
We didn’t finish the School On Wheels Diary. Edinburgh has slashed across all other things. No wonder though.
Robert Wyatt came to our first preview Show…
No, not quite so. Robert Wyatt saw MEPHISTO WALTZ in Edinburgh, with his wife Alfie («I knew, I knew there will be Sunflowers!»).
I don’t know how my life would be different if there was no Rock Bottom album.
Would I go to Tartu then, visiting that hippie convention? Would I hitch-hike across half of Russia? Would I write short stories, would I fall in love, would I leave Leningrad for Prague?
Would I meet Sasha Davydov (our first «joint» and the world burst open).
Probably not…
Recently at the Film Festival in Venice I passed by a huge building as they took me through the canals. Something jolted inside of me. I remembered: Robert Wyatt. It must be the place where he started to work on that album.
Then I bought the LP again. The salesman in the record shop also commented on this: „Best Ever!“
A long time has passed but THIS hasn’t changed. From the very first sound I lost the sense of human ambitions. Just as easily as it happened 30 years ago, right then I left everythingbehind and flew along the Path of the Heart….
But now in Edinburgh I was ashamed to speak out and tell that I myself and my Mephisto are like that because of Rock Bottom. My English was rather insufficient to describe the main point. Neither should I try and reproduce his words now. They will remain on that small street, caught in the soot from the Zippo lighter.
He said: «I used to believe that I only could be moved to parallel worlds by my own force. I wouldn’t trust the mission to somebody else. But it happened now. If they ask „what IS Mephisto Waltz“? Is it a life-form? Well, yes… Is it a forgettable form? No. Who’s there to forget? I’m not an accuser here… Unreal life-form. Yes, right… an unreal form of life.»




Text: Anton Adasinsky
English text editor: Daniel Williams