Sunday 24 August 2008

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

14 comments:

Mondo said...

P - you're right, so scary how it slips away.....

1 year since I started blogging

6 years since the booty remix explosion.

10th Anniversary editions of albums I still think of as new(ish) ie:Air - Moon Safari

25 years since my first trip to Crocs

31 years since the Pistols album.

Ironically the gap between 1970 - and 1980 felt much longer. Also makes you realize exactly how much The Beatles crammed in to 7 years worth of recording

Heff said...

Thanks Piley. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go have my adult diaper changed and head off to the assisted living facility for my dinner of applesauce.

Suzy Norman said...

So a 10 year old you killed Elvis? Ommm, I'm telling...

Piley said...

Mondo - the 10th Aniv re-releases is a good one!! I find myself thinking "ok fk, i wish i'd waited, i only bought that a few months back" but its more like 8 years!

Heff - good man, if you are a good boy i'll melt some jello for your desert...

RE - I don't believe it! rumbled after 31 years! Yes I was the kings cheff back in 77, and I replaced all his low fat burgers and healthy cheese slices with full fat ones. I feel terrible now though... how could i possibly have known what would happen?? I was only ten!!

;-)

P

rockmother said...

20 years since I graduated - 20 !?? How the hell did that happen?

31 years since I smoked marijuana for the first time - yes I was 11 - bad

23 years since my favourite cat died

21 years since my head went through the side window in a near fatal car crash on the M25 - my life fanned out in front of me like a flipbook just before impact

22 years ago I was working for £50 a week

8 and a half years since the purchase of my first house which I still live in

4 or so years since I started blogging

Half an hour since I have jsut started to bore/frighten myself realising how long ago everything was!

Anonymous said...

Cheers, I was feeling quite chipper until I read this. :-)

Anonymous said...

This really struck a chord with me this peice. When i was a kid i remember my Dad saying "when you get older time just fly's by" . I thought pah ! what does he know ?. Quite a lot apparently he's f**king right. Christmas's come round like weekends , my kids are 11 and 7 (it only seems like a couple of months since i brought em from home hospital in a blanket), Arsenal have won nothing for 3 years 3 YEARS !!!!! , i still think of the White Stripes as a NEW band , it's 27 years since i attended my first gig and i've been with my woman for 20 years. When i was getting into Hendrix around the same time Mr Pile was getting into Bowie it seemed like Jimi had passed away centuries before but it was just 7 years , I watched the Woodstock movie thinking wow and it had only been 8 years ago but the Clash and Pistols made it seem longer if that makes sense. Things change so quick and stuff seem's old. Time eh ? weird stuff to be sure. Enjoyed every ones comments too , Cheers. Carl.

Ad said...

This post has given me a bit of a headache Piley.
I think of '77 as the year the world turned slowly from the dullest black & white to colour.
I guess it's because oddballs like you and me fixate on music so much we relate the timescales of what's going on in the real world to what's happening in popular music culture.
For example I can hardly remember anything that happened in the 80s. I'd like to think that it was because the music of that decade was so rank. Maybe it was just the chemicals though?

By the way. New podcast up. Pre 75 reggae. It's my best yet apparently.

E F RICE said...

Madonna and Britney snogged !? Ermm just popping over to You Tube.........

Piley said...

RM - some very poignant memories there, bet they all seem like yesterday too.

Thanks for the comments Carl, glad it got you thinking! Athough the most depressing on your list by far was the Arsenal one... ;-)

Marmite\Ad - Sorry lads, i seem to be giving a few people headaches with this one. Maybe we are gettin (a-hem) old??! nah!

EFR - you've got a point there... and it IS five years since I last saw it.... see you over there!

P

Ad said...

Arsenal.
My heart friggin' bleeds.
Try supporting Brentford?!!
Mind you 77/78 was an excellent season.....

Piley said...

Ad, well to ground us both, Carl n I both support Southend Utd too!! So feel your pain Sir....

Anonymous said...

I go and watch Southend occaisionally but i have the luxuary of slight detachment when i do , in a way it feels like i'm cheating on my beloved Arsenal:-). I like to see em do well but the only pain i really feel is for Arsenal. Cant afford to go any more and the place is packed with passionless rich twats too :-( . Carl a Gooner till i die etc etc !.

ally. said...

a god no - here i am crumbling as i type and if was possible to feel more ancient then i do. it was all that five years ago stuff. i can't decide whether it was all long ago or just yesterday. i'm going for a nap
x