Saturday, April 03, 2010

how I lost my innocence & virginity on the roof of St.Paul's Cathedral Choirboys School.....

This is an Easter Tale of sorts.I moved  for a year to London on April 1st 1971
Today I've been looking at and uploading some of my  dusty personal photos  to a  the facebook site called  YHA Carter Lane. It's  very small (23 members)but an  active site.My mind has been jogged!
[by the way,the Japanese Lady in this tale is on the left, in green,.in this first snapshot.I had been sleeping-in late on my rooftop room.They dragged me out of bed for this photo! I still look half asleep!]
Carter Lane Youth Hostel is in The City Of London ."The City" is an island within the rest of London.It has it's own Police Force.It's where the Law Courts & The Fleet Street Press were housed.At weekends it closed down.My local pub was where Dickins did a spot of scribbling.....[think The Vatican inside of  Rome]. All Pre-Wapping.:Pre-Thatcher.
Carter Lane is  just opposite St Paul's Cathedral .The Building was St Paul's Choir School ( former pupils include  Jimmy Edwards,& Walter de la Mare)
 In  May 1967.The Old School closed and...........
".Gone forever was the famous "crocodile" of boys crossing from Carter Lane to the cathedral at service time with the head chorister holding up the traffic."................  
It reopened soon afterwards as a Youth Hostel
It took me months to get used to The Cathedral bells ringing every 15 minutes [even throughout the night!].when I  first worked there as a 19 year old in 1971.I was an Assistant Warden.
It was the first time I had lived away from home.I cant remember the reason, but i seemed to have 2 rooms to sleep in.[One  led onto the building's roof.].
It was an important time in my life. I lost my virginity & had an intense & longish  relationship with a Japanese Lady who was 4 years older than me (it was the time that John & Yoko were hitting the headlines~.all very Cool+Hip  for me ).
It was also in Carter Lane that I started smoking Dope for the first time.I was introduced to Neil Young & spent many a hot summer's night dreaming  on the roof, listening to his music.
So happy memories.Also I grew up some.The Japanese Lady became pregnant by me.She wanted an abortion.I didnt.She won.We (as they say) split. The dream turned sour but, from this distance of time, the good memories far out way the bad.Ah! Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.........Finally.You will notice that I do not mention The Japanese Lady's name here.That's not me being diplomatic (after all this time,what would that matter?) The reason is I cannot remember it!
I do remember that her friend (the Japanese Lady on the right of the first snapshot) was called Yoko! Say's It All I Guess!



After this I returned to Yorkshire.I went back down to London's East End 8 years later as a Teacher.That is another story for another time.Although, I do talk already about it slightly  here.It's quite a different, harsher, experience.

25 comments:

Roy said...

Ah! The first apartment! My god, were we really ever that young?

Tom said...

scandelous! i think the bells would be quite the distraction

tony said...

God Moves In Mysterious Ways :)

Bruno Laliberté said...

that's quite the tale. to think there would be a forty year old kid now...if she hadn't gone through with it.
:D~
HUGZ

tony said...

It's a long story. I paid for the abortion (I had to ring my Brother Zyg in Burnley for the money ) I paid! She took the money & I saw little of her afterwards (I heard she was living later with a TV Producer in Hampstead) Maybe it was a scam or ,maybe, that knock on my door just now is a 40 year old Japanese women called "Sony"!

Brian Miller said...

lol, tom. quite the tale tony.

savannah said...

i'm just glad we're still all around to look back, sugar!;~D xoxoxooxox

tony said...

Savvy XXX
Isnt it strange? The Past Is Another Person.Where do those Old Emotions Go To?

Ronda Laveen said...

That's quite a story Tony. As you say, it might have been a scam or maybe not. Kind of a bittersweet tale. But it sounds like you did okay by yourself after that.

Megan said...

I have been sitting here with my mouth open for about ten minutes trying to remember that guy's name.

Golly, I wonder if he remembers mine?

Momentary Madness said...

I find looking back a strange emotion indeed. The past for me always seems athwart with longing, an unconscious wish or desire to be somewhere else.

Kurt said...

You look twelve in that first pic.

I always look back with longing, until I remember that I was mostly miserable back then.

lettuce said...

thats some story

we all had so much hair back then!

Old Knudsen said...

At least you got yer hole for that is the reason for existing.

white rabbit said...

If you go back and look carefully maybe it's still there...

Zuzana said...

What a nostalgic trip down the memory lane.;)
I love seeing all the old photographs, that seems not so old at all, as they remind me of my own past. Where did the time go right?
I hope you had a great Easter,
xo
Zuzana

Bob Piper said...

The good old days, they're good and gone now, that's why they're good, because they're gone....

Good story, Tony. Hey, is that Charlie Whelan next to you with the brolly?

Bob Mac said...

you naughty little devil

Akelamalu said...

Obviously not the girl for you.

Dick Headley said...

Thanks for the memories...

Katherine said...

Obviously wasn't meant to be! I remember the name of my first because I married him! What a colourful & interesting history you have Tony!
Great read!

Anonymous said...

Never mind God - it seems you were moving in mysterious ways up on the roof.
Good tale, thanks.
Like the Vatican = City comparison.
Also thanks for the Neil Young version - more used to the St Etienne version.

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