So funny...I don’t know where to start! The wet fish incident just got me! The seventies were clearly a very influential time in your life. How wonderful that you got to see Bowie in those early days. I listened to Five Years just now on Spotify...how technology in 2023 means no queuing up for gigs or tickets, nor waiting for the giro, or pay check at the end of the week to buy the latest LP. Now everything is instantaneous, but not always so thrilling as the days of listening to music in your bedroom or student flat! Waiting for the weekend to see a film months after it had come out in the states, or three years later on TV on Christmas Day if you were lucky. A fantastic read...as always! Keep em coming
This is an email from my lifelong school friend Barry Ward, who was also at St George’s for The Harlem Shuffle:
“ Brilliant Ronnie ! I’ve just read chapter 5.
I laughed out loud at your reference to St George’s youth club. Sometimes over the years I’ve asked people what was the first record they danced to, and invariably (and inexplicably to me) they can’t remember.
Well, like you ‘Harlem Shuffle’ was the one. Whoever played the records at that youth club had good taste. I can still recall the thrill of hearing Roadrunner and Get Ready played really LOUD for the first time.
We were encouraged to form a couple of lines to dance to Harlem Shuffle, and whilst none of us were capable of dancing whatsoever, we could shuffle from side to side in time with the beat.
Regarding Bowie, I’d also been to the Empire in 1969 when he was bottom of the bill on a package tour headlined by Humble Pie and performed Space Oddity. I didn’t go to the Stadium show in 1972 but in September of that year I saw him at the Top Rank and was blown away. Went out and bought the Ziggy Stardust album the next day.
So funny...I don’t know where to start! The wet fish incident just got me! The seventies were clearly a very influential time in your life. How wonderful that you got to see Bowie in those early days. I listened to Five Years just now on Spotify...how technology in 2023 means no queuing up for gigs or tickets, nor waiting for the giro, or pay check at the end of the week to buy the latest LP. Now everything is instantaneous, but not always so thrilling as the days of listening to music in your bedroom or student flat! Waiting for the weekend to see a film months after it had come out in the states, or three years later on TV on Christmas Day if you were lucky. A fantastic read...as always! Keep em coming
The 70s woke me up, good and proper.
This is an email from my lifelong school friend Barry Ward, who was also at St George’s for The Harlem Shuffle:
“ Brilliant Ronnie ! I’ve just read chapter 5.
I laughed out loud at your reference to St George’s youth club. Sometimes over the years I’ve asked people what was the first record they danced to, and invariably (and inexplicably to me) they can’t remember.
Well, like you ‘Harlem Shuffle’ was the one. Whoever played the records at that youth club had good taste. I can still recall the thrill of hearing Roadrunner and Get Ready played really LOUD for the first time.
We were encouraged to form a couple of lines to dance to Harlem Shuffle, and whilst none of us were capable of dancing whatsoever, we could shuffle from side to side in time with the beat.
Regarding Bowie, I’d also been to the Empire in 1969 when he was bottom of the bill on a package tour headlined by Humble Pie and performed Space Oddity. I didn’t go to the Stadium show in 1972 but in September of that year I saw him at the Top Rank and was blown away. Went out and bought the Ziggy Stardust album the next day.
Cheers
Barry