Chinese Moon

I knew them all in my time

I knew Memorial Device

I went to the shows

I was into old Airdrie groups

We had a team, we grew up together

And we used to go to all of the gigs

But it all changed when we discovered psychedelics

And after that it was inevitable that we'd form a band

We hit on this idea, right?

Duncan's dad had an endless supply of mannequins

That he used in the windows of his store on Baillieston Road

So we decided to make tapes, right?

And then we'd organize this show

Where we'd dress the mannequins as us, you know, like schoolboys, basically

But looking like rockstars, all the instruments and with wigs on

And then we'd play these tapes behind them like it was a gig

We came up with a name

First it was Shooting Gallery

Then it was Credible Ring

And then Chinese Moon

We rang up some pubs, got the names of some clubs but

Whenever we tried to explain what we were trying to do

They would hang up or refuse or come up with some bullshit excuse

Thought there was only one option

We said to Duncan

"Can you ask your dad to set up a window display?"

Then we would dress the mannequins

Play the tapes behind them

And there would be like a musical window in Shettleston

It was like an instalation

But like a gig as well

Even though we could actually go and see it for ourselves

Although it only lasted a week

And to be honest with you, we never thought of anything past that

It generated a lot of interest

People started to get in touch

Inquiring inside the store

Which is part of the reason why it shut down, I believe, too many crazies got their number

But we got letters

Letters from artists obsessed with body parts

A dominatrix

A professor studying robotics at Coatbridge College

Lonely CB radio hams

But the letter that was the most interesting

Was from Lucas Black, from Memorial Device