Those three things, that's all there is really innit? I mean there's lots of other things obviously, family and friends are ace but after them what is there? What do you do on a weekend? Go to the garden centre and talk about how Mr Johnson from number 4 has got his perimeter hedge too high and how it's above council regulations? Complain about the political state of affairs but do naff all about it? Or do you take life by the scruff of the neck and do what you want when you want? Go out when you want? Drink that extra pint when you want? Spend your last 30 quid on a shirt you don't need? yeah I do that second set of things.....It's easy to get sucked in to the mundane and only care about your job, Ford Mondeo and the suburban life you've slipped into. I'm never going to be like that, I'm always going to want more, to strive for more. And it's those three things, those three things that keep you alive, that keep you wanting more. I mean I actually feel sorry for people who don't have those three things. Those three things that give you that sense of escapism from a Friday night to a Sunday night. I proper live for them man. When Friday arrives the euphoria you feel is second to none. Get home, shower, shave, gear on and out you go. Stroll to the boozer? Yeah always on the cards that. That first pint hits you like a present sent from above. Friday's are always good aren't they? Boozer, pints, jukey, new clobber on show. What more do you want?
When Saturday comes..... Well that's a different ball game altogether. Saturday's usually football day, followed by a night out in the usual haunts, the haunts you've dwelled in since you first turned 18, that haven't changed. The memories you make in these places with your mates are worth more than a winning lottery ticket... well almost. That camaraderie you feel on a Saturday is truly special. That brotherhood, alliance, appreciation of the finer things in life.... Red Stripe, clothing, average second division football from your local club and oh yeah music. If you don't dig music, what do you listen too? It's them people that do my swede in. When you ask, "What tunes you into?' and they reply with, "Oh a bit of everything really!" Nah I'm not having that, not allowed, chuck it in the sea with the Tories eh! Music is at the centre of everything for me. The soundtrack to my life, my good days, my bad days and gigs that are etched long into the memory.
There's something about those three things that sticks with you. I remember being 14 and buying my first Fred Perry polo. It was a proper coming of age thing that really woke me up to the culture around me. Fast forward 9 years and here I am writing obsessively about music, footy and clothes and believe me I don't think I'll ever get bored of any of it. Yeah football lets me down consistently and has done for the past 20 years but that's always gonna be the case when you support the famous MFC. Music and clothes on the other hand, they've never let me down and never will. I think what I'm trying to say here is, these things are proper important man. Without them we wouldn't have a lot to shout about!Those three things that's what the working class dream is. A cocktail of football, clothes and music and those weekend pleasures that never cease to amaze, inspire and provoke. I'm talking about that last pint with your mate at 4am when you're telling each other how much you love one another or that bank breaking purchase that means you have to tread mega carefully until pay day. What about that last minute winner in a derby game that sees your side get one over on that lot from down the road that you really don't like? Whether the politicians like it our not it's our culture and I've met so many great people through it. Those three things, those three things that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, make your soul sing, open up your world to the wider culture are the things that keep you breathing, keep you alive. I for one am eternally grateful and I reckon you lot are too!? Cheers here's to more of that...
