Nostalgia
2002-12-23 || 6:42 p.m.

Tonight I am going out with three guys. Yes, three guys. There's always a catch though. One of them is married, one has a girlfriend and the other was married to my sister and I think there may be a biblical ban on conjugals between almost brothers and sisters. But they are my friends and they are taking me out!

Its funny. Its a bit of a time at the moment for me for catching up with people. Justine rang me the other day and left her new mobile number. Then she rang back when I failed to return the call. She lost her last mobile (again) when she was pissed and its taken her three months to save enough to buy a new one and she rang me with the number on the day she bought it. She is coming to see me on Saturday.

Last Monday I saw John Gaston and we were talking about Debbie. He told me she was living in a Salvation Army hostel in London. He rang me that evening with the address. I wrote to her the very next day. I really want to hear from Debbie. A lot.

Today I was thinking about The Clash. I met John Gaston through The Clash. I was just in my teens and it was the summer holidays. Me and Soo were hanging around down the town when we saw this punk guy in Martins the newsagents. I went in there and tapped him on the shoulder and asked him to come outside, which he obediently did. I then said to him 'listen to this' and played him Combat Rock. He was well pleased and we got talking and we've been friends ever since.

When I went out with Alain he made me audition.

I met him and he said to me, 'what music do you like?'

I said 'Punk'.

He said, 'yeah right. Girls don't like punk, they like disco and shit.'

I said, 'not me'. and then I proceeded to list the bands I liked. He stopped me on The Clash and said they were the best band in the world. He then said to me that I needed to prove myself. He told me he would pick a song and I had to sing along word perfect. He picked 'Somebody Got Murdered'. (What I hadn't mentioned was that the only Clash album I owned was Sandinista! If he'd have picked anything else I'd have been fucked).

I sang along, word perfect, as requested.

He was gobsmacked.

As a going out present he gave me the free poster that came with Combat Rock and I bought him Combat Rock on tape because he only had it on vinyl.

I like going out presents. If I ever go out with anybody again I will buy them a present. Its a nice thing to do.

And then the first punk t-shirt I ever bought I got in Lewisham market. It was black with a transfer of the cover of Sandinista. I used to wear it with my PVC trousers. I thought I was well punk! I cut the sleeves off of it.

I still have it.

Somewhere.

But I doubt it fits.