Student Life: When Frightened Rabbit Met A Psychedelic Cat

Feature by Scott Hutchison | 16 Sep 2008

When I first arrived in Glasgow to study at the Art School, I was dropped off by my parents at the Margaret Macdonald House halls having enjoyed an unbearably tense and quiet meal with them both at an Italian restaurant. I wish I'd never taken them up on the offer of the dinner, as it found me arriving not only in a heightened state of anxiety, but also to an empty flat.

It transpired that everyone else had got there much earlier in the day and had arranged to go out to get to know one another better at The Garage. I think the only thing one can find out about someone at this particular nightspot is whether or not they are keen to do a spot of fucking with you, which I’m sure one or two of them did. Anyway, so it was I found myself alone, aside from the brief but unforgettable company of one American girl named Erisha. Within the space of half an hour Erisha had informed me that she was currently on acid and that she was, in fact, a cat. It was pretty plain that she was lying, but her conviction was undeniable and instead of trying to explain the physical differences that she and cats possessed, I simply said ‘Wow’ and smiled at her. After a few minutes of sitting there in near silence (Erisha was prone to laughing randomly and inexplicably to herself, completely outwith the realm of a conversation) I did a big fake yawn and went to bed to lie awake for many hours.

At around 4am I heard everyone else arriving back from Le Garage, pissed up and laughing at really great jokes and things. I felt incredibly left out, and the feeling kind of continued for a few weeks as the fun things that they all experienced that night would continue to come up hilariously in conversation again and again. Looking back though, I’m glad I had that half hour with Erisha. The cat thing wasn’t really mentioned again and Erisha actually turned out to be a great deal more interesting and pleasant than most of my other roommates. My only advice would be, don’t bother with The Garage. When you arrive, you have the chance to fool everyone you've never met into thinking you are mental, just like Erisha did to me. That'll be a lot more fun.

Frightened Rabbit play:

Dundee University Student's Union on 16 Sep

The Skinny Dip at Moshulu, Aberdeen on 18 Sep

The Caves, Edinburgh on 21 and 25 Sep

The Arches, Glasgow on 30 Sep

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http://www.myspace.com/frightenedrabbit