What were you and why /Teenage Years

[denshaw 2,871]

Hippie, then Mod then Rocker. Now gradually becoming a Skinhead.

[carni 10,094]

#25 David,

Was the Gedling Youth club you mentioned, at the Memorial Hall on the corner near The Gedling Church, or i believe it later moved to Shearings Hill? I remember going out with collection boxes to fund the new Youth Cub,I had moved on by the time the new one was built so i never actually went there.

[Mattsdigs 104]

Mattsdigs, Ayup mi duck,

I'd say we probably did go to the cafe around the same time as there wasn't that many places to go for the age group.

We also used to go to The Miners club on the top of Besecar, i think it was later called The Ballaton or something similar and various Youth clubs, one at The memorial Hall and also The Miners Welfare on top of Mapperly Plains. I can't think of Carol; but i would make a guess that we knew of her at the time, i'm afraid i only have part memories as this time is over fifty years ago. I had a couple of good school mates who lived on Phoenix, who you probably knew as well, Are you still living in the area or moved to pastures new as i did in 1966? I am sure we will know many of the same people who lived on the estate, because that's how it was. Thank you for putting a name to the road i couldn't remember (Blackhill Drive), the memory is not so good any more.

The girls name was Carol Hudson and she had three brothers..

I knew Pete Jackson and nev caunt, Pete straw. My brother, two years older than I used to knock about with Curly Hatton and Chris Warfolk all lived at various houses along Phoenix Avenue. My father, obviously a coal miner at Calverton pit used to live in the miners club especially after the Friday pay day and if he wasn't in there then he would be in the Westdale Tavern.

By the time I was 15 I was drinking regular in theOak by the cricket field ans later I was into the Barley wine by the bottle in the Conservative club at the bottom of the twitches which I think was known as Apple tree lane. Go to the bottom and then left. Take the first on the right just last the shops and the Conservative club was there.

I left home at 17 to join the Marines and never came back as my travels took me all over the world. I ended up in Poole in Dorset after two and a half years in Wash D.C courtesy of HM government and then I lived in Poole for 32 years until last year when we moved to

Colchester for baby-sitting duties. But still enjoying roaming the world and suspect that I will be doing that til I pop me clogs.

[Bilboro-lad 294]

I went hitching around Australia when I was 16 in 1970. No credit card in back pocket in those days, not even any loose change.

Travelled up to Darwin with Sole Bros circus and left it at Darwin. Survived by picking up Coke bottles for the deposit and scavenging stale bread from the bakery after it closed. I lived in a cave on the beach. Eventually went back to Sydney and shacked up with a stripper in Kings Cross (Sydney's red light district) Made a living playing guitar in the cafes. I lived a completely nocturnal lifestyle going to bed when the sun rose.

Sex, drugs and rock and roll was the order of that year. 'Twas fun though. I'd do it again.

[carni 10,094]

Mattsdigs,

The names you have mentioned ring familiar to me, but i'm afraid i can't put faces to them.

There is a good chance our fathers knew each other as the Westdale was my Dads haunt. He was at Gedling Pit, but they all frequented the same Pubs.Sounds like you have had an interesting life, seeing the World, You caused a giggle with the Baby-sitting duties. A few names from the estate i remember....Bull, Horner, White, Hellewell, Starbuck, Windrass, Lang, Horsley, We were friends with these families and many more. Good Luck with the rest of your adventures.

[carni 10,094]

Biboro-lad

Sounds like you really lived it up, I bet you have had some fun in your life.You are only here once so go for it..Have Fun LoL

[DAVIDW 1,681]

Carni , must have been Memorial Hall , facing the church , don't know anything about another one .

[Bilboro-lad 294]

Carni. It all quietened down somewhat when I got married in '74 and we had kids and bought a house.

I guess all fun things come to an end. It wasn't all fun anyway. Living on the street is tough.

[carni 10,094]

Well at least you did it and lived to tell the tale, if no one got hurt along the way, that's good and you certainly had an adventure.Back to reality in 1974....The house; the kids, Great stuff, Just hang on to the good bits in your memory,after all there is no practice in this life.

[Bilboro-lad 294]

Yes. Since Facebook has been around I've found that quite a few never did live to tell the tale.

When I gt around to it, that will be part two of the book I'm writing. Part one is the days in Bilbra and Colwick.

[Mattsdigs 104]

Mattsdigs,

The names you have mentioned ring familiar to me, but i'm afraid i can't put faces to them.

There is a good chance our fathers knew each other as the Westdale was my Dads haunt. He was at Gedling Pit, but they all frequented the same Pubs.Sounds like you have had an interesting life, seeing the World, You caused a giggle with the Baby-sitting duties. A few names from the estate i remember....Bull, Horner, White, Hellewell, Starbuck, Windrass, Lang, Horsley, We were friends with these families and many more. Good Luck with the rest of your adventures.

Yes I do remember most of those names. Johnny Horsley lived on the bend in the road and at the top side while Frank Starbuck lived down on the Arnolds lane area but still on the estate. Frank starbuck senior had a reputation as a very big Family man who was loved by most until "in his Cups" as it were while the son left the area to join the Guards (Coldstream I believe). Last I saw of him was in the Grey Goose? down on Arnolds lane opposite the road to Lambley Dumbles.

As for adventures, well I have lived and worked in all continents over the twenty three years in the Corps and then having been made redundant by M and S ( thirteen years as a chauffeur) We travelled the world mainly in the far east but more recently we have been visiting the States of America that have the Rockies as their Spine such as Arizoan and New Mexico, Colorado and Utah, Wyoming and Montana. We have driven them extensively and loved every mile and moment. The best though was to be in the Cook Islands when a huge storm blew in out of the Ocean and grounded a ship on the coral almost opposite our digs. ( did think about doing a spot of luxury goods relocation but too old to go scrambling about nowadays).

[radfordred 6,284]

Looks good tonight 9pm BBC4 The Story of Skinhead with Don Letts 

[Mess 616]

I was a mod for a while. I had the hipsters, desert boots, parka and college scarf but never had a scooter.

Loved the Small Faces and Steve Marriott but Ronnie Lane aka Plonk was my favourite. Never got into Humble Pie.

Also liked The Who especially Keith Moon (complete nutter but probably the best rock drummer ever) I could watch Quadrophenia all day long. Pete Townsend is also a hero of mine. Just wish he hadn't smashed up all those Rikenbackers and had given one to me instead.

When the skinheads came along in the early 70s I always found them intimidating with their violent leanings particularly at football matches. I liked Slade's first single but their later releases didn't grab me apart from Every Day and Far Far Away.

[Guest]

Yes Mess Slade didn't do it for me..apart from those two you mentioned.. Although I preferred them as Ambrose Slade..their cut of Martha My Dear is the shizz!

Only born in '61 so the only real movements were punk and new romantics!

Was very aware of skinheads though...The Tams especially at Cathedral Youth Club.

Older Brothers were The Who,Sabbath, Purple etc..those sixties bands morphed under the rock umbrella in my go.

I did relish punk when it arrived in late '76 and dressed accordingly.. but i could not let go of so many other bands and artists...I tended to just dress 1960's until the early 80's .

Flip Clothing on Long Acre in London was a fave/as was jumble sales etc..

I loved Brian Jones style and Townsend too. I don't think i would have been a mod or rocker...maybe a Mocker?

[Annesleyred1865 137]

I was a young Mod then turned Skinhead, loved the clothes styles but deep down I wanted to be a Rocker like my big cousins the Forbes in St Annes.  I got hooked on Motown, Reggae and Soul being the Skin but I I still liked 60's Pop and at home my dad weaned me on Johnny Cash . When the trends blended or finished I went back into Country Music. Levis have seen me through all of these fazes and still do

[nonnaB 4,894]

I too love Johnny Cash and any country music even Flatt and Scruggs hillbilly duo.

[mary1947 2,079]

Saturday night was at "Theatre Royal" watching

"MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET"

The story of how four stars made Rock'n'Roll history

Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.

People ended up standing and dancing where they stood.

It Was An Excellent Night.

What more can be said?

[DJ360 6,721]

Don't suppose I was ever any particular 'tribe'. Early 60s while at school I followed the general trends for tapered trousers and winkle pickers (then chisel toes) all with whatever jeans you could get your parents to buy you.  Big jumpers were very 'in' for a while too.

After I left school I was keen on motorbikes so I dressed in whatever bike gear I could afford.  Never had a typical biker's leather jacket.  Only a Belstaff waxed cotton jacket and biker boots with the obligatory white socks folded over.

When the bike phase passed, I was just into fairly general clothing which was neither mod nor rocker.  I suppose it was what you'd call 'Beat'.  Long hair, jeans. (I like Lee, but they were expensive), anything from those old zip sided boots to Dunlop Green Flash, or those strange boots of eastern european manufacture with the hexagonal eyelets for the laces. Later I started wearing some pretty bizarre stuff.  How about a maroon velvet Harrod's smoking jacket, combined with a crimson shirt, assorted 'chokers' with a ring made from the bearing bush from a motorbike kickstart, blue jeans or pink or green cords jeans, and red suede shoes... with electric blue laces... Was a touch smarter for DJ ing.  My favourite ever outfit was a pair of really well cut black flares. (Flared from the hip, sort of pre-dating the 'bags' much favoured later by the 'Northern' crowd, but less extreme) I'd wear those with a really comfortable bottle green lambswool sweater, which I cariied off well in the days before I developed a belly....   All finished off nicely with my red suede shoes.

Pretty sure I've mentioned before that my beloved green sweater finished up immortalised on the cover of the original Samson's only album 'Are You Samson?' issued 1969. The b******s nicked it from the 360 club dressing room.

 

 

Trouble was, I loved all the best music.  Soul/R&B, Ska, Rock Steady, early Rock and Roll, Motown, Merseybeat, Beatles, British 'Beat groups, Authentic American Blues and R&B plus the best of the British blues.  Also classical, folk, modern and traditional jazz and pretty much anything well performed.  I wasn't going to let my musical taste be defined by some sort of tribalism.

 

Col

 

[carni 10,094]

6 hours ago, DJ360 said:

Don't suppose I was ever any particular 'tribe'. Early 60s while at school I followed the general trends for tapered trousers and winkle pickers (then chisel toes) all with whatever jeans you could get your parents to buy you.  Big jumpers were very 'in' for a while too.

 

I don't think I followed a strong fashion either, in my case it was what ever I or parents could afford, until I started work. I do remember the tight jeans and baggy jumpers. I also had a Panther Jacket which I loved, SueB and I stitched or used studs to show our names across the back. What with our massive Beehives must have looked a sight. 

A little later long hair and Polo neck jumpers were my thing. I still love my Polo neck jumpers. I have just taken them out of hibernation and hung them back in my wardrobe, four black, one green  and one red. One or the other will be worn most times when I go out through the cold months. The only thing now is that there is a lot more of me for the cloth to cling too. and if you haven't got a double chin before... a polo neck will soon find one!!.Who cares....They keep my neck warm.

[MargieH 7,599]

I can only think of what I used to wear by looking at photographs of my teenage years..

At 14, I was wearing jeans rolled up to just below the knee.

At 16, I was wearing 'proper' pedal pushers with jumpers I knitted myself.  One of these jumpers was all white except for a thick cable (4colours) going up one side at the front - it was lovely!  Also I wore full skirts - one was striped and had 3 tiers, another was purple - and wide plastic belts to show off my small waist!

At 17 and 18, I still wore full skirts, sometimes wearing white stilettos.

I was never particularly into buying new clothes - I just kept wearing the ones I had and liked!

 

[Jill Sparrow 10,304]

Being extremely slim in my teens...and even into my late 40s!...I went for the Audrey Hepburn look. I have always loved classic, elegant styles and although that wasn't the fashionable image for teenagers in the 1970s, I didn't care. I've never followed fashion.

 

I wasn't interested in pop music or pinning photos of people like The Osmonds on the bedroom wall. I suppose I was a very serious teenager and some people probably thought I was rather strange but that would never have bothered me!

 

My parents used to say I was around 35 when I was a toddler! 

[mary1947 2,079]

On 10/17/2016 at 2:21 PM, mary1947 said:

Saturday night was at "Theatre Royal" watching

"MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET"

The story of how four stars made Rock'n'Roll history

Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.

People ended up standing and dancing where they stood.

It Was An Excellent Night.

 

What more can be said? I was a teen'ebop in between a mod and rocker used to have hair in a bouffant and lots of net under skirts to make my skirt stick out. Also 4 inch stiletto heels and of course  stockings with little beetle's on them, as the Beetles had just made the charts.

[crankypig 457]

I was a sort of hippy sometimes,sometimes mod.It depended on what I fancied from C and A .My mini skirts were so short I dare not bend down.Can anyone remember the fashion of a very short dress with matching bloomer type pants?I got one from C and A.Mam said it was disgusting.

[carni 10,094]

Oh yes crankypig, I remember the bloomers, very early 1960s; I think. SueB48 and I used to make our own, and I remember wearing them at the youth club in the Memorial Hall Gedling. What with, underskirts with hoops in(Great fun if you sat on the hoop when sitting down), Net underskirts to make our skirts stand out. Pencil skirts so tight we had to hop onto the bus? Jeans (No stretch denim in those days) stitched up the sides every time we wore them, and unpicked again to get them off?

 

Those were the days my friend. We thought they'd never end.............Come on benj, I feel a song coming on. 

[Guest]

I suppose when I dressed through choice was probably 1975 as apposed to my Mother dragging me into Factory to Wearer.

'75 look I do recall Twiggy wearing immaculate ' men's style suits.

Westerner which was near where Vision Express is in Vic Centre -a magnet for me.

Rory Gallagher checked shirt,Lee jeans and plimmoes or cowboy boots...and I do recall paying £9.00 for a belt from that gaff.

The sexy look for me when i was a kid- was seeing girls with feathered skin head hairdos..window pane check and mini skirt...used to drool at Cathedral Youth Club watching them skank to Max Romeo.

In 1976 all bets were off,went to Greenwich to see 1776/1976 exhibition at The Maritime Museum ( think?!)..nipped onto Kings Rd .and bought some punk clobber.

My mates Mum Ivy Smith..she was a machinist and tapered jeans for me and added full zips- arse to ankle!!

As said previously I joined different pants and jackets together with nappy pins..wore old Dasco fencing clobber. My old man had one of those Sappers heavy leather waistcoats from ww2..turned down many offers.

Within a year Punk was New Wave and the impact gone - virtually became the Beau Brummell of Bulwell Hall.wore Edward check plus fours,herring bone suits and CCC ex De- mob gear.

Everything during my go was layered.. from Teds,Beat,Glam etc..it had all been done before ,20 years previously!

I suppose teens went from School Uniform to Twin Set & Pearls and slacks and blazer.60's teens were indeed trailblazers.