…we were very keen indeed to see the companion piece for this Edward Bond revival, Saved. I’m not sure how Bobbie managed to score tickets for this, but she must have found a way. Perhaps we queued up for the release of top notch cheap seats on the day, but I do recall that, once again, we were in excellent seats near the front and utterly absorbed by being there.
I waxed lyrical about the stellar cast in the piece about The Pope’s Wedding. Same cast for Saved, but different director – Danny Boyle no less.
And when I say “stellar cast” I really do mean stellar cast: Peter Lovstrom, Adrian Dunbar, Mark Wingett, Tony Rohr, Peter-Hugo Daly, Lesley Manville, June Watson, Gary Oldman, Joanne Whalley, Gerard Horan…
To cut a long story short, we were blown away again. It is a truly shocking paly – no less shocking for knowing in advance what is coming in the ultraviolent ending.
A final extract from that superb memory-jogging issue of Concourse from February 1985.
Ronnie Scott came to Keele several times while I was there. This would have been the last time I ever saw Ronnie himself perform, although I have been to “Ronnies” in Soho since.
My diary records little about the evening (Friday 25 January 1985), other than a statement that I went and a confession “got drunk”. So I am grateful for this review. My memory of at least one earlier Ronnie Scott evening at Keele (probably more than a year, perhaps two years earlier) is better and has a story to it, but I’ll save that story for my diary trawl later.
Janie loves Ronnie Scotts and I have often mentioned to her the wonderful evenings we had at Keele when Ronnie and his band visited. Here’s an independent report on one of those evenings.
The piece I want to blog about is preceded by a long rant by Robert Coyle about the use of the term “fascists” to describe Conservatives. Good on Krista Cowman for allowing a Wally that much space, while still failing to resist giving the piece a derogatory headline.
But the piece “what a relief” made me laugh out loud and did bring back a very faint memory of the “official opening”. Don’t think it would have been Pomagne in my hand, though. I had eschewed cider-type beverages ever since my disastrous evening with cider at the Andorra after show party.
The running headline phrase “juicy bits” does not sit too happily with a story about new union toilets, but I think I should rapidly move on from that line of thought.
I remember Pady telling us about this “Thorns Cock-Up” last time she visited, a few years ago, so it made me smile coming across this article about it when going through this February 1985 issue of Concourse.
I had forgotten (or perhaps Pady even had forgotten) that the unfortunate band that got dicked around was none other than The Pogues.
The Concourse team seemingly wanted its own gossip column to replace the now marginal/retiring Hackgrass, so came up with this Obiter Dicta column. Not sure who was behind it, but I’d guess that Krista Cowman (new editor) had a hand in it herself, possibly Quentin Rubens (the outgoing editor).
Something tells me that Ali Dabbs was involved. Partly the style, partly the strangely positive reference to his physique.
A two page spread on the Union General Meeting (UGM) – presumably the 28th January one), about which I am silent in my own diary other than confirming that I prepared for it. I get a bit of stick in the attached piece for being over-prepared, perhaps.
My serious efforts get reported in one column on page 10, whereas adverts for various forms of hair removal get two columns. I suppose journalism was always thus.
Most of the column that covers my activities is about recreational drugs, mostly cannabis. My views on legalising cannabis haven’t really changed since the 1980’s, although I haven’t indulged personally for decades.
A letter criticising my stance (page 15) is also attached here, partly for balance and partly because I love the headline the new editor, Krista Cowman, gave the letter.
The reference to the Industrial Tribunal judgement in the same column should not pass unmentioned, although I shall have plenty to write about that formative but traumatising experience in the fullness of time. I have a copy of the entire judgement, which I’ll up in similar fullness, but attach here just that closing note. It was possibly Anthony Gordon’s closing note in every sense, as his obituary was in the papers the same day that the judgement came through in late January 1985. It might have been the very last thing he wrote.
It soon dawned on me that it was both impractical and inappropriate to be H. Ackgrass while a sabbatical on the Union Committee. But I kept it going through that first term and I think even wrote one more column early in the second term, which was brutally butchered by the editor. I probably have both the original and butchered versions to post in the fullness of time.
Lots of juicy bits from the February 1985 issue of Concourse. Here’s the first of them.
Annalisa de Mercur, bless her, was very concerned that the Student Union’s bar licence might get scuppered, which would indeed have been a near-existential problem for the union. The storm was very much of the teacup variety, I’d have thought, for the reasons described in the article.
How Pady Jalali and Hayward Burt ended up in an intra-article debate with the Vice-chancellor, Dr Harrison, is anybody’s guess. Methinks Annalisa might have been trying to big up her piece, as it were.
The health centre fee had been an ongoing issue, if the 1984 manifestos are anything to go by. John “Memory Man” White will hopefully chime in on the comments to describe in intricate detail the nature of the new-look campaign he planned. I don’t remember a thing about it, although welfare was my bailiwick.
By gosh it was cold at Keele that winter of 1981/82. So again it was in 1984/85. I remember it cold and the Evening Sentinel reported on that factor in excruciating detail, suggesting that January 1985 was even colder:
Thursday, 24 January 1985 -Busy and productive day. Lots of meetings in early evening. Petra came over later.
Friday 25 January 1985 – Busy and not very productive day. Went shopping in late afternoon. Went to [Ronnie Scott] jazz evening and got drunk.
Saturday, 26 January 1985 – Really miffed off today – did some work etc – went to bed early – Petra came over later.
Sunday 27 January 1985 – Lounged in bed most of day – went film in early evening – had John, Kate and Pady for dinner later.
Monday 28 January 1985 – Busy day in office – then getting ready for UGM in the evening – Petra came over after.
Tuesday 29 January 1985 – Meetings etc all day and early evening – very busy. Had early night.
Wednesday 30 January 1985 – Busy day meetings – referendum business etc. Cooked Petra meal in evening, very pleasant.
Thursday, 31 January 1985 – Lots to do today. Had Ringroad rehearsal early evening – Bust Fund disco after.
I’ll be writing more about Ringroad and the Bust Fund discos in later pieces. Those readers who are chomping at the bit to read more on those topics, please hold your horses.
I think the reason for my miffed-off-ness that last weekend of January was the National Union of Students (NUS) disaffiliation business that kicked off around that time. I felt that the referendum was a huge distraction from the good work we wanted to get done that year and largely an act of sabotage to divert us from our purpose. It was FCS (Federation of Conservative Students) policy at that time to campaign for disaffiliation, although they didn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of winning the referendum at a place like Keele.
Mind you, there were plenty of snowballs to be had at Keele that winter. More on that “campaign” as it unfolded in the first half of February.
Friday 1 February 1985 – Busy day with meetings etc. – pretty rundown – went to bed early (Petra came over).
Saturday 2 February 1985 – Rose quite early – canvassing meeting – shopped – Ali [Dabbs] came over in the afternoon – went to Keele Hall party in evening – Petra came over later.
Sunday, 3 February 1985 – Got up late – late lunch etc.. Went canvassing, office, radio interview etc.
I can’t remember what I said in that radio interview. It might have been about the NUS disaffiliation business, or it might have been a more general interview about academic and welfare matters at Keele. BBC Radio Stoke I think it was.
It won’t have been about cricket, unlike my 15 minutes of fame in Jagdalpur some years later…now THAT’S an unusual and interesting story:
Saved Ratcliffe Observer 23 Dec 1984, Sun The Observer (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
Saved Billington Guardian 21 Dec 1984, Fri The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
Saved Barber Telegraph 21 Dec 1984, Fri The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
Saved Shulman Standard 21 Dec 1984, Fri Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
