FANS - Paco (Oviedo, Spain)

Good afternoon everyone, how are you all??

Today, I begin a new section, called "Fans"; I'd like to alternate the upcoming magazine posts with your experiences with the Stray Cats (as a band and as solo artists). So, if you want to participate, you only have to send me a picture of yours with any of the Cats and the story behind that shot: when and where it was taken, what that magical moment meant for you, how you got into the Stray Cats and an anecdote; this anecdote doesn't have to be related to that particular moment of the concert or of the meeting, it can also be something that you remember funny or interesting from that day.

Said this, there I go with Paco from Oviedo, Spain - He is a good friend of mine and we go to concerts together as well as we sometimes go binge-beer-drinking ;-)

(Paco & Brian)

Paco says:

"This picture was taken in Oviedo, on Saturday 24 July 2004, when the Stray Cats were touring Europe and they were to play in Gijón at the "Crossroads Festival" (* Gijón is a coastal city in the north of Spain, some 30km north from Oviedo). I knew that the Stray Cats had to be lodged in the city as a friend of mine told me he had seen Brian Setzer having his hair cut at a nearby saloon, so this only could meant that they were at the Silken Hotel. I went home and took the first thing I had, with the hope of getting it signed. I spotted a guy wearing a Stray Cats shirt and I asked him whether Brian was there and if he was going to come downstairs; the guy said he wouldn't as he was sleeping. I stayed outisde the hotel for a while and then, I looked again and to my surprise, there was Brian with Julie, sitting in the hall. I approached to them and we talked for a while. He was very kind. I remember asking him to play "Storm The Embassy", and he looked very surprised, he even asked me: "oh, you like that one?" - and I also asked for "Summertime Blues". I took a copy of the Spanish magazine "Popular 1" on whose cover the Stray Cats had been featured the month before, so I gave it to him; Brian also mentioned that Oviedo was a beautiful city."



(the mag that Paco gave to Brian)

Paco also says that he could have spent much longer with Brian, but due to language constrains, he decided to leave, not without getting his copy of BSO's "Live In Japan" signed:



Besides, Paco admits to be very lucky that day as some other fans had already heard about the possibility of Brian being at that particular hotel and they entered the hotel but Brian left the lobby and went up to his room.

The anecdote: Paco phoned my house to let me know that Brian was there... unfortunatelly I was working in England that summer; good thing was that I had already seen the Cats the week before.

GRACIAS, PACO!!

So, are you ready to tell me and the blog followers your experience with the Cats??

Slim "Jon" Phantom
straycatscollectors@gmail.com