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Permalink Reply by Edwyn Collins on August 6, 2009 at 13:48

Hi Allan
Grace here, not Edwyn...we've just read the transcript together. Too right it's interesting. Since his illness, Edwyn would have struggled to remember any of this detail. So glad he gave it all to Jon, for the record. Would be very funny to hear everyone else's versions of these days. I'm sure they would all conflict somewhat. But much of it is beyond dispute. Edwyn has some very funny stories about Alan H's band from Saltcoats, 'Oscar Wild.' Without the E...Alan (Wild), Brian Superstar, Janice Fuck and the NF guy he talks about in the interview on drums. Edwyn gave him a pretend punk name, 'Bunny Cuddles' just to annoy him, tragic wee racist that he was. Also prematurely baldy, apparently. Edwyn doing his impersonation of them doing 'I Can't Control Myself.' Hysterical.

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Permalink Reply by Allan Kingdom on August 14, 2009 at 1:29

Do you know who Edwyn is referring to here:
"I went to where he worked, and he wore flares and a Noel Edmonds type centre parting at that time, so I was a bit disappointed. He didn't print the cartoon. "?

Sadly I was only 12 in 1977, so i can only enjoy punk vicariously through books like "England's Dreaming". I remember going to London Zoo during the summer holidays in 77 & saw my first punk crossing the street, he was dressed all in black & had pink hair. Astonishing! One of my friends' older brothers used to get bricks thrown through his bedroom window by the locals merely for having the audacity to wear straight trousers.

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Permalink Reply by Administrator on August 14, 2009 at 23:39

He's referring to Tony D, the guy who did Ripped and Torn, a famous fanzine. Here's a link to someone trying to do something on it. All this stuff, it was so meaningful to Edwyn and others in the small band of punk afficianados in Glasgow, finding an angle, arguing ideas.
http://www.rippedandtorn.co.uk/

Cheers Alan

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Permalink Reply by Allan Kingdom on August 15, 2009 at 1:16

Thanks for the link, I hope more material is uploaded eventually. That period in time is so fascinating, its amazing to think that activities of a handful of people scattered around the country could have such a profound effect on pop culture.

I always liked Edwyn's quote about Orange Juice being "a facet on punk's diamond". Its a shame that "punk" is somehow synonymous with rather boorish behavior & leather jackets rather than creativity and the rejection of musical cliches. Things like Edwyn insisting (for example) that The Marine Girls get a sound check at the Lyceum in 1983 (my first and best gig ever) was a greater demonstration of punk attitude than having a pierced nose.

Sorry, i'll get off my high horse :)

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Permalink Reply by Jamie H on August 21, 2009 at 21:52

Here's a description (from a Glasgow Evening Times hack) of a night at the Silver Thread in Paisley in the summer of '77:

THE AIR was heavy with the smell of beer and sweat. A teenage girl lay on her back on the dance-floor and gyrated her hips to the primitive wall-shaking music while nearby two lads writhed in a grotesque kind of musical wrestling match… this was the earthy, gutsy, electric, weird and unashamed face of punk where anything – but anything – goes...

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