There was a minor drama to do with misplaced keys but apart from that, all was good. I got to meet Sellaband's #1 addict Walter M at the airport which was great. He was there for lunch yesterday but I really didn't have a chance to properly catch up, so it really was a thrill to talk to him more.

The plane was delayed but to tell you the truth, it really didn't bother me. It meant that I got to spend more quality time with The Boss, Annette and Walter M. The Boss talked about what his favourite studio albums were and Def Leppard's "Hysteria"&nbsp ;managed to get #3. It is a great CD and the Boss has great tastes.

The Boss and Annette also shared stories from their music past about some of the "stars" that they had met. It was interesting finding out who were the jerks to meet. I vow that if I ever get to be a big success never to treat anyone poorly.

On the plane I got to sit next to Walter M. I bought him a beer and we had a good chat about Sellaband and life. He is a great guy, who is very smart and is really passionate about music, business, history and life. I felt very lucky to have been able to spend time with him like that.

Our plane arrived at Gatwick Airport and Walter M and I followed the Boss and Annette. We had no idea where to go. We got on the train with them and I bought them coffee, chips and I got a beer. The Boss kindly paid for my train ticket. Thank you! We then got a taxi to the hotel. It was so great to talk to the Boss about one of his favourite passions - heavy metal music. You name it and the Boss knew it. His encyclopedia knowledge on music is amazing!!!! His tastes in metal were excellent. We got to the hotel and The Boss paid for the taxi too. Thank you!!!

We went and checked in to the hotels. Walter had problems so while he waited to be sorted out, I ran up to the 8th floor, threw my luggage in and headed back. Walter was still waiting to get his room sorted. I waited for him and then we both went up the stairs to the lounge area and OH MY GOD...HOW AMAZING WAS IT!!!

It was like a who's who of Sellaband celebrities!!! I got to meet Empire of One, who exceeded all my expectations. He is such a great and funny guy. He is very witty and very, very smart. I think we both have an "Understanding" and a mutual respect for each other. He has 7 parts in Vegas Dragons and I am pretty certain that is as far as he will go in his investment - but that is fine with me. I appreciate that and I really admire him and respect him for all he has done on Sellaband. We just acted like two Sellaband Believers/friends that were getting together. He is a cool guy and I hope that we will get to meet up many more times down the track.

So I got to meet everyone that was there and it was great. There was the Bulletproof Messenger guys, Maitreya and his girlfriend Pebbles, Cubworld and his beautiful wife Mandy, the

(Will write more soon)

Money for parts

I love supporting artists here and I am a big fan of helping out when I can. Money is tight and I am struggling to find cash to invest. So please do not be offended if I have not invested in you. There are so many artists I love and would like to invest in but simply can not afford it at the moment.

I am not a fan of putting the bands in "the wish list" but I have my own list and I will be adding to other artists when I can.

If you are an artist on this site - do you Believe in other artists??

Do you Believe in yourself?

Bedroom to the world

For many, many years I have been a huge fan of rock music. I am in my bedroom now and I have a Motley Crue DVD. I love them and all that great rock music.

In my bedroom I have written many songs and I have played lots of guitar and keyboards. I have dreamed of touring the world and I have dreamed of playing to the masses.

Well, the years pass by and I am still in my bedroom and I have not played a gig overseas. However I now sit here in my bedroom  and communicate to the world, thanks to the wonderful invention of the internet...something I once feared and hated.

Thanks to Sellaband I have come to know so many wonderful people. Thanks to Sellaband, my dream of touring the world is still alive. There is still the hope in my heart that my dreams can come true.

Sadly, every day people give up on their dreams as they fade out of reach and they face a grim "reality" where all that is sacred will never come true. Thanks to Sellaband my dream shines strongly.

Thank God for Sellaband.

How to be successful on Sellaband

Some people have asked: "How come you are doing so well on Sellaband?"

That is a tough one. I recently had a wonderful artist ask for help. This is what I sent her:

Okay, where do we begin? I could name 100 artists on this site that are brilliant... but will NEVER do anything because they are NOT active on this site. THEY ARE WASTING THEIR TIME! Please don't waste your time or your Believer's time.

I don't know if you have noticed but our band (Vegas Dragons) is currently 3rd on the charts. This is from LOTS and LOTS of hard work. $50,000 USA is a lot of money and it can be raised but you must get active.

It was a struggle for me first up to get going because I had no idea where the hell to start. Here are some things that I would recommend to you:

1. Join the Sellaband "unofficial" forum. There is a load of great help there.

There is a post on the forum about getting started on Sellaband. I think you will find it a HUGE help. The post is called: HELP US MAKE  A NEW ARTIST WELCOME KIT.

 If you post often on that site it will be a huge step forward because you will get noticed by many believers. Please use your actual name on the forum, as this helps associate you with Believers. There is no point calling yourself Pink Butterfly or something equally odd. The link is: http://sellaband.proboards79.c om/

2. Contact Believers and ask them to have a listen to your songs. Be personal. DO NOT cut and paste the same message. It annoys a lot of people and it will turn people off listening. Take the time to be personal and it will make a big difference.

Put the message on their page, not in their personal inbox. It annoys lots of people and turns them off. What is the point of using the inbox unless it is personal? Let the world see your comments on their page! However please read the INFORMATION on the Believer's page first, as some people have different ways they want to handle communication.

I would like to recommend that you leave a message on many of the prominent Believers. Talk with Lucretia - she is a great Believer and will help you if you need it.

Basically: Talk, talk, talk! Chat with artists that you like, chat with Believers. Become part of the community. Let this loving community know that you are here. Just chat about music and life and have fun.

The funeral of a rock n' roll legend.

I have just returned from the funeral of Australian rock n' roll legend Billy Thorpe. I found it all a very emotional experience. I could write about it for hours but I will keep it simple.

I was amazed by the thousands who made the trek to pay their final respects to a rock n' roller. I was honoured that the service was opened to the public, so I and the Australian fans of rock n' roll could pay their respects.

I was here only a fortnight before to rock out with Evanescence but I felt that this day was of so much greater importance. I was touched by the number of friends Billy had and by the kind words that were spoken about him.

Celebrities including world famous Australian actors Bryan Brown and Jack Thompson had their say and Olivia Newton-John sang "Somewhere over the rainbow." Other Australian celebrities like outspoken promoter Michael Chugg has people laughing and crying with his amazing and very colourful stories of Billy.

I found tears running down my face a number of times during the day. Especially the kind words spoken by Jack Thompson who said "He had more respect for me than I had for myself." It was such an honest and emotionally raw comment. I could not help but be touched.

There was no fakeness to be seen. Just respect and a celebration of a great life.

I took a few things away from the event.

These are some of them:

1: Life is very short and you will die as early as tomorrow, so make every day count. Every single day.

2: The secret to life is kindness and goodwill to all around you. Your kindness will be long remembered after you are long gone.

3: I have never been more determined to carry on the great legacy of Australian rock n' roll.

I could not help but feel incredibly proud not only to be an Australian but also to be a rock n' roller!

The new decade seems to have brought so many forms of different music into popularity with "the charts". Dance music, hip hop, trance, rap, R&B etc seem to dominate the charts. If that is your thing and it makes you feel wonderful, congratulations. However I am a rock n' roller and that is the music that makes me feel alive inside.

It was so special to share such a wonderful and unique experience and such an outpouring of honest emotions with so many fans of rock n' roll. I know they are out there and I know if I continue to be honest to myself in terms of music that I will find the fans.

Long live Rock n' Roll.

Long live the memory of Billy Thorpe.

May his soul rest in peace and his music live forever.

Don't forget, money is not the secret of life. Kindness and friendship are.

Take care

Brian