Thursday, September 04, 2008

Where Were You? (Non-Mekons Content)

A meme pinched from Norm, too much fun to pass up.


Princess Diana's Death—31st August 1997

Bayview Drive, Killiney. Watching TV at about 2 in the morning after a good night of heavy drinking when the news started coming through. Stayed up for an hour or two just to make sure she was dead.


Margaret Thatcher's Resignation—22nd November 1990

Walking through Altrincham Town Centre. A billboard outside the amusement arcade/coffee shop on the way up to the market was splashed with the news "Thatcher Resigns" where normally it declared "Coffee and Scones, £1.50." Altrincham was the sort of place where Thatcher's resignation would have been considered a disaster of Dunkirk-type proportions, and I think the owners felt they were passing on terrible news. I spent the rest of the day floating on air.


Attack on the Twin Towers—11th September 2001

At work. Someone rigged up a TV in the conference room after news of the first plane, but without an aerial the picture was fuzzy. The responses, understandable given the confused reports we were receiving at the time, ranged from "Wow!" to "What does it mean?" to "Fuck me."


England's World Cup Semi-Final against Germany—4th July 1990

I can only have been in one place: The Faulkner's Arms. With Griff, Mart, Cakes, Geoff, and the rest of our crew. That World Cup represents halcyon days of lazy warm summer evenings, great footie, many, many pints of bitter, and our Mart running out onto the high street shouting "Plattttttyyyyyyy!!!!!!!" every time the then Villa captain scored.


President Kennedy's Assassination—22nd November 1963

I'd hazard a guess that I was in my cot. I was around, but the earliest memory I have is from a year or so later, hiding behind the settee when the midwife came to visit my mom because she was pregnant with our Mart. That said, in November 1963 I'd have been 18 months old, so I was probably out playing footie somewhere. There are photos of me at that age kicking a ball in Cannon Hill Park, so it's a distinct possibility. Or I was in the pub.

I'm going to nominate my fellow Counagoites and add two more items:


The Death of Franco—20th November 1975

Spain wins the European Footie Championships—29th June 2008


When I was waiting in the bar, Where were you?

7 comments:

cakes said...

Just one extra detail to add to the England/Germay game. I seem to remember Mart doing The Platty Run out of one door of the Faulkers' only to re-emerge through the other. Halcyon indeed.

The Plump said...

Hah! And you ignored the fact that I tagged you first. Sulk.

Martin said...

The "Platttyy" run was actually during the belgium match, I watched the Germany semi my hospital bed having been hit by an oncoming vehicle outside the Faulkners.

John said...

My apologies, the plump. I'm behind on my reading. Will endeavour tocatch up today.

J.J said...

I want to play this game too.

It's either that or go on about the sodding Premiership which would only make me depressed whereas 'where I was when Thatcher resigned'..... Oh happy day.

John said...

Be our guest, J.J.

kerstin said...

ha ha we were both in our cots when Kennedy got shot it seems...
I played this game: http://travelswithmyteenager.blogspot.com/2008/09/what-were-you-doing-when.html