It's its birthday!

The Evo event 2006

Armando Gallo, John Mayhew, John Morrell and a Rutherford guitar auction at the 15th anniversary of the German Genesis Fanclub it.

The fanclub days 2006 were a jubilee event with lots of highlights: One of Mike Rutherford’s guitars was auctioned off, there were interviews with special guests (John Mayhew and Armando Gallo), John Morrell as the live act and lots of time to talk with each other and the stars of the evening. The full name of the event was The Evolution Of Genesis + 15th Anniversary Of Deutscher Genesis Fanclub it.

Even before noon a small group of people were waiting at the doors of the community centre in Welkers. As in the previous years the club days took place nearly right in the centre of Germany, in Welkers near Fulda. The organizers opened doors at 12:30.

At the check-in with the personal ticket the charming Karin gave everybody an access sticker and a lottery ticket for a raffle…

Christian guided us through the event in his lovely, charming way. He pulled out all stops not only as the emcee but also in the interviews. Many investigative questions to John Mayhew and Armando Gallo brought light into the darkness. Of course, the audience used the opportunity to ask many questions themselves.

The first celebrity of the day was John Mayhew. He played the drums on Trespass. Bit by bit he remembered many little incidents that happened during the rehearsal and recording of Trespass. After working in Australia as a carpenter for long years many details were also lost, which became apparent when there were no answers to several questions Armando Gallo had.

A pool in the facilities

At one point the sanitary installations had to be closed. Apparently the local youth had partied too hard the night before so there was flooding, as it were, in those rooms. Guests resorted to the facilities in the backstage area.

“The Club Archives”-DVD - 15 years of it

The it/GNC crew have created a masterpiece on DVD: A varied, interactive DVD with all highlights of the last century of the fanclub. A “best of” was shown as an appetizer. The DVD could be bought at a moderate price.

Private talks with Armando Gallo and John Mayhew

During the breaks in the programme there was plenty of time to talk. The star guests, too, sat down at the table, told stories and gracefully signed everything that was put before them. Certain private admissions cannot be repeated here, of course…

Armando Gallo talks about GENESIS

Another highlight was the interview with Armando Gallo. He is highly respected and praised photographer in Hollywood who takes photos of singers like Britney Spears, actors like Anna Paquin and Halle Berry or writers like Patrick Roth.

He had his breakthrough in the 70s with his photos and reports of Genesis. Actually, it was not least his reports that gave Genesis their breakthrough. He took questions and told anecdotes for more than 90 minutes.

Nearly 1000€ for Mike Rutherford’s guitar

After a gripping bidding war one lucky guest of the event purchased a guitar with which Mike Rutherford had recorded several songs. The previous owner had got hold of it in a rather convoluted way. He found the guitar to precious to gather dust in a basement or bring it to an auction house – he wanted to give it to a fan. A fan who actually plays the instrument. We wish the new owner much fun with it!

Live music with John Morell

The John Morell band Anyway played a great set. It was the third time John played at a fanclub event. At the end of the evening he gave a fantastic performance with many songs by Genesis and others.

After the event (tidying up and the night at Landgasthof Buch)

The evening was not over with the end of the official event for the organizers. Packing and tidying up was the order for the later evening. Showcases were disassembled, chairs stacked, tables put away and the equipment stored. We should also mention Landgasthof Buch, the first choice to stay. All the star guests and many fans stayed there so that it was booked out.

by Ralf Kammerer
English by Martin Klinkhardt
photos by Sabine Zindler