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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 18:56 23 Nov 2024
Random thoughts and memories
Part Fifty
Berlin.
The the wall has just come down.
Clubs. Bars.
Mezzanines.
Girls dancing on metallic stairwells.
56 hours with no sleep.
Hallucinating.
Images of marching soldiers.
Armies parading across skyscapes.
Double decker buses 50 foot off the ground.
Japanese tourists looking out of the windows.
Waving.
Taking pictures with little disposable cameras.
Veering off in different directions.
Checkpoint Charlie in enhanced colours.
Walking through the American quarter.
The stars and stripes fluttering in a strong breeze.
Then beyond.
Images from war films projected onto advertising hoardings.
Lost.
Several hours wandering alone and determined to find my way back to the hotel.
Get back somehow.
Reach reception and collapse into large leather chair by the main desk.
Crash out.
Dreams.
Images.
Sounds.
Some real.
Some imagined?
Something that has always fascinated me is that our brains store information that can be from real life experiences, dreams or from imagery enhanced by substances. |
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 12:14 23 Nov 2024
Random thoughts and memories
Part Forty Nine
Northwich, England, April 5th, 1991
The Colchester United owner Johnathan Crisp has promoted me to Chairman for an away match at The Drill Field, Northwich Victoria.
It was a journey for an evening match that he was none too keen on.
I had a rare car in those days and the stewards at Northwich made quite a fuss of it as l drove into the Drill Field car park.
I was treated really well in the board room with a banquet of fine foods.
It was a 2 - 2 draw with the Colchester goals scored by Walsh and McDonough. Northwich equalised in the last minute.
Attendance 1,094 [Post edited 23 Nov 12:16]
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 12:33 22 Nov 2024
Random thoughts and memories
Part Forty Eight
Following are three music linked memories featuring each of my daughter's before any of them were five years old.
1. We are at Dublin Airport following a long weekend taking in U2 at Phoenix Park around '84.
The flights are delayed. Rachel is two years old and in her buggy when she says 'U2'....she had noticed Bono in the WH Smith bookshop area.
She used to sit in front of the TV for her evening meals and was a keen follower of The Tube which had often featured U2.
Bono heard her little voice, came over, knelt down and shook hands with her. Lovely moment.
We spent quite a bit of time speaking to them.
2. I am driving to Cambridge on a Sunday afternoon for a client meeting in 1985.
My daughter Laura who was 11 months old is making the trip and is in her car seat. I have The Cutting Crew cassette featuring 'Died in your arms last night' playing.
I look in the rear view mirror to see if she is asleep and she is wide awake and nodding along in time with the song.
3. I put a Rory Gallagher album on the turntable at home. Suddenly my four year old daughter Hannah begins dancing in time with the Irish Wizard. She had never done that before.
Hannah was born on St Patrick's Day. |
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Reply | If you have 25 minutes spare
at 12:12 22 Nov 2024
Well made video and raised some interesting points.
It has taken me the twenty five minutes duration to thaw out after a cold dog walk. |
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 12:53 21 Nov 2024
Random thoughts and memories
Part Forty Seven - Continued
More memorable acts from Colchester music venues over the years.
Stone the Crows - Essex Uni
Cado Belle - Essex Uni
Red Dirt - Essex Uni
Pentangle - Essex Uni
Seahorses - Essex Uni
F.O.X. ( aka Angry v the Bear ) - Castle Park
The Lamp - St Paul's Hall
Graham Parker and the Rumour - Essex Uni
Saxon - Colchester Hippodrome
Free - Corn Exchange
Electric Soft Parade - Arts Centre
Bluetones - Arts Centre
Headswim - Arts Centre
Hefner - Arts Centre
Modern English - Castle Park
Victor Brox Band - Essex Uni
John Dummer Blues Band - Essex Uni
Seth Lakeman - Arts Centre
Cara Dillon - Arts Centre
Kinks - Essex Uni
Pretty Things - Essex Uni
Young Knives - Essex Uni
Mr Fox - Essex Uni
Drugstore - Arts Centre
Babe Ruth - Essex Uni
Doctor Feelgood - Essex Uni
Caravan - Essex Uni
Principal Edwards Magic Theatre - Essex Uni
NB. The band's listed at Essex Uni played in the dance hall or the lecture theatre and a few played in the Hexagon Restaurant. Around 1970 Colchester had three regular major music venues ( Uni, College and Corn Exchange ) and several minor venues ( Metro - Sunday was billed as a Blues Night ). |
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 22:41 20 Nov 2024
Random thoughts and memories
Part Forty Seven
This is effectively a list of artists who came to my home town of Colchester who linger in the memory.
Spooky Tooth - Essex Uni
Fairport Convention - Essex Uni
Curved Air - Essex Uni
East of Eden - Essex Uni
ACDC - ABC Cinema
Jon Hiseman's Colosseum - Essex Uni
Atomic Rooster - Colchester Technical College
Van Der graaf Generator - Colchester Technical College
Genesis - The Metro
Freedom - The Metro
Ainsley Dunbar - The Metro
Ronnie Lanes Slim Chance - Essex Uni
Juicy Lucy - Essex Uni
Yes - Colchester Corn Exchange
Ginger Baker's Airforce - Colchester Corn Exchange
Uriah Heep - Colchester Corn Exchange
Stevie Marriott - The Works
Duster Bennett - Essex Uni
John Martyn - Essex Uni
The Stranglers - Essex Uni
Audience - Colchester Technical College
Aardvark - Colchester Technical College
Steeleye Span - Essex Uni
Fire - Essex Uni
The Groundhogs - Essex Uni
Warm Dust - Essex Uni
Hard Meat - Essex Uni
The Kursaal Flyers - Essex Uni
The Dammed - Essex Uni
Renaissance - Colchester Technical College
Greenslade - Colchester Technical College
Rare Bird - Colchester Technical College
Brotherhood of Breath - Essex Uni
Coldplay - Colchester Arts Centre
Elastica - Colchester Arts Centre
The Music - Colchester Arts Centre
Athlete - Colchester Arts Centre
Liverpool Scene - Essex Uni
Lodger - Colchester Arts Centre
Dire Straits - Colchester Technical College
The Subways - Colchester Arts Centre
Arthur Crudup - Essex Uni
Jan Dukes De Grey - Essex Uni
Client - Colchester Arts Centre
Arab Strap - Colchester Arts Centre
Dot Allison - Colchester Arts Centre
Echo and the Bunnymen - Colchester Arts Centre
Jess Roden - Essex Uni
Frankie Miller - Essex Uni
Kokomo - Essex Uni
Got to feed the animals now.
Maybe more tomorrow
😊😊😊 |
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 21:58 20 Nov 2024
Random thoughts and memories
Further follow up to Part Forty Six.
Del Shannon recorded an album titled 'Rock On!' that he recorded between '89 and '90.
It was released in the UK on the Silvertown label in 1990.
Del Shannon commited suicide a few months before the album was released.
It was produced by Mike Campbell and Jeff Lynne and features an array of supporting musicians that include Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty and George Harrison.
I suppose it was a comeback album after his string of hits in the early sixties following a series of releases with modest sales.
To think that he produced this work almost thirty years after his early success represents ( to me ) one of the greatest comebacks by a recording artist.
It is as good as anything he ever did. Possibly even better!
I played the vinyl today very loud through a guitar amp and if anyone out there was a fan of Del Shannon all those years ago you should hunt this album down.
Born Charles Westover in 1934 he impacted my life and interest in music. [Post edited 20 Nov 22:45]
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 17:06 20 Nov 2024
Random thoughts and memories
Additional information relating to Part Forty Six
The following words were written by David McWilliams in the opening verse to 'Days of Pearly Spencer'.
A tenement a dirty street
Walked and worn by shoeless feet
Inside it's long and so complete
Watched by the shivering sun
Old eyes in a small child's face
Watching as the shadows race
Through walls and cracks
And leaves no trace
And daylight's brightness shuns
The day's of Pearly Spencer
The race is almost won
I was up at 3am and played this track about five times. |
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Reply | Matt Jay
at 16:10 20 Nov 2024
Kind of the club to allow Matt Jay to play in a football match.
According to sources in East London Dagenham and Redbridge could have won the Essex Senior Cup match by 10 goals to nil.
They had to settle for 1 nil as Colchester put in a lifeless performance for the most part. |
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 20:39 19 Nov 2024
Random thoughts and memories
Part Forty Six
From the time l was about eight years old l used to borrow one of my Dad's collection of transistor radios and hide it under the bed covers at night.
I lived in a secret musical wonderland for several hours most nights and I'm not sure if my parents ever realised l was burning the candle at both ends.
One of the first singers l looked forward to listening to was Del Shannon.
'Two Kinds of Teardrops'.
'Little Town Flirt'.
There were hints here of a future world if l played my cards right.
I always looked forward to any Billy Fury release, Adam Faith too. And Bobby Vee.
Music was making an impression on me that would last a lifetime.
Fast forward to today.
I was thinking of a single that was released ( without checking ) in 1967.
I played it an hour ago. But not the single as it is in the loft.
It is the opening track on a David McWilliams LP.
The song is 'The Days of Pearly Spencer'.
It is still haunting and has a mystical theme that always weaves it's magic on me.
To think the record label Major Minor originally released it as a B side seems inconceivable. [Post edited 19 Nov 20:44]
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 12:11 19 Nov 2024
Random thoughts and memories
Part Forty Five
Jaipur, Rajasthan, North West India, November 1979
There is no one more sceptical than myself when it comes to fortune telling.
Somehow l am drawn towards a fortune teller who is set up in something resembling a telephone box in the hotel carpark.
It would be a once off, no possibility of a repeat especially after a fifteen minute 'consultation' that was mind blowing and led to a sleepless night.
We are standing about two metres apart.
We exchange a brief general conversation.
There are no questions from the fortune teller about anything in my life.
We are speaking about the scent in the air and the vibe of the temples nearby.
After a few minutes of that he is scribbling away with a pencil into a note pad.
I just stand there mute.
He stops scribbling and folds the paper multiple times.
I pay him for the piece of paper and it equates to about eight pounds in rupee notes.
I take the piece of paper back to my hotel room and carefully open it up.
It looks like a mathematical formula and gradually l begin to decipher the little diagram and numbers.
It includes Mother born 3rd day of the 3rd Month.
Correct, my mother was born on 3rd March.
It includes Father born on 3rd day of 1st Month.
Correct, my father born on January 3rd.
It includes my then girlfriend and he writes it down as Jayne.
It was Jane.
It includes odd words that effectively equated to my philosophy about the basic strands of life.
The next day l meet up with an English couple who had settled in Jaipur and told them about the fortune teller.
He was the son of one of India's most famous fortune tellers and they said he was capable of extracting information from the subconscious. |
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 22:07 18 Nov 2024
Random thoughts and memories
Part Forty Four, continued
So l walk up to my door and look down at the individual sitting on the doorstep. I have also noted the labels on her suitcases. She has flown in from Buenos Aires.
She introduces herself by her online username and l have to admit that the term used ( Argentineteen Babe ) and her look are a fit.
She was beginning a creative writing course at Essex University and she wanted to know if she could stay with me for a week or so as the flat that her father had rented in Wivenhoe was not quite ready.
She already 'knew' - in chat room / forum terms someone on the writing course at Essex..
I allocated her a spare room, cooked for her every day and enjoyed her company. Helped her move in. We hung out together on occasions once she settled in Wivenhoe.
Wonder where she is now?
Back in Argentina?
Or Paris?
Maybe she is still around these parts.
I moved house a year later so if she returned there she would have found the new occupants doing some major building work in my former home. [Post edited 18 Nov 22:13]
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 21:21 18 Nov 2024
Random thoughts and memories
Part Forty Four
Summer, 2005
I start putting some written works on a poetry forum. A musician introduced me to it. She told me who some of the people were who contributed to it.
We all had user names that kept our id private - to a point.
A few of us gave contact details on occasion.
The forum was growing rapidly as it became apparent that there were some interesting contributors and the traffic coming in was vast.
By some good fortune l started to get quite a following and could clock up 4,000 views within a few minutes of a posting.
The views were coming in from all over the world - particularly the UK, Europe and South America.
I wrote a piece called 'Colchester 2am'. It is not included on The Usual because it has some colourful wording and imagery and may not be suitable.
'Colchester 2am' had been online for a couple of weeks.
I came back to my house after a quick trek up to Sainsbury's on a Sunday morning. It was around 11.30.
As l turned the corner to Carlisle Close on Riverside Estate l saw a girl with two suitcases sitting on my doorstep.
To be continued. |
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 20:49 18 Nov 2024
Random thoughts and memories
Part Forty Three, continued
Apologies for the commercial break, l am on another screen to Dayton, Ohio.
Anyway, Richard begins to tell me about money that was being taken from the till at Sloppy Joe's over a period of time. I think Richard Travis may have been the Financial Director.
There were quite a few staff at Sloopy Joe's at the time Jeremy Bamber was working there and Richard and his partner had no idea who was taking the money from the till.
They formulate ways to monitor the staff with a secret camera or some similar mode of surveillance.
They catch Bamber taking the money.
Sack him on the spot.
Don't ask Bamber to pay back what he has taken over the weeks and months and they didn't report it to the police.
I think it was just a matter of months after that when Bamber killed his adoptive parents, sister ( not his blood line but also adopted ) and her two young twin boys.
I don't think this story ever came out at the time and there is a trait in Bamber's behaviour that has the hallmark of his masterplan at White House Farm.
If Bamber had been reported to the police for theft he may have had second thoughts about murdering five members of his family. |
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 20:24 18 Nov 2024
Random thoughts and memories
Part Forty Three
There used to be a Mexican restaurant in Covent Garden - possibly Neale Street or Long Acre way.
We went there one night in the mid eighties for a birthday bash. ( We used to call it a Birthday Bash in those days ).
The restaurant was called Pacifico's. I am sitting there and recognise someone from Colchester walking over.
It was Richard Travis and l knew him through cricket circles.
He was actually a partner in the restaurant.
He was also a partner at Sloppy Joe's in Colchester High Street and my family were quite regular visitors there.
Fast forward about ten years.
Richard drops by to visit me on a Sunday evening.
We are talking about Sloppy Joe's and he tells me that Jeremy Bamber who went on to murder five members of his family at White House Farm used to work for him as a cocktail waiter or bar assistant.
To be continued. |
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 20:01 18 Nov 2024
Random thoughts and memories
Part Forty Two
March 22nd, 1971
I have been in bed for a couple of days with a heavy bout of flu. My mother has covered me in extra blankets and l have a fever and hallucinate.
The wardrobe is a giant contorted face and is staring at me.
There are reptiles crawling up the walls.
Mad shadows ( to quote Mott the Hoople ).
I am laying there. It is around seven o'clock in the evening.
Suddenly l realise that the U's are at home to Scunthorpe United.
Am l the only person to run two miles to Layer Road in my pyjamas? I had a heavy coat on too. And a West Ham scarf.
My parent were watching TV downstairs. I sneaked down, quietly opened the door and began running down Margaret Road.
This activity bought a shock to my system that seemed to ease the effects of the flu.
I was on the Bar Side, half way line, a few rows down from the top.
Ray Crawford scored both goals in a two nil win.
I ran home.
Rushed up the stairs and got into bed.
My parents were annoyed but they didn't give me too hard a time over it.
Next morning l got up.
The flu had gone. . [Post edited 18 Nov 20:05]
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 09:36 17 Nov 2024
Random thoughts and memories
Part Forty One
To conclude this extended sub thread.
I looked at some YouTube footage of Nigel Benn fights last night.
Tony Tucker was by Benn's side on the ring walks in his position as security / minder.
Carlton Leach too.
The footage reminded me what a great fighter Nigel Benn was.
As for Karen, it could well be her in one of the clips.
As for her being followed by the BMW that l too encountered on several occasions - I think this may have been the police who conducted 'Operation Century' as a surveillance method in the early months of their investigation.
They most likely checked me out from my number plate in '96.
I should imagine the black BMW's may also have followed Bernard O'Mahoney around.
If my memory serves me right Bernard was actually in the Rettendon area at the time of the shooting.
It was an amazing case and those that were killed were loved by people around them.
Karen included. |
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 21:47 16 Nov 2024
Random thoughts and memories
Part Forty One, continued
Fast forward to one hour ago.
This sub thread covers thoughts as well as memories.
Michael Steele is now 81 years old.
He may finally be released from prison in the coming days and weeks.
While going through the witness statements on The Rettendon Murders there was one particular aspect that to this day l find difficult to comprehend.
It relates to the phone call that Pat Tate took from his girlfriend Sarah Saunders. This occured just minutes before he was shot.
There are supposedly four people in the Range Rover heading down the track leading to a field.
Rolfe driving. Tucker, front passenger seat.
Pat Tate and Michael Steele in the back.
So when Pat Tate answers his phone he tells Saunders he is with some people.
From memory that was recorded in the statement of Saunders.
Saunders and Michael Steele were known to one another.
Maybe it was common practice for Tucker, Tate and Rolfe to be discreet while viewing a field where a drug drop was supposed to have being planned.
To be continued as l am multi tasking [Post edited 16 Nov 21:50]
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 20:54 16 Nov 2024
Random thoughts and memories
Part Forty One, continued
I phone Bernard O'Mahoney on his mobile.
It is actually Patrick O'Mahoney but he adjusted his name.
He is driving to Leeds.
He sounds quite displeased that l have called.
Bernard had written a couple of big selling titles.
The first was about Ecstasy dealing in the Basildon area.
The second was about the Essex Boys Murder.
He was quite dismissive about Tony Tucker threatening anyone with a gun.
My impression, rightly or wrongly was that this was something he hadn't known about and Bernard liked to know everything about the Basildon scene that led to the murders.
He was also dismissive of the guitar playing individual who had done a few stints in Chelmsford and Norwich prisons.for dealing E's.
This conversation was taking place in 2013 and l had spent the previous two and a half years researching crime at the request of third parties..
This necessitated going into prisons within a hundred mile radius of Colchester to interview inmates.
Bernard would not have been aware that l had viewed over 900 police statements relating to The Rettendon Murders.
He may not have realised that Colchester is a relatively short distance from the former home of one of the individuals serving a life term for the murder of Tucker, Tate and Rolfe.
He would not have been aware that l knew someone who had lived in very close proximity to that individual.
Having said all that, fair play to Bernard to making the change from the security sector and writing about his life experiences which are quite something.
To be continued. |
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 17:59 16 Nov 2024
Random thoughts and memories.
Part Forty One, continued
Fast forward to 2013.
Dog walk in allotments behind East Bay.
Get talking to fellow dog walker.
My instinct tells me he has had some kind of a life.
We get talking.
Chelmsford prison is mentioned.
Basildon.
He was an associate of Tony Tucker.
He was dealing ecstasy. Has got previous .
My mind flashed to Karen telling me about a man she met with a guitar under a tree in Hylands Park.
I already know it is him before l run it past him.
I mention Karen. I mention the tree. The guitar.
And yeah, this is he.
We shake hands.
I tell him about 1996. I mention being followed by the black BMW.
He told me Tucker pulled a gun on him in Basildon in early '95.
By 2013 l had researched the Rettendon Murders and had been in touch with an individual by the name of Bernard O'Mahoney.
To be continued as visitor arriving. |
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