The Ned Wood Archive

Sam

Sam’s waving his arms in the air, trying to give the impression of a big rectangular shape, like a door.  Top left is Woodsies.  Top right is Tom’s Field.  Bottom left is the Park, bottom right is Strummerville.  And where we are now is the handle on the left hand side.  He looks at Lyn and then looks at Lex to see whether anything has registered.  No.  Nothing.  

They’ve just crossed the railway line and are walking along the metal track laid over the grass by the Other Stage. They’d been talking about freedom. At least Lex had been. She picked up on what Sam had said about being free at Glastonbury and said that they didn’t really know what freedom was. Or rather, they did know freedom, obviously, but they couldn’t appreciate it because they hadn’t lived without it. Yeah, they’d seen prejudice, the two of them, but not nearly as much as people in the Soviet Union.

So Lex started talking about their trip to Lithuania, mainly for Sam’s benefit. They’d seen some pretty grim things, like the KGB museum where they tortured and executed prisoners, but then she told this story about what they did when they were freed from Soviet occupation. There’s these folk sitting around talking, these Lithuanians, asking each other ‘are we really free?’ and ‘what does it mean to really be free at last?’ And they’d agreed that freedom meant being able to do anything they wanted to do. So they started arguing about what would be the most outrageous thing they could do to assert their freedom. What would the thing be that they could do that would prove that they really could do anything. What was it that the authorities, the security agencies like the KGB, the secret police, the Kremlin, everybody, what was it that they really really wouldn’t like. What was the most extreme thing they could do?

What they agreed was that Frank Zappa was public enemy number one. And if they could put up a statue to Frank Zappa then that would mean that they were finally free. So that’s what they did. Put up a statue to Zappa. And it’s still there. In Lithuania.

“Does that mean Glastonbury isn’t really free because there’s no Frank Zappa statue?” asks Lyn.

“Ah, but maybe there is,” says Sam. “Maybe we just haven’t found it yet.”

Earlier, as they were walking down through the bottom of the Park, they’d past a group of overflowing litter bins with the rubbish piling up all around. This often happens in the afternoon. The tractor crews can’t empty them up quick enough. When Sam sees a single piece of litter by a bin, he’ll pick it up and drop it in. When it’s a pile like this, he’ll leave it. You can only do so much. He’d seen Lyn’s maybe thinking of doing some tidying up herself, so he told her not to sweat about it, she’ll maybe get another opportunity to sort that litter tomorrow. This same litter. Maybe. He pointed out that there’s a 50% chance their shift will get the stuff from these bins and then a one in 8 chance their line will get it. Either way, all the stuff from the bins will be sorted again, so not to fuss too much now.

Lex started asking about in the details of the tractor crew and how could she get to join them. Driving round the site on the tractors and trailers going all round to pick up the stuff the litter pickers have got and the stuff from these bins. As far as Sam knows, you have to have a bit of experience on litter picking then put yourself forward. Lyn’s more interested in the decorations on the bins. How it seems like everything gets painted at Glastonbury. The bins (and there must be what thousands of them), the concrete sleeper benches, the poles. Everything. And they’re all repainted each year. Just for us! She’s gonna have to try for a job doing the painting, although Sam’s not so sure who she’d need to talk to.

The wind is ruffling the flags on the poles lining the track.  The stage is still being worked on and the area in front of the stage is still roped off.  Groups of punters stand around chatting.  Other groups drift in random directions, some back up to the Park, some over to the right towards Left Field, others back to the left to their tents in Oxlyers or Dairy Ground.  Some are even walking in the same direction as Sam, Lyn, and Lex. Most of those that are fork left and head through the Dance Village.  Sam’s getting hungry and thinks there’s more chance of decent food if they fork right and go through the Reach.

To be honest, by the time they reach Woodsies, even after getting some grub, they are all worn out.  They sit down for another break under the green canopy that sits between the small tree stage and the massive Woodsies tent. Lyn thanks Sam for showing them around.

“We really appreciate it,” she says.  “We wouldn’t have seen half of what we’ve seen without you.”

That’s when Sam feels the weight of responsibility.  He remembers that it’s their first Glastonbury and he’s just dictated what they did on their first free time at their first Glastonbury.  They’ll remember this day forever, but will they remember it the right way?    

“It’s been magic,” says Lex.  “How far do you think we’ve walked?” 

“5k, probably,” says Sam.  When he drives, he thinks in miles, but when he walks, he thinks in kilometres.  “3 miles.”

“Is that all?”

“Well, most of it has been uphill.”

“It’s about 2k from Tom’s Field to the Stone Circle.  It ain’t much when you compare it to walking round your average city.  The festival is probably only about six square kilometres.  Smaller than somewhere like Stamford or Todmorden, but with a population to match Southampton or Milton Keynes.  No wonder it gets so crowded.”

“Anyway, we ain’t finished yet.”  He drags them through the Woods.  Suddenly Lex isn’t so tired.  She tells Lyn that she wants to go up and play in the tree house.  So they wait to go up to the steps and onto the platform above the woods, then they wait to go along the aerial walkway to the second platform.  Sam’s been up often, but he always enjoys looking around.  Lyn and Lex get rejuvenated. They are having a great time walking up and down amongst the trees.  When they finally decide to come down, they can hear a band just starting on the small stage not far from where they are.  Punky folk songs.  Mandolin, penny whistle, and punk rock electric guitar.  What more do you want?  Sam’s automatically drawn towards them.  Lyn and Lex, too.  They’re a five piece called Nasty Fishmonger and they’re fab.