Friday 14 May 2010

Happy Daze

So, the Tories are back, hair is big, shoulders are bigger, The Stones are about to (re) release an album and Dr. Who is top of the telly charts.....20 years later........plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose....as they say. And the thing is, I don't feel that different from the way I did all those years ago, when my days were shorter and my nights were longer, except without the hope of course. This is not helped by the fact that the world is wearing slash-necked, off-the shoulder sweater dresses instead of the silver-jump suits and the much-hoped for hover pack that we believed in my youth, the future held for all of us. Instead we teeter on rope-souled, strappy wedges not dissimilar to the ones we wore before we could shop-on-line, and chow down on bangers and mash, cupcakes and flapjacks. This is the food of post-war Britain. Where are the pills we were promised and the liquid nutrition we would suck from silver foil packets so often flaunted on the si-fi films of the future? The Barbican Centre with it's rough-hewn concrete and relentless orange is about as close as it gets to the promised land of 2001 Space Odyssey.....

Watching BBC 2's 'Worried About The Boy', I was briefly transported back to my heady days, and headier nights, at art college, where we learnt to abuse the grant system and rock against anything we didn't like. I can....just about.....still remember when Camden was a Palace and everyone went to Heaven on a Tuesday. I wore Christmas decorations as earrings, my boyfriend wore Y-fronts and everyone wore leggings. I saw Culture Club there (supported by Musical Youth....surely one of the odder musical couplings....) and my boyfriend was heard to remark 'that's an odd looking bird'. And indeed George was an odd bird as history was to prove; misunderstood genius? rock & roll causality? undone by love? The story continues to unravel. But it was top nostalgia telly for on Sunday night for those of a certain age, despite depicting this colourful moment in musical history as a bitter twist with a queer after taste. If nothing else, the soaring talent that is Mark Gatiss, giving us his Malcolm McLaren, was worth the price of admission alone.

Top tip:While we're still waiting for the sun to put his hat on, fill your heart with joy and go see a musical. Sweet Charity will put the rhythm back in your life.

9 comments:

  1. What a great post, thank you. I've Sky + Worried About the Boy and will be watching tomorrow, I'm pleased it's as good as I hoped from what you've said, and as for Sweet Charity, I saw the posters on my trip to London last week, and yes, I can see how it would put rhythm back in your life! Have a grea evening, Karen.

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  2. Not only were we promised hover packs, we were also promised way more leisure time. Got that one wrong too, didn't they?!

    BTW, I have passed on two blog awards to you - details over at my site. Please don't feel pressure to join in if it's not your kind of thing.

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  3. You should accept both blog awards! I know exactly what you mean by not feeling much different now compared to "way back when." Strange how we see ourselves in our mind's eye, and then we see ourselves (in a mirror) and think, "What happened? When did it happen? How did it happen?" Oh well.....C'est la vie!

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  4. I'm watching it on i-player tonight as I couldnt stand watching it with hubby as he goes on non stop when Boy George is on tv. I love Boy George and Culture Club - the 80's (and its excesses) were great for me after the austerity of a northern childhood in the 70's. I often had "shoulder pad build up" though. Pads in a blouse, jumper and jacket - my shoulders were often as high as my hair - which I had permed, and dried upside down and sprayed with Elnette before throwing my head back! and the very big, heavy clip on earrings made my lobes a bit deformed!! xxxxx

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  5. PS we were also promised that our mortgages would be paid off with ENORMOUS wads of cash from the endowments (with tousands to spare!)and that we would be retired at 50. Hahahahahahahah -Not!!

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  6. Watched it - i thought it was amazing. Bless Boy George. There is also a You Tube clip with George talking about it - he's so down to earth and witty when he is interviewed. I love him.

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  7. Wow, Musical Youth. Haven't thought of them in years!
    Thanks for reminding me of those days....

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  8. Boy George is such an instant blast to the past

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  9. I am enjoying the revival of my youth years too.. and no I certainly dont feel any different .. just look it xx

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