Comments on: A tale of tight trousers: or talking about what you know. With help from Led Zeppelin, Guns N’ Roses and a nurse with ‘O’ Level biology. /2014/09/a-tale-of-tight-trousers-or-talking-about-what-you-know-with-help-from-led-zeppelin-guns-n-roses-and-a-nurse-with-o-level-biology/ Supporting children's language, communication and learning Fri, 10 Oct 2014 16:53:41 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.3 By: Michael Jones /2014/09/a-tale-of-tight-trousers-or-talking-about-what-you-know-with-help-from-led-zeppelin-guns-n-roses-and-a-nurse-with-o-level-biology/#comment-8004 Fri, 10 Oct 2014 16:53:41 +0000 /?p=1159#comment-8004 Hi again Tim!
On the subject of Led Zeppelin, check out this recent interview with Jimmy Page about the creation of ‘Stairway’. And to think I lived just seven miles away in Haslemere at the time!
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-29550639

And here’s Plant himself talking about African music. Awesome!!!
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-29142652

]]> By: Tim Dunkerley /2014/09/a-tale-of-tight-trousers-or-talking-about-what-you-know-with-help-from-led-zeppelin-guns-n-roses-and-a-nurse-with-o-level-biology/#comment-7997 Thu, 02 Oct 2014 09:00:43 +0000 /?p=1159#comment-7997 No never went. My Mum wouldn’t have let me. Never went to the Isle of Wight festival in 1970 to see Hendrix either, never allowed to wear a ex army greatcoat either, same reason.
Probably why I’m scrabbling around in festival fields churning out Hillbilly rock and roll now, approaching 60.
There were some other great festival shambles in the 70’s as well weren’t there? My friend (Lead Curst Son) Willi was there and has some good stories.
Life in Portsmouth in the 70’s was fun though, I remember another short “sweet” piece of language which I had not previously encountered from another sub cultural tribe, when a skinhead was menacing me and offering me “digs” I had no idea what “digs” were. He helpfully elaborated and I found out that it was short for “digs to the face” I.e. punches administer to my boyish proto hippy good looks.I think my soppy uncomprehending look probably spared me the actual deployment of said “digs”
By 1973 I compromised by having extremely (big) long hair and wearing brogues, sta-prest and a Fred Perry to school. That way I could confuse people and hopefully offend no one. Potentially obviously offend everyone (including my Mum) which is why I became a very good talker and fast runner…
I look forward to the novel

]]> By: Michael Jones /2014/09/a-tale-of-tight-trousers-or-talking-about-what-you-know-with-help-from-led-zeppelin-guns-n-roses-and-a-nurse-with-o-level-biology/#comment-7996 Wed, 01 Oct 2014 21:16:09 +0000 /?p=1159#comment-7996 Hi Tim
What a story! I sometimes think that I take ‘reality’ for granted.
Did you perform at Windsor in the end. It was a crazy experience. Absolutely no facilities for 10,000 people. The only ‘toilets’ involved climbing over a barbed wire fence and visiting the cornfields that belong to The Queen. No water, no nothing. I’m planning to write lots more about this event on my other blog site, and am working on a novel that has some key incidents that take place at the festival.
Best wishes
Michael
PS Your ‘hippie speak’ example is amazing!

]]> By: tim dunkerley /2014/09/a-tale-of-tight-trousers-or-talking-about-what-you-know-with-help-from-led-zeppelin-guns-n-roses-and-a-nurse-with-o-level-biology/#comment-7995 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 11:01:59 +0000 /?p=1159#comment-7995 I have been struggling along with a new lad in my class who mainly talks in the third person and almost exclusively in terms of Disney films, star wars , the land before time etc etc. Luckily I have had a fantastic transition period from his previous class team…We are all getting there and I have some criteria in my head now as to what success will look like for him by the end of his year 11. After one particularly torrid day the week before last I was still taken aback (after all these years surrounded by autistic “stuff”) when his Mum told me on the phone that as far as he was concerned I was Obi Wan Kinobi and he was Anakin Skywalker just before he turned into Darth Vader: I.e he knew he was the “baddie” and I was the “goodie” but that was very firmly the way it was.
My point is, the staff who work and interact with this fascinating young man have to not just have a passing knowledge of subjects of vague interest to him, but an encyclopaedic knowledge of the plot and characters of quite a few Hollywood feature films, in order to tempt him into our “real world” for brief periods of time before he goes back to “be” in the world that provides him with whatever it is he needs to feel comfortable.

You tell a fine 70’s festival story Michael. I was approached, whilst playing in a pub in Portsmouth when I was about 17, by a major league hippy to perform at the Windsor free festival. Here’s an example of the use of language, which stuck with me, as a way of beating around the bush. What he wanted to say was that he wasn’t going to pay me for my services. What he actually said was “I can’t offer you anything in the materialistic greenback scene man”…. No he actually did say that….. I’m not just remembering something from Nigel Planer’s turn as Neil in The Young Ones. You couldn’t make it up.

Re “Percy” Plant. I’m usually the nerd looking at amplifiers and guitar effects pedals rather than the tightness of the lead singers trousers. However when I saw Plant fronting Strange Sensation at Womad about 10 years ago I could not take my eyes off him. He seemed to exude charisma in absolute bucketloads. When he was younger I assume this charisma had a hugely sexualised component. Aided in no small part by the tightness of the velvet loonpants. But my experience was just of an aura of owning the stage completely. Extraordinary. Oh and Justin Adams guitar playing was good too.
Pip Pip TD

PS Funny clip somewhere of Jagger and Bowie joshing about a spoof lead singers magazine to rival “Guitarist or “The Drummer” They thought they might call it “The Trouser” hilarious.

]]> By: Michael Jones /2014/09/a-tale-of-tight-trousers-or-talking-about-what-you-know-with-help-from-led-zeppelin-guns-n-roses-and-a-nurse-with-o-level-biology/#comment-7992 Sat, 20 Sep 2014 13:42:21 +0000 /?p=1159#comment-7992 Hi Carol
Thank you for replying. I have been doing the same , and we call them ‘All About Me Boxes’. They were a very big success as part of our work with Every Child a Talker.
I should think that the children you care for are great talkers!
Best wishes
Michael

]]> By: Carol Adams /2014/09/a-tale-of-tight-trousers-or-talking-about-what-you-know-with-help-from-led-zeppelin-guns-n-roses-and-a-nurse-with-o-level-biology/#comment-7991 Sat, 20 Sep 2014 11:55:04 +0000 /?p=1159#comment-7991 Hi Michael, in our setting we use photos as a means of supporting children. We also use treasure boxes that the children make up at home with their families. I have my own box that I show to parents at the start of the year to give them ideas. We suggest they use something like a shoe box that they decorate the outside with stickers, wrapping paper or drawings and then put inside some of the children’s treasures. We stress that they should not include anything precious, breakable or expensive. They could put in photos, a shell from the beach, a small toy from a day trip or any number of miscellaneous things that children collect. We are then able to sit one to one with the children as the box is open. Often a small crowd gathers, but only if the owner of the box is comfortable with an audience do we make this a group activity. Usually it is done one to one at the start. We have found most children relax when they are looking at photos and objects they are familiar with.

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