|
1979
was one of the most changeable years in my life.
|
 |
At just turned
17 I started on the Railway; the job
I always wanted from an early age was to be a Train Driver
- not the sort of job people of today would dream of doing,
but my generation was not so ambitious as people are today.
It was also the year I turned Mod after watching Quadrophenia;
prior to seeing the film I was slipping into the mould of
a biker and having had a couple of bikes I had the need for
speed and gradually updated to bigger bikes, the film then
pulled the rug from under me and I like many thousands of
others was snatched back and became a Mod.
I quickly lost interest in bikes and became fascinated with
scooters and the Mod way of life, from then on it was nice
clothes, scooter rallies, Modettes and Mod-disco's, we had
many fights with local bikers and other bike gangs along the
way, got hit and hurt, this was the way it was, a Mod at that
time was akin to a rabbit with many enemies, our uniform simply
attracted trouble.
As
the eighties came so did the Scooter boys but I liked the
Mod image and although I never wore suits and stuff after
about 83 I still donned a parka Fred Perry and jeans or combats,
I could not get my head round Scooter Boys in Leather Jackets,
but it was nothing to do with me and I kept stum, these were
still my mates but not so long back we were fighting people
that wore them.
I
hung on to the scene but each year brought that bit more disillusionment
and in 1985 just after Donnington Disc 85 I left. My life
then was planning to set up a home with my long term girlfriend
who is now my wife.
In
1997 I,alongside Jeremy Gibbs an old Mod mate, organised a
re-union for old ex-Mods and ex-Burton Brewers our old club
had died a natural death some years before, we also re-started
the club and things went from strength to strength what with
the Brewers Droops etc. In 2001 I became again disillusioned
as the bank balance grew and our large club fragmented, 'I
can get this shit at work' I thought and be paid for it, so
it was no longer a hobby or fun so I left.
I
have always kept notes and diaries and decided to write a
book called Life
on the Leicester line, which is on the net, I enjoyed
doing it and people wanted a sequel but I had overdosed on
Railways for a bit. I have always wanted to write a book about
my Mod days so last November settled down on a dark foggy
Sunday afternoon to do two test chapters, If I enjoy doing
it I shall carry on if not I shall shelve it indefinably,
I enjoyed it and carried on and Mod Revival 1979 the book
was born...
I
unknowingly chose the right time as its the 40th anniversary
of Mod as it now says on the front cover, the book is doing
well and I'm getting a lot of good feedback people of the
scene can relate to my book as most went through it themselves.
I
am now a 42 year old father of 3 who has been driving Trains
for 26 years. I still have a scooter, the book has kind of
snatched me back into the scene so we will see what the future
brings, like Railways the Scooter scene stays in your blood
forever so it never leaves you. I am now planning my 3rd book
'Last of the Urchins,' 'Children of the 70s,' about the life
I once had as a scruffy street urchin.
|
Keep
the Faith forever
All
the best.
Anthony
(Greg) Gregory
Burton-on-Trent 2004.
|
 |
 |
|
