Elecs has done it again with his marvellous guitar post, so here are a few additions for budding late middle-aged rockers and that could include Tuscs, but he’s too young…
The above picture is of the sort of kit I would take to various pubs etc, where we would do the usual folky stuff, filthy rugby songs and tear-jerkers like ‘The lonesome death of Hattie Carroll’ (Bob Dylan).
One night, in a pub near here, I was with some chums, and we went back to one of their houses to carry on the festivities normally associated with Saturday nights. On walking in the door, I casually asked the host, ‘Where’s the twelve-string then Dave?’ not having a clue if he even had one or not.
To my eternal surprise, he immediately said, ‘Through there chum, but it’s only got six strings working, as I can’t do twelve…’. And so it was. We got going with more of the usual stuff, and about midnight, he asked me what I thought of the guitar. Obviously I said it was great, as in the sixties, twelve-strings were still a bit of a luxury to penniless trainees like me, they cost a fortune and although it was only fitted with six strings, it had a great sound.
To my absolute joy and amazement, he then said; ‘You have it then – if you’ll give me your old six string’! Just like that!
It was like having a birthday and Christmas all rolled into one, and I jumped at the chance; asking him several times if he really meant it, as we had been on the sauce more than somewhat… Again, he came out with the sort of statement which left me speechless ‘I always thought I’d give it to *M* as he can use it better than me’!
And that’s a true story, about a chum who displayed such generosity that I could never really repay him, but; he was happy, I was totally over the moon, and you see the Eko twelve string in the above photo, still loved and played occasionally, and with a brace and harmonica sometimes used when Mrs S is about five miles up the road, so she doesn’t have to hear it…
I’ve long since lost touch with Dave, and probably won’t ever see him again (this was nearly forty years ago), but I hope someone else gets this guitar the same way, because twelve strings are quite hard to hold down when you're a late middle-aged rocker...
I’ll have to ask both Daughts what they think…
8 comments:
I loved Don Partridge's Rosie song Scrobs. Boy that brings back memories of my very first love called Bruce.
He was a strapping Rugby player and taught me ALL the verses of Eskimo Nell and The Four and Twenty Virgins from Inverness.
I remember at a party we were all singing the Four and Twenty Virgins song and the verse that I was singing (solo) went such...
Mrs McGinty, she was there,
up to her usual tricks,
By sliding down the banister and landing on her tits..
Just as the lyric 'tits' emanated from my usually fragrant mouth,(church choir girl and all), the parents of the party holder appeared in the doorway to hear my angelic voice, shrieking with laughter and shouting 'tits'.
"It's time you were home young lady", said the Vicar.
I kid you not Scrobs, for it was the Vicars son who was holding the Party in the Vicarage, during his Parents absence.
They were supposed to be away another night but decided to travel home earlier.
Fortunately we had only been drinking Cider and the Communion wine went untouched!
There were some very red faces in Church on the following Sunday.
The text of the Vicar's sermon was, if, I recall 'Abstinence'.
I almost refused the customary swig of Communion Wine, when proffered by the Vicar at the following Communion.
One of the boy's in our 'gang' was a very talented guitarist and used too sing Rosie, all the time....Oh happy days....
Di.xx
this was a great post scroblene...when i think of the kindnesses done to me...it still warms my heart to remember...i wonder if the people who do them actually know how much they impacted my life...so much so i remember the feeling decades later...
this was a great post scroblene...when i think of the kindnesses done to me...it still warms my heart to remember...i wonder if the people who do them actually know how much they impacted my life...so much so i remember the feeling decades later...
Trubes - hilarious! Do you remember the first ever printed books of Rugby Songs? They had all the words - including Eskimo Nell, but you must have worked hard to get that lot in memory! I remember staying up till the early hours learning the words to One-Eyed Riley too!
For years, I always sang The Ball of Kirriemuir (Four and twenty etc), with the line "and when the war (not ball), was over there were four and twenty less' Nobody cared either! Who was the granny sitting by the fire, knitting contraceptives out of India Rubber Wire?
You were very brave doing a solo verse with all that beer flying about...
Lovely story about the Vicar's son! Our Vicar had three sons, and they all used to do carol singing in the local pub, with The Vicar conducting from behind the bar.
They were an unusual race weren't they; Vicar's kids, you never quite knew if you could curse properly with them, or drink more than a mild shandy...
Great story! Sometimes people are very kind and a musical instrument should be played, so Dave was quite rational in his generostity.
I have a friend who is a bassist, but loves everything with strings. He played the Kora, the lute, the mandolin. I caught him converting his 12 string guitar to a 10 string...?
Elby's youngest is engaged to a Vicar's son...he's a peach.
Bit of 'Poetic licence' there Scrobs re me learning 'all the verses of Eskimo Nell'. I do indeed know a lot of very risquè Rugby Songs though and of course, can remember the words to the immortal 'Old King Cole', ditty.
Old Trubes has been around the block a couple of times you know !
Hope all is wel at Scroblene Castle!
Di.xxx
Hilarious one that Trubes!
I've sat here trying to add a verse to 'Old King Cole', by adding something to do with True Blue...Trublers three...DTs three...
and failed miserably...!
Did you also do the silly chorus bits; 'tiddle diddle diddle dee oooom pah pah...' etc? We all used to collapse at that one!
The best one for girls I ever saw, came along much later! I remember with huge joy at my local club, seeing all the ladies standing on their chairs singing 'Sunshine Mountain' with Great Gusto, (he was a prop forward I think...)!
We laughed we did!
I was going to say - that's a chuffing big cappo, until I realised it's your harmonica brace.
I find twelve strings lovely to hear but limited to play - they don't pick very well, so a luxury item you're lucky to have been given.
I've given away, traded more guitars than I can care to remember. One or two I wish I hadn't, but sometimes I did it out of necessity, either lack of space or lack of funds.
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