Smiffy49 590 Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Like many others in the mid 60's I wanted to be in a band, or group as they were called then. Gigs (I think that's the current term used today?) were called "bookings" After consultation with a few friends about who was going to learn to play what, our "group" was formed. I opted to learn rhythm guitar as it looked easier to play than drums etc. Even better, all the chords you could ever want to play in a lifetime were to be found in the "Big Chord Book for Beginners" five shillings from Nequests ! We were pretty poor to say the least, our first "booking" (no fee) took place at an outdoor church gala somewhere. Due to the fact that there were no outside sockets we had to plug in and play inside the hall, the audience were outside sunning themselves and playing hook a duck. The singer or "vocalist" as they were called in those days, was hooked up for his voice to come through the tannoy system in the trees outside. In our new found fame we thought that it all sounded great until someone told us afterwards that only the singer could be heard. Even worse we had plugged one of our amps into a socket used by a tropical fish tank (they did not survive the night) and we forgot to plug it back in. It was about the first time I had heard a vicar swear. Roll on a good few years and after many years of actually learning to play and countless venues up and down the country my story begins..... I had managed to save up enough cash to buy a decent guitar at last, a Fender Telecaster from the Carlsbro Sound Centre in Mansfield. This type of instrument had a fairly unusual method of attaching the strings and I will try and explain how it worked. Each string passed through a hole in the back of the body of the guitar and was secured in place by a small brass bush. Each bush had a hole through the middle for the strings "ball end gimble" to be anchored. The string then passed up the neck of the guitar and was tensioned and tuned in the normal way. Occasionally, usually during a "booking" one of the strings would break and the bush would hang out of the back, but would be held in place by the string. The strange event........... One night in Leeds I felt a string snap just as we were doing our third curtain call (sorry made that bit up) the curtains had stopped working in the first set. I put the guitar on its stand and turned away to avoid the tomatoes being thrown (made that bit up too). It wasn't a bad night to be honest. Anyway, getting back to the strange event..... I picked the guitar up and turned it over to pull the offending loose string through the back of the body and replace the string with a new one. Unfortunately I found that this string had broken right at the ball end gimble so the brass bush had dropped out somewhere on the stage. I searched everywhere on my hands and knees but could not find it. This was a minor catastrophe as without the brass bush I would not be able to replace the string. Luckily we were not due to play again for a week, so I took one of the other bushes to work and someone made an identical copy (out of steel) for me on one of the lathes. It worked fine so I did not bother to replace or even order another brass one from the music shop. I was pretty fortunate as no strings snapped for months. We are coming to the strange event..... Three months later I went to our usual rehearsal session at a place in Ruddington which usually lasted about an hour before it turned into a jamming session, then a chat about what was coming up and finally a trip to the pub. During the chat I heard something drop onto the floor near the small stage, I walked over and was surprised to see a small brass bush ! Picking it up I was astonished to find that it was very hot to the touch and was identical in everyway to my lost bush... It fact it was my lost bush ! I looked around to get a reaction, but everyone else was in deep conversation about this and that. My right thumb and index finger were both sore and showed a blister the next day. Going back across the room I showed the others the bush, but they did not seem to grasp the significance of what I was saying and carried on chatting. Had it been caught in my hair or shirt or trousers? - not for three months ! I actually worried about this for ages and thought of every possible explanation. No one else was in the room, the others had different types of guitars, I could not fathom it. Eventually I just accepted it has one of those unexplained things..... It's one of those things you never forget, even after all these years.... how did it get from Leeds to Ruddington, where had it been for three months and why was it red hot?? Smiffy 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LizzieM 9,511 Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Amusing story Smiffy, intriguing too. Would the bush have been hiding in one of your amps or speakers? What was your group called? Looking forward to your next story, much better than reading about politics!! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilboro-lad 294 Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Was that Nequests in the Central Markets? I think I've still got a chord book bought from there in 1968. Pale blue called 'Chord Shapes'. Nowt like a hot bush to cheer a young man up eh? 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Michael Booth 7,364 Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Behave yourself, Bilboro-lad... 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MelissaJKelly 2,124 Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Very strange indeed! Maybe it was just one of those unexplained things... Love anything mysterious me! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Michael Booth 7,364 Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 You'd have loved TYAFANS then, MelissaJKelly...lol 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MelissaJKelly 2,124 Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Is it really bad that I have no idea what that is? Possible Google job? Lol Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 You'l end up back here MJK 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
carni 10,094 Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Melissa, TYAFANS had some interesting theories about Aliens. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MelissaJKelly 2,124 Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Cheers Carni! Saved me a job. Sounds like my sort of thing! Will be having a look into it. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FLY2 10,108 Posted March 28, 2014 Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 I think Lizzies cracked it. Stuck in an amp somewhere. Unless of course you hadn't changed your jeans for three months and it was lodged in your turn up . At least you found it. Very strange though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
benjamin1945 16,163 Posted March 28, 2014 Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 My Dad had Parkinsons and being very independant insisted living on his own,despite my pleas to come and live with us.however as his condition got worse he had to make the decision a "care home" or come to us.thankfully he chose us,.just a few days before he came i was on the phone to him and he described the room we had for him (he had only visited us once about 3 yrs prior) i put it down to him having a good memory,but he went on to describe the furniture and layout of it,i thought this a bit spooky until he told me,"what programme i was watching"i even changed channel and he still knew. Obviously the move was on his mind and he was taking alot of tablets,but how strange, we know NOWT,do we. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted March 28, 2014 Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 Melissa, TYAFANS had some interesting theories about Aliens. TYAFANS Joined on Apr 05 2013 03:49 PM Members · 194 posts Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,470 Posted March 28, 2014 Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 I opted to learn rhythm guitar as it looked easier to play than drums etc. Even better, all the chords you could ever want to play in a lifetime were to be found in the "Big Chord Book for Beginners" five shillings from Nequests ! Take a look at post #62 onwards on this thread. http://nottstalgia.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9920&page=4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Smiffy49 590 Posted March 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 LizzieM, I looked absolutely everywhere on that night, amps, guitar cases, clothes, even turn ups in trousers, it was nowhere to be found. The next day and the day after that I did the same, still nowhere to be found. It baffled me for a week or so and then of course I forgot about it. It was quite a shock when it turned up again all those months later. This strange event has never left my memory and pops up from time to time. The group at that time was called Second Edition and we were managed (I think) by Jack Brentnall whose office was on Parliament Street. It would be good to hear of anyone else who has had any kind of "inexplicable event" that they never got to the bottom of. Thanks for your kind comments, I just enjoy writing. Smiffy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poohbear 1,360 Posted March 28, 2014 Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 An ex Father in Law was hammering away on a kitchen project...slipped,and the hammer clouted the corner of a floor tile.A chunk the size of a 10 pack of ciggies flew into the air to land God knows where. After finishing the job he was on, he hunted round for it to cement it back into place...the colour tiles not being available to do a proper job with a whole tile. He hunted high and low including under the cooker,washer, and fridge...even in his tool box....nothing! About three years later he decided to replace all the kitchen units and mentioned to me..."I'll find out where that bit of ruddy tile went now!" The whole kitchen was gutted back to the walls for a complete refit...the bit of tile never showed up and to this day it's a complete mystery where it disappeared to! Gremlins! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted March 28, 2014 Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 Ferguson the blacksmith came in with a badly damaged foot. The doctor was surprised, for Ferguson was a careful man. "What happened to you, Paddy?" he asked. "Well, thirty-three years ago I was a young apprentice with Twomey of Ballinanaspickbuidhe......" "But about your foot.....?" "This is about me foot. Twomey had a daughter and your eyes could gaze on her like the way a bullock would eat good grass. The first night I was there she came in when I was in bed and asked if I was comfortable and if I wanted anything and I said I didn't. The next night she came in when I was in bed and she wearing her nightdress and she asked me if there was any single thing she could get me or do for me and I told her I was as comfortable as a bug in a rug. The next night she came in and the girl hadn't a thing on her and she asked me if she could do anything for me and not wanting to keep her standing in the cold and she without a shift I said there was nothing." "What has that got to do with your foot, Ferguson?" asked the doctor impatiently. "Sure it was only this morning that I finally thought of what she meant and I was so annoyed with meself that I threw me ten-pound hammer against the wall and it rebounded and broke me ankle." 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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