Following the embarrassing visit from my folks on the Sunday…
…it was time for me to settle in to my fourth term at Keele. The first term of my actual degree studies, Economics and Law, as I had taken the Foundation Year (FY) the previous academic year.
I seem to have steeled myself to the task a bit more at the start of my P1 year. Phrases such as “hectic day”, “quite a full day”, “busy day” and even “work” appear.
Tuesday 13 October: …Went to see Flash in evening.
I’m pretty sure that means Flash Gordon, which came out the previous year, so would have been ready (i.e. available) for Film Society by October 1981.
The following day Andrea Dean arrived and stayed for a few days:
…Andrea arrived in evening-> Simon [Jacobs]’s & Sneyd…
I don’t remember much about that particular evening. The Freshers’ Ball was on that night with Gary Glitter supported by The Chefs. Dave Lee’s book The Keele Gigs! has a laugh-out-loud review of that concert.
I know that I did see Gary Glitter at Keele and Dave Lee’s words coincide with my recollections of Glitter on that Keele Ballroom stage, but I have a feeling I saw Glitter at Keele a year or two (or three) later.
I have a feeling that we (as in Simon Jacobs & I) were displaying deliberate indifference to Freshers’ Week activities, including the ball. After all, we were not freshers, we were 19 years old, for goodness sake, far too adult for the fresh stuff.
Thursday 15 October: Rose quite late. Went round lakes in afternoon. J-Soc party in evening.
Going around the lakes with visitors was one of those “must do” things at Keele, especially when the weather was favourable. The J-Soc party would have been a relatively low-key affair…relative to some of the other evening activities Andrea enjoyed with us on her visit.
Friday 16 October – Work OK today – took it fairly easy. Went to film in evening – The Kids Are Alright -> Lindsay disco etc.
I’m not too sure what Andrea did while I worked that day – I doubt if she remembers either.
Saturday 17 October – Rose late – shopped – did some work – dinner early evening – went to David [Perrins] & Amanda’s in evening.
Not sure where David lived that year, but i have a feeling he’d moved into a Barnes or Hawthorns flat…presumably sharing with said Amanda. Simon might remember – I’ll update/amend if he has any intelligence on that matter. I think it would have been a relatively small-scale party.
Sunday 18 October – Andrea went home in morning – worked in afternoon – Marriage of Maria Braun -> David & Amanda – came back, early night.
Monday 19 October – Busy day – preparing tutorial etc. UGM in evening – v good.
Tuesday 20 October – Hard day – went to see The 39 Steps in evening.
Fassbender and Hitchcock could be mistaken for euphemisms to describe activities in the aftermath of Freshers’ Week. But in reality I genuinely was, at that time, steeping myself in movies by great film directors, thanks to the excellent Keele Film Society.
