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Tigers at Layer Road 21:11 - Sep 23 with 17360 views

In a strange twist of events l found myself in conversation with a young lady who had attended Layer Road for a match against Hull City in our first season in The Championship. The 5-1 encounter.

We were attending a promo evening for a band called The Datsuns in North London in 2008.

During the evening she explained that she had been present at a party that made the national news due to the tragic death of someone by the name of Mark Blanco.

The incident occurred in December 2006.

This incident will be shown on Channel 4 on Monday night at 22.00 in an hour long documentary and several people known to me have made contributions.

It may be of interest to some.

I am very much hoping that the police will reinvestigate the death of Mark Blanco as a result of what will be included in the content.

I know that what l was told by this young lady 15 years ago has been instrumental in the making of this documentary.

Tigers at Layer Road on 22:11 - Apr 7 with 1161 views

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I have visited buildings in London where l used to work - only virtual I'm afraid, but never the less, quite interesting to revisit and there are some impressive refurbs.

My favourite space has to be the third floor at 15 Rathbone Place, W1.( 1977 ).

This was the studio space within a design company where we would sometimes work all day, all night and all through the next day until 5pm on occasion. These marathon shifts were new business pitches for the advertising agency & J Walter Thompson.

We played LP's, made good use of the toaster and got through plenty of jars of coffee.

During daytime's we were often visited by members of London based rock bands who seemed quite envious of our work ethic and took quite an interest on what we were playing on the turntable.

Being a newcomer to the London scene, as l was in the Spring of '77, and commuting from Colchester l just loved working in a space where we were allowed to play music and to learn from the talented staff who formed a formidable team.

As l have mentioned a few threads back, it was on this floor where the fire extinguisher salesman would do his party trick of setting himself on fire 🔥🔥 - this was still a few years before 'Health and Safety' became a catchphrase.

One Friday lunchtime one of the other artists ( Tommy Watson ) decided to set my hand on fire ( for a laugh 😂😂 sort of ), but it backfired ( so to speak ) and l ended up around the corner at The Middlesex Hospital burns unit.

He had doused my hand in lighter fuel and then put a match to it!

I was playing cricket in Colchester the next day and kept wicket for the only time in my life as l needed plenty of protection on my right hand.

One of my fingernails never fully recovered 🔥😊 - it's a souvenir that has been with me ever since.

I only told one of my daughter's about this last weekend.

It was such a different world in '77 - especially in the West End of London.

We did mad crazy stuff - like making rockets out of fireworks and launching them from our rooftop at the buildings across the street - sometimes they just fell down onto the road on top of a black cab or onto a walking pedestrian.

Iron Maiden learned quite a bit from this activity and took it much further and with much greater precision.

Tigers at Layer Road on 16:58 - Apr 8 with 1125 views

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A copy of DIRTY BLONDE AT THE CASH MACHINE was delivered to Banksy - l did wonder if his artwork GIRL AT CASH MACHINE that appeared a few months later was a message 😳😳😳😳😳😳 back......just off on a search to see her hair colour 😊😊😊😊

STOP PRESS - Thanks to Richard Archer of Hard-Fi, 'Cash Machine' being the debut single released by the band in late 2005 which was the inspiration for my title.

Well, half of it.

'Katie' was the other part.

[Post edited 8 Apr 19:37]

Tigers at Layer Road on 13:48 - Apr 9 with 1088 views

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Thanks due to everyone who has followed 'Tigers'.

The thread has changed direction several times and is something of a journal / diary / reference point for several subjects and is a help to me personally to put some of this info into the public domain.

As the thread has evolved over the months several people who l have mentioned on here are in touch about certain 'sensitive' topics and this is ongoing.

I received some detailed information this morning from someone in the music business that will be essential should we make a short film / docu.

I didn't expect the amount of visits / views to this thread - l thought it would have burned out long ago.

Most of the views seem to occur overnight - perhaps from different time zones. Either way, l hope there is some interesting content for visitors.

Best wishes to all from Colchester Central. 😊😊🦮🦮🐴🐴

Tigers at Layer Road on 15:11 - Apr 10 with 1055 views

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'BLOOD SPLATTERS'

Warning - Dark Content / Taken from LESBIAN ESPIONAGE'

I send you a text
At 2am
It's just a question mark these days
A telepathic connect
You call it -
'Seventh Sense'

It used to be
'Do you wanna play?'
You said
'Yes'
Then - 'Play?'
You always said
'Yes'
Now it's just -
'?'
Still you say
'Yes'

I remember last autumn
After you purchased
Two hundred bottles
Of assorted perfumes
Lined them up
On your dressing table
Some on the landing
Waiting for them to dance
Expecting some to explode
But they never did
I sent you a text -
'?'
To which you replied
'Can't, dead'

And so to fever pitch
Speeding through red lights
With night vision eyes
And arrived
With the sight of your
Symmetry features
Bruised and swollen
Crashed
In the passage way
Drawing pictures
In the dust
As l dragged you
Across the cobblestones
To the rear of the Focus

I could have placed you
Across the back seat
But seeking ever more drama
I managed to place you
And the blood splatters
Into the boot

People say
'She is mad'
And of course
They are entirely correct
But should it not be
For this madness
I doubt very much
That l would ever
Have contacted you
Or texted you
At 2am

Tigers at Layer Road on 20:31 - Apr 11 with 1019 views

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Tigers at Layer Road on 15:11 - Apr 10 by SparkfilmsTV

As we have some new international followers here is something else from LESBIAN ESPIONAGE for visitors from Greece, Ukraine and Finland. ( Oh, and Blackpool too!🌞🌞).

THIS SHADOW OF A LIFE

You
Come
Round
Here
With
Your
Zip
Up
Bag
And
Your
Zip
Down
Skirt
Beg
Me
To
Hurt
You
'Cause
He
Won't
Do
It

( She said ....)

'Set
Up
The
Camera
I
Wanna
See
The
Playback
Let's
Paint
This
Canvas
Crimson
We
Have
A
Pact'

'This
Is
The
Prodigy
Let's
Have
An
Enactment

You
Get
The
Best
Of
Me
When
You
Go
On
The
Attack

Smack
Me
Up
Like
I'm
Your
Bitch
xxxxxxx
Hurt
Me
'Cause
I
Won't
Flinch

Tie
A
Rope
Around
My
Neck
Drag
Me
Round
The
Kitchen
Floor
If
I
Ain't
A
Livin'
Wreck
I
Won't
Come
Here
No
More'

Once l was a ballerina
In my dreams
Now l am auto self destruct
I fall apart at the seams

Do not feel pity
For this shadow of a life

This
Shadow
Of
A
Life

This
Shadow
Of
A
Life

Tigers at Layer Road on 11:10 - Apr 13 with 966 views

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Here is some 'work in progress'

LOST IN HEADSETS

I think of what you said
In the launderette
As you stared ahead
And it made perfect sense
Each syllable
Every breath
Delivered
Expressionless

You were always floating
In an imaginary state
Your acting career
Hanging by a thread
We watched the rushes
On the newly varnished floorboards

Strike a match
In the dark
Lean back
'Gainst the red brick wall
Your smoke
Weaving patterns
In the night air
Some intricate dance form
Backstage in a Parisian theatre

Watching
From the top tier
Want to take a picture
While the road is clear
But it's all too late
We will trundle on
Lost in headsets
Condensation
On the window
Reflections
And the orange glow

When l stalked the streets
In your vicinity
Thinking l was cured
But sometimes
It got the better of me
I took all the pills
And though l wish you no ills
My deep routed trauma
Made me a danger

In the window
Of opportunity
I looked up
And you moved gently
From side to side
And stretching across
Like a carefully practised move
Choreographed
By Matthew Bourne

In the silence
The police car approached
So not to alarm me
Or those living nearby
I knew that it was over
I sat on the back seat
Handcuffed
And saw them
At the end of the street
Arms folded
One pointing ....

[Post edited 13 Apr 11:19]

Tigers at Layer Road on 19:06 - Apr 13 with 936 views

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BLEAK HORIZON ( Variation )

So
Raise your sweet head
If you dare
Take a peep
At the bleak horizon
Walk head on
Into this toxic haze
Your eyeline
Defining
A new skyline
Step by step
A new dawn
Still challenging
But you
Don't walk
This walk
Alone

Birdsong
Siren storm
It will be out there still
But it may look
A little different

The glorious car crash
You said would never happen
And there you lay
Pure crystal
Just like before

You quickly became
An obsession
And if it is not an obsession
Then.....
It's nothing at all

Your fingertips
Frantic on the keypad
I saw that
Those moments of despair
But somehow still
Magic in the air

Apologetic
For your very existence
This adoration
From a distance

Forever the actress
Your unholy martyrdom
Going unnoticed
By the audience
Until you return
Again
And
Again

Trend
Or
Trait?

But it goes
Deeper
And
Deeper

Tigers at Layer Road on 07:50 - Apr 14 with 908 views

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Someone in Colchester who has been following this thread mentioned The Suffolk Murders yesterday.

I want to share some information that Sky News ( or anyone else ) were unable to report on at the time.

In the days leading up to the arrest of Steve Wright Suffolk Police were following up multiple tip offs from the public.

One such tip off was of a woman being bound and gagged and put into the boot of a car.

A police chase stopped the car on or near the Orwell Bridge and when they opened the boot of the car the woman ( after she had removed some tape from around her mouth ) said something to the effect - 'I'm getting paid good money for this' and within a few moments she was back in the car boot and on her way.

Tigers at Layer Road on 18:24 - Apr 14 with 881 views

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DENIM AND SUEDE

( Something a little softer for a change )

When you first appeared
All five feet three of you
In your green suede jacket
And ripped denim jeans
With your three quarter length hair
Falling in perfect straight lines
I found myself
Cast, under your spell

We never spoke
On that first morning
And when you left
It must have been
By the side door

Or perhaps
You walked through the walls
As ghosts often do

I thought about you
For the rest of the day
And part of the night
Or, was it all of the night?

The next morning
Around 10am
I saw you again
You were looking down
Arranging papers into neat piles

I lost count
Of the number of times
I glanced in your direction
Over the following two hours
Hoping the CCTV operator
Was otherwise engaged
And not about to have me
Frog marched from the building

At some stage
I would need to come near you
With legitimate reason
As you were standing
Close to the stationary cupboard

Then
Suddenly l am next to you
In fact looking straight into your eyes
Unexpectantly you smile

I think it was me who spoke first
It will always be a blur
Then l sensed myself
Breathing you in
Looking at your skin
And everything
Came into focus
Like my whole xxxxxxx life changed
In a moment

That night
We sat in the supermarket car park
Watching the stars
A 747 roared above

And then
You leaned towards me.....

Tigers at Layer Road on 11:55 - Apr 15 with 834 views

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We are back on the road....

27 HOUR DAY

( Taken from FULL MOON EMPTY SPORTS BAG - Issue 13 ).

Traffic
That's what we are
In my car
In all these dead beat places
And you're speakin'
In some kind of code
Language overload
And I'm finding it really xxxxxxx hard
To keep up
Keep up with where we are
Working out
How you throw them off the scent
With your simultaneous conversations
And arm actions
As you point out
The directions on the windscreen.
Which are
Different
To anything you are discussing
With these people

Who are these people?

Pretty faced neons
A Hollywood gantry with strobes
That threw us for a moment
Although it's hard to imagine
Anything like that
Having the least effect on you
But it did
'cause you looked at me
as if to say
What the xxxx was that?'
And the roads that we travel on
Dripping
Surreal
Seeping gas
Your breath
Crawling through the haze
A warehouse ablaze
On the horizon
Lights up the sky
3am eternal
You remember that?
You impress me
Just like the last time
I can see you through the steam
You're thinner
And in this vapour
I find it amazing
That your eyes
Are clear as crystal

Converge
And collide
Submerged
In this tide
But coming up for air now
You...
Just take it in your stride

Hustler
Dealer
Star burst feature

I turn the car engine off

Also from this issue - something from Peter Doherty

PLAYGROUND - THE WHOLE WORLD IS OUR

are you still bowling around after dark?
blowing your hope and slope in the wind
I lit a little fire from your chimney spark
I knew I'd never see you naked again

and the whole world is our playground
the whole world is our playground

take diablo by the horns
and stamp on his fire again
I heard that song on the radio
I'm all for losing my mind
try not to think about you every minute or so
but eh, they play it, play it all the time

and the whole world is our playground
the whole world is our playground

take the night by the hand
set it on fire again

[Post edited 15 Apr 12:12]

Tigers at Layer Road on 18:46 - Apr 15 with 814 views

SparkfilmsTV

Here is a letter written from prison.

It should be obvious to some who this is by....

Dearest x x x x x x x

wetten eared all but naked a-category top bak
cellmate howling bloodclot out the windy rat-
squeeking penned for wonder what waves-worth
of a wand could break me or abscond the shiverin-Bilo
from the bluery pitch security floodlit neonjailhouse
blues. I'll see you all soon when l finish this damn tunnel!

Paint loveless grime of grins scarred ear to ear,
overhearing things l don't wanna hear, violence, bile,
pals and fear, mone-key's hooting and swing gear.
( and my sacred virginity with a cheer I'd given for a beer
or corresses dear ) anyway it's a giggle n'ess pas?
You're a very versatile man professor, but you hide it well
'anyone that complains twice got hit twice so hard...'
We have to be careful.

TBC!

[Post edited 15 Apr 18:54]

Tigers at Layer Road on 19:40 - Apr 15 with 799 views

SparkfilmsTV

Letter from prison continued....

( NB. I'm trying to over ride the spellcheck on
some of this ).

Shall l compare the numbers, silence saying
so much amidst all this clattering of the tinny
squeeking of the neighbourly, hungry rats, those
rats ...and where's that xxxxxxx banging coming from?

Blood on the pegs, and in the morning my unshaven
legs....crime and punishment from the prison library.
A rough lot in 'ere, mate - and me a clean living lad
there's so rarely or ne'er was I'd wager what?
You can try to jest or manlify through the colder hours
but let's not prize open that fearly some manhole
and soah up the darkness. I'm only writing to say
hello to your goodly self up all else and otherwise
( for there is no other way ) because at present
I'm not permitted ( by Her Majesty ) to come banging
on your door and annoy you at all hours.

I'm gonna have to rush that to catch the post, squire.

Up the bracket!

Peter

( I used to visit prison inmates on occasion and it sometimes
provided content for the writing - l may include some from females
l interviewed in Peterborough Prison at a later date ).

Once again, many thanks for those who take the time to read this stuff ...quite a few new recruits last night in Brighton 🌞🌞😊😊

Tigers at Layer Road on 08:51 - Apr 17 with 741 views

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POLICE RAID - TUESDAY MORNING

BURN
And your eyes turn
In the headlights
YOU
We're laying
In the sun
WHEN
They came
To your abode
PERHAPS
You fell asleep
MORE
Like a xxxxxxx coma
THIS
Rude awakening
STANDING
Over you
Reading the riot act
KEEP
Your mind intact
JUST
Let everything flow
SOMEHOW
You operate better that way
LAY
For one more fleeting moment
HELP
Is on its way
WHILE
Blue lights flood the sky
AS
They run down the alleyway
BREATHE
The panic is over
LIGHT
The last cigarette
ALONE
On the coffee table

[Post edited 17 Apr 8:53]

Tigers at Layer Road on 12:07 - Apr 17 with 735 views

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ADRENALIN JUNKIES

You lived life
On a zip wire
Never knowing
Where you'd fall
A gun for hire
Who never went
To school
I laid awake at night
Waiting for you to call

We were adrenalin junkies
Out on the tarmac
There was a bond between us
And l liked that
In the twilight hours
I was feeding off you
As you intercepted messages
Between the vice squad
And the chosen few
Your value to them
Could not be under estimated
With your streetwise education
In post modern speak
I was caught up in your web
Intrigued by your 'friends'
Trawling through the underworld

Sometimes you would hint
At your back catalogue
A twenty four year journey east
Your digital footprint
Designing a valuable roadmap
In first generation
County lines phenomena

Such was your reputation
That just being in your company
Elevated me to those dizzy heights
I was somewhat undeserving
Of my new found cult status

I knew that by inviting you
For the weekend
It might lead
To severe consequences
And it did
Some three months later
When the police
Knocked on my door
In the circumstances
I was grateful
For what you had taught me
Especially when they asked
The killer question
I was able to answer it
With full confidence
Though l must admit
That it came out of the blue
That question related to
Why the number one suspect
In a serial murder investigation
Had phoned my landline
During the weekend
That you stayed

As you had informed me
The individual had the contact details
Of over thirty young women
Some of whom
Would frequently appear
On police radar

I just thought on my feet
Just as you did
Though l was sitting
On your favourite grey sofa

That was as close as l got
To being taken away
I think

( All of the content in Adrenalin Junkies is factually true ).

Tigers at Layer Road on 13:15 - Apr 18 with 704 views

SparkfilmsTV

LOST IN A RUMOUR

( Work in progress - connecting pieces for soundtrack project with some fine tuning required, 12 short verses that float between about 24 extracts from Ipswich ZERO 6 ).

The drone of the motorway
An all night cafe
In the fade, fade, fadeaway
She's lost in a rumour

A lone figure on the coastline
A flicker on the skyline
A murmur down a phone line
She's lost in a rumour

There's a rustle in the hedgerow
A tremor in the contraflow
A shiny red stiletto
A watercolour rainbow

Undercover of night skies
Bad dreams in the high rise
A scream from the low rise
She's lost in a rumour

Sirens echo by the roadside
Shadows move across the kerbside
Petrol ignites as cars collide
She's lost in a rumour

A mirage in the moonlight
Vignette in the twilight
Fade, fade, fading from sight
Deadly nightshade in flight

In the rear view mirror
An airbrushed picture
In late October
A form of under exposure

Fallen from a bridge
Flotsam in the drift
Blow, blow, blowing a kiss
Accepting a lift?

Streetlights glowing dimmer
The fox let's out a whimper
'Cause he senses her dilemma
A shadow or a glimmer?

Subway strip light flickers
Neons faintly quiver
Council workers shiver
She's lost in a rumour

Out on the horizon
With telepathic timing
The magpie he is pining
She's lost in a rumour

Under the railway bridge
The 5.47 trundles through
There's a passenger dressed in blue
She's lost in a rumour

[Post edited 18 Apr 13:29]

Tigers at Layer Road on 18:14 - Apr 19 with 659 views

SparkfilmsTV

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE

This was written directly into a Text for Speech software programme utilising the AI voice of the Ukrainian female
who l have used on a short soundtrack. Her voice determines the content to an extent. It is intentionally written in broken English.

I watch her
Painting toenails
Each one a different colour
Her dressing table
Like a miniature city
Of cosmetics
Scented candles flicker
Television is mute
But picture perfect
Just like she
When come near me
I feel glow
Outside
Through window
We see drone
Towers above
Then drifts below
Flashes blue light
Then lands in road
We say
Where come from?
Maybe Moscow
We say
From Russia with love
💕💕

Tigers at Layer Road on 22:05 - Apr 20 with 617 views

SparkfilmsTV

I've converted 'Lost in a rumour' into a short AI soundtrack ( exactly two minutes ).

I have noticed an American male voice that l used on something else some months ago quite often appears as a voiceover on docu / video content made around the world - but mainly in the USA. These pieces frequently crop up on YouTube and with some it is difficult to detect
how they have originated.

I'm always playing catch up with tech and l'm still some way behind but it's satisfying to email the sound files to myself for a reference point.

The Ukrainian voice l have used for a while now is by far the best example of Text to Speech that l have discovered.

This brings me on to something else.

Some of you may have noticed changes to personnel presenting the news and other programmes being broadcast by the BBC.

There are some dramatic changes occuring and quite a few BBC presenters have lost their positions in the past few days and weeks.

Some of those who have recently been taken off of our screens and from our radios are currently seeking legal advice.

This tech thing really is moving forward now at increased speed and will reduce staffing numbers throughout all areas of media.

As yet l have only purchased one piece of sound software for around £40 about 18 months ago - but since then, even more advanced packages are free to use for relatively small amounts of text.

An hour long AI voiceover for a documentary would have been quite daunting ( to me ) a year or so ago but it's relatively straight forward as long as you are careful with punctuation and proofread the content ( something our local newspapers seldom do anymore ).

😊😊🦮🦮

Tigers at Layer Road on 10:12 - Apr 21 with 586 views

SparkfilmsTV

THE IPSWICH TAPES

Extracts from recordings made throughout 2005 at various locations including prisons, cafes and private residences.

Tell me about Laura, is it true?

You heard about that, yeah, it's true.

Please could you run through it for the purpose of this interview.

Can l smoke?

Yes, I'll get you an ashtray.

Laura had a regular client called Steve, he was in love with her....he was obsessed....he'd bring her food at 1.30am when she was still on the beat....sometimes he would wait for hours in his car by the BMW place....Laura told me he had taken her into town one day and bought loads of clothes for her on his credit card....l suppose they were a kind of a couple in a way.

Well, they used to hold hands if that is anything to go by. Steve used to take her to get drugs at all hours of the day and night ....he was always on call....so l don't reckon he had a job, but he had loads of xxxxxxx money.

I think his mother died and he went to Wales or somewhere for a couple of days. Anyway, l remember Laura telling me he had given her a spare key to the house while he was away. She used to stay there the odd night but most of the time she would be at Leroy's in town.

( TBC! ).

Tigers at Layer Road on 10:28 - Apr 23 with 534 views

SparkfilmsTV

Continued ....

Anyway, when Steve came back to the house she and Leroy and some of his mates had taken all the furniture, the wide-screen, Hi Fi, the whole xxxxxxx lot. Anything that had a sell on value had gone. They even emptied out the garage. They took Steve's other car and moved a lot of the gear in that. Think they set fire to it....not to hide anything, just for the buzz....

TBC

Tigers at Layer Road on 11:43 - Apr 24 with 476 views

SparkfilmsTV

Continued.....

Even after this had happened, Steve came down one night and tried to talk to Laura, he didn't seem that bothered, it was so strange....she'd xxxxxxx ripped him off and he still wanted her ...

Laura was just numb to it all by then. She was glazed. She got done for shop lifting just after all that happened, l don't think Steve even reported what she'd done to the police.

There was one punter, he used to turn up with a toddler asleep in the baby seat. I saw him for about three months.

We did business with the kid snoring away in the back of the car. Little boy it was. I asked him how he happened to be driving around like that with the kid asleep in the back and he said it was the only way they could get him off to sleep at night.

I think it was the punter's wife who had the idea of taking the kid out at night for a drive to get him off to sleep.

I must have seen this bloke around a dozen times.

The kid slept through all of it.

( TBC ).

Tigers at Layer Road on 17:51 - Apr 25 with 409 views

SparkfilmsTV

Continued ..

I used to see this posh bloke, he lived in one of them executive house things in Woodbridge. Never knew what he did for a living. He could 'ave been a bank manager or a solicitor or summit, he was a regular for about a year or so, then 'e just never turned up any more. I used to go to his house and we would do business in the games room.

One night l stayed a bit longer and he showed me around the house, l saw a picture of his wife and kids. His wife was lovely looking and the kids as well. He had two boys and a girl, and l asked him if they were still married.

For all l knew they could still have been living there. He told me that they were separated His wife had left him for the builder who had done the games room extension.

When l think about it maybe that was some kinda way of gettin' back at 'er.

The Kosovans, Albanians and that - they are more likely to knock you about than our lot. I have been punched, kicked and head butted by those xxxxs. One pushed me out of the car one night in the middle of xxxxxxx nowhere. Had to walk for an hour before l saw a road sign. Me mouth bleeding and me head pounding.

'Did you tell the police?'

Na, never told 'em nuffin.

THIS CONCLUDES THE INTERVIEW 'LAURA B' ( October 2005 ).

The next interview will feature 'KAREN B'

Tigers at Layer Road on 13:13 - Apr 26 with 361 views

SparkfilmsTV

KAREN B

( Me first )

So, Karen just to say that this is being recorded as reference for the film project.

Yeah.

Ok, fire away ...

The first night l went out l was shaking. I had been thinking about it for months. My friend Kelly had been doing it for ages, l think it was her who finally talked me into it. I was in debt. I just had no way of paying the bills and the cards.

I used to do drugs but l was not dependent on them, it was only after a few months that l realised l was getting hooked on it.

I managed to pay off some of what l owed, then things seemed to change.

What changed?

Well, owing money, l thought why bother paying it. It's so easy to become someone else. The other girls taught me how you can reinvent yourself. New name, just walk away from the rented flat, l soon had about ten different places to crash. No need to worry about doing a job. All the jobs l did were shit anyway.

( TBC ).

Tigers at Layer Road on 09:10 - Apr 27 with 273 views

SparkfilmsTV

KAREN B - Continued....

I remember Kelly asking me what l earned when l was doing all these casual jobs and l told her l used to clear about £175 a week ( 2005 ) if l was lucky. She said l could earn that in one night and have the rest of the week to myself.

Yeah, there are some shit jobs out there ( even worse in '24 ).

You're telling me, I've done enough of them since l left uni.

Uni? I didn't realise you had been to uni, where were you?

I was at Essex

What, just down the road from here?

Yeah, did creative writing.

That's what l am supposed to be doing ( we both laugh ), you seem quite together to me, a lot of the girls l have interviewed are entirely dependent on drugs.

Yeah, well I'm just about holding it together.

But, surely you want to break away from it.

Of course, but I'm not sure when.

Would you like some coffee?

Yes please, white and two and a half sugars

You are really polite.

My parents bought me up well, they don't know about any of this.

Tigers at Layer Road on 08:54 - Apr 29 with 213 views

SparkfilmsTV

The following is a first draft written yesterday.

THE MIGRANT

Through the shadows
Moonlight beckons
Night calls

The sunken eyed
Drift by
Food delivery drivers
And riders
Branded messengers
Litter the horizon
Pursuit of survival

And the girl at number five
Heavy on eye shadow
Skirt hoisted high
Dark hair flowing
Passes by

The Migrant
On his phone
Has her in his sights

She is living a secret
Riding the gauntlet
Dining on pot noodles
At a suburban retreat
Sour sixteen
Bearing a cross
Drawing blood
In a scene from a dream

And the Migrant
Complete with back pack
Wanders aimlessly
By the cul de sac
Hovering outside a property
Where the security cameras
Track his moves
His body language suggesting ...
Nothing

Meanwhile
Back at the hostel
Where the walls
Are ultra thin
She just lays there
In a state of paranoia
And she's listening
Storage heater creaking
Someone creeping
In the corridor
She reaches out
For her cola
And it spills across the floor
She is tempted
To trigger the alarm
But somehow she relents
Takes a long deep breath
Pulls the duvet
Over her head
And shuts out the world
Until the next episode
Of medication

Tigers at Layer Road on 14:03 - Apr 30 with 117 views

SparkfilmsTV

Tigers at Layer Road on 08:54 - Apr 29 by SparkfilmsTV

A little background to this.

The Migrant aspect was prompted by an unusual sight a few weeks ago at a soup kitchen just behind Queen Street in Colchester.

As l walked through the area there were at least 100 males who appeared to be of possible Afghan origin. There are usually 30 to 40 in the area for food and supplies provision. To see a hundred ( and possibly more ) was quite a spectacle - many of them were sitting on walls on their mobiles.

As it happens, l have always been supportive of the Afghan cause and wrote about it in the nineties.

This morning l came across another small group on a dog walk and was intrigued by their fashion line - most likely supplied. They were all dressed in the same black tracksuit type attire.

I am at a loss to know how the British Government can possibly keep a record of how these guys dovetail into society and by the look of things around Colchester many of them become fast food delivery drivers and riders.

I have asked a local politician what l think is a reasonable question - that being, how many migrants are currently based in Colchester.

I recall seeing a coach pull into the Leisure World car park at around 3am ( another dog walk ). This was around 10 years ago. About 40 men, women and children disembarked clutching bags, blankets and provisions. My impression was that they had just been dumped here.

When l returned to the area about 40 minutes later most of them were still in the car park and possibly waiting to be picked up by family and relatives.

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