Strange what desire will make foolish people do

We hosted a nice little sushi party the other night. Having left Hanoi where we hosted killer pool parties, it is of some importance that we have some good parties here too. Anyone who has moved countries will understand this feeling I trust.

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So we have repaired to the living room for an after dinner smoke and Mr Terry Lax spies a framed picture of me in Westlake Boyz, on stage holding a pair of girls smalls.

"What," Terry rightly asked, "are you doing in this picture?"

So I began to explain the Westlake Boyz, the concept and subsequent live show delivery.

Now that I've answered the starter for ten, Terry moves to the bonus round questions:

"You were in a boy band?"

After all, for those who know me, I doubt you'll disagree that I can be stubbornly Rockist.

The very idea of it! Frankly I am sometimes appalled myself.

But it's a great fucking story:

There came a need to develop a stock line for the band to use in times of need (another fuck you very much to the other band members in the greenroom at Wave seems warranted here).

We argued at the time that we were providing a service. That in a town like Hanoi, a town where very few good bands play, it was up to everyone - regardless of talent level - had an obligation to contribute to the entertainment options for the international community.

Some people got this. Others just moaned.

But as I was using this line, Terry interrupted with a question I had never been asked about the band.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he said waving the bullshit away. "But how successful were you?"

It was right about then that I realised that while I had joined the band for above mentioned reason, it was primarily flesh that I was looking for. Girl flesh.

And picking up girls in bars just seemed... I don't know... too damned chav.

So without much ado at all, without sparing a thought for any of my rockist eliteism over the years, I traded my morals the first chance I got for a shot at minor league fame and a whole lot of fucking.

"How successful was I? I have a photo of me singing in front of a wall of girls."

But as much as I got what I was looking for, and in that way was a success, I suddenly remember that it's strange what desire will make foolish people do.