Event 2006: The Evolution Of Genesis – report

Even before noon, a small crowd had gathered outside the doors of the community centre in Welkers. As in previous years, the club meeting took place (almost) in the centre of Germany, in Welkers near Fulda. However, the organising crew remained steadfast and opened the doors punctually at 12:30 pm.

The 2006 fan club meeting was an anniversary event with many highlights: an auction of a guitar belonging to Mike Rutherford, interviews with guests – this time John Mayhew and Armando Gallo – a live performance by John Morrell and many personal conversations, including with the stars of the evening. The full name of the 2006 event: The Evolution of Genesis + 15th Anniversary of Deutscher Genesis Fanclub it.

When checking in with their personal admission tickets, everyone received an access sticker and a ticket for a raffle that would take place later from the friendly and beaming assistant Karin…

As usual in recent years, Christian hosted the day in his endearingly funny and charming manner. He not only put a lot of effort into hosting, but also into interviewing. He shed light on many things with his investigative questions to John Mayhew and Armando Gallo. The audience was able to ask most of the questions themselves.

John Mayhew Interview

The first notable personality of the day was John Mayhew. He was the drummer on the Trespass recordings. Bit by bit, he recalled many small incidents that happened during the rehearsals and recordings for the Trespass album. However, after years of working as a carpenter in Australia, some details had been forgotten. This became clear when, even after repeated questions from Armando Gallo, who participated in the question and answer session, answers on various topics were scarce.

Bathroom flood

In the meantime, the toilet had to be closed. For inexplicable reasons, the ladies' and gents' toilets overflowed. The night before, the young people in the village had probably partied too hard! Some guests at the club day now had to take care of their urgent business in the backstage area. Despite all safety concerns and thanks to the fact that most of the participants were personally known, this was possible even without club security escorting them. It's unthinkable what would have happened if someone had had to watch.

"The Club Archives" – 15 years of it

The IT crew has put together a varied, interactive DVD featuring all the highlights of the last hundred years of IT, which unfortunately could not be offered for sale at the club day. However, a 'best of' version of the DVD was shown.

Personal conversations with Armando Gallo and John Mayhew

There was plenty of time to chat during the breaks. The star guests also sat at the table, chatting and happily signing whatever came to hand. Unfortunately, for legal reasons, private confessions cannot be printed here…

Armando Gallo tells stories about Genesis

Another highlight of the day was undoubtedly Armando Gallo. He is now a recognised and highly acclaimed photographer in Hollywood. He photographs singers such as Britney Spears, actresses such as Anna Paquin and Halle Berry, and writers such as Patrick Roth. Armando made his breakthrough with his photos and reports on Genesis concerts in the late 1970s. It was also thanks to his reporting that Genesis made their breakthrough at that time. He spoke for over an hour and a half and willingly answered all questions.

Just under €1,000 for Mike Rutherford's guitar

One lucky participant at the club event then won a guitar in a thrilling auction, on which Mike Rutherford had recorded various songs. The guitar had come into the possession of the previous owner through a series of twists and turns. He didn't want the instrument to gather dust in the cellar or be auctioned off at an auction house, but wanted to give it to a fan. A fan who also plays the instrument. We wish the new owner lots of fun with it!

Live Musik with John Morrell

The John Morrell band Anyway delivered another great set this year. It was already the third time that John had performed at a fan club event. The evening concluded with a varied concert featuring songs by Genesis and others.

End and dismantling from 10 p.m. – Overnight stay at Landgasthof Buch

However, the organisers' work was not over when the club day ended. It was time to dismantle and tidy up. Late into the night, the display cases were dismantled, tables and chairs were folded up and the equipment was tidied away. It is also worth mentioning the overnight stay at the Landgasthof Buch – THE hotel in town. The fact is that all rooms were fully booked – thanks to the fans. Even all the star guests stayed at this charming accommodation.

Author: Ralf Kammerer
Photos: Peter Schütz, Christian Gerhardts, Helmut Janisch

Das komplette Interview mit John Mayhew kann hier nachgelesen werden.
Das komplette Interview mit Armando Gallo kann hier nachgelesen werden.

---

Photo Gallery