Your Time Is Gonna Come..

It's weird how your perception of time changes as you get older. In January 1977 I discovered David Bowie, when I heard his latest single 'Sound and Vision'. I was blown away with the song and was desperate to find out more. But the more I found out about the man, the more I felt as though I'd discovered some old codger on his last legs!! From what I was reading, it seemed like all his glory days were way behind him (Ziggy, Aladdin Sane, Diamond Dogs, Young Americans etc), and at the age of 10, five years ago (when he was Ziggy) seemed like a million to me... why it was half a lifetime! Yet looking at it now with my '40 somethin' head on, I wasn't far out at all, and I was slap bang in time for what is arguably his best work (the Eno trilogy). The modern day equivalent of this (2003) seems like only a few months back... and to prove it, all these things were happening just 5 short years ago:

- The invasion of Iraq began;

- Apple unveiled this weird iTunes Music Store idea (it'll never work..);

- The final flight of Concorde took place;

- 5th Harry Potter book (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) published;

- 3rd and final film in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy released;

- Madonna and Britney snogged at the MTV awards;

- Phil Spector was arrested for investigation of homicide;

- Goldfrapp released their 'Black Cherry' album;

- Blur released their most recent album to date, 'Think Tank';

- Iggy Pop released 'Skull Ring', including his first new recordings with the Stooges;

- Johnny Cash, Robert Palmer, Bob Hope, Barry White, Bob Monkhouse and Adam Faith all died.

Scary huh??! It's weird how 5 years in history (i.e. a 5 year period before you were around, or at least before you were aware of it) seems a lot longer than a 5 year period that you've lived through.

Here are some more freaky facts from the perspective of the 10 year old me in January 1977, all of which at the time, I no doubt felt had happened in black and white, during the 1800's....

- Jimi Hendrix died 7 years ago;

- Punk started last year!;

- the 45 RPM single was invented 19 years ago;

- Stan Laurel died 12 years ago;

- Sid James died last year;

- Marilyn Monroe died 15 years ago;

- Harold Lloyd died 6 years ago;

- Elvis is still alive!!;

- Some old dudes called the Beatles split up 7 years ago (they were SO old, that their 1st single came out 15 years ago!!);

- Top of the Pops TV show has been going for 13 years;

- Winston Churchill resigned as Prime Minister 22 years ago;

- World War II finished 32 years ago, and food rationing in England only finished 23 years ago.

Ain't it weird how all of these things seem quite recent when you read them now??

Well I've made myself feel ancient... how about you??

Piley