If you are lucky enough to live in and around the small Rotherham town called Swinton, you will have heard that "B-b-b-bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word". My brother Ian (also known as the big bird by many) is Mabel Love's number 1 van driver,and by his words, the number 1 van driver in the country, if not the world.
Ian Whitehouse is the brother of Mabel love guitarist and general nice chap Dan Whitehouse and he has driven us to many a gig. We would like to share a few of his classic momments with you.
Bathgate 2009.Its the first Scotland tour and more importantly the first delve into Bathgate. There is apprehension, there is nerves and there is a whacking stick!! So we roll up into Bathgate and call the number we have been given to make the rendezvous with the man simply named 'Michael'. So the manager calls the number and after a few minutes of speaking into his phone he turns to us somewhat bewildered and says 'I don't have a f*ckin clue what he just said' next thing a mass of arms and legs burst out of the pub door and we are greeted by the wiry, curly haired, bandanna wearing Scotsman.
After loading our gear to the upstairs room of the pub, we have a quick sound check and settle in a nice corner. It becomes very apparent that this mad Scotsman is actually a jolly nice chap and starts barraging us with drinks. Well Ian Whitehouse our ever professional driver is not drinking tonight and politely refuses an alchohlic beverage, it seams that Michael doesn't understand this concept of not drinking and proceeds to animatedly ask Ian why. Well the one way conversation goes on for about 5-10 minutes and Ian's face becomes ever more confused and results in Ian who hasn't got the foggiest idea what this fella has said, simply extending a hand and stating 'I'm Ian'. Much laughter followed I can assure you.
So the gig goes great and we become more and more intoxicated and dodgy dancing develops. 4am comes along and Ian calls a halt on proceedings, not the manager I might add, he was as pissed as the band. So we load gear back in van and are happily are saying our good bye's when we hear Ian shout
"Chuffin hell Dan there's a smoke bomb in the bus" Dan the protective brother swings round in an instant to see Ian volley the smoke bomb out of the bus Marco Van Basten stylee. He then sits behind the wheel cool as a cucumber and shouts
"Its alreyt av sorted it" Ian Whitehouse 1 : Bathgate smoke bombers 0(BTW, That is not an invite for a replay)St Georges Day 2010.Ian Whitehouse is proud Englishman, he loves both English Breakfasts and the national british sports cricket and soccer in equal measures.
So instead of jumping on the band wagon of celebrating St Paddy's day, Ian instead opts for booking a day of work with the sole intention of rejoicing for our saint george in the only way the brits know how, get sozzled. So Ians pilgimage on the journey of the golden mile in Swinton, the home of 10 pubs within a mile. This year St George's has fallen on a Friday and most folks are hard at work. One of these is Mr Whitehouse, Dan and Ian's father, and at around 4.30pm he is happily making his way home after a hard days graft. As Mr Whitehouse enters Swinton he encounters an unfamilier traffic jam and thinks to himself this is rather strange. So he winds the window down and he can hear car horns pipping, people shouting and general comotion in the street. It is at this exact point that he see's Ian, his beloved son, with a pal of his who is laid in the middle road demanding 'A tenner a pop' for any car wishing pass there newly constructed road block. Mr Whitehouse gives it the old 'get out of the road you bleeding idiot' Ians simple reply is 'Soz Dad'. He then picks his mate off the deck and continues his mission for the day.
So there you go another Mabel Love character, if you see our Ian around be nice, he's our main man and always remember "B-b-b-bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word".
D x
...ML...
