A couple years ago, on the Spooky tour, I followed Lush around Italy and Germany ( as best I could, mind you!) At one show in Germany, The opening band were complete crap. They were using an acordion to complement their guitars! While I was remarking to myself about the nauseating qualities of this band, I looked over and Miki was standing right next to me, looking as confused as I was. I said to her, Whatever you guys do, don't use an acordion." she replied, "It's fucking dreadful, isn't it?!" Then we smoked a cigarette and she thanked me for coming all the way from italy to see them.
During the show, one of my t-shirts got ripped off, so after the show, I caught Miki just as she was going to the back and asked her since I came all this way and my shirt got nicked, could she give me a rebate? She came back out with TWO shirts, and Emma's guitar picks! I'll never forget that Lush rule.
-Unknown, mail me if you have a name dude.

Did you know that miki is the computer type but she only plays game i know this because i saw an interview with her in amiga power! She also wears black knickers i know this becuase when i last went to see them she got the guitar caught on her skirt and it came right up. Thats all i got to say.
-Stuart Dawson.

I'm Ruth Acland, Chris' sister-in-law. I'm married to his older brother Francis.
I don't know what to say, except that I decided to see if Lush was still around, or if they had anything to say about Chris that I somehow haven't already heard about.
I last saw my dear brother-in-law May of '96, when we were visiting England after my father's death. Chris seems alright to me; I hadn't an inkling there were any problems. He was always such a sweet brother-in-law to me, and he paid me the single biggest compliment when he said he wanted to marry someone like his 'sister-in-law'. For once I had done something right in my life, and I totally approved of Grace. She was a sweet girl and I thought 'this might be the one'.
We used to receive postcards from Chris from all over the United States and the world. Of course, I still have those postcards. They were always cheerful and upbeat, but he did speak a lot about being tired and always seeming to be in a hurry.
Anyway, I decided to check up on Lush or Chris on the internet, to see if there are any clues as to why he did what he did, or what the source of his unhappiness was. Francis and I invited him to stay here with us in Iowa if he needed to get away for a while. He was always welcome to stay with us; Chris had his special 'open door' policy here at our old Iowa farmhouse. However, he did stay with us for about a week in the autumn of '92. I first met him at our old place, another old farm house, and we were immediately bonded as family.
I will always miss Chris. He was a sweet friend and fun uncle. I wish I knew what more I could have done for him, or if there were any signs that things were wrong. I wish desperately that he was still around. He is sorely missed by his sister-in-law.
-Love, Ruth Acland

The reason I'm writing this however, is that your page reminded me of when I saw them at the 9:30 club (here in Washington D.C.). In between songs Miki changed guitars and asked the crowd, "Do any of you use the Internet?" A bunch of ppl boo'ed and then she said, "Neither do we, it's a bloody joke, it's a waste of time."
You might not beleive me, but she really did say it... It freaked me out when I heard it, being a net-citizen, myself... But the show was still great :)
- Unknown.

...then, my life's redemption was about to happen - Lush were due back in Cincinnati, with Mojave 3 one-the-less!!! So, I got my ticket and went. I was extremely apprehensive about going because I was going by myself but once I got there and I saw all the Lush-heads running around with dyed hair and wearing T-Shirts, I felt more at home than I normally do at my own house. By the way, Lush played a flawless set, except on "500" - one of the guiter techies didn't tune Emma and Miki's guitar at the same pitch so it was a bit off - they were pissed and showed it after the song hehehe :) I was fairly disappointed however that they didn't play much from Gala or Spooky however. From the bootleg I had, I knew that they had deleted alot of those earlier songs from their playlist and I was dying to hear Monochrome and Superblast! live.
Well, after the show I went to the back of the club and waited around for Lush to come out. In the meantime I was talking to Rachel Goswell (Mojave 3 and Slowdive fame) and thanked her for sending me a copy of Pygmalion (I wrote her an email about 2 months before and complained that it wasn't released in the U.S. and the import costed $25 which is double the price for a normal CD) and inquiring about the future of Mojave 3, how they were going to sound down the road and stuff like that. Oh B.T.W. she said that they will be returning to their Shoegazing roots soon - they like the stripped-down acoustic sounds they worked on their debut CD but they said that it doesn't seem to engage anyone when they play a live set. About 15 minutes later Lush came out but they were so tired that they didn't want to sign autographs or anything so they just piled into their limo and left.
But hey, you're talking to a hardcore fan who was determined to make this show count for the loss I took at missing their 1994 date. So, I took off behind them, running as fast as I could (and as fast as I've ever run I think :) and fortunately the limo stopped and I told them that I wasn't a psycho but that Lush had made such an impact on me, they were not only my favorite band but more like four best friends that I had never met. I told them that I didn't want an autograph, a picture, a hug or anything - I just wanted to thank them for not giving up in such an unforgiving music industry and staying true to themselves and their music.
The next part totally kicks ass - Miki just sat there for a second and she asked me what I was doing tonight and after I said nothing, she invited me to 'The Loft', a bar/club which you have to be 21 to get into - I was 18 at the time but it didn't matter to them - Miki told me to hold on for a second and a couple seconds later she had a 4AD pass in her hand and she gave it to me and said "Now not only are you 21 but you are also a 4AD corporate member." So, they drove me to my car and I followed them to The Loft. Shortly after I arrived Miki wrapped her arm around my shoulder and we walked up to the bar and she ordered me a double Jack and Coke.
Sadly, it was Chris that I really took a liking to. Shortly after I got my drink someone announced that they were "stepping outside" so we all went outside and passed around a few joints. Afterwards Miki and Emma went to mingle and me and Chris sat down on a couch and talked about a bunch of stuff, like why people call pants a "pair of pants" when it is one item. At about 5 AM they headed out and we exchanged hugs.
I remember where I was on October 18th, 1996. I was sitting in my college's computer lab (where I'm at right now) surfin' the net and I went to Reality's Lush web site. As soon as it was loading up I saw the news that Chris was found dead and was devastated. I knew how close Miki, Emma and Chris were and how nice Chris was and I started crying because it was such a huge loss to music, to Miki and Emma and the world for he was a genuinely nice guy. I think that he deserved a better ending than the quick and premature way and I knew/know that Lush would never be the same.
So in closing, I want to remind you that Lush is a special group full of special people. There really is personality behind the band members and that we have to be patient and understanding to keep ourselves free of irritation due to Miki and Emma's inactivity. Whether we were disappointed or absolutely blown away by the news of Chris's death, we have to remember that Lush was a network of long time and close friends and that they lost a brother, and recovering from that loss may not be possible or easy. But, in seven years what they have accomplished - all that which they have made us feel and enjoy - can never be replaced.
-Sincerly, Halcyon

I ALREADY TOLD YOU MISTER/MISSUS YOU CERTAINLY ARE SLACKING OFF...
...NOW FOR GOD`S SAKE GET YOUR ASS INTO GEAR
(i `m very sorry, its stress you see)
-POWER GREG WILLIAM

I was at an amusement park and I met Miki. She signed my jeans and I asked her to marry me. That's it. My life's really pathetic?
-Mike Bowers