Lost On Yer Merry Way
It's Six pm, Big Bros., and it's "get/keep, lost-time". Pulling the plug, 9.42 pm. Roarin' off.
Ten_bag_
Under the Westway, opp., Ladbroke Grove Station. 2015. With added, Jesus, stating, claim.
Hearing..., Topper (Headon), smash it.
Friendliest one. Check/that.
Topper was the friendliest 'pop star'. Not counting, Guy Stevens' spitting, dandruff-depositing, grab-me, and, "let's Go..." If he would, get un-stuck yappin'?
Guy, a persistent pal. 'Lone', like me.
Topper, prize, nos 2.:
Coming from all the bands, and different music he'd played?
Toppest, open and expansive, musical-lover, and knowledge sharer. Which-way, and this way, another. Topper, liked a lot, what, few-others, did. Not, else. Not, so, up with: what's said...hip, and, Hot.
Not unusual in 2020?
In 1980. Topper was into something like, One Word. Be-off to Country, Blue-grass, Reggae, on...
Topper liked to play it all. Knew, how.
Answers, 'Topper'?
How come?
Supermarket again, eh?
Hear-up. Top-Top's.
REWIND...
Clash where all chummy, although never met Paul, to speak of. Told my one or two, Mr. rave on Joe, stories. Mick more recent. Can't miss him. Over ten years on the Grove, meeting and a quick pint was inevitable. Or, so I intended.
Mick's ever the likes to make ya smile. Sense, humbled, and about the other. In '78, when we first met, there was a lot of pressure. A David Bowie, who then went, a wee bit, 'a lad insane.' By NY in '83/84, (post-Topper), meet again, and they all seemed, ok. A night-up after the New Jersey show, in the Hotel Bar.
Lost the drummer.
All it takes. Music-heads, will know, "one from the original line-up", goes...?
Not, withstanding, Terry Chimes, (Clash first, and returning drummer). The Clash's case? Going on for a night shift at Bonaparte (record) Distribution. Been with Topper, worker a day, for Bennie Rhodes. Cosmo Vinyl's doing.
News, inside the warehouse-floor:
"Topper's gone, sacked/left."
A song that week, (or thereabouts), Start Me Up, The Stones. Seemed the New Wave had crashed, and some were in the wings, spying their return.
This week:
Met two on the trot? (Ask strangers in the street/daily, exercise).
Favourite music? Paul Weller.
Have a feeling, go down the High Street. Male, well-built? Weller? Tops the pop.
Lived near Paul. Chatted a couple of times. Man at ease, and one of the Grove. Mick (Jones). Same, again. Albeit, dashing 'bout. An ol'man-look from a distance. Clothing. We talked, and he's a gracious man. We might (now?), be a bit more, together, with views? Hope, so.
Adam Ant, and again. Connected. Once perched on my desk. Plastic bag of letters. Adam was the first to take names and flood with mail-based, contact. How he got signed at CBS. Normal, decent, la,la, la.
Mick, Joe, Paul,...Topper (?), sang on turning, 'rebellion into money'. Joe, hollered, And this is Joe Public, ...Speaking.
True to their word. Mick and Paul, never left their home. One of the gang. Another, local.
Let dat sink/in?
Pop star, ah ha? BIG PS, yeah?
All know: "You can't have that, and remain, one of us."
They, did.
We, could all, see?
Paul has been known to say hello to my best mate Steve, who lived on Golborne road. They talked once or twice over, twenty-plus, years. See each other most weeks. On the street. Might acknowledge each other. Once;
Paul said, "Hello Steve."
Didn't see him, and doesn't know him?
Jones and Weller, put Ant, in there.
Ordinary gentlemen, ligging on Portobello road. What I call a star. The true, hip-hop, about it.
Now, all the posh-stars have swamped the Grove, and, d, e,...
How Rock 'n Roll Refreshing, three True Life Punks.
