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| Blogs > hotdreamer1000 > While I was Dreaming |
Life On Mars
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Life On Mars In “Life on Mars” Sam Tyler has an accident and wakes up solving crimes in 1973. Is he in a coma? Or is it real? Whatever it is he is there for a reason. Maybe if he can work out what it is he can find his way home. With a great pop/rock score, it is a wonderful period piece TV series; half spoof, half serious police drama, destined for cult status. I love it. Watching it has reminded me about all kinds of things I had forgotten about growing up in the seventies. The music is the key……. From 1971 to 1973, long before Oasis versus Blur, but after the Beatles and the Stones, it was Slade versus Mark Bolan and T Rex. I loved them both, but T Rex became timeless; it’s Slade that has the evocative power now, especially the less heard songs; “Cos I Luv You,” “How Does it Feel,” “Take Me Bak Ome.” We had big flares and stripy tank-tops and even if you didn’t follow fashion you had to turn on Top of the Pops every week just to see what Dave Hill was wearing. Barking mad he was, the Godfather of Glam-Rock, he inspired me to play the guitar, thank goodness I only laughed at his clothes! “Have you seen Her” was by the Chi-lites and no one would have known what an MC was; Hammer had probably only just been born, but he must have modelled his gold lame pants on something of Dave Hill’s. You could buy a wagon wheel for three and a half new pence in the school tuck shop where a guy called Rupert played Roxy Music and John Kongos’ “Tokoloshi Man” during the lunch break. He lent me that record the year he left school and I’ve still got it somewhere, I wonder what happened to him, he was a great cricketer. By 1974 the less educated were all dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles, but for me it was Levis and cowboy boots - I had pretentions of being a throw back to flower power ‒ it seemed like ancient history to me but really it was only five years since Woodstock. I remember listening to radio Luxembourg, the great 208, at night under the bedclothes. Gladys Knight was in the charts for endless weeks with “The Way We Were,” making me long for the past before I even had one to long for. The sound used to fade in and out, and nobody knew or cared who Peter Styversant was. By seventy five I was fifteen, going to parties and thinking about girls, dancing to Van McCoy and the Hustle, and stuff by Hamilton Bohannon whoever the hell he was. I slow danced with Jill to Santana’s “Samba Pa Ti” at the end of the night, she was eighteen and gorgeous and it gave me a hard on she must have been able to feel, but she just smiled at me and hugged me closer. If only I had known then what I know now……My only guide as to how to seduce women was Barry White, and I knew that kind of stuff was never going to work for me! Starsky and Hutch was on TV; girls were divided into those who liked Starsky (sexy and cool) and Hutch, (insipid) and I bought one of those chequered, tight fitting, stud buttoned, brushed cotton shirts and grew out of it in about six weeks! The Dukes of Hazard was awful but I still watched it because of Daisy Dukes legs and I laughed at Sheriff Rosco, Boss Hogg and Enis. People who have only seen the re-make don’t know what they are missing. Star Wars, Manhattan and Love Story were on at the cinema, and it wouldn’t be long before Dallas hit the TV screens and made a direct link to the eighties. “She’s dirt daddy, dirt!” Disco passed me by other than for dancing at the time, but now I remember there was some wonderful music; Heatwave, The O’Jays, Earth Wind and Fire, The Real Thing and Tramps. When I hear them now I remember the revolving glitter ball on the ceiling, the girls in their skin tight pre-lycra jeans, the coloured lights; a good disco just said SEX in big letters, and I wanted to be part of that. Back in the world of music I loved at the time, in 1976 and 77 Thin Lizzy began to hit the charts, my favourites were “The boys are Back in Town” and “Waiting for an Alibi,” but my girlfriend liked “Dancing in the Moonlight,” she said it reminded her of me walking her home through the empty streets of Oxford at three a.m. after the night we first made love. The summer went on for ever, she had golden brown hair and sparkling eyes and I have never forgotten her. Punk hit the world so hard it would never feel the same again, suddenly flares were completely out; I could cope with having to wear drainpipe jeans, but no one would ever get me to have my lip pierced or vomit on the stage! At first I didn’t understand the music at all. Why did it mean I suddenly had to hate Led Zeppelin and the Stones? Looking back it was the start of a new era, childhood was over, and in his own way Johnny Rotten was telling me how unfair life was for people who hadn’t had the cushy upbringing I had been blessed with. He never realized that life was not supposed to be fair and you can’t force people to help you make it. Even so, he saw the fundamental fact of youth that Audrey Niffenegger describes in that book, “The Time Traveller’s Wife” - sometimes you just have this feeling that things aren’t right and the only thing you can do is say FUCK IT over and over again until someone stops you. In later life I would find comfort in yelling “we’re so prettay we’re oh so prett-ay……. we’re va-aycunt…….. and we don’t CARE.” But back in the middle of the seventies everything seemed so simple, there was no aids, “safe” meant not getting pregnant, war was all in the past and the future was all going to be love and happiness. And for me, mostly it has been…… |
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3/22/2007 2:21 pm |
hmmm...I'm afraid that being the short plank that I am--and the fact that I didn't join this world until the tail end of the 70's--, I don't really get many of the references here. I recognize some of the musical references, but not many! You know me though...even when I don't know what the other person is talking about, I have to put in my two cents worth! lol
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hmmm...I'm afraid that being the short plank that I am--and the fact that I didn't join this world until the tail end of the 70's--, I don't really get many of the references here. I recognize some of the musical references, but not many! You know me though...even when I don't know what the other person is talking about, I have to put in my two cents worth! lol
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Mmm "get it on" great song, one of my T Rex favourites, what was Marc Bolan on when he wrote the lyrics; "she's built like a car, got a hub cap diamond star halo, she's dirty and sweet oh yeah" or words to that effect if my memory is accurate. I did realize that some of my American readers wouldn't know many of the references in this post, but it was what I was thinking about so I wrote about it! There are other earlier posts which have a more universal appeal.......thanks for visiting.
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3/24/2007 12:47 am |
...and I was born in '79 Mmmm I love wagon wheels, haven't had one in years though, will have to seek some out.
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...and I was born in '79 Mmmm I love wagon wheels, haven't had one in years though, will have to seek some out. They're the craziest thing you.... Ever did seeeee!" The minute I read your comment that came back to me, and I suddenly wanted one too! Do you remember that sketch by French and Saunders with Dawn at the bus stop eating a waggon wheel and Jennifer making covetous lips at it until Dawn stuffed the whole thing into her gob in one go?
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"Can't stop for long but enjoyed reading all the posts you wrote. My body is aching to have a lie down and dream sweet nothings and relax while I'm at it. I don't know why, but I thought of 'Islands in the stream' by K.Rogers and Dolly Parton just then when I though of being close to you tho I know that will never be. Take care young man" Love and kisses Bev 
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"Can't stop for long but enjoyed reading all the posts you wrote. My body is aching to have a lie down and dream sweet nothings and relax while I'm at it. I don't know why, but I thought of 'Islands in the stream' by K.Rogers and Dolly Parton just then when I though of being close to you tho I know that will never be. Take care young man" Love and kisses Bev
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Hi again evy. The reason you as an American have trouble with what to call my country is because, like most things we are a bit unnecessarily complicated about it ourselves! I usually call the constituent parts of the UK by their country names - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Ireland, as opposed to Northern Ireland is part of the Brittish Isles, but not part of Britain and the UK; it is a seperate country in its own right. Are we clear so far? We are all British, but some of us are also English, (me) Irish (pierce Brosnan,) Scottish, (The Chancellor and possible future Prime Minister Gordon Brown) and Welsh, (Shirly Bassey, Tom Jones, Catherine Zeta Jones and my mate Jonesy.., they can't half sing well, the Welsh.) Those who are born to the outlying regions of the country understandably get a bit snippy if you call them English or say they live in England, when in fact they are Scottish or Welsh, but they are mostly proud to be British and happy to have their country referred to as "Great Britain." (please note the "Great" in there. It is nothing to do with our former pretentions to empire, it is to include Northern Ireland. The island of Britain only includes the three mainland countries, and is not in fact a country at all! In Northern Ireland the situation is further complicated by the fact that some of the people are proud to be British, but others would prefer to be part of Eire, or Southern Ireland and have nothing more to do with the British. (There are some Scots and Welsh who would like to be independant too, and have recently managed to get themselves regional parliaments or assemblies while they are at it but we are straying into politics here! ) So there you are; if you want to play safe call the country the UK and refer to us all as British, but if you want to talk like an Englishman, call the individual inhabitants by the name of their own country. Just never call a Scotsman "Scotch," because that is a drink! Oh and I will try to remember - I did know that you refer to the US not to America. Same sort of thing really.
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Hi Tich, so glad you came back and had a look at this, I'd love to read a blog by you on your reminicences of the same period. I've remembered so much since I wrote this I might have to do another one anyway. I loved the Jacksons too, not quite so keen on the Osmonds, and the coming of two tone marked the start of my somewhat chequered university career. Message to you Rudi. That is worth another blog all of its own. Thanks for the inspiration.
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Hey Tich, the 2Tone blog is taking shape in my head, "much too young" by the specials etc. I got bored with lost after about half way through the second series!
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