Saturday 3 April 2021

The last gangs in town

I'm afraid life's a little fraught and tiring round these parts at the moment... My poor old mum-in-law is in a bad way, both physically and mentally, and every day (and night) seems to bring with it a new drama / development (with liberal sprinklings of weirdness) to ramp up the stress levels around me.  Of course we know there'll be no happy ending either so it's all a bit heavy-going.  Therefore please excuse a lazy post today in that I'm just going to share a video but I hope, if you have around 12 minutes to spare, you'll get the same pleasure from it, and perhaps reminiscences too, that I have...  

I was around the same age as these four lovely young guests appearing on Irish TV in 1983 and, in spite of our different family backgrounds and geographical location, I felt an immediate kinship - maybe you will too?   I'd have certainly spent the same amount of time and effort on my hair... and didn't we have a lot of it?!   The third interviewee, John, is particularly engaging, and reminds me very much of some of those brilliantly individual kids I hung around with in art school (well, of course!)  It wasn't always easy - but it felt so important at the time.

Ah, youth tribes, eh...


Happy Easter hols!

16 comments:

  1. Sorry to hear about your mother-in-law
    The travails of growing old

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    1. Thanks CC - feel so sorry for her. It doesn't help that Covid restrictions have been so damaging to her mental health as well. Difficult times.

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  2. Sorry to hear you're having a difficult time, C. Be well.

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    1. Thanks Martin. All gets a bit frazzling! Indeed, have to just make sure to keep oneself as well as possible in these situations too.

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  3. Sorry to hear about that C. Tough times.

    Great clip, not seen it before. It would be fascinating to see where the 4 are today.

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    1. Thanks SA. Glad you liked the clip too. I was curious about them as well, so looked them up and found some links for Siobhan and John - all good stuff, as you might expect, given you can tell early on from this interview that they are decent, intelligent individuals.

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  4. I'm not sure how he can afford to be a mod if he's unemployed and has 15 siblings.

    Sorry to hear about your mum in law.

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  5. Sorry to hear that things are not going well with your mum-in-law. With the pandemic everything has been made much more difficult. Hope things get easier and a coping strategy is found.

    As for the clip, just brilliant. I can't say I was ever one of them but I did hang about on the fringes of a group of very individual dressers when I was a student. (And of course I did once turn up to a dance in my blue leopard spot dress and black lipstick, only to find out everyone else was in Laura Ashley!).

    I too really liked John. They are all obviously finding it a bit excruciating which is what the host is going for probably, but they did well. DD had a very eclectic bunch of friends in her final year at school and she herself has sported some very unusual hairstyles BUT tough to keep it going long-term when you want to find employment. Her boss once did allow her to dye her hair blue only for the 'big boss' from head office to overrule it when he came for a visit. An expensive hairdressing appointment followed.

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    1. Thanks Alyson, I know you understand these things too and hope all is going as well as can be expected in your situation too.

      Glad you enjoyed the clip - just seeing them took me right back to a time that can never be replicated. (And you know I love the thought of you in that outfit with everyone else in their florals!)

      Yes, it's all a bit awkward but they deal with it so well and naturally. I love the way John says when asked what his parents think, "They know what I'm like - my hair, it's just my hair...they know what kind of a person I am" which sums it up completely - it was the same for me when I went to school with peroxide spikes! My mum sprang to my defence when it was brought up at a Parents' Evening and asked the teachers why it mattered seeing as I had never done anything bad like stealing, bullying, etc... She (quite rightly) never saw it as a problem.

      Such a shame that DD's 'big boss' should overrule her blue hair which I'm sure looked brilliant - it seems very Draconian now!

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    2. As of last week I am now allowed into the care home to visit my mum again so quite a step forward. She has been largely unaware of what has been going on for the last year because of her condition so could have been a lot worse. So sorry you are having a stressful time at the the moment though - I've been there and it's not easy for any of the parties involved.

      Some of the sweetest people I've ever met dressed punk style (although watered down for the workplace). It was great when you bumped into them at the weekend when in full punk-mode, spikey hair an' all. Glad your mum stuck up for you - She was the one who knew you best after all.

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    3. Good to know your mum is allowed the visits again but being mostly unaware of what's been going on sounds the best way it could be too! Difficult to find the support needed for my m-in-law at the moment, but something has to change. She spent 3 weeks in hospital and in many ways the bizarreness of the experience under Covid rules seems to have just made things worse for her mentally... Desperate times.

      Yes! - Everyone in our little punk/misfit group of my youth was lovely - we only really ever got hassle from the 'straights'...

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  6. Hi C. Hope your Mum in law state improves . My Mum is not so good either. Oh dear these are the problems that folks of our age have to face.

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    1. Thanks Ben and sorry to hear about your mum too. Yes - we're at that age. Also wonder too if there are more cases of it now than in the past (it seems that way) as people are living longer? But such a huge strain on all concerned sadly.

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  7. I'm trying to catch up with the blogs a little this evening and am really sorry to hear about Mr SDS's Mum. Sending love to you all.

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  8. Ah thank you - difficult days but I realise we've all just started to get used to it really - also that so many other people are going through, or have gone though, much the same!

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