When I Was Young ......

Introduction

Someone said to me that they laiked a particular band "when they wer young" and it made me think of where I am and things I liked as a kid, and the sort of things that catch my attention now.

It writing this I know I am putting off some poetry that I need to write from a few forthcoming books (I have three planned), and I saw a Bob Monkhouse quote saying

"Growing Old Is Mandatory,

Growing Up Is Optional"

Bob Monkhouse Possibly

I remember Pinky and Perky and Any Pandy from my childhood, the former I find annoying and the latter creepy. They are just two of many things that I left behind.

But I Am Here

I remember in the sixties and seventies we expected bands to last a couple of years, and we were expected to watch Saturday Night entertainment shows, and conform and be what was expected.

I have written many pieces about getting older but not actually growning up such as this one:

In my teens I was in several bands, palying guitar, keyboards and singing, well not so much playing as making noise, though you can check out my stuff on my YouTube channel and on Soundcloud, both linked in this story:

As I was growing up, people over forty seemed to fossilize in their general life attitude.

Today The Rolling Stones are still making records and performing gigs, as are Arthure Brown, Robin Trower andJon Anderson (check YouTube) for them, all in their eighties.

I remember liking "Little White Bull" by Tommy Steele much to my uncle's chagrin, but I was five or six at the time. It has never knowingly been in my record collection ever.

But I still appreciate many things from my childhood and teenage years. I still think the original "Planet Of The Apes" films are mightily impressive, and "Forbidden Planet" is till one of favourite films even though it was made before even I was born.

I think part of this is that while we take on new responsibilities we still need to stay childish, to ply and to explore and keep our minds open. I just realised that I am the ame age as Richard E Grant which means I am seventy next year.

Does it bother me? Not one jot, although it is annoyong when people denigrate me for "being old" so i tell them it is a privilege, and I am not to enamoured with the alternative.

I still walk, and love music, and today I "completed" my vinyl collection. By "completed" I mean there is no vinyl record that I am looking for, I have found everything that I regard a special and worthwile.

This was one that finally tracked down:

I think if you check out my near four thousand stories an Vocal you will see that I still have a teenage outlook.

In my mind I am still and always will be fifteen. I have never smoked, well I bought a packet of Number Tens lit up one, coughed and gave th epaket to my mate who had tried to coax me into being a smoker. I had one spliff, and whicle I hate the smell of tobacco, I am fine with the odour of weed.

I drank for twenty years and that caused cirrhosis and liver cancer, so I stopped, and now only drink Guinness Zero.

Conclusion

So basically I have never grown up, so in myself I am still young. My hobbies are writing, reading, music, exploring and enjoying life.

Thank you so much for reading, and I think if you are reading this you will also have a youthful mentality.

The music is "Forever Young" by Bob Dylan and The Band from "The Last Waltz"