Were you one of the thousands, maybe millions, of sunkissed young things who danced the night away at Alexandra’s, Louie The Lip’s legendary nightclub in Plaza Gomila, Palma de Mallorca?
Did you go on one of Louie’s boat trips to Portals Vells?
Were you lucky enough to meet the legend known as Louie The Lip? Just Lip to his friends. Did it change your life forever?
We’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch and if you’ve got any photos of your time in the sun, we’d love to see them.
Get in touch with Louie at louis-obrien@hotmail.com.
Hasta la Flip-Flops!
hastalaflipflops.com 
I remember the glass floor aquarium at the entrance of your club. Looking forward to reading the book, bringing back all the good memories just thinking about it.
hi louis, spent 2/3 years in the late 60s selling beach
party tickets, fun memories.Doubt you will remember us but met
Barbara..a crazy dutch girl and we have been together 40 years so i
guess it all started on a beach with you singing oh what a lovely
bunch of coconuts and at sloopys,plaza gomilla. Good to see you are
still on this planet good luck
Hi Louis,i spent 2/3 summers pounding the streets between
Arenal and palma. selling the beach party tickets. probably wont
remember me but maybe you remember a crazy dutch girl,barbara will
always remember you singing that traditionl spanish song in the
middle of the beach, oh what a lovely bunch of coconuts…good to
see your still on this planet, good luck, russ
Action-packed week on the Rock!28
May
Hola, island lovers. Every time I come back to Mallorca I’m amazed at how quickly I settle back into the life. And, how fast everything starts to happen for me. This week was no different. So here goes.
I arrive Thursday, check in with my faithful ghostwriter, David – I let him out of the cellar for a bit, get some sun. He tells me he reckons we’ll be done with writing by the end of June. We spend a few days polishing chapters and coming up with ideas for new ones – a lot of time spent doubled-up with laughter on his apartment floor.
Bring back the 80s
Saturday night I’m invited to an 80s reunion night at Tokio Joe’s in Magaluf. Four DJs, who all got their start on the island – including Michael Vitti from Jazz FM – spin smooth soul grooves of the era. I’d forgotten how great some of those tracks sound – especially on a hot summer night in Magaluf.
Magaluf in the 80s features a lot towards the end of the book so, if you were there then, you’re going to enjoy taking a stagger down memory lane.
Radio Free Christiana – Denmark calling!
Now, I spent three years in Denmark, in the 1990s, and I’ve always loved the place. I go to Copenhagen at least once a year. For me, the Danes are the real Vikings of Europe. I love ‘em. And, if you’re talking Vikings, you don’t get more outrageous than Mai-Brit Bergh AKA DJ Farmor, who’s been presenting a show on Radio Free Christiana for the past 24 years.
Apparently, you can say what you want on the station. Something we decided to put to the test when Mai-Brit, who’s been to Mallorca 82 times in the past 20 years, interviewed me.
We reminisced about my time in Denmark and talked about how Mallorca has a special place in the hearts of both of us. Mai-Brit is a true original. My Danish fans can hear the interview on Christiana Radio when I manage to get the MP3 file to Mai-Brit, which will be in the next week or so. By then, I’ll have remembered the wavelength of the station. Sorry, Louie The Lip and modern technology don’t really go hand in hand. (David’s writing this!)
While we were sampling the mojitos at the Blue Bar after the interview, the owner showed us his amazing collection of photos and press cuttings from the 60s onwards. Turns out his old man was the manager of Sergeant Peppers, which then became Alexandras when we took it over. Dad actually wrote a book about those times but, this was when Franco was around, and there was no way it could have been published. Draw your own conclusions.
Lucky for me, though, because my book will be the first to really tell the truth about those wild days.
Meeting His Nibs
One of the big things on my agenda this week was to hook up with my great friend Debbie Cameron, who is helping promote and market HLFF! My readers will know that I’ve pledged 10% of the revenue from the book to Nourish The Children, the worldwide initiative Debbie’s closely involved with.
Debbie arranged for me to meet up with the man we call His Nibs in the book
It was the first time I’d met the guy in 14 years and it was a great pleasure to sit down and do some catching up, with Debbie translating. It’s nice to see that His Nibs listened to all the advice I gave him about how to build a business empire all those years ago. (Joke!)
More old friends
One of the great pleasures for me when I’m on the island is meeting all the old faces. A couple of these own Top Dogs in Magaluf. Sam and Kerry (Kerry is the bird) started out with me when I was running Millennium downstairs at BCM in 1997.
Kerry was in charge of the podium dancers and Sam was our PR chief. Nice to see they’ve made a success of things on the island. Once again, they listened and learned from yours truly. (Another joke!)
…and some new ones
Debbie’s daughter Laura runs the hugely successful Magaluf Pub Crawl. I was delighted to have my picture taken with Laura, Debbie and the great team of PRs she’s built up as part of my strenuous duties promoting HLFF!
For me, it’s so great to see another generation living the dream in the sun by using their skills, wits, personality and initiative to punt tickets. And, just as it was for me, selling tickets is a challenge every time!
But, who knows, anyone of these guys and girls might be an Alan Sugar in the making.
One thing I don’t understand. Why are we all holding flip-flops?
The off
So, it’s Saturday 28th May. I’m flying back to the UK tonight – I left a chicken on a slow oven a week ago – for a well-earned rest before planning the final push before HLFF! is ready for all you lovely people to buy. All’s right with the world. Almost…
It would be great if more of you left comments here. I’d love to hear from you.
HLFF!
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One Response to “Action-packed week on the Rock!”
Stu and Tina Nicholas
June 3, 2011 at 2:34 am #
Hi Uncle Louie; you asked for comments so thought that you’d appreciate a comment from your family
Pleased to see that you had a good trip to Mallorca; looking forward to seeing you soon and I am so excited that we are going to spend a week in our old Ibiza stomping ground; this time with both of our wonderful Kids. Speak soon love from the Nics/Sullivan Florida connection.
Reply Ian Herring
August 24, 2011 at 8:17 am #
Hi Louis, great to know your still doing your thing. Dont know if you remember us, Kipper always with Skin, in the 70′s we used to help you on the boat party dishing out the champers and on the wine cellar party. I can remenber Sidney Sparkler very well. We were good friends with Quango.
Recently visited Mallorca with our families and used to drink in Rumours at Portals, I see you go there aswell. I will keep an eye out for the book. Best wishes
Kipper (ian herring)
People should never forget the early days when SLOOPPY’S ran riot
in this location – I was the DJ 1968 1969 along with Tina Sykes our
resident gogo dancer – Anybody remember – Anyone out there .
Peter Christian – Out here in LA California now – Those were the days
Send me your email address and I’ll send you a picture with you, 3 guys from the Shadrocks and myself ( Miguel ) at the entrance of Sloopy’s when we were young!!!!!!!!!!!! HA HA HA
I was there from 1976 until 1989.Yes, How to forget Tom Brown? I remember this story when I was a small note on it an oversight size: we were a few Algerians to attend the disco Alexandra’s Plaza Gomila, then evening until the early hours every night for a fortnight (our entire stay). Tom Brown, in the middle of the night greeted visitors citing their nationalities, people from Germany, Finland, England, Sweden, austria, France … etc but the Algerians were forgotten. So, as I was very close to him, I whispered in her ear and Algerians, has forgotten you my friend. Since then, every night we cited as everyone else. Great souvenir. We can never forget those crazy nights at Plaza Gomila, especially Alexandra’s discotheca with Tom Brown …
I knew Louis. I was the DJ at Sloopys the year the Exotics were the house band.
Hi everyone ! Does anyone remember me. . . I was in partnership with Tony Snazell as the rival beach party, I was known by some as little Dave , some may remember my friends Pete Ludford , who sadly passed away some years ago , we were rivals along the stretch between Aranal and can pastilla,,seeking likely tickets for our beach parties! Great days,
Hi, I am Miguel, sitting next to Pete on the b&w picture in the homepage and I actually have several pictures from those years, at the beach party with me, Louie and Pete; how can i upload them?
Hi Miguel. Great to hear from you. I help Louie with the admin of his site. I’d suggest you get in touch with him directly via his Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/louis.obrien.73?fref=ts)and go from there. We’re always looking for new photos. All the best.
I do not do Facebook so I sent him an email to his hotmail account, let’s see if he reacts.
Miguel
Used to call it Plaza Gorilla …we lived in Palma…Marques de la Cenia from 60s 70s and 80s then it all closed down …disaster!! Many a night with San Migs at Joe’s bar …Vera’s bar and Frank s bar …the local .And an American bar nearby..anybody remember the name .??
Crazy Daisy was the disco ..Micky the DJ..what a nights …nights ! Happy days .Good to see they are redeveloping it ..shame to see all in ruin ..disused !! Beach was Palma Nova ski club ozzing with Swedish girls!!