14 Up - here we are on 31st December 1975 – let’s see how you’ve been getting on


How have the last 7 years been for you?

It’s hard to say really - things happen and I accept them for what they are. I am not upset by bad things or elated by good things - I just go about my business without much fuss.

Some bigger events would be:
- We moved house
- Uncle Harry died
- I went to a new school
- Auntie Jose got sick
- Vicky was born
- We got a rabbit
- We got a dog
- I kissed a girl


What have been some of the highs and lows?

School is a low - I’m not good at it and I don’t like the struggle of having to complete homework all the time. There is nothing satisfying about it - I just don’t understand what they want. I don’t think I’m dumb, but I am so disinterest in it. As a result, I get grief from those around me due to my lack of achievement - well, to be more accurate, it isn't my lack of achievement as much as my lack of effort.

I have experienced death for the first time when my uncle Harry died - he was a largish man and had a heart attack. Whilst he was recovering, he lost loads of weight and seemed to be getting better and then another attack and it was all over. Strangely, the over-arching feeling was that it is weird rather than upsetting - I am just accepting of him having died - I suppose that as I was only 10 at the time, I was probably shielded from the emotion of it all. I liked him and his input into my world is over. And so it goes.

Out of all the family, Harry and Jose were the smokers and as a kid, that was very noticeable as their house smelled so different to all the others I visited. It also gave it a more mysterious feel - it felt more lived in - not sure why.

A year after Harry died, his wife Jose lost the ability to walk as she had Multiple Sclerosis. It was strange for me as I didn't know that she was sick - she was her usual self and the day after she returned from a holiday was the last day that she walked. Once again, it could be my age that means I am not exposed to the conversations and discussions around her condition. Since then, she has sold her house and now lives in a flat that has been adapted for her wheelchair and for her to be able to be as self-sufficient as possible.

After some failed attempts at Pets i.e. a few dead fish, a couple of dead hamsters, a hedgehog that escaped and a tortoise that turned into flies (yes, it wasn't hibernating after all), we progressed to a rabbit called Bobtail. She was lovely - very gentle and my first chance to properly interact with an animal (other than my sister). Other than the one day when the neighbour’s dog (at our pervious house) got into the back garden and scared her badly - and me too - she had a good life and joined us when we moved to our current house. And when we moved, a local kitten (Sammy) came to visit and play with her a lot - it was nice watching them together.

And now we have a dog - an absolute beauty - we got Rosie last year from the RSPCA and she is just a delight. Sadly she had been badly abused and it has taken time for her to become comfortable with us. She warmed to me quickest - probably as I am the smallest and also the one who wants her attention most. Then Louise and mum were accepted. More recently, she is ok with dad, but that took the longest. And she hates the milkman if her barking is anything to go by. Rosie is the best dog. Ever. End of story.

I now also have a new cousin as David and Judy have had a second daughter - a sister for Juliet - who they have named Victoria.


What are the main differences between this you and the previous you?

I have developed as a person – or maybe I can now see myself as something more than how others might see me. I do have some personality and am a bit of a joker. I am more of a follower than a leader, but that seems to be shifting a bit. There are moments where what I have to say ends up being heard – that is new and gives me a little bit of credibility. I am certainly not confident, but I also put myself out there a fair bit - I am fearless in a lot of ways and timid in others. I am smaller than a lot of my friends and that is annoying - more at school than anywhere else. As Bob Monkhouse said, “I was so small that I had to stand on a chair to reach puberty”.

I am not outgoing or particularly demonstrative, but I still go for it. When I was 7, I didn't have to try at anything – I just jumped into what was in front of me - now, I think more about my decisions.


Have your friendship groups altered?

Having moved schools back in 1972, I find myself at a boys-only school - a very different dynamic and not as much fun.

Not being particularly smart and not being that good at sport and also being very small, it has been hard to establish myself in the strata here. I am picked on a bit but not in a way that particularly bothers me - maybe some attention is better than none. I tended to be jumped on by the boys who were in the rugby team, but when they were just around classes etc, they didn't have any of that bravado and I was friends with quite a few of them - not that it mattered when they all got together as testosterone is a powerful and controlling beast in growing kids.

Through my youth club, I have met some people from other cities and that has been exciting - London and Glasgow particularly. It was easy not really thinking of life outside of Leicester - there is plenty to do here, but now there are more doors open to me and a chance to meet people from different worlds - I like it.

My sister ’s social group was growing too, so there was an influx of more new people appearing and that also was good - new energy can be refreshing ... sometimes.


What hasn’t been great and/or what would you change?

I think I’ve covered this already – I want to be taller, have more freedom and have less homework – none of which I have any control over.

Maybe I wish that I had tried harder at exams - not that it would make much difference as my abilities are limited - and I am more happy being average than below average. I don’t want to be above average really as that means that there would be expectations on me and I like it when there aren't any of those.


Why are people your friend?

I don’t know why. I am a smart-arse but can be amusing with it. Maybe I show more confidence that I really have and people like what I put out there. At school, there is no choice who you spend time with – I am in a class with the same people all the time – some I connect with easier than I do with others – but that is the same for all of us. Looking at my school mates, I get on best with those that don ’t seem to try and show off or who act too macho – I have a gentle nature and am not very aggressive and I don’t react well to aggression.


On a scale of 1 to 10, how happy are you?

I don ’t really know how to answer this. I don ’t know what I am comparing myself to. I was probably happier 7 years ago because there were no expectations on me, but out of 10? Hmmm – ok, I’ll go with a 7.


What are you proudest of?

Nothing really


What do you like to do with your time?

My time is either at school, with family or with friends.

I did go to my first couple of gigs - they were eye-openers. On both occasions, they were gigs that my sister was going to with her friends and on each occasion a friend pulled out leaving a spare ticket and she was told to take me. The first was exciting because it felt so grown up to be out without my parents - it was to see The New Seekers who had one hit - I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing - from a Coca Cola advert. It was not very exciting musically, but it felt great to be out and doing something like that. The second gig was to see The Jackson 5 - what great energy - I now understand that live music is not like hearing a record live - it has so much more - musically, visually and with so much audience input. Too much screaming though - it covered up the sounds, but so it goes.

And I went to my first ever football game - so exciting - another activity where the live experience so overshadows what I have seen on TV - such energy and passion. The downside is some of the crowd - a real level of aggression and violence that I have not experienced anywhere else. Scary.

I have seen some events and stage shows when we have gone to London – I saw the Harlem Globetrotters – they were great.

I go to a youth club every weekend and that is with friends I’ve known forever i.e. the kids of my parents friends. As I’ve got older with them, there is a split with my sister being friends with those a bit older than me and my friends being the same age or younger - there seems to be a year in the middle with nobody there, so that creates a split that suits me and Louise fine - she is a bossy big sister and I am an annoying kid brother.

Parties are a bit of a thing at this time - it’s been a transition from the jelly and ice cream affairs to more interesting gifts and interactions - I guess that I see myself as being more grown up so that I can build different level of friendships i.e. it isn’t just playing together but also talking – and larking around.

I read a bit - not as much as others that I know - and my sister inhales books. I read the Hobbit but gave up about a quarter of way through The Lord of the Rings. I like reading Billy Bunter books - they are ok, but almost all the stories are the same. I’ve read some M*A*S*H books - they are supposed to be like the TV program, but they are nothing like that - ho hum. There have been books I read at school, but they aren’t by choice. I don ’t really slow down enough to be sitting around reading - I am more into playing and watching TV.

I swim a bit - I like going to St. Margaret’s swimming pool and I also swim at school. I like playing football but don’t play much and I’m not very good at it.

I did go and learn judo for a while - I wasn’t any good at that either - I put it down to how small I was and that there were only bigger kids than me in the class - or maybe it is because I’m a lover and not a fighter.


What new items do you own and care about?

I bought my first records with record vouchers I got for my birthday. My first was The Untouchable by Alvin Stardust because I liked the single, My Coo-Ca-Choo - I only listened to it twice. The second was Elton John’s double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road which I loved. Other than those, I don’t have much.


What has changed you and what lessons have you learnt?

I clearly think that I know more than I do - I am continuously caught out in how shallow my knowledge is, but I still act like that isn’t true. It staggers me that I am so convinced of something one day and then discover how wrong I was the next day – I try and learn from it, but I keep forgetting that I don’t really know very much.

Having failed my 11+ exam (despite my parents had got my form teacher, Mr. Lee, to privately tutor me), I didn’t get to one of the better schools. I have learnt that even if I want to learn, my attention doesn’t stay focussed for very long.

It was interesting that, having been at school with the same people for quite a while, there has now been a change in the relationships – not sure if it is them to me or me to them. I have learnt how quickly the things you have in common with people can disappear and leave nothing to hang on to.

There is a perceived difference in expectation based upon the success achieved in that 11+ school test - where decisions are made based upon the capabilities of an 11 year old on that day. In terms of education, the opportunities seem similar whether you have passed or failed, even though those who passed get the opportunity to get to the better schools. But a big difference is around the ‘less smart’ kids and their position in things - the less smart are at my school and not the schools of those who passed the 11+. The classes at my school are graded from A down to F with the smarter kids being in A (which I found myself in) and the less fortunate lower down. I did learn that it is hard to move up but easy to slip down. For me, I remain pretty much in the middle of the A form – it’s fair to say that there are no subjects that I can totally master and languages are tough for me to learn.


How much have you achieved/accomplished?

Nothing comes to mind. There haven’t really been any difficulties to overcome. I just plod along and enjoy hanging around with the friends that I have. I am more resistant to the number of things I have to do as part of the family - it takes up a lot of time - there are always things going on. I feel that I am having to do lots that I have no interest in doing and my attitude to others (mainly my parents) is a reflection of that – I resent the lack of say that I have – it feels like I can ’t make any decisions but have to do as I’m told. I know – I am just a kid, but it just doesn’t sit well in me.


What new skills have you developed?

I learnt how to play chess and I seem to have an aptitude for that – I’m not great, but better than a few. The same applies to backgammon. I also play cards a bit – there have always been cards games – particularly with my grandma - but there are games I play with friends poker, brag and pontoon. I also enjoy scrabble and word games.

Not long ago, my handwriting changed – I had always written with upright writing and then suddenly, I started writing at a slant and it looks good and I enjoy writing now as it feels more grown up – strange what a small change can make.

A few years ago, as a family we started going ice skating in Nottingham each week – a bit of a trek but good fun and was followed with going out for dinner – that was fun while it lasted. I was very good at going fast in a straight line but couldn’t turn corners or stop, so I belt along and stop by hitting the barrier – I liked it. I tried roller skating at Granby Halls in Leicester, but there were bullying kids around who liked to push over the little kid and spit on him – so I didn’t stick with that for very long.

Also, I have learnt to stand on my head, I can walk on stilts and I have mastered the space hopper. Unfortunately, my attempts at being proficient on a pogo stick have failed to transpire.


What main lessons from the previous you, have you incorporated into your current life?

At infant school, I was told that the paddling pool had a jelly fish in it – I later learnt that wasn't true. Also, when told that I when going to have a jab for tuberculosis, older kids told me that they stick the needle in really deep and twirl it around – I have also learnt that to be a lie. Another thing I learnt was, despite anchovies reminding me of my great grandmother’s moustache, they aren’t too bad when eaten on pizza.


What do you value/care about?

Rosie - the best dog in the world.


What are your desires/plans/aims/goals?

In a couple of years time, I will be taking my O Level exams – I want to pass them as the natural direction is; take O Levels, take A Levels and then go to University. It feels a bit out of reach, but that is the plan – it is what all my cousins have done (except Stephen) and it is kind of what is expected.

And something following on from what I said earlier, I certainly want to kiss more girls. That is even better than I thought it would be. It was a scary thought before it happened, but then – ding dong – it happened.


What are your negatives?

I am a smelly teenager who thinks he is better than he is. I am often reminded that I am cheeky and disrespectful. I suppose that I am not much fun to be around unless I want to be around you.


What are your motivations?

To be left alone. To be liked. To be funny. To have fun.


What are your passions?

I guess that hanging with friends is the main one. I also have music all around me - all the time - there are so many songs that I like - though a lot of them I like because others do. And other music I pretend to like but don’t really - pack mentality. And others I like, but tire of quickly. But I think it is safe to say that music is my thing - I remember the words to songs easily and songs sit as complete pieces in my head.


What impacts do you think you have made?

None


What indoor activities do you get up to?

As a family, we have played Monopoly and Cluedo and there have been stages of draughts, chess, scrabble, different card games and mastermind. But interest in these things have faded a bit over time.


What outdoor activities do you get up to?

I play football a little bit - sometimes with friends in Knighton Park. Me and Louise go out on our bikes – since moving house, we go around Shady Lane and the fields around there and have picnics. We also have a brook next to our house and I like to put my wellies on and go out there and play and explore.

At school a few years ago, we would place Kiss Chase - I was young so made the mistake of being better at evading than being caught.

Because I now get the bus to school, there is also walking involved to and from the bus stop, so that is also additional time to play and mess around.


What holidays have there been?

There’s been a few. We went to Spain, France, Israel and Italy. We’ve even been to Wales! Also there have been lots of trips to London - sometimes to stay and sometimes just for the day. There have also been a couple of trips up to Newcastle. Sometimes, we have had trips to the seaside and that is exciting – normally involves eating badly – sticks of rock etc. We have a caravan but have only been on one holiday so far with it.

Talking of the trips to Newcastle, I would be sent up there on the train – that is a long way for a kid to go, particularly as I needed to change trains half way – it was very exciting to be allowed out on my own on such adventures. I felt very grown up.


What have been your musical influences?

Most of my musical influences come from either Top of the Pops, Radio 1, Saturday morning TV or records my sister bought. Sometimes, I could hear some things on Radio Luxemburg or Caroline, but the signals were weak in Leicester as these stations were broadcast from offshore and that is far from here.

I’ve listed some memorable songs from the last 7 years below - I don ’t necessarily like them all, but they are prominent in regards to when they came out or when I first heard them or what they are associated with. I recognise how quickly my tastes have altered and also how easily influenced I am with music - makes me wonder whether I like things or think I should or I pretend that I do. Probably all of those, but also, sometimes a song just grabs me as it resonates with something inside.

Looking at all the music from the last 7 years, I have selecting 5 from each year and explained why they were plucked.

1969
1. Desmond Decker (& The Aces): The Israelites - this was my first taste of reggae and is just a really catchy tune - the voices, accents, words were all new to me - it switched my mind on.
2. The Edwin Hawkins Singers: Oh Happy Day. This blew my head off - I love it - another new style and stunning vocals - what a choir - all those voices together makes the best sound I have ever heard.
3. Rolf Harris: Two Little Boys - this song was everywhere; Top of the pops, the radio, on different TV programs. Rolf had a Friday night TV program where he painted very impressive and large pictures. He has been a part of my world and though I now hate that song, it was big when I was 8 years old.
4. Tommy Roe: Dizzy. Just a very catchy and a fun sound.
5. The Archies: Sugar Sugar. Pure pop and a fun cartoon to accompany it.

1970
1. Peter, Paul & Mary: Leaving on a Jet Plane - just a nice song with a good melody that got into my head and one I could sing along to.
2. Melanie: Ruby Tuesday - this is an odd one - she has a different voice to others I had heard - she seems to be a bit magical (it is probably her hippy vibe) – she doesn’t seem to follow convention as I know it - I just like her.
3. Mungo Jerry: In the Summertime - another catchy sing-a-long song that could be heard everywhere - interestingly different.
4. Jackson 5: I Want you Back - I watch the Jackson 5 cartoon on TV and I know there songs well - this one is associated with their colourful, energetic and synchronized dancing.
5. Carpenters: (They Long to Be) Close To You - I am not a huge fan of the Carpenters but my sister is and she plays them a lot and they got into my head.

1971
1. The Chi-Lites: Have You Seen Her? - this song grabbed me straight away - not a song like others I hear around the place - maybe it was the harmonies or the pace of the song - I can’t really describe why, but I love it.
2. Elton John: Your Song - something about him grabbed my attention - I guess that he isn’t like the other people around - certainly not a star in the same way as others - he seemed a bit out of place. I like the simplicity of a man sitting at a piano and playing a good song. Maybe that is what I wish I could do.
3. Slade: Get Down - glam rock is so much fun - just people enjoying pop music - nothing clever or sophisticated - more to do with personality than content. There is so much of it and so many bands - Slade are a good one and the lead singer (Noddy Holder) is fun.
4. T Rex: Hot Love - they keep releasing single after single and I love them all - though this is glam, pop and fun, Marc Bolan has a style of his own and all his songs are catchy.
5. Diana Ross: I ’m Still Waiting - this is artist I heard via my sister as she has Diana records that she plays a lot - so Diana songs got into my head. Her music has more to it than a lot of what is around, but she isn’t as much fun.

1972
1. Alice Cooper: Schools Out - I like and don’t like this. It is a sort of anthem and feels like one for us kids - something that is nothing to do with our parents - main stream rebellion - but not. It was a huge hit, so I think that I felt that I should like it.
2. Congregation: Softly Whispering I Love You - another single my sister had - I love this one too - the harmonising and a choir - just a great song. I love the gospel sound and that it has different levels to it too i.e. a lot of songs are the same all the way through, but this switches gear.
3. Sweet: Poppa Joe - another glam favourite - they are very flamboyant and their tunes are catchy - I hear them a lot at parties - they are always on Top of the Pops and have lots of songs that I like.
4. Cat Stevens: Morning Has Broken - this was weird. I knew the song from school, but this was the first time my school life and music life overlapped. It was also interesting that anything can be a single if it is done well. It changed how I think about music.
5. Lindisfarne: Meet Me on the Corner - a catchy song and some good harmonising - this led me towards the folk world than pop. A good one to sing along to.

1973
1. Bobby 'Boris' Pickett (& the Crypt-Kickers): Monster Mash - not sure why, but I liked this song - it is a gimmick and pointless, but there you go.
2. David Bowie: Life on Mars - Bowie was talked about but wasn’t really in my sphere, but this is the song that pulled me into that world.
3. Gary Glitter: I’m The Leader of the Gang - I bought this single - he was everywhere and seemed liked fun - he didn’t seem to take himself seriously or pretend that he was anything more than a pop star.
4. Wizard: See My Baby Jive - what a great song - it was number 1 in the charts for a few weeks and was played everywhere - good energy.
5. Carly Simon: You’re So Vain - a move away from pop to a ballad singer/songwriter - not sure why this song grabbed me - just a well written and a good sing-a-long tune.

1974
1. Alvin Stardust: My Coo-Ca-Choo - strange that I liked this - another pointless song, but it appealed to me at the time - possibly because it was shown a lot and I am easily influenced.
2. Showaddywaddy: Hey Rock and Roll - not a great song, but they are a Leicester group and it gave me my first connection from where I lived and the music world - it was a link that made music seem not so far away.
3. Sparks: This Town Ain ’t Big Enough for Both of Us - very different musical style and though gimmicky, it was a good song. I’d been on a school day trip and on the way back, this played over the bus radio and we all sang along - a time and a place.
4. Mud: Tiger Feet - pure pop but a fast one and a great one for kids to dance and sing along to/with - good fun.
5. Hello: Tell Him - I love this song - great beat - great to sing along to. A mixture of pop and rock and roll. I love the energy of it.

1975
1. 10CC: I ’m Not in Love - this is the slow song that all current parties end with - the kissing song - and it goes on for a bit, so that works too.
2. Kenny: The Bump - this song gets a lot of people up to dance when it comes on - I don’t really like the song, but it is usually the start of a good atmosphere - all parties need songs like this to break the ice.
3. Queen: Bohemian Rhapsody - this songs makes me feel grown up and the feeling of raising a digit to the older generation. This isn’t one of your 3 minute pop songs - this is how we do it - we are our own generation doing it our way. Obviously, this is all my view of the world and not what it really represents.
4. Rod Stewart: Sailing - this song was one where we all have our arms around each or their and sway and sing. I was in Glasgow for New Year ’s Eve to see friends and my sister was also there seeing friends of hers there too - Rod was having a New Year gig that she went to and they all sang this - I’m jealous.
5. Roxy Music: Love is the Drug - another new types of music for me - it is more than pop - it is more sophisticated. Liking Roxy has led me to other artists of the same ilk - they opened a door for me.


TV programs I’ve enjoyed watching over the last 7 years

- The Addams Family
- Alias Smith and Jones
- Alf
- Allo Allo
- The Avengers
- The Banana Splits
- Batman
- Bewitched
- The Black & White Minstrel Show
- Bless This House
- Blue Peter (elephant)
- Bonanza
- Captain Scarlett
- The Champions
- The Charlie Drake Show
- Charlies Angels
- Chips
- Columbo
- Crackerjack
- Dads Army
- Daktari
- David Nixon
- The Double Deckers
- Dr. Who
- Dukes of Hazzard
- Ever Decreasing Circles
- The Generation Game
- The Golden Shot
- The Good Old Days
- The Harlem Globetrotters
- Hawaii Five O
- Hi De Hi
- The High Chaparral
- How
- The Invaders
- It Ain’t Half Hot Mum
- It Takes a Thief
- Jackson 5
- Jason King
- Jim’ll fix It
- Kojak
- Land of the Giants
- Les Dawson Show
- The Likely Lads
- The Liver Birds
- Lost in Space
- Man about the House
- The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
- The Marty Feldman Show
- McMillan and Wife
- Mike and Bernie Winters
- Minder
- Mission Impossible
- Morecambe and Wise
- The Monkeys
- The Munsters
- On the Buses
- The Osmonds
- The Partridge Family
- The Persuaders
- Porridge
- (Michael Bentine's) Potty Time
- Randall & Hopkirk (deceased)
- Reginald Perrin
- Rhoda
- Rhubarb
- Rising Damp
- Robin's Nest
- Robinson Crusoe
- Rock Follies
- Rolf Harris
- The Saint
- The Six Million Dollar Man
- Soap
- Stanley Baxter
- Star Trek
- Starsky & Hutch
- Steptoe & Son
- The Sweeney
- Take Your Pick
- Taxi
- The Time Tunnel
- The Two Ronnies
- Tiswas
- To Catch a Thief
- Top Cat
- Top of the Pops
- UFO
- Upstairs, Downstairs
- Van Der Valk
- Vision On
- Wacky Races
- The Waltons
- White Horses
- The Wonder Years
- Z Cars