Dearest Moteliers,

WHAT WERE YOU DOING 25 YEARS AGO?

It is a shocking but true fact that 25 years to this day we opened the Motel’s doors for the very first time - and we had no idea what we were unleashing... Here is how I remember the day after in the book...

I pulled out of the sleepy abyss waiting for the pain to hit - weak, exhausted, in an almighty daze - but the overriding sensation was different. For the first time in months my brain was calm. And swimming in the contentment of a successful first night.

                Excitement and hunger gnawed at my stomach, I lit a Marlboro and the smoke threw a soft focus over the montage of the preceding 36 hours. 'We did it Lady.' Mike confirmed as we bobbed about in the moment alone on the waterbed in Room 10. 'It's going to be an incredible summer…if we just keep going like this for 14 more weeks.' He laughed. And with that rolled over to make his first joint of the day. I swayed in his wake as the sunlight cut through the viewing gallery - so this was what it was like to wake up in the Motel. Everything looked so cool. This ice white room with its two giant double beds. I caught my reflection in the floor to ceiling mirrors, called Chuli & Chicken, they jumped up, licked my nose then lay on their stomachs surfing the gentle waves. . .

As Mike & I sit here together 25 years later conjuring up the spirit of the Motel we wanted to say a big thank you for your support and patience. The writing is going well - a first draft is almost complete. To celebrate we are designing a bonus 25th Anniversary digital poster that will be included with your package. 

To mark this SILVER DISCO JUBILEE we are also launching a new pledge level. It includes a specially designed Motel dog tag (stamped with the words that were stencilled on our military pick-up truck ASS CASH OR GRASS NO-ONE RIDES FOR FREE), a beautifully designed commemorative book plate and a stunning new piece of digital Motel art. We would love to hear what you were all up to 25 years ago. Please share your memories on social media, tag us @mcmanumission along with this link... https://unbound.com/books/themotel/

And for those of you in the mood for some sonic stimulation…  

I took myself way back to a particular Motel moment for this retrospective piece of progressive house 'Let's Take X'. For which I wrote and performed the lyrics inspired by life under the neon lights and the electronic mastery of producer Rey Vercosa. Produced in São Paulo this is the first single of an upcoming album being written alongside the book and will become part of a fully immersive, vast and borderless Motel audiovisual experience.

So sit back, press play on the video, pump up the volume, and raise a glass - or what ever takes your fancy - as we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of The Manumission Motel.

Love & kisses, 

The Manumission Mrs