Mod to Suedehead

Originally Posted by Man-of-Mystery

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Roy I didn't see much of the drugs either S of the Thames, but occasionally I did see one or two blokes who were blocked. It was heard of, but not as much as in the earlier mod era. I knew where to get them if I wanted them, put it that way. It wasn't my thing, though.

I know people started to get into Drugs around 72, This was when we got into Hard Rock, Myself and the Mates i hung around with never took them,
A sad story around our way was a Girl Susan W, She was mad about my mate from Abby Wood, He was not interested she was 16 in 72, She got in with some c*nt. He was older maybe 19, and got her into drugs, They both OD one night she Died he lived.
I hate Drugs to this Day, Drink is bad enough.

Drugs were seen as 'hippy' weren't they?

Originally Posted by bunty

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Drugs were seen as 'hippy' weren't they?

Depends on the drugs. Acid and hash were hippy. If we saw any drugs around our patch they would be 'bombers' or 'doobs'. They weren't all that common anyway.

I remember one bloke who used to get falling-over blocked and make an arse of himself. He had a really cute girlfriend, and God knows why she stuck to him. I didn't want to get either falling-over drunk or blocked or anything - that's one thing that kept me away from drugs.

Originally Posted by Man-of-Mystery

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A few light-and-bitters.
Indeed. In a straight glass not a mug. Beers were weaker then - not 5% 'wife beater'. There was less drinking alcohol from supermarkets. Teenagers could get served in pubs with little difficulty. ID was unheard of. That said, drinking in local pubs with adults socialised youngsters. If you were known to adults you were less likely to play up. City centre pubs aimed exclusively at youngsters did not really exist. There were pubs that had discos etc. but they tended not to be in the centre of things. There were restricted opening hours too. Usual practice might be a drink or two before going into a club then nurse more expensive drinks till you went home. Drinking in pubs as a night out in itself was for older youngsters. Lunchtime drinking at work was not frowned upon. Everybody went to the pub Friday lunchtime.

I mentioned The Ceasers Club, also known as the Country Club. Belsize Park, Adam Ant Stuart Goddard, he came from a poor Council Estate in Kentish Town, He also went to school at Marylebone Grammer School. And was also a Original Skinhead. I have attached a couple of pages from his Autobiography, His observations are spot on,

Originally Posted by Man-of-Mystery

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Alex, do you recall which Spanish newspaper the above were in?

Sorry Paul, but no I don't. I remember it from when I first came across those photos, can't even remember just exactly where though...

Originally Posted by Kingstonian

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ITeenagers could get served in pubs with little difficulty.

Not in the pub over the road from the Savoy in Catford!

Originally Posted by Alex Roest

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Sorry Paul, but no I don't. I remember it from when I first came across those photos, can't even remember just exactly where though...

No worries.

Originally Posted by Lasttye

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Another thing only a few Years earlier the Mods was into Drugs, Purple Hearts Speed etc, My Brother, Cousins, Uncles, Aunts was all into them, But with us skinheads we never took them, never even mentioned them.

Jim Cox I know of other Skinheads from different parts of London that didn't take drugs but in Hackney there were plenty that did. The Chesham Arms on a Friday night - straight from work, twenty blues, four a pound. Then home, dinner, bath, get changed, five blues on the bus so by the time I got to the Tottenham Royal I was buzzing, along with many of the other Skins there. We never had any bother chatting the girls up as we all could have talked for England and if you had shares in Wrigley's chewing gum you would have been laughing all the way to the bank.

Taken from "The Soul Stylists" page 84/85

Originally Posted by Alex Roest

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Jim Cox I know of other Skinheads from different parts of London that didn't take drugs but in Hackney there were plenty that did. The Chesham Arms on a Friday night - straight from work, twenty blues, four a pound. Then home, dinner, bath, get changed, five blues on the bus so by the time I got to the Tottenham Royal I was buzzing, along with many of the other Skins there. We never had any bother chatting the girls up as we all could have talked for England and if you had shares in Wrigley's chewing gum you would have been laughing all the way to the bank.

Taken from "The Soul Stylists" page 84/85

That is so interesting, I must ask Jim when i next see him, Jim is 3 Years older than I, Wonder if it was a older Skinhead thing,
In saying that, The Kilburn was made up of, 15 to 19 year olds, and again never saw drugs taken or mentioned.
My Cousin Ray who was a old Mod, and a registered Drug addict in the 60s, He would come in the Phoenix Youth Club, With a Rudie George B, George was maybe 20, they was always Drugged up, My Cousin was a embarrassment for me, but a lovely kind bloke, Ray died of his addiction 7 years ago.
Got me thinking about George, i went out with his Sister, but that is another storey.

Originally Posted by Lasttye

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That is so interesting, I must ask Jim when i next see him, Jim is 3 Years older than I, Wonder if it was a older Skinhead thing,

Would Jim be willing to elaborate on a thing or two for 'Walk Proud' do you think Roy? Would be great to have him included anyway. I can remember having seen a photo of him and his GF at the time on some London bridge where he absolutely looked the part in casual fashion, short college-boy haircut and a black Harrington, BD shirt ('68 IIRC). Stuart Goddard piece is great as well...

Originally Posted by albion

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Marc Bolan in suit and parker.

http://api.ning.com/files/VKXnLIBknM....JPG?width=540

That don't look like Bolan to me.

Also, it appears the man has no shoes on. Weired.

Originally Posted by Alex Roest

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Someone I know quite well via the internet (a QPR supporter BTW) has met him once in fairly recent years as far as I know, in a pub after a Chelsea game. According to my 'source' he was pretty embarrassed about his past...

Thats interesting. Thanks for letting me know.
It'd be great to hear about his experiences, both as a Skinhead and his terrace exploits.

Originally Posted by Man-of-Mystery

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My observations in London and Liverpool during the 1970s was that there was in fact a complete disconnect with nothing much remaining. I think that had it been otherwise then it would have been noted in Robert Elms' 'The Way We Wore'. No matter how you might want it to be so it's just wishful thinking on your part.

In Northampton there were skinheads/suedeheads up untill 1972/3. Then it went more Bootboys.
But by 1976 there were skinheads around my estate. Cleancut and smart. Not your punk style skinhead.
So there may have been a gap, but in Northampton at least, it was a very small gap. Up north, during the lean times of 1973/76 there were still skinheads.

So there were skinheads right the way through untill the present day. But maybe not all the time in all areas.

Originally Posted by harrysgame

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In Northampton there were skinheads/suedeheads up untill 1972/3. Then it went more Bootboys.
But by 1976 there were skinheads around my estate. Cleancut and smart. Not your punk style skinhead.
So there may have been a gap, but in Northampton at least, it was a very small gap. Up north, during the lean times of 1973/76 there were still skinheads.

So there were skinheads right the way through untill the present day. But maybe not all the time in all areas.

Yep this seems to be similar to other stories I've heard, as the subculture migrated north later on and so, likely it 'died out' later on. But interesting that it came back by 1976 in your area. Most accounts I've heard of, were about 78 but I'm sure it were all over the shop in different regions. It wasn't until perhaps 1980 when it gained critical mass again all over the country (the two-tone era) but something like that doesn't happen over night, it must of been building up for quite a few years before hand...and the lean years of the Maggie's Farm era, would of helped it along too.