Today's subject is Lent and giving things up for lent, but first a little review of where I am in my own personal struggle to get fit.
In Junuary we started a new, occasional series called Wellbeing Wednesday. I started with some plans to get fit and lose weight. So lets start with a review of how I've done?
Exercise
I've managed to just about stick to my targets for February and March
Cycling - Minimum 50km a month, Target for year 600km
Rowing - Minimum to June 10km a month, July to December 40Km per month - Annual total 300km
Cross Trainer Jan - June. 1.5km per week
A bit under for the cycling, ahead on the rowing and cross trainer.
Weight/BMI
My target was to get down under a BMI of 30 by the end of February. I've missed this by a bit. I think this may be as much due to putting on muscle as losing fat. I am definitely a fair bit thinner. I was 32.2 at the start of the year and 31.1 at the end of January, so it is still going in the right direction. The weight is down from 111 at the start of the year and 107 at the end of January
Alcohol
The plan was to not drink for 4 days a week. I've stuck to this pretty much. Last week I had 5 days off, the week before 2 days, I think it is averaging 4 pretty much.
Mental Health wellbeing
I said that when I started this series, I'd keep a food and wellbeing diary. I failed miserably, doing it for two weeks. I sort of concluded that it was too much hassle. In truth that was as much being too disorganised and lazy to do it properly.
Fasting for Lent - Does it work?
Being from a traditional Catholic background, I always try and give something up for Lent, which is a 40 day period leading up to Easter, which is Sunday week. I try and do something that is healthy. This year, it has been red wine. I didn't want to completely give up alcohol, as we had quite a few events etc. I allowed myself last Saturday off. I chose wine, as I enjoy it a bit too much and if I over indulge in any drink it's wine. I've noticed that the less I drink, the better my fitbit says my cardio health is. It seems to work!
I've given up all manner of things over the years for Lent. This has included sugar in tea, alcohol, meat, red meat, non organic meat, sweets, chocolate and other things I can't quite recall. It generally reflects how I feel at the time and what changes I think I need to make in my life. Some of the changes have been permanent or semi permanent. Sugar became permanent, meat became semi permanent (I gave it up for 16 years, but concluded a non meat diet is unhealthy after I developed a vitamin b12 deficiency and associated symptoms). I have always stuck to the rules I've set, except when I have not gone into it seriously and prepared myself.
There are three rules that I always set myself. The first is that the change has to have what I perceive as a positive benefit for my health in some way. The second is that it is a change I wish to make and I am not doing it begrudgingly and the third is that whatever I give up, I have to miss in some way (that is the good Catholic in me).
As I mentioned, on Saturday I gave myself a night off the abstinance. A friend was having a birthday party at a lovely hotel in Whitstable and paid for a fabulous meal. I just felt I'd not be properly participating if I didn't have a glass or two. I ended up overdoing it, which is why you see a big spike on the heart rate chart on the left.
I have Muslim friendswho observe the Ramadan fast, which is a very different beast. The Ramadan fast means that you cannot drink or eat anything from sunrise to sunset and it is seen as a religious duty to do this. They find the concept of elective fasting quite bizarre and rather too easy for their liking. They feel that the strict regime of Ramadan really tests your mettle. For me, this is not a consideration. I admire the commitment of anyone who does it, but for me, it isn't really a religious thing as much as a reminder to review what you are doing and seek change. It is not compulsory for Catholics to give up things for Lent. I used to do it for the period of my life where I did not consider myself a Catholic. It is good to look at what you do and try and change things that could work better. I have always found Lenten abstinance to be a good thing. It gives you a chance to break self destructive patterns and test things out (only eating organic meat, as a treat). A few years ago, I was spendingtoo much time in the pub, so I gave up beer. Recently I've been drinking too much red wine at home, going to the pub hasn't been a problem. Things change.
So does it work? I works pretty well for me. I am no holier than I have ever been, but a bit of reflection on what changes you need to make is not a bad thing. Like many things in life, if it works for you, it works.
I thought long and hard about whether I should write this and if so what should I say, but I think it is a really important subject and I genuinely feel that it is a subject worthy of discussion. I started writing this blog a couple of years ago, but when I read it back, I realised that I didn't answer the question I'd asked in the title. I wanted to say this, but it has taken four drafts and I think I've got it right! In fact the answer is the answer to all life's problems (for me at least).
I don't want to delve too much into the background to this, in truth because to this day I don't really understand it. But in a very concise summary, about 20 years ago I was having a drink with someone and they became very serious and said to me, completely out of the blue, do you know that XXXXX absolutely hates you?
I was completely taken aback. I had no idea at all. They then told me that they felt they had to tell me, as without realising the ill will born towards me, I could be laying myself open to situations that would be very bad for me. In truth, I didn't believe it. In my own mind, there was no reason for it and no inkling of the ill will. I asked why this was and they said that the person had a raging hatred but hadn't actually explained the reason why, beyond the fact that they thought I was the devil incarnate.
I am always someone who seeks to get to the bottom of the matter. I assumed that there had been a misunderstanding, so I confronted the person in question. I expected them to say "Oh sorry about that, it was about this" and we'd sort it out. Their response was shocking to me. They said "That was a private conversation and I didn't intend for you to be told". My response was "So it's true". They said "yes". I asked why. I expected to be told of something I'd done that had been misinterpreted. What I got was a complete character assassination, listing all of my worst personality traits and explaining why this made me a despicable human being. I listened, but was rather confused. I am far from perfect, but in my own mind at least, I'd always been very onside with said person and it seemed a bit bizarre. I pushed and said "I'm not perfect, who is, I simply don't understand why you are saying this". They then said "You told such and such XXXXXX". I hadn't and we both knew the person was a habitual liar and a trouble maker. I said "How can you possibly believe that?". They replied "It has the ring of truth". I realised that there really wasn't any point arguing. When someone makes up their mind, you are not going to change it. I said "When you realise that's a load of old B****** we can discuss this further" and walked off. To this day they haven't.
The truth is that it really upset me. If it was someone, I didn't like, I'd not have cared a jot, but I liked, respected and admired the person in question and they clearly hated my guts. What was worse was the fact that I knew they were highly intelligent, but they seemed to be totally unable to provide a rational reason. The more I thought about it, the more I realised that this wasn't a new thing. Things I'd laughed off years before, I now realised were calculated micro-aggressions, designed to rile me. I also realised that this explained why certain mutual acquantainces had suddenly and for reasons I could not understand, also become hostile.
The most difficult thing of all was that I couldn't disengage from seeing the person in question. They would be around and creating issues, whether or not I liked it or not. I realised that they would be dripping poison about me behind my back. For a while, this caused me a big problem. Initially, I wanted to fix the problem, assuming it must be my fault and that it was down to me to sort it out. When I found out I had cancer in 2011, I thought it was an ideal opportunity. To my surprise, my overtures were met with the response "It's Karma mate, you deserve it" or words to that effect. I was so taken back that all I could respond was "I didn't realise that you were into new age stuff".
In truth, I was really hurt by this, but it was the best thing that they could have said. It made me realise that there wasn't much point trying to reconcile. If they can be nasty about getting cancer, then they are just nasty and that is that. I spent years trying to analyse what the whole thing was about, how I could have been so unaware for so long and missed all of the signs. In truth, the more I thought about it, the clearer it should have been. But I still found it all rather upsetting. It bothered me that this person I liked and admired could feel so vitriolic about me. During lockdown, I had time out. I got a lot of things straight in my head. Of all the situations in my life, this was for me the one that I understood least and that bothered me most.
I came to realise that the main problem I had was that I was letting the situation upset me. If I thought about it in a rational manner, it was quite easy to resolve. Firstly, I had to accept that the person had made their mind up. I can't change that. There is no point at all expending emotional capital on people who don't like you. Then there was the issue of the people who knew both of us. I try not to badmouth people, but I knew for a fact that this was not reciprocated. This was perhaps what bothered me most. I then realised that this wasn't really an issue at all. As any friendship we had was disengaged, there was little that could be said that was damaging. A couple of years ago, a mutual friend, who clearly had been upset by something that had been said, asked "What is the problem between you two". The honest answer is "they hate my guts and I am not at all sure why, I could guess but they've never actually told me anything that satisfactorily explains it". What did I say? "What can you do when people lack a sense of humour". They roared with laughter and asked if I'd been winding them up. My response "Well it certainly seems that way". Their response "You do realise that not everyone gets your sense of humour".
Quite by accident, maybe I'd actually found out, after nearly 20 years what the problem was. Could it be that all this angst was just because someone didn't appreciate my sense of humour? It is the best answer I have. But in truth, it doesn't really matter. Sometimes people just decide they don't like you. If it is casual acquantances, it doesn't matter. When they are work colleagues or family it is more problematic. But ultimately the solution is the same. You are not psychic, you never really know what anyone is thinking. If the only way you can keep the peace is by not being yourself, then it is unsustainable for more than a short time. My solution is to keep as much distance as possible without being visibly rude. Just be neutral, don't make an effort, but don't pick arguments. Life is too short to worry about people who don't like you. When circumstances force you to be in the same room, just take practical measures to try to not get irritated by them or give them reason to snipe.
Then there is how I feel about them now. Just because someone hates my guts, doesn't mean I have to hate them. Why bother? During one of the arguments we had when this first started, the statement was made "I know you hate me". I replied that I had no reason to and just because someone was being irrational, I wasn't going to waste any emotional energy at all on them. This actually infuriated them, possibly more than if I'd said I did. But it was true. Apart from saying a few things behind my back, they've not really done anything that warrants such an action. You can't control what other people think of you, but you can control your own emotions and being swamped in negativity will never make you happy.
This doesn't mean that I am totally immune from getting upset by such things in the short term, but once any intial shock and anger that there may be has passed, I have a simple strategy. If we are in the pub, sit as far away as possible. If they make digs, smile and laugh and ignore it. If mutual friends tell you things that are upsetting, just say "Ah well, you know what it's like". People can only hurt your feelings if you let them. Life is too short for that. I just whack on the Ramones, have a cup of tea and think to myself "I can either listen to the greatest band in the world and smile or I can think about comments from someone who no longer matters to me and feel miserable, easy choice".
Whilst the music of The Ramones is around, and no one is physically hurting me or my family, everything else is just noise. This is what keeps me smiling it works for me.
St Patricks day is a massive day in the calendar for everyone of Irish ancestory. My Grandad was born in Dublin a couple of centuries ago and came to the UK to work and to avoid the heat on his family from the British establishment, as they were staunch republicans. Growing up as a Roman Catholic in North London, Irish culture was all around. I went to St Vincents RC Primary and then Finchley Catholic High School. On Paddy's day, everyone would come in with Shamrock and put on Irish accents and talk about how terrible all things British were. There was usually some sort of do in the Church, with a diddly band playing songs like The Wild Rover and Danny Boy. For me, it was lemonades and crisps.
As I grew up and I got into the Pogues, I started to appreciate the music. Here are a few of my best memories of Paddies day over the years.
1. 1981 - The Galtymore in Cricklewood. I was going out with a lovely Irish lass from Kilburn. Being into punk, I'd never been there before. Her elder brothers had the air of gangsters, but when I told them of my Irish heritage, they were fine. They were very into the Republican movement. There were collections for the cause, but mostly there was a lot of Guinness drunk. It was a fun night. The family moved back to Ireland suddenly a week later and I never saw them again.
2. 2016 - The Pogue Traders at The Water Rats - A mate of mine was playing tin whistle in the band. I love the Pogues and I love the Traders as they carry on the musical legacy. It was a grand old day. Lots of Guinness consumed. They are playing at The Half Moon this year.Go if you can it will be great, sadly I can't
3. 2014 - The Sacred Heart Parish St Patricks night do. I was part of the Parish Council and we decided to do a Paddy's day do. When we were discussing food, we decided to invite everyone to bring their 'signature Irish dish'. The feast that the lovely parishioners put together was out of this world. I still get hungry thinking about it. I had the job of DJ'ing for the event as we couldn't get a band. Much fun was had.
4. 1969 - St Patricks night party at The Annunciation in Burnt Oak. I was only eight at the time. My parents had been married at The Annunciation Church and knew the long time Parish Priest Fr Fred Smythe well. There was a vibrant social club, which had a 99% Irish membership. The party was always a blast. My brothers took their guitars down and lead a big sing song. My sister Valerie commented that this was "The last St Patricks day of the 1960's" which seemed really important at the time.
5. 1979 - The False Dots St Patricks Day party. The band had been going a month. Pete Conway was very into Irish culture and decided that we'd have a St Patricks day party. We decided to write a song to mark the event. Pete was really into the Republican cause and wanted to write a song highlighting the injustice of British policies over the years towards Ireland. We were quite prolific and Pete was a great poet. When he announced that he was writing a song, I was quite excited. Three days before the party, he turned up at my house and was distraught. He said "Rog, I've got real writers block on this, every time I try and write anything about Ireland, it just comes out as a load of old rubbish". Pete was a bit of a perfectionist. It was important to him and he wanted to do it right. We got a bottle of cider and decided we would not move until we'd written a classic. After three hours we gave up. We had the party anyway, which was actually quite a laugh. It was the first time I drank too much Guinness, but not the last time. Dave the drummer quizzed Pete as to why he hadn't written the song. Pete said "If I can't write a better Irish song that the Dubliners, I'm not going to write one at all". That always stuck in my mind. I've not seen Pete since 1984. I wonder if he ever did?
As is the tradition amongst us Barnet blogger, we love to start the weekend with a little bit of humour!
As part of our new health regime, my wife told me this morning that we are no longer allowed to bring unhealthy snacks into the house. This is fine because I always eat them on the way home from the shops anyway.
Also, why not put a date in your diary for the fabulous East Barnet Festival that returns this year 28th - 30th June. The music lineup will be announced soon, so keep an eye on this space. There are some really exciting artists who have provisionally agreed to appear. It should be the highlight of the Barnet music year.
Do you love a party? We do? We love party's so much that we've not only written a song by that name, we're also making a video. It will be The False Dots new single, coming out in April! Here is our sneak preview trailer! Make sure you come down to see us next Saturday 23rd March at The Beehive in Bow.
What is the perfect album? What album in your collection do you think could not possibly be improved? Would it be one that is so badly mixed, that it was reissued several years later with an alternative mix? Would it be one that there is no discussion amongst fans that doesn't speculate on 'the good mixes'. Of all the 1977 punk bands and all of the albums, in some ways LAMF by the Heartbreakers is the most interesting of all. The band were at the very heart of the emergence of the New Yourk punk scene. Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan were members of the New York Dolls, who gave Malcolm McClaren the blueprint for the Pistols. Original bassplayer Richard Hell is credited with inventing the punk look. By the time LAMF came out, Hell was long gone.
Unlike British punk bands, the Heartbreakers were never interested in politics, anarchy or chaos. They were a brilliant rock and roll band, who only really lived to inject themselves with smack. Ironically, they signed to Track records. Apparently the recording and mixing process did not go smoothly, and from day 1, it was criticised for it's 'lacklustre mixes'. The album appeared in November 1977. I got off a 221 bus, returning from FCHS and I saw the album in the window of the record shop (where the Bridge Tavern is now). I loved the cover and bought it on the spot. I went home, put it on and was blown away. It didn't occur to me that it was a dodgy mix. I just loved it. I played it five times in a row. I only had four punk albums in my collection. Puremania by Vibrators, The Damned's first album, The Ramones two albums and this. Albums were expensive and my sole source of income was my paper round. I also had to go to gigs. I knew almost nothing of The Heartbreakers and their heroin addled life. I was fifteen years old and knew nothing of the meaning of Chinese rocks, One track mind or any of the other drug references. What I did know was that the band knew how to play rock and roll. They instantly became my favourite band.
As to the album
Side 1
"Born to Lose" (as spelled on label)/"Born Too Loose" (as spelled on sleeve)
"Baby Talk"
"All by Myself"
"I Wanna Be Loved"
"It's Not Enough"
"Chinese Rocks"
"Get Off the Phone"
Side 2
"Pirate Love"
"One Track Mind"
"I Love You"
"Goin' Steady"
"Let Go"
For the previous episodes of this series, I've gone through the tracks and given my thoughts. I am inclined not to do this for LAMF. I think every number is brilliant. There are none where I make the tea or go for a wee during. I don't have a side I prefer. From the opening chords of Born to Lose through to the end of Let Go, where Johnny Thunders says "Is that alright", I always have a sense of ecstacy.
It is quite odd, I've heard versions that are 'mixed properly' and to me, they just sound wrong, too perfect. It sort of reminds me of when I was on the bus home with my ex bandmate Pete. There was a girl who went to St Michaels that he mentioned he fancied. I commented that she had a lazy eye. Pete replied that he found it sexy and irresistable. He said that girls that were too perfect were never really sexy. That is the secret of LAMF.
I don't know how many times I've played LAMF, but it always sounds fresh. It needs to be played loudly, on vinyl, it doesn't work properly in any other setting. When The False Dots started, the drummer in our proto line up let slip that LAMF was his favourite album. That was the moment that he was in. I've always judged people of a punk rock persuasion on their reaction to LAMF. If they say "It's badly mixed", then to me, they are not really punk. If they say it's amazing then I will love and respect them forever. The songs are great, the guitar is great, when Johnny sings, it tugs your heartstrings in a way that no one else can.
The more I learned about the band, the less empathy I had with them. I'm no fan of junk culture. I saw the Heartbreakers and Johnny Thunders many times. It was always a lottery as to whether they would be brilliant or terrible. They performed some of the very best gigs I ever saw (The Marquee was a highlight), they also performed the worst, The Lyceum where a live album was recorded. Thunders was off his head for the gig and spend half of it slumped on the floor. I have the live album, it sounds far better than what I recall. There is a video of it somewhere, I've never watched it. Too many lllusions were destroyed. The live album has probably the most offensive song ever recorded on it. It is so offensive that it is cringeworthy. I could forgive them anything apart from destroying my rock and roll dreams. But LAMF will always be the top of the pile.
Perhaps the song that best sums up The Heartbreakers is actually a Ramones song (Johnny and Richard Hell apparently wrote the middle eight). Chinese Rocks has the best middle eight breakdown ever recorded IMHO. In it Thunders sings
It's hot as a bitch
I should've been rich
But I'm just diggin' a Chinese ditch
There was never a truer lyric. The baand should have been the biggest rock and roll band in the world. Having seen The Heartbreakers and listened to LAMF, I've always found supposed Rock and Roll bands such as Guns and Roses a bit naff and a bit too stilted. In many ways, they ruined rock and roll for me, by just being a bit too good at the whole thing. They are all dead now. Walter Lure was the last to go.
I doubt anyone who wasn't a teenager in 1977 and loved punk would understand any of this. But this album to me is the pinnacle of human development. It has never been surpassed. It never will be. Nothing truly compares.
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Without LAMF I don't think I'd have formed a band. Last week, we filmed a video for our new single, "we all love a party" coming out in April. We have a gig on Sat 23rd at The Beehive in Bow. Here is a short trailer for the video, which we will be releasing soon.
What is the worst job in the UK? I think that is an easy one. It is being Diane Abbott. There are over 600 MP's and they seem to say stupid things almost every time they open their mouth. A stack of them have been sacked for various misdeeds, leading to a spate of by elections. Can you name any of them? All of these crooks, villians, etc, yet the one politician who is always fair game for a kicking is Diane Abbott. I am not a fan of hers, but as someone who hates bullying, I cannot help but think the singling out of Abbott, who's biggest faults are that she puts her foot in her mouth sometimes, can't add up and is a bit of hypocrite in wanting the best for her kids, seems to me completely disproportionate, when so many get off scot free, when they've been doing actual criminal acts. I am not an apologist for Abbot, but lets have some perspective. The right wing press always choose pictures where she looks like she's been sleeping in a bin and been stung by a wasp. My mate, the Rev Emily Kollveit, Vicar of St Judes, used to work in Hackney and told me Abbot was the best and most helpful constituency MP she'd met. She told me that she really cared about people and was quite sensitive, so the criticisms got to her. Hearing Emily's stout defence made me reassess my previous view of her. I don't know Abbott, but I do trust Emily's judgement, she was a the former landlady of the Chandos Arms, before becoming a Vicar, so is probably the most streetwise vicar in the C of E.
The former deputy chair of the Tories made blatantly islamaphobic comments whilst moonlighting on a TV show, but he's still an MP. It took the Tories an age to figure out that it was beyond the pale. When they finally suspended him, he had a hissy fit and quite for the 'Reform' Party. What do they want to reform? Perhaps they want the UK to become a place where blatant racism is acceptable, as it was in the 1970's. On Monday I wrote a blog about nostalgia. In the 1970's, we had blatant racism on TV on a daily basis. Bernard Manning on the comedians, Love they neighbour and Alf Garnett were all perfectly acceptable TV viewing. I saw an interview with actor Warren Mitchell, AKA Alf Garnett, where he said that the character was written to be so pathetic that no one would be able to empathise with him, only to find that everywhere he went, people would say "You are spot on with that Alf". In many ways, the BBC was more 'Woke' in the 1960s than it is now. Swear words were banned and they genuinely tried to make Alf Garnett look like an idiot. Even Love Thy Neighbour, an ITV show, did their best to portray the white racist as a fool, whilst the aspirational black couple next door were shown as intelligent and well to do. Where the wokeness stopped was with sexism, but that is another discussion for another day.
So fast forward to 2024. The words which formed Bernard Mannings act have been banned. Now we simply say "The N word" or "The P word" and heaven help anyone who uses such things in a humourous manner. Things have moved on. I do wonder what would happen if the BBC decided to have a 70's day and showed all of the worst examples of 70's TV in a marathon show. Would it be funny, or would we say "how could we possibly think that wasn't utter crap". I think my kids would have a heart attack at most of it.
But, there seems to be one group of people that the rules don't apply to and the 1970's are still in full flow. I am talking about Kevin Hester OBE. Why can he say what he likes? Because he gave the ruling party in the UK a bung of ten million quid. When can you say a black woman should be shot in a public forum, and it's OK? When you've bunged the government party ten million quid. Would Bernard Manning still be on TV (yeah I know he's dead, but you know what I mean) if he'd bunged Rishi Sunak £10 million? Would he have got an OBE like Hester.
I am not someone who is easily offended. I grew up in the 60's and 70's. My Dad run a crash repair business, where I worked as a kid. I was surrounded by working class guys, who's language would make many youngsters hair curl and turn white. The jokes they would share would make Manning seem tame. I stood on football terraces, as racist chants, monkey noises etc were order of the day. I recall watching Black Manchester City goalie have bananas thrown at him at Fulham FC. It all seemed normal back then. It was only when Rock Against Racism called out Eric Clapton for racist comments at a gig in Birmingham, that it even occurred to me that it might not be OK. The Specials and other bands educated me and a generation. You can't love music made by black people, have black mates and think that its OK to treat them like shit, like second class citizens. When Diane Abbott puts her foot in her mouth, if it makes you want to 'hate all black women', you are actually a little bit sick in the head. When I was at FCHS, a bully of Irish origin beat me up in 1976, when they saw me at an England Vs Republic of Ireland match wearing an England scarf. Did that make me hate all Irishmen? No, it made me think that bullies are reprehensible.
Kevin Hestor has an OBE - That is an Order of The British Empire. He has brought the order into disrepute. He should be stripped of it. As for the Tories, should they give the £10 million back? This is dead simple. The answer is "If the Tories want to be associated with this man and his views, they should keep the cash and say so. If they want to prove that they find them abhorrent, then give it back". Earlier in this blog I mentioned 30p Lee Anderson. If Rishi Sunak wants to appeal to his constiteuncy (people who agree with him, not who live in his area, to clarify), keep the cash and shout it out proudly.
It is easy really. Rishi Sunak needs to demonstrate what the Tories stand for. That is what leaders do.
Yesterday we saw some wonderful sights in North West London. It was #VintageBusDay. I didn't know this until I saw an immaculately decked out 240 Routemaster bus in Mill Hill Broadway station. I felt a real buzz of excitement and much to the embarrassment of my son, who was with me, started to take pictures, which I posted on Instagram
My son was bemused by my excitement. I explained that I used to get the 240 to school at St Vincents on the Ridgeway and they used these buses. I then realised that, although he went to St Vincents, he never took the bus. I recall the excitement, when the old, clapped out Routemasters were replaced with shiny new buses, that were square and had automatic doors. I seemed like the future had arrived. The excitement didn't last. I soon felt nostalgic for the old buses, with their open platforms and their bus conductors. I did a google and the date was 16th January 1971. I'd have been eight years old. I vividly recall the last time I ever rode a Routemaster on a regular route, rather than a heritage day. It was the day of the 7/7 bombings. I was doing some work at Debenhams head office on Oxford St. As the horror of the bombings unfolded, I found I was stranded. I ended up working to Swiss Cottage, then took a 13 bus to Golders Green. This was still being worked by a Routemaster. I then got a 240 home. I felt a pang of guilt, as I genuinely enjoyed that journey.
When I see a Routemaster now, I think of the 7/7 bombing. Had that not happened, I would think of St Vincents, but it was a vivid day. On the 240 bus, I bumped into an old school mate from Orange Hill. I'd not seen him for years. What both he and I didn't know at the time, was that his sister had been on one of the bombed tube trains and she'd lost her legs. We had a good old chit chat, in blissful ignorance. A week later, someone said to me "Have you heard about Grant's sister". I was deeply shocked.
My initial joy at seeing the Routemaster stirred up all of these feelings. The past is a strange place. We tend to remember what we want to remember. Yesterday was Mothers day and on Saturday I wrote about how it is a difficult day for me. Nostalgia is a very dangerous thing. When we think of the 60's and the 70's, it is nice to recall the Routemasters, the flair footballers such as Stan Bowles, Rodney Marsh and George Best, James Bond's DB6. It is really easy to buy into the idea that everything was wonderful then and it's all gone wrong now. The truth is far more difficult. It really wasn't so wonderful. The cancer my mother in 1970 was one that killed everyone who had it. She was unique in surviving a total gastrectomy in 1970. Her surgeon, Mr Phillip King, told her in 1984, that she was the only person on the planet, who had the operation then, that was still alive. Now there are treatments and people live. Given the choice between a pretty bus and my Mum, I know which I'd choose.
The truth is that we usually choose to view the past through rose tinted spectacles. We try and bury the bad bits in a locked room in our memories. I'm all for a bit of nostalgia, I spent Friday night recording a video with my band celebrating the party culture of the 1970's. Here's a few shots of some of the shenanigans that were going on. We had proper 70's party food such as cheese and pineapple hedgehogs, pork pies and sandwiches with ham. We invested in some Liebfraumilch, some Warninks Advocate and some Strongbow cider. We played soul and ska classics from the era. It was all great fun, but there were some big differences from a party back in the day. No one was smoking in the room. No one drove home drunk. No one was telling mother in law jokes to their mates. No one was hunting around for a can opener to open a can of Watneys Party Seven. No one brought records with them, so we could here the 'latest sounds', they simply picked numbers on Spotify. No one needed to borrow 5p to run to the telephone box, to tell their mum they'd be late home.
But when it came down to it, what we did was pretty much what we'd have done in the 70's. Listened to good music, ate and drank and forgot about our problems for a few hours.
As this decade progresses, it become more like a version of the 1970's by the day. In 1974 Labour won an election to replace a failing Tory government, that had lost the plot. The Middle East was in turmoil, with a war starting the year before. There was a cold war in the East with us all scared about Soviet expansion. The UK economy was in a mess, after an energy crisis. Racism and anti immigrant hostility was on the rise, following Idi Amin's expulsion of Kenyan Indians. The parallels are almost uncanny.
I suspect that in 1973/4, as we had three day week and the lights going out, the idea that anyone may look back on the 70's with fond nostalgia, would seen insane. That is the trouble with the past though, you can never quite escape it. In fact, no matter how awful it really was, it seems we don't really want to, even if we could.
My band, The False Dots were founded in 1979 and are still going 45 years on.
Our next gig is at the Beehive, in Bow on Saturday 23rd March. Here is avideo we made celebrating the car culture or the 1970's. Please come and see us at our next gig on Saturday 23rd March at the Beehive in Bow, click here for tickets.
