Having learned on other threads that Yorkie is meant to have been one of the sandle wearing, CSNY loving hippies of this World (Crosby Stills and Nash were amongst the greatest), I just wonder what others were. A lot of us oldies remember the golden days of the late 60s and early 70s - Furphy, Scullion, Endean etc. those were our formative years. They were also years when the terraces became populated by Ben Sherman wearing skins, with razored heads, turned up levis and big boots - and castrated bollocks. There were also others - collectively known as 'hairies', not real hippies (we never got to Afghanistan), not real bikers - just enjoyed Led Zeppelin more than Desmond Decker. We used to hang out at Kingham Hall, or Watford Tech. and avoid the Top Rank on the way home. I was one of the latter - but did find skinhead girls quite sexy. So what were others on here ? We are all old men righting the World (and keeping brain cells alive) now - but what were we then ?
You will not be surprised to learn that I was a skinhead in the sixties, loved Desmond Decker on rocker bashing weekends in Gt Yarmouth but long haired by early 70's. Surprising I turned out to be such a nice guy nowadays!!!
I confess that I also went through a short skinhead phase SH. Most of those on the rookery in those days did, but it was very short. The original skins were not political - in fact they were often more multi ethnic than other groups, but this changed by the late 70s, with some joining the punk scene and others moving towards the hard right (for want of a better term). Also Reggae music itself slowed down and became more Rasta dominated.
I did not know any skinheads that were political in the rightwing or racist sense, in fact most loved the soul music at the time. I went to a local soul music gig with a large group of my family the other day. Not only did I manage to embarrass my daughters with my dodgy dancing but also my granddaughter and friends, quite a feat.!!
I would have imagined that we all went through a type of skinhead phase - whilst I never went to the extent of actually shaving my head, for a while my hair was, in hairdresser parlance, a number 0.5. I also wore the Ben Sherman shirts, the Doc Martin boots (with steel toecaps being de rigeur) - but drew the line at jeans with turn-ups. From memory, that came just before the summer of 1969- when kaftans, long hair & bells round the neck became the order of the day. I remember going to an away match at Southport dressed like that, and getting chased by a bikie gang through the town & along the seafront. Funnily enough, one of my oldest friends was a bikie during that time - and basically still is. I sometimes frequented the Trades Hall near the Junction Station (mainly because I lived just over the road from it), but my musical 'entertainment' was generally at the Railway Hotel in Harrow, where I sampled the delights of the likes of Long John Baldry, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and Christine Perfect & Chicken Shack - for which I have paid the price of now having a hearing problem...
Cropped my hair at 15 having had fairly long hair from the age of 7... I just liked the military style flat top for a phase, probably from reading too much Warlord, Battle/Action and WWII graphic novel series. Then grew it long, eventually very long, after a year or so. Joined up with the "Rookery End Rockers" and was always a bit of a metaller who rode bikes rather than a biker... my practical mechanical skills leave something to be desired which, in those days, was a bit of a burden getting my mates to help fix whichever bike I had at the time. Had an Afghan, which I was never really comfortable with, reverting quickly to denim and leathers and going so far as to embroider my own back patches and logos to supplement the patches bought at Wembley Market. Still a metaller through and through, but the bikes are long gone as is, unfortunately, that denim. The leathers don't fit anymore either, lol.
Load of kids on this thread tonight. By 1970 I had been married for 6 years and had two children. Working in an office my instincts of following the flower power movement had to be curtailed. Yes, my hair did get a bit longer, but these were the days of collar and tie and a smart look if you wished to progress. I actually learnt a great deal in that job about running a company, especially relationships between owner and worker, but I did feel at that time there was an inner me wanting to get out. Since I moved to France I have been able to let those inhibitions disappear . I have some suits that never leave the wardrobe, I can spend my days scruffy as I like as there is no one to see me down my fields, and only have a haircut, which doesn't take long now, when under pressure from Mme as we are going out to a dinner. Musical tastes are very wide indeed as you might expect from someone who earned a few pounds playing all sorts, but even today I find myself taking apart what each member of a band is doing. Probably still a rocker at heart, but do love a band that can take a huge arena and make the person at the back feel involved.
As I was born in '73, I'm not sure there's much I can contribute to this thread. I did have longer hair in my final year at University, but had to have it cut when I moved here. I wasn't one for going out much, so most of my exposure to live music was in the bar/club area in the Student Union and the occasional performer at one of the safe pubs.
Never a skinhead in appearance or outlook myself, though I seem to be increasingly deficient in the hair department these days
It had all disappeared by the time I became a teenager - it was all labelled jumpers and trousers and fringes and side parting. People bang on about the 70s being the decade that taste forgot - looking at old photos the 80s wasn't much better. Stadium rock is not my taste at all but do agree with OFH that a band who can have tens of thousands feeling involved must be doing something right. Never really warmed to the outdoor gig thing but am going to see the Cure at Hyde Park in July. Their 40th anniversary tour - God I feel old!
I had been hoping to get tickets for Runrig's farewell concert next August in Stirling, outside the castle - their 45th and final year. By the time I remembered to logon to buy them, they had sold out. One of my major regrets in life is missing their concert at Balloch Country Park, Loch Lomond in 1991 - having the video just isn't the same as being there...
I was west coast US psychedelic rock/Glastonbury 1971/welsh hills/Indian Guru vintage in my teens... Straightened out into teaching and mental health work in my twenties.... so 'normalised' into era appropriate clothing... Did get beaten up by a skinhead in snorbens one evening.... and was subject to some very threatening attention at football matches I did get to India... but by plane.... I guess my low point was living in a tent in snorbens park after a life changing two week party at my parents flat when they were on holiday... I never moved back home <shame yorkie shame>
no... this lad was taller than you... about 5 ft 4 Mind you he did run off to his mates after doing the deed ...mmmmm.....
Post-punk during the 80s, long hair early 90s. Then short hair (work necessity) till about ten years ago. Skinhead now (and you’ve got to love Ska), but not now so much the matter of choice it was when I first sported it.
We used to have a music thread on here - I suspect if we revived it it could be more divisive than the politics threads!
