Sunday, May 27, 2007

I remember when a million was a million - which happens to be a line from a Tom Waits song (Little Drop of Poison on Orphans).

I remember seeing Tom Waits in concert on television - and I don't think the programme has ever been repeated. It was from somewhere like the London Palladium, he had a lamppost - or perhaps it was a hat stand - on stage and he was brilliant. I suppose it was around the time of Blue Valentines - probably my favourite of his albums.

I remember always bumping into Steve Madden at the Tiffin Fair and sharing a laugh at my expense over the fact that I was still working for the bank, but that I wouldn't be next year, but that I still was.

I remember listening to Steve Madden on Radio 2 one night, and enjoying the programme, only to discover that it was his last show. I think he is on one of the regional stations now, and I did find a publicity snap of him on the BBC website and he was as bald as a coot - serves him right for laughing at me!

I remember John Peel raving about the Four Seasons' new album when they signed to Tamla Motown.

I remember taking the exhaust off my mum's Ford Anglia trying to enter a petrol station by driving across a grass verge which unfortunately ended with a low wall - it was dark and I mistook it for the entrance. I also remember writing off my mum's Austin A40 by driving along the A3 when they were building the Tolworth underpass and not realising that my lane was about to come to an abrupt end - my dad took me back the next day and showed me the signs. They were there. In my defence I managed not to hit anyone else and did a fairly controlled skid ending up on top of a heap of rubble. I think Stuart Constable was with me. No one was hurt. The thing is, I don't remember (and I have Paul Smith to thank for this) "your side-scraping your old man’s Humber on the A3". I remember the car well - I used to drive it to school and we would go and hang around the entrance to Tiffin Girls' School.

I remember Paul Smith getting Ginger Baker's autograph with my pen. He was sitting behind us at Jimi Hendrix's Albert Hall concert.

I remember a tree there was in Nonsuch Park, probably an oak but I wouldn't swear to it. This was over on the wilder south side of the park. It was beautiful and dominated the landscape and every time I went I would think I must bring a camera and photograph it. I had plans to do pictures of it in each season - I can still remember it surrounded by snow. Then one day I noticed it had gone.

I remember having an enormous argument with my parents - we were in Kingston and I wanted the money to buy the first Vanilla Fudge album. I eventually got it but I don't think it was that day. I remember going home in a real sulk. I thought it was good at the time - and I have bought it on CD but don't listen to it that often. It's certainly not worth falling out over.

I remember a physics teacher at school called Mr Taylor. First name Ian. These days IT would be fairly cool initials to have. But in the Sixties he was just it.

I remember in a very early woodwork lesson - so I would have been about 11 or 12 - and the teacher, who I think was called Mr Taylor, showed us how to hold a saw, with your index finger pointing along the blade. I have remembered that every time I have picked up a saw since.