Post by admin on May 14, 2005 2:30:22 GMT 1
Customer Reviews:
Long forgotton gems
I Bought this book to show somebody the coat I once owned (front cover)A journey through fashion like we'd never seen before. Top Top Top read If you were there, wore it and are still wearing it then this book is for you. If you were never there but are a clone islander then buy it to see where you look came from.
Well Casual
It had to happen at some point - finally an informed, literate and broad approach to a subject that holds memories for many but, in its' written form, alienates most due to the preoccupations of a few mindless, violent protagonists who have been allowed to peddle their depressing and hateful world view in print.
The cover of this book paints it as yet another attempt by a provincial yob to cash in on his brief spell of notoriety during the mid 1980's; the media image of a hooligan whose goggled eyes reflect a punch-up on a terrace somewhere in England on a Saturday. But bear with it and you soon find something approaching a sub-cultural manual cum history book for blokes who came of age in the late 1970's - sop complete is the author (and the bulk of his contributors') eye(s).
The format of this book, as opposed to the semi-autobiographical nature of the majority of slim volumes on this depressing subject, is vaguely chronological, staring correctly in the mid 1970's and continuing to pretty much the present day. But its' milestones are far broader than just years - the arrival of Punk in the unique form that hit Merseyside and Manchester, the Liverpool in Europe Years, the Miners' strike, Heysel and Acid House all inform the book with a truly broad perspective that transcends the casual subculture and frames it within the significant events that provide reference points to anybody in their late 30's who experienced the glory days of football and casual.
The broad range of correspondents whose stories are cut up to pepper the narrative with real-life experiences gives a national view rather than the traditional football-centric regional perspective. Fashions, travel and music are described in a way that shows the basic differences between north and south. Merseyside is a key focus, but the book is none the worse for that; the Scousers had the coolest take on casual from the start and I say that as a southerner who proudly wore grey Farahs and slip-ons topped off with a pastel pink waffle sweater to nightclubs in my adopted Huddersfield home.
There is an argument to say that any work that was half literate would seem ground breaking when it was concerned with the experiences of the young male football fan in the 1980's, but Thornton's work has appeal to those who did not directly experience the phenomenon of casual as vividly as those who did; music and fashion references are as sharp as a razor and I for one was touched by the mention of the MA-1 jacket and Levi's 501 'look' as much as by the constant mention of the M&S crew neck sweater. Good times.
I wish we could expect more works from this author because I for one have no wish to spend my money on a ghost written tome concerning the sordid past of an ex-convict from Crewe who delights in recalling minor skirmishes in Halifax on a rainy Saturday in October, when there was so much more to the experience of the match and the travel and the look.
More please!
A game of two halves
This is a decent stab (sic) at the casuals phenomenon. But the style of the book may surprise you. He's chosen to string together masses of quotes and stories from former casuals and ... er ... that's pretty much it, with a bit of narration thrown in. The origins are handled well though.
You could argue that this is refreshing - because the lad on the terraces (or probably the seats in this case) finally gets his say - rather than some TV journo writing about something completely foreign to them.
Also on the upside, you pick up on the buzz of people parading their first Pringle or seeing off a rival club's firm. These are often unremarkable pub anecdotes that many people could reel off. But they feel as authentic as a treasured Fila BJ from Lillywhites of London. And thousands of former casuals will identify with these tales.
On the downside, there's a woeful lack of decent pictures (if only Lacoste did cameras at the time, eh?). This would have brought colour and life to the book - because a big part of the casual thing was about seeing what people were wearing!
Also, apart from the Millwank>Luton takeover, little is mentioned about casuals making the news headlines.
Finally, the book peters out in the end. But then, so did the craze, kind of.
Overall, it's a game of two halves. A worthy effort. Real people. On the right level. But a big lack of pictures and few defining moments.
Long forgotton gems
I Bought this book to show somebody the coat I once owned (front cover)A journey through fashion like we'd never seen before. Top Top Top read If you were there, wore it and are still wearing it then this book is for you. If you were never there but are a clone islander then buy it to see where you look came from.
Well Casual
It had to happen at some point - finally an informed, literate and broad approach to a subject that holds memories for many but, in its' written form, alienates most due to the preoccupations of a few mindless, violent protagonists who have been allowed to peddle their depressing and hateful world view in print.
The cover of this book paints it as yet another attempt by a provincial yob to cash in on his brief spell of notoriety during the mid 1980's; the media image of a hooligan whose goggled eyes reflect a punch-up on a terrace somewhere in England on a Saturday. But bear with it and you soon find something approaching a sub-cultural manual cum history book for blokes who came of age in the late 1970's - sop complete is the author (and the bulk of his contributors') eye(s).
The format of this book, as opposed to the semi-autobiographical nature of the majority of slim volumes on this depressing subject, is vaguely chronological, staring correctly in the mid 1970's and continuing to pretty much the present day. But its' milestones are far broader than just years - the arrival of Punk in the unique form that hit Merseyside and Manchester, the Liverpool in Europe Years, the Miners' strike, Heysel and Acid House all inform the book with a truly broad perspective that transcends the casual subculture and frames it within the significant events that provide reference points to anybody in their late 30's who experienced the glory days of football and casual.
The broad range of correspondents whose stories are cut up to pepper the narrative with real-life experiences gives a national view rather than the traditional football-centric regional perspective. Fashions, travel and music are described in a way that shows the basic differences between north and south. Merseyside is a key focus, but the book is none the worse for that; the Scousers had the coolest take on casual from the start and I say that as a southerner who proudly wore grey Farahs and slip-ons topped off with a pastel pink waffle sweater to nightclubs in my adopted Huddersfield home.
There is an argument to say that any work that was half literate would seem ground breaking when it was concerned with the experiences of the young male football fan in the 1980's, but Thornton's work has appeal to those who did not directly experience the phenomenon of casual as vividly as those who did; music and fashion references are as sharp as a razor and I for one was touched by the mention of the MA-1 jacket and Levi's 501 'look' as much as by the constant mention of the M&S crew neck sweater. Good times.
I wish we could expect more works from this author because I for one have no wish to spend my money on a ghost written tome concerning the sordid past of an ex-convict from Crewe who delights in recalling minor skirmishes in Halifax on a rainy Saturday in October, when there was so much more to the experience of the match and the travel and the look.
More please!
A game of two halves
This is a decent stab (sic) at the casuals phenomenon. But the style of the book may surprise you. He's chosen to string together masses of quotes and stories from former casuals and ... er ... that's pretty much it, with a bit of narration thrown in. The origins are handled well though.
You could argue that this is refreshing - because the lad on the terraces (or probably the seats in this case) finally gets his say - rather than some TV journo writing about something completely foreign to them.
Also on the upside, you pick up on the buzz of people parading their first Pringle or seeing off a rival club's firm. These are often unremarkable pub anecdotes that many people could reel off. But they feel as authentic as a treasured Fila BJ from Lillywhites of London. And thousands of former casuals will identify with these tales.
On the downside, there's a woeful lack of decent pictures (if only Lacoste did cameras at the time, eh?). This would have brought colour and life to the book - because a big part of the casual thing was about seeing what people were wearing!
Also, apart from the Millwank>Luton takeover, little is mentioned about casuals making the news headlines.
Finally, the book peters out in the end. But then, so did the craze, kind of.
Overall, it's a game of two halves. A worthy effort. Real people. On the right level. But a big lack of pictures and few defining moments.
