Tag: Keele

How Did Family Friendly RingRoad Work?, Plus “Hell’s Bells, That’s A Lot Of Meetings”: A Bum-Numbing Keele SU Week, Late February 1985

I asked DeepAI to reimagine the RingRoad gang desperately searching for family friendly sketches in the “RingRoad cornflake boxes”, where the sketch archive lived.

My diary doesn’t even mention the RingRoad show that we put on, with only limited success in the February Food Fest, which we held in the Students’ Union. The Food Fest was a spin off idea from the summer International Fair, which I had, as a cub student activist, helped to establish back in the early 1980s…

The Business End Of My Autumn P1 Term At Keele, 22 November to 5 December 1981

The idea of the Food Fest was to have a winter “international festival”, indoors in the Students Union, as well as the summer outdoorsy one. Among the main organisers for the Food Fest (as with the International Fair) were friends of mine from the Arab cultural community, mostly postgraduate Iraqui students at that time, many of whom were at Keele with their spouses and families.

A couple of the guys approached me and wondered whether RingRoad, the Keele students’ in-house comedy troupe of which I was, by then, an intrinsic part, might put on a show as part of the Food Fest.

It seemed like such a simple request and how could I say no to friends and colleagues who were putting so much energy into a festival idea that I supported wholeheartedly? Of course I said yes. Of course the warm-hearted RingRoad team said yes.

But when it came to wading through the archive of RingRoad sketches, we realised that the show comprised almost entirely of material that was, to use the modern parlance, politically incorrect and or NSFW. In short, only a handful of sketches in our collection were family friendly or lent themselves to minor edits to become family friendly.

Intro to “Romantic Novel”, one of dozens of sketches we didn’t use in the family friendly show.

The result was a flurry of sketch writing, mostly by David Griffiths, to produce a few new sketches for that show. I also remember going through tapes of my favourite radio sketches and transcribing a few of those for the family friendly show.

It was not our finest hour as RingRoad, but nor was it our darkest hour…

When Lenny Henry Came To Keele & Ringroad Performed The Warm-Up Act, 29 November 1984

…as the Food Fest show served its purpose and seemed, if only mildly, to amuse. Fortunately, a family-friendly show’s audience tends to be friendly, so the feedback we received was, if not effusive, at least kind.

The above palaver barely gets a mention in my personal diary for that weekend, which reads:

Saturday 23 February 1985 – rose quite early – shopped etc – went to Union for Food Fest all day and evening – went okay. Drink after – Petra [Wilson] came over.

Sunday 24 February 1985 – rose reasonably early – Kate’s [Kate, now Susan Fricker] for lunch – very nice. Stayed till late. Went to Petra’s briefly in the evening.

Indeed, for the week that followed, my appointments diary says far more than the personal diary:

Hell’s bells, that’s a lot of meetings. No wonder I have been somewhat allergic to committees and meetings since my Keele Students’ Union sabbatical year!

The first meeting of the week, regarding Wot Subsid, I shall write plenty on that matter in a few week’s time, as the run up to publishing that booklet started to feature more in my diary. The “A” no doubt stands for “Annalisa de Mercur”, who did lots of the hard yards with me on that publication. More anon, I promise!

The rest is probably best left to the artwork that is the above scan. If any readers want to know more about what happened in some of those individual committees and/or meetings, by all means pop a message in the comments or “contact us” and I’ll try to answer your questions. I’m not expecting to be inundated with requests.

Here is my personal diary for the same period:

Monday, 25 February 19 85 – very rushed/busy with meetings all day and evening. Petra came over after.

Tuesday 26 February 1985 – very busy with meetings etc – morning noon and night. Petra came over after hustings.

27 Wednesday 27 February 1985 – rushed like crazy – not feeling too good today. Went home to bed early.

Thursday 28th of February 1985 – very busy day rushing around – meetings etc. Cooked Petra a meal in evening – stayed – very pleasant.

Friday 1 March 1985.– Very busy morning to get all out of way – left Keele early… 

I recall that Petra was not too keen on the Horwood refectory food. As time went on, when timetables allowed, I tended to cook for her (as well as myself) more often.

Petra’s taste in food was quite different from that of Kate (now Susan) Fricker and John White, for whom I also cooked a fair bit. Both Kate and John were quite partial to spicy food. Petra was not keen on spices, so I tended to cook “pan casseroles” for her, although she was also partial to several of my Chinese dishes, which tended to need more ingredients and preparation time, so I would tend to cook those at the weekend. Kate and John also liked my Chinese style dishes.

I have a mind to produce a mini-series of recipes from that era, once I find the time to browse through my yellowed recipe sheets and delve a little deeper into my memory about the food.

I also am minded to write a small mini-series about the music that was the soundtrack of that era for me. Not just the discos that John White and I used to do in the ballroom (although we are working up some wicked playlists for nostalgics and/or fans of those genres to enjoy), but also the classical music that helped me to unwind from all of the hustle and bustle that year. I’ll stick those classical pieces into some public playlists too.

All those ideas are for later, for now let’s bring Petra in for her dinner…or as they would say in the Potteries, “tea”.

Keele Sabbatical In Court Twice In One Day, Discos Including A Bust Fund Disco, Courting Controversy & More, 15 to 22 February 1985

DeepAI image of a John White & Ian Harris bust fund disco

I am so impressed by that DeepAI image, based on a mere 30 word description. It even reminded me of the “Rasta shirt” I would sometimes don for such occasions. My dad, for some inexplicable reason, had treated himself to a pair of brightly-coloured pyjamas (primarily acid green in dad’s case) with Ethiopian lion motifs all over them. They were not really big enough for him and hardly his style. I rejected the bottoms but fancied the shirt for parties and other suitable occasions such as bust fund discos.

The Bust Fund was a mandatory Keele Student’s Union “trust” established by UGM some years before my time. It’s sole object was to help students pay fines for possession of cannabis. Helping students convicted for possession of any other controlled drug, or for supply of cannabis, was beyond the trust’s powers. The mandate included a requirement to raise money to meet the trust’s purpose through periodic (I think at least once a term) bust fund discos.

Some sabbatical education & welfare officers were more enthusiastic about their bust fund duties than others. I was and remain in favour of the legalisation of cannabis. At that time, I was not exactly averse to a toke of the stuff myself. I have written a bit about this topic and the February 1985 period previously, when extracting some chunks of Concourse:

Recreational Drugs, Industrial Tribunal Judgements and Me, Concourse Juicy Bits, February 1985, Part Three

Let’s start trawling through my diary for the second half of February 1985.

Friday, 15th February 1985 – very poorly today – got up 4 pm went to count – cooked Petra a meal after – stayed.

Saturday 16 February 1985 – went to town and shops today. Did 60s disco in evening with JohnBoy [John White]. Great. Petra came back.

Sunday 17 February 1985 – Rose late today – did some work etc. Went film briefly etc. Had early night.

My short waves of poorliness are a running theme through my diaries for a few years after my struggle with glandular fever in February 1983:

Isolation, “Socially-Distant” Visits, Steroids, Peculiar Reading Matter & Strange Happenings: A Week In The Keele Health Centre With Glandular Fever, Mid February 1983

John White and I took great pride in our 60s discos. There’d be a lot of Motown in there for the dancing and also some of our favourite hippy-dippy stuff too. Many Keele students at that time enjoyed those discos for variety, although I do remember one young woman who was most persistent in trying to get us to play “some up to date” stuff. When I explained that the event had been billed as a 60s disco, these didn’t seem to hold any sway with her. I did at one point threaten to put on some Tchaikovsky, as I had recently purchased some early symphonies of his that date from the 1860s, so that would qualify as 60s music too.

Winter Dreams…California Dreaming…it’s so easy to get confused…

Two Courts In One Day (Plus A UGM)

Monday 18 February 1985 – went to court in morning – University Court in the afternoon. UGM in evening – Petra came over after.

Gosh I remember that day at the Newcastle-Under-Lyme Magistrates Court. I went a few times, to provide moral support to students who had been busted for cannabis.

On that occasion, I recall a female student had been busted for a small quantity of cannabis but also had in her possession a pethidine tablet for which she had no prescription. She told me a friend had given it to her because she sometimes got pain that OTC analgesics wouldn’t relieve. Unfortunately for her, this resulted in a bigger fine than students normally got for cannabis only and also excluded her from applying to the bust fund for help. Moral support was all I could provide.

Newcastle Magistrates Court as it looks now, photo by Jonathan Hutchins used under CC 2.0

Also that morning, I recall, prior that unfortunate young woman’s hearing, another student was in the dock for doing some serious mischief to another young man in a fight one night in town. He was done for actual bodily harm and/or malicious wounding (albeit without a weapon). That student got a suspended sentence and a smaller fine than the unfortunate young female student. I remember that so clearly.

I also remember a policeman coming and sitting next to me during the young woman’s trial. The copper casually enquired of me whether Keele Student’s Union still had a fund for settling the fines of students who had been done for drugs offences.

I couldn’t tell you, I’m afraid..

…I said, expecting a follow up question or three. But I think the copper decided that I must therefore be from some other department at Keele and left it at that. I might have broken down under proper interrogation quite easily, so I’m glad he didn’t try.

After that sobering morning at the local magistrate’s court, the afternoon was spent at University Court. This was a joint gathering of the University’s Senate and Council. It felt like a largely ceremonial affair, as I recall it, as I believe everything that was, technically, approved by the Court had been “made oven ready” by the respective constituent body and there was, as I recall it, no discussion at all. Maybe some years there was discussion.

No wonder I was tired ahead of the UGM, which, I believe, must have been the appearance referred to in this March issue of Concourse.

Verbous? Moi? Ah, you must mean verbose!

Not the best Concourse review I ever had of my UGM appearances. But not the worst either.

The Early January Embarrassment Story Dénouement

Tuesday 19 February 1985 – busy day with union committee etc. Went to talk in evening. Petra for dinner – Ali and Ruth awkward – Petra came over after.

I won’t repeat here the comedy of embarrassment that unfolded at the Union Committee retreat in Somerset – click here or below to read all about it:

Keele Students’ Union Committee Goes Mad In Somerset & I Get Mortified With Embarrassment, 4 to 6 January 1985

Suffice it to say that, some six weeks later, Petra and I had not yet disambiguated the matter with Ali Dabbs and clearly engineered an opportunity to do so on the evening of 19 February. Petra’s lovely friend and neighbour Ruth, who will appear in at least one other context as my 1985 diaries unfold, must have joined this gathering to help try and smooth the evening. How and where it unfolded is lost in the mists of time. Not in my flat, if the surrounding words provide clues. Perhaps at Petra’s place, which was a stone’s throw away. Not that there would have been any stone throwing, just the awkwardness described.

Cooking Kate Curry, “Fiddler” & Bust Fund Disco

Wednesday, 20 February 1985 – very busy – meetings etc. Cooked Kate meal – departmental meeting – drink then early night.

Thursday 21 February 1985 – Busy with meetings etc – went to JSoc Fiddler in evening – did Bust Fund disco later Petra came later.

How on earth do I remember that I cooked Kate (now Susan) Fricker a curry, when all the diary entry says is meal?

In truth, my memory is not that good and I don’t remember, but I do still have my 1984/85 appointments diary as well as my personal one. In the appointments diary I wrote:

Kate Curry 7.30

So there.

“What type of curry was it precisely? Madras based or garam masala based perhaps? Or did Kate favour a milder, korma style…or possibly one of those punchy vindaloo style curries that John certainly favoured at times?”

I don’t remember. Leave me alone. But the appointments diary does tell me that the departmental meeting was with the Security Department – quite possibly to sort out the arrangements for ensuring that scallywags couldn’t get into the Student’s Union to steal drink, as had been uncovered a couple of week’s earlier.

From Concourse, Page One, February 1985. For the record, Simon was the Bar Manager & Tim was the assistant Manager, but Concourse never let all the facts get in the way of a hot scoop.

The next night, it seems I went to a J-Soc showing of Fiddler On the Roof before doing the Bust Fund Disco with John White. On that basis, it is impossible to imagine that we didn’t use Swing Easy by The Soul Vendors at some stage of the evening – a delicious rock steady rendering of the Fiddler On the Roof theme tune.

I have actually been trying to remember the tracks John & I tended to play when we did Bust Fund discos. A lot of reggae, dub and rock steady of course, but mixed in with some other styles that would have seemed appropriate or took our fancy.

John has promised to help me give that matter some thought. The result will be a reimagined mid 1980s Bust Fund Disco playlist. Come to think of it, while John and I are at it, we should try and reimagine those sixties discos, especially the Motown/Northern Soul ones. Watch this space.

My appointments diary for 21 & 22 February also reveals that I did something totally counter to my nature – sailed close to a payment deadline:

I will have written the rent deadline into the diary well in advance to remind myself to pay. The “Oh shit” will have been written later, when I realised that I hadn’t organised myself properly to pay it ahead of time and I had a copy deadline that day. Knowing me, I will have found a way to meet both deadlines in the end – no doubt in a flurry while hollering…

…”I’m busy”…

…as I scurried by.

Winning Ways At Keele – Success With The Referendum, “One Of the Most Incisive Statements Ever Made At Senate”, A Divine Valentine’s Evening & Much More From Mid February 1985

Pontificating Nicaragua?

Monday, 4 February 1985 – Busy day – did surgery – did referendum forum in evening – drink after – Petra came over.

Our Union Committee conducted “surgeries” in the refectories, on a fairly regular basis. The idea was to be accessible to students in a way that, say, being in our offices in the Students’ Union, couldn’t possibly be accessible. As my gossip columnist persona, H Ackgrass, put it, later that month in his signing off column:

The theory is that they simply don’t get enough visitors behind the closed doors of their offices, so they all go and sit in the refectories, and actually observe the swerving and other avoidance techniques that students use in order to save themselves from having to talk to these creatures.

You wouldn’t have thought that surgeries had been as much my idea as anyone else’s reading that, would you, eh readers? 😉 😉 😉 .

As for the referendum forum, I remember that the Conservative “NUS disaffiliation” people wheeled out a Scottish chap from a Scottish University – purportedly Labour yet pro-NUS-disaffiliation. Kate Fricker similarly yet conversely (on advisement no doubt) wheeled out a floppy-haired posh fellow from a posh university, who was purportedly Tory yet in favour of NUS affiliation.

The Scottish chap riffed about Union Committees being out of touch, sitting around “pontificating Nicaragua” for the NUS rather than looking after students interests. I remember turning to John White and wondering whether we had ever given Nicaragua a moment’s thought at that time. More than thirty years later, Janie and I visited Nicaragua and thoroughly enjoyed the place, but that’s another matter and another sort of pontification:

Nicaragua, Overview, Summary and Links, 6 to 23 February 2016

Tuesday 5 February 1985 – Union Committee in morning – busy for rest of day – went RingRoad rehearsal in evening. Petra came over later.

Wednesday, 6 February 1985 – Very busy today – committees etc [including PS&D – Policy Staffing & Development committee]– referendum – we won – got drunk – went gig.

I cannot find a reference anywhere to what this particular gig was. Where’s Dave Lee and his canonical inventory of Keele gigs when you need him? Still, we had won the referendum, so there!

Thursday, 7 February 1985 – Lousy day – feeling very hung over. Went to forum in evening. Petra came over – cooked meal in evening – very nice.

Friday 8 February 1985 – got work out of the way. Went to London and got back quite late – ate and chatted.

Saturday 9 February 1985 – pottered around today – went over Highgate late afternoon – went to theatre and meal very nice – went back after.

That theatre visit with Bobbie was to see Saved at The Royal Court Theatre – I have separately written up our visit to see that astonishing production – click here or below:

Saved by Edward Bond, Royal Court Theatre, 9 February 1985

Sunday 10 February 1985 – came home in morning – had Chinese lunch – left for Keele – travelled up with Petra – came over later,

Monday 11th February 1985 – lots to do today – meetings etc. Cooked Petra some food later – stayed.

Tuesday 12 February 1985 – busy with meetings etc – evening also. Petra came over later.

Wednesday 13 February 1985 – busy with meetings – very tired today (fell asleep in Senate). Cooked [for] Kate and went to meetings – early night.

Student Senator Falling Asleep In Senate-gate

I remember my “falling asleep in Senate” incident very clearly.

Earlier in our tenure, Kate Fricker had fought hard for me to join her as the student observer on Policy Staffing & Development Committee (PS&D), which was the sub-committee of Senate in which important academic decisions were really made. Some Senators had objected to my nomination as a student rep on PS&D, because the Education & Welfare Officer only had observer status on Senate. We argued, successfully, that I was eligible to be an observer on PS&D by dint of being an observer at Senate.

Why is the above tedious paragraph relevant? Because the week before my sleepy senate incident, I attended PS&D. One item had taken up quite a large chunk of the meeting. The subject of the debate was something quite dull, but whatever it was vexed Professor Denis Dwyer of the Geography Department, who made a rambling speech for some 15 minutes, expressing what was destined to be a minority view, which lost the vote by some distance.

Come Senate, the following week, I was self-confessedly very tired on the day, having spent the weekend away and then the first half of the week in back-to-back meetings, some running into the evening.

When that resolution from PS&D came up for “discussion” – which under normal circumstances would be a rubber stamp from Senate as the matter had clearly been scrutinised and approved by PS&D, Professor Dwyer stood up and said he wanted to have his objections to the resolution heard. He then unfolded his several pages of notes and started to repeat the self-same speech that he had made at PS&D.

I remember that several Professors made harrumphing noises, as all of us who had been at PS&D realised that Dwyer was going to repeat the exact same speech, with even less chance of success at Senate than he’d had at PS&D, given that the resolution had passed by a large majority at the appropriate sub-committee.

I found myself unable to do anything to keep myself awake during what felt like hours of repetitive droning to no purpose.

I remember Kate telling me afterwards that she realised that I was struggling a bit and nudged me a couple of times, but to no avail.

By all accounts, I visibly and rather audibly nodded off. I think Kate was more than a little horrified and embarrassed.

The good news, though, was that my gesture apparently went down rather well with several of the academic Senators who were, like us, suffering the sound of this speech for a second time.

Philip Boden informed us afterwards that he thought it to be one of the most succinct and incisive statements he’d ever heard or seen in the Senate Room.

To commemorate that historic moment, I have asked DeepAI to imagine the scene. I think it has done rather well with the following, which was its first and only attempt based on a 30-word description:

I looked shaggier than that. DeepAI has a very tidy image of what shaggy looks like

Thursday, 14 February 1985 – busy day – Valentines, casualties etc. Did surgery. Went to ball early – RingRoad – went well – Petra later – me v bad.

Yes, despite my fatigue and the fact that clearly I was going down with something, I rushed around like a nut the following day, performed in RingRoad and attended the ball. Divine was the main act that year.

In truth, I remember little about that ball and that gig. The phrase “me v bad” is expressing the fact that I was feeling poorly later in the evening.

Divine’s biggest hit was “You Think You’re A Man”, which, pop trivia people might like to know, was Stock Aitken & Waterman‘s first top 40 hit in the UK:

That’s pretty much all I can say about Divine.

Fortunately for readers here, Simon Brooke, with wanton disregard of pronoun etiquette, interviewed Divine at Keele and wrote it up for Concourse.

Ronnie Scott Review, Concourse Juicy Bits, February 1985 Part Eight

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.

What A Relief, New Union Toilets, Concourse Juicy Bits, February 1985 Part Seven

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.

Concourse Feb 85 Page 18

Thorns Social Cock-Up, Concourse Juicy Bits, February 1985 Part Six

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.

All the more ironic, because Jem Finer of The Pogues was brought up at Keele, son of Professor Samuel Finer, the initial Keele (indeed University College of North Staffordshire) Professor of Politics.

With an additional irony from a personal point of view, because I have now met Jem Finer through his extraordinary Longplayer initiative. The central element of the initiative is a composition of his which is 1000 years long. Read about it and have a listen through this link.  Daisy finds the music very soothing.

But for now, back to the 1985 debacle, article top right of the page:

Concourse Feb 85 Page 14

 

Obiter Dicta, Concourse Juicy Bits, February 1985 Part Five

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.

Obiter Dicta is a pale imitation of Hackgrass in my humble opinion. But whoever he/she/they was/were, I suppose the Obiter Dicta column might be described as the metaphorical Blücher or Goschen that Hackgrass forgot.  

Concourse Feb 85 Page 13

UGM Report: “Neil Baldwin Rules OK”, Concourse Juicy Bits, February 1985 Part Four

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.

But the star of the show was clearly Neil Baldwin, latterly the subject of a wonderful award-winning BBC docudrama in 2014 starring Toby Jones and Neil himself. We voted that night to deem 1985 Neil’s silver jubilee year at Keele. Marvellous.

Concourse Feb 85 Page 11Concourse Feb 85 Page 12

 

Recreational Drugs, Industrial Tribunal Judgements and Me, Concourse Juicy Bits, February 1985, Part Three

…cont p94…

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.

Concourse Feb 85 Page 10Concourse Feb 85 Page 15Industrial Tribunal 31 December 1984 Last Page

 

Hackgrass Signs Out, Concourse The Juicy Bits, February 1985 Part Two

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.

Anyway, I decided enough was enough in the second term and wrote a short farewell piece, although I did set up a pay-off piece for the end of the summer term with a hidden puzzle at the end of the attached column.

Hackgrass Reveal in Pub Circ, Keele, 10 June 1985

But the column below was the last time my Hackgrass words were published in Concourse.

Hackgrass Signs Out Feb 1985