Here's how far I have written my way into Chapter Five. After this there will be Chapter Six - PARADISE which is set on the island of Barbados and Chapter Seven - PODCAST.
Don't forget to buy a nook and help fund our friends. CLICK HERE - no messing about CLICK HERE !
NEW CITY SOUNDS:
Larna was going to train to be a teacher. With slender academic qualifications she was offered a place at North Buckinghamshire College of Education. I had no idea what I would do in the area where we were going to live but one thing was certain I would not work again
in radio.
"She wants to teach Music Dad," I said. "Because she is older she can do a two year teacher training course instead of the normal three."
Money was not going to be a problem for the family. We had both earned well and built up extensive savings. I did not need to work, I probably would not work and Larna was planning to work for fun more than for a salary. We paid for both Billy and Geoffrey to attend the preparatory department of Bedford Public School. For an Englishman reading this story it will be understood that a public school is not open to the public, for those who do not comprehend let me explain. A Public School, the like of Eton, Harrow and Bedford, is a fee paying school where only the sons of the wealthy can have places. Fortunately we were wealthy enough to be able to send our two sons there.
I wondered for a brief time about going into politics but that was not my style. If I were younger I think could have been a doctor and developed a cure for Lily's heart condition. Lily also went to a fee-paying school, a lovely little place run by two sisters. Should I go into business like my brother ? He now had a nationwide chain of record shops but business had not given him the time for life as it had given to me. He was not married, never would be and would not know the love of children Larna and I had.
I am being a bit melancholic as I tell this part of my life. The future for us all felt as if it was an enigma, what troubles me now is that back then I did not care. Does that make sense ? I need to snap out of the melancholy as these were good times for our family. Max, get on with the story.
There were new towns planned and developed to house the country's growing population but this was to be a new city. Where the city would one day stand there were then fields, farms and villages. The villages would merge into the city. Looking out from the manor house we had taken as our new home it was all something of an enigma.
"Will you sit on a committee to help plan the station ? You have a unique experience."
I do not like committees. I had never heard of a community radio station, that was an enigma.
"This will be a central tool to build a strong community as the city develops."
"I don't like committees. There was a bit too much of that at Radio One."
"Then take it on and do it on your own, you will be in complete charge."
My radio days were over. I loved Radio Jolly Roger but I was too old now for that to be repeated even if it were legal. Golden Gate was unique, I was in the right place at the right time, San Francisco was fun but it would never again be what it had been in The Summer Of Love. Radio Boring ?As you can tell I am not a fan in any way of the BBC, state controlled media belongs in the province of totalitarian states not within the mother of democracy. That said I did have some good times when I worked there.
So what was a community radio station ? As I understand the idea funding would come from the city's development corporation. The station would have complete control over programming and content.
"I'll think about it," I said.
Christmas again. Billy and Geoffrey were politely skeptical about Christmas. Lily was not so naive.
One term into her course and it was obvious Larna was going to be a great teacher. What was she going to teach ? I didn't tell you that did I ? I can't remember. Oh yes, I did tell you, she was planning to teach music.
No, I was certainly not going to go into politics. That was only a momentary silly idea. Something common sense said was a big no, no ! Conservative party leader, Edward Heath, was safe for the time being. I pondered the idea of being a writer, well here I am with my autobiography but as you can tell I am never going to become a best seller. Radio was what I knew. Sod it, I would take on the project and so New City Sounds was born.
What do you think, was the music of the 1970's better than the music of the 1960's ? No contest, of course it was. I had some whipper-snapper journalist come to interview me about New City Sounds, he kept talking about the decade gone by.
"Just wait," I said to him. "In ten years time The Swinging Sixties will br be shown to have only been a warm up act to the Rocking Seventies."
New City Sounds blasted with a rock that set the tone for the entire development of the city We were a pop music station, we were a local newspaper, we were central to the community.
One of our DJ presenters going live with a two hour show each week was a servings police officer. A GP from a local surgery had a show Doc Rock. We had teenagers from three different youth centres popping in and out of the studio. Radio Boring may have had its roadshows but New City Sounds had its own disco we took into the schools.
DISCO, yeh that was a phenomena from the 1970's wasn't it ? I made sure my big brother gave me a discount for all records we purchased.
Proof reading my notes from ahead of typing them up I said my radio days were over. My words there are lethargic and melancholic, New City Sounds changed all of that ! Radio Jolly Roger gave me my start. Radio Golden Gate made me famous. Radio One made me rich. New City Sounds was going to be fun.
I started writing my story a long time ago. I was excited, very excited, as I played through my life in the 1960's but now into the 1970's I set the manuscript aside and left it alone for almost a year. I am not writing now in the 1970's of course, sadly I am much older and it's going to take a bit of effort to get back into writing. Well let me have a go.
The sun is shining, I am looking out to a beautiful blue sea. I am feeling very happy, content and happy so let me have a go at picking up on my story. Come and dance with me trough the decade of the 1970's, the decade of DISCO.
I have tried to put my memories of New City Sounds into a chronological order. New City Sounds and my happy time there cover not only the disco seventies but also dip in to the 1980's. Instead of inviting my aging brain to line up events into calendar order I am going to hopscotch my way through those years.
I started writing my story a long time ago. I was excited, very excited, as I played through my life in the 1960's but now into the 1970's I set the manuscript aside and left it alone for almost a year. I am not writing now in the 1970's of course, sadly I am much older and it's going to take a bit of effort to get back into writing. Well let me have a go.
The sun is shining, I am looking out to a beautiful blue sea. I am feeling very happy, content and happy so let me have a go at picking up on my story. Come and dance with me trough the decade of the 1970's, the decade of DISCO.
I have tried to put my memories of New City Sounds into a chronological order. New City Sounds and my happy time there cover not only the disco seventies but also dip in to the 1980's. Instead of inviting my aging brain to line up events into calendar order I am going to hopscotch my way through those years.
No comments:
Post a Comment