Sunday 16 March 2008

Madchester.

I spent last night visiting my old workplace The Manchester Academy a place where until recently I worked for 18 years.In that time I had the pleasure and displeasure of seeing every group of note in the music world. I only decided to leave in December as I was becoming too busy in the daytime to spend every night all night in Manchester..plus..the people.Its a toss up between who is the most loathsome...the unwashed,drunken, drugged artistes...or the English public. Anybody who works at night with the public nowadays soon has any ideas of the publics probity literally beaten out of them if they endeavour to stop them 'enjoying' themselves. Enjoying nowadays comprising,fighting,puking and taking large amounts of drugs. In the course of working we held concerts and club nights encompassing all kinds of music and the only trouble free nights where the rock concerts.Any night involving rave music or r and b meant violence was a foregone conclusion.I was paid to control these nights as best as possible but when facing Manchester gangs vying for control of drug sales...life became somewhat interesting...well interesting if that also means life threatening. Amongst the mayhem however the occasional magic night shone through...something I will post about in future.Going back was strange...in just a short time so much has changed...and...I just didn't belong although I did enjoy seeing the couple of close friends who like me appreciate the awfulness of the modern day English public..it does appear...that you can't go back.

3 comments:

phlegmfatale said...

For the first time ever, I had that strange, out-of-place feeling in the crowd at the X show. There was a whole lot of "washed-up"edness going on there in the audience. I felt sad in a way.
Gosh, crowd control - tough job. It must be nice, though in that you can feel like you got away from doing that for a living-- it must have been stressful.

Thud said...

considering it was more of a hobby than a job it certainly did have its stressful moments.

NotClauswitz said...

Oh jeeze "Just confirmed" includes the Dead Kennedys - Jello is still at it??? Sheesh, what a smarmy little ego-shit he was to meet. I totally lost any fascination with popular music after college and went straight to un-hip curmudgeonliness, I guess.