In Transit

In Transit

The van that I spent the most time in was a Ford Transit. It was actually several different ones, but they were all Shifty’s Van.

My first experience was on the way to the Rockaway Day Festival in Dingwall. I didn’t know Shifty’s actual name was Tam until he joined the band, but he fitted in right away. As usual I was in the rear crew compartment, but the difference this time was that communication with First Class was possible. Large pieces of foam rubber made the travel experience more bearable.

In the ensuing years the Shifty Van become a more luxurious vehicle, with the installation of a proper “back seat” directly behind the passenger seat. I am sure there was a Glasgow bus missing a seat somewhere, but needs must.

There was even an upgrade to a slightly larger model, once belonging to piano man John Doole. Took a while to get used to the new colour, but the overall vibe was the same.

Lord only knows how many miles were covered. We went back and forth to Edinburgh, up north and down south and all points in between. The longest single journey was to Belgium and back with hardly a break . We even started the trek to Montreal in it, no limo to the airport for us lot!