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There were those serious thinkers in their late teens who couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about (music was meant to be cerebral not dressing up, jumping around and shouting) and they just concentrated harder on understanding the meaning behind their Yes album or the latest Peter Sinfield lyrics.
But I didn’t care about them. So what if they thought that Glam Rock was for kids with no sense? They could keep contemplating their navels, I was having fun. With the rejuvenated Sweet borrowing Bowie rifts, Noddy Holder’s full on vocal, Suzi Quatro bringing much needed sex appeal, Alvin Stardust’s moody persona and Wizzard’s amazing image being only some of the highlights my love of music had well and truly been born.
While the music conquered the charts the fashions started to cascade down onto the streets albeit it a diluted form, glitter and glam may be alright at a concert but you’d still be asking for trouble if you wore it on a Saturday night in Slough! The style of clothes available to wear started to change, not to anything that we’d recognise as choice today but it was a seismic change for thirty years ago (my childhood was of the “you can wear long trousers to school when you’re 11, what do you think you are - Posh?” variety). C&A sold Jingler jeans, so called because they had bells attached to them, bright colours became the norm and heels for men became more the rage than they were for women.
And how did I show my support for Glam Rock? With the best pair of jeans I’ve ever owned. I’ve no photos of me wearing them but I remember them perfectly. They were flared brushed denim, purple at the front, pink at the back. My parents complained that I wore them too often, and my Dad was concerned that the colours weren’t really what his son should be wearing, but they couldn’t have minded too much as they paid for them! Coupled with my elasticated purple belt and my shirt sporting a loud Toulouse-Lautrec print I thought I really was the man about town.
It was this fashion sense (or lack of) that introduced me to the downside of any trend - those people that want to beat you up because of it. Approached by the local gang one summer afternoon I knew that I was in for a kicking if I didn’t think fast, but as the leader walked towards me I couldn’t think of anything. What saved me was my total lack of understanding when it came to sarcasm (the memory of this makes me smile even now), the conversation went something like this –
Gang Leader: “Nice outfit”
Me: “Thanks”
Gang Leader: “So these are the manly colours now are they?”
Me: “Yes, I always wear them”
Gang Leader: “Nice elasticated belt, must get myself one.”
(laughter from the rest of the gang)
Me: “It is good isn’t it. My mum bought it from Woolworths, if you want I’ll ask her to get you one. I’m sure she won’t mind.”
The gang collapse with laughter, even the gang leader smiles, and I see my opportunity to quickly walk away.
As with any fashion or trend, there had to be an end to the dominance of Glam Rock. For me it came when the music started to appear ‘samey’ and new groups would appear dressed, by their PR gurus, in a ‘glam’ style but without the attitude. While the stars at the top of the Glam Rock tree continued to shine they were very much let down by the supporting artists.
So Glam Rock disappeared from the charts and slowly from my record collection as I discovered heavy rock, punk and any number of different genres. Where it didn’t disappear from was my heart. It showed me that life didn’t have to be mundane, that music and fashion didn’t have to have a deep meaning, that life was colourful and there to be enjoyed.
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