We all have them I’m sure, the band where you think, “No, not interested, I have heard everything that inspires them and they are adding nothing, they’re crap and I JUDGE anyone who likes them.”
For me it was The Libertines. Blatantly chancers, hugely over-rated, obviously crap but with decent music taste, I made the choice to just not explore when they appeared, and this was largely due to Pete Doherty. An obvious wazzock. And shagging Kate bloody Moss.
Well, God almighty look at this pic. I hope it posts ok. But these young whipper snappers actually now look older than me. Now I admit I am a guy who always looked old, I went bald in my teens and now, in my mid forties my age is catching up with my appearance. But Lordy, this pic is giving me a midlife crisis; the bands I held in contempt for being young look older than me. Come mother death, take me now.
Is this a normal thing? Had anyone seen their generational divide band just leap over their own age? Is it like policemen looking younger? Younger bands look old?
Who is the guy on the left? Is that Pete Docherty? That middle aged spread does NOT suit him. The guy on the right is not too bad. The fact he hasn’t died his grey hair is the main thing.
George Orwell said that at 50 we have the face we deserve. PD isn’t even fifty yet.
Don’t do it, kids….
When I first saw the picture I thought it was Robert Smith!
Me too! Genuinely thought it was.
That’s definitely Alan Cumming on the right though. That fellow gets about…
I was thinking of starting a thread on a similar theme after two recent startling realisations.
When Q went under several people mentioned the celebrated interview between Spike Milligan and Van Morrison. Here’s Van. He was 44 at the time.
And last week I watched the first Inspector Morse dramatisation, The Dead of Jericho, in which the titular detective is portrayed by John Thaw who was … blinks … checks and blinks again … 45!
I know Thaw was a big boozer and smoker from an early age, but surely it can’t have been normal for middle aged men to look like this? If you added ten years to withers real ago they would still look rough, twenty might be closer to the mark and I suggest you could add three decades to either and no one would question it.
‘Withers real ago?’ ‘Eithers real age’ of course.
Withers Real Ago – Pete Sinfield, 1972
Or an crossword clue for Al A Gore
Christ on a bike! Van is smiling. That takes a few years off him.
It’s wind.
One of only three pix of Van smiling (actually more of a feral rictus) that I know of.
The only other incidences I can recall are the covers of 1983’s Sense of Wonder and 2006’s Astral Weeks live. Neither of which are particularly pretty sights
He managed a smile after he got his gong recently. Even took his hat off, which I assumed had been cemented in place in about 1993, like Darth Vader’s helmet.
Also, the Astral Weeks shot: not his teeth, nor anyones.
I have seen Van a few times over the years and the most recent (I think) was a few years ago at the Hall for Cornwall.
After the show I was chatting to a friend of mine outside the entrance and who should stroll past as but the star of the show. As he got into his limo with a very attractive blonde lady he looked back at us, gave us a ‘thumbs up’ and a brief smile.
That means he has actually been seen to smile at least 4 times not 3!
Was it the lovely Debbie McGee? “What attracted you to millionaire Van Morrison?”
A couple of years ago I went to see Martin Stephenson in Sheffield. Anyone who has seen him will know that he interacts with the audience and often makes comme ta about them. He caught one look at me and said ‘at least there is one person the same age as me’. It was a back handed compliment as I am a full 4 years older than him.
The boss of a friend of mine met Van in Buckingham Palace! He was getting an MBE or something and Van was becoming Sir Van. They were waiting nervously for it to start and Van came over introduced himself “I’m Ivan” and initiated a conversation!
Christ, where was his paper round, Beirut?
And Thaw was in his early to mid 30s in The Sweeney!
He died far too young of course at 60, but by then he had looked 60 for half his life.
A couple of years ago I went to see Martin Stephenson in Sheffield. Anyone who has seen him will know that he interacts with the audience and often makes comme ta about them. He caught one look at me and said ‘at least there is one person the same age as me’. It was a back handed compliment as I am a full 4 years older than him.
Still?
I think once you’re 4 years older than someone, that’s it until one of you dies.
While I am fully aware that Mr. Doherty could easily be accused of not always having looked after himself very well, and that he has been something of a pillock at various points in the past, I don’t think we ought to mock what looks to me like it could be a medical issue.
I’d not be surprised if he was currently gobbling a lot of prednisolone or some similar steroidal anti-inflammatory. I had to wolf down tons of the things myself for a couple of years, and they do have a tendency to make one look as if one has borrowed the fat shirts from French & Saunders in ‘stuff and nonsense’ old-lady mode.
And my pal Dave, who passed away at a ridiculously early age from a ghastly brain tumour, ballooned so much on the stuff that I had difficulty recognising him when he came to visit.
So pull your punches folks, it’s way too easy to pile in; don’t make yourself sound like the worst kind of Twatter troll.
See also John Lydon.
… and Steve Wright.
This is sort of the reverse generation divide. The first big gig I went to was Clapton in 86. I had a seat in the middle of the front row and Clapton was wearing jeans and a yellow t-shirt (this was just before his resurgence and the Armani years). I spent the whole gig amazed at how old, scrawny and blotchy his arms were. He was 41. I’m almost 49 now and not a blotch in sight. Must be those years I haven’t spent as an alcoholic junkie.
Other ages that amaze me are Dermot Morgan, who was in his early 40s when Father Ted began, and Clive Dunn, who was younger than I am now when Dad’s Army began.
In a reverse dimension to all the above a youthful looking Reg Varney was in his 50’s when On the Buses started and he still managed to pull all those cracking dolly birds. Smashing.
… and in Please Sir the “kids” all looked older than the teacher.
He was only 11 years older than his mum (Doris Hare) in that show.
Olive was 34, but looked much older (it was the 70s – Spangles and Buckaroo!)
Was watching Grease the other day (my daughter wanted me too!), they are playing 17 or 18 year olds I guess, Travolta was 24, ONJ 28, Jeff Conaway 27 and Stockard Channing was 34! Thing is, they looked their ages too.
Jean Alexander played Hilda Ogden when she was 37 but perhaps more surprising is that Albert Tatlock was barely out of his teens !
Judith Chalmers hadn’t even been born when she won her first BAFTA.