I'm a sucker when it comes to good marketing tactics. Scratch that. They don't even have to be good in the first place. All it takes is constant in-your-face imagery and I'm yours - up to a point of course. Take for example the job done by tennis attire-turned-subculture favourite, Fred Perry on This is England '86 .
After watching the series, I was hooked. All I can think about these days is the stitched laurel on a merino wool cardigan or a polo shirt, tipped if possible. To make things worse, I don't even look good in either piece of clothing. Personally, I think cardigans are for grandads, not that my two grandads ever wore one, preferring the humble combination of a sarong and a Pagoda t-shirt instead while my other half thinks I "look a bit gay" in a cardigan. Just great. Get myself a cardigan and I run the risk of looking like a homosexual grandad.
The good news doesn't end there though. No, not for me. You see, I have jello for arms and a six-pack ab. Unfortunately, the six-pack is well hidden underneath a worryingly huge tummy. This is normally not a problem if I just stick to regular or loose-fitting pieces of clothing but, if I ever decide to challenge the norm with say, slim-fitting Japanese-size Fred Perry polos, catastrophe looms.
So, for the moment, I think I'd stay clear of Fred Perry until my infrequent visits to the gym actually bears some fruit. Until then, I can at least say that i've got a scooter and at one stage of my life, owned a pair of Dr. Martens boots...
Pic by andeecollard
I don't watch TV that much these days. I don't see the point really. There's nothing much on. Even real-time channels like news channels repeats itself (yes Sky News, that's you I'm pointing a finger at) after about an hour or so. It's that bad. Not too long ago, you'd hear people say that the ads on telly are much more interesting than the programmes itself. I'd agree. Back then. These days, even the ads are utterly hopeless. Television is dead.
But every now and again, like a member of the undead horde, it does pop its head out and surprises its audience. Boo!
This time, the surprise comes in the form of a four-part sequel to the skinhead film, This is England
. In short, the movie itself is about a little lonely boy called Shaun who befriends a bunch of skinheads, the happy-go-lucky, non-fascist, ska-listening variety. The gang is eventually split-up when a former member of the gang, Combo returns form prison and brings along with him all sorts of fascist/neo-Nazi ideas.
The TV series is a continuation of events in the movie, fast-forward 3 years to, you guessed it, 1986. Some sequels come quite independent of its original but in this case, the movie is absolutely essential viewing. Without having watched the movie, you'd be lost as to who, when, where and what is actually going on. A bit like an episode of Lost
minus the sand, sunshine and the evenly tanned people.
Being an avid fan of scooters and anything remotely connected with it, I was doubly excited about the TV series as there was talk that scooterboys and naturally, a variety of scooters (an SX and a GP to date) would be making an appearance (yes, it doesn't take much to excite me these days).
The series was on its penultimate episode last night and I've watched every single episode from the start. Strangely enough, I didn't even watch the episodes on TV, preferring to watch Channel 4's on demand service on my laptop instead. As far as I can tell, the service isn't available to those living outside the UK and Ireland but don't feel left out, try their YouTube channel instead and maybe you'll have some better luck there.
