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2005
All
stuff and nonsense |
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What's
gone out of your life? And can it ever be replaced?
Mary Fox - who produces BBC Radio Stoke's local nostalgia show 'Good
Times' - looks back at five decades of the "stuff" that has accompanied
her existence...
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See Also » |
Good
Times radio show
BBC Radio Stoke goes back to YOUR roots with a local nostalgia
show that aims to let the good times roll for Staffordshire,
south Cheshire and expats from all around the world. |
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 This
year much to my mother's disgust I have been telling anyone who'll
listen that I'm going to be fifty and that's something of a milestone.
We all know that fifty is the new thirty so I'm not too bothered about
feeling old.
What does bother me though is that having taken an inventory of my
life's stuff, I find a lot of it has gone missing, has been chucked
out, has worn out and I'm unlikely to ever see it again.
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When I
was 14 two fabulous perfumes came on the market. They aren't around
anymore - unless someone is hoarding them in drawers.
The first was made by Goya and it smelt of oranges - Aquamanda - it
came in a dark brown bottle with a label decorated with... oranges.
Kiku however was far more sophisticated. Appearing in a large yellow
sphere, it had a strong sweet smell and wasn't at all discreet.
That too is long gone, but if I concentrate hard I can still smell
both of them and in the background I can hear Love Grows by Edison
Lighthouse.
That takes me onto what I'm wearing in this misty time-warped memory
- it's a floor length double-breasted bottle green PVC coat.
It was a little too long for me and tended to trail behind me rather
like sleepy the dwarf's dressing gown.
Even if they couldn't see me coming in bottle green, they sure could
hear me because nailed into the soles of my cracked wet look leather
brogues were about three or four segs - little metal things that made
a great noise when dancing…. not so great though when trying to get
out of the back door of the local pub as the police were coming in
through the front.
For years I had drawers stuffed full of fluorescent knee-length socks
- many of them designed to accompany matching tops - those tops in
turn went with skirts - most of them midi length.
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When not
in a skirt, Levi jeans were a must, but not any old jean. It was the
shrink to fit pairs for us girls - men's waist sizes only.
So there was this bit of folklore that went round. To get the jeans
to fit you had to sit in a bath of cold water for an hour while they
moulded themselves to your body.
Ha! I bet those rednecks at Levi had one heck of a rottin' tootin'
belly laugh at all of us.
Anyway I did sit in the bath - a white enamel one which turned a slimy
shade of dark blue/green after the event - matching indeed the air
when my parents saw what I'd done. And the jeans were still too tight
on my bottom and too big on the waist.
With the jeans went a levi denim jacket with metal buttons, the sleeves
were always rolled up and I noted at the time that a packet of No.6
fitted snugly into the breast pocket.
I
remember the day I got rid of the Afghan - the coat not the dog. I
will regret this day for ever.
The Afghan coat came into my life along with Pink Floyd and Yes around
early 1971 when I was knocking 16, bathed in patchouli oil and wanted
to be called Moonstar Jet Rocket.
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It was
a magnificent species with very long fur, fawn coloured suede, fancy
toggles and when it rained it absolutely stank. Imagine a rainy Saturday
afternoon in the coffee bar we all used to haunt - no wonder the place
would empty when we arrived.
I sent away to New Musical Express that same year for a pair of velvet
loon pants - they were purple and ridiculous but I loved them.
I also loved my new yellow eye shadow from Biba, along with a deep
maroon lipstick and matching blusher - I looked ill to the point of
jaundice, but I felt fab.
The Afghan coat went out of my life as I prepared to be married. Along
with plastic bags full of cheesecloth tops, wrap around skirts, tote
bags, a Gandalf style long coat with matching hood, my Daryl Hall
and John Oates poster and tons of other stuff no longer needed in
this new all consuming life with my lovely husband.
He's still lovely of course, but 25 years on there's room for some
of this stuff again - if only I could get it back!
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BBC
Stoke and Staffordshire
Cheapside
Hanley
Stoke-on-Trent
Staffordshire
ST1 1JJ
tel: (+44) 01782 221281
e-mail: stoke@bbc.co.uk
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