049 News

 

" News "

My early memories are hard to recall. I've heard of people recalling very early memories with some clarity. For me not so much. Not with clarity at least. I have a couple that may be from 4 onwards but vague and with no certainty as to the authenticity never mind which year they took place. The earliest memory I can recall with total certainty was 43 years ago. I see it like it was happening now.

It was the second home I lived at but the first had been in infancy so no recollection of it. It was day time. After lunch possibly heading for tea time. Blue skies, fairly warm. I was in the garden kicking a ball. The garden was a rectangle of grass where the longest sides ran from the house down to a large fence and front gate. A concrete path also ran down splitting the garden about 20-80.on the larger side where I weaved in and out of clothes poles there was s rockery at the bottom. It was the 16th August 1977. I was 5 years old.

The next garden was different. It was completely slabbed and was one big concrete path. A guy called John who was about 17 or 18 was working on his motorbike. He didn't live there usually as it was his aunt and uncles house. I remember all this because of what came next and not a lot after. His aunt came out looking worried and maybe a little upset. She called to get his attention and got it and when she did she said: Elvis is dead. He froze and probably went a little white and silent. "It's on the news", as if to confirm the fact. Tears started to well up in his eyes. Still saying nothing he got up from his kneeling position and quickly moved indoors.

I had no idea what was going on. I knew who Elvis was but no more than that. Another door down was a very old couple, well to me they seemed so, and their daughter Mary Ann used to babysit me. This is the only reason I knew who Elvis was. When she looked after me she would sometimes play music. The problem was she only appeared to own two records. One was "Way down" by Elvis and the other was "Tiger Feet" by Mud. Its strange now I can recall this fact but not much else around the era. I had no idea what the fuss was. Little known to me similar incidents were happening elsewhere in my town, in Scotland, the rest of the UK and all over the world at different times of day. Moments that would live with people for a life time en masse when others faded.

Other events had more of an impact on me personally yet not with the same clarity. I remember being woken from sleep by my dad to tell me the Scotland National Team manager had died after a heart attack at a match in Wales. I remember when we went to war with Argentina. I remember Mandela walking out of prison finally. Terry Waits. So many other things. Nothing with the clarity of 1977.

These things were big. They were powerful. There was nothing more overwhelming than having a program interrupted for a new flash. And it was short and to the point. Now we can watch BBC news 24 or the Sky equivilant to watch things unfold. Not back then. Scant detail and numbness followed. I wonder if that is why today news seems less impressive. A big breaking story now will invariably be delivered first to the phone and just as quickly most will be swiped out of thought. There was a time when time stood still for those short precious moments when each word was important. We were left craving more but then had to wait for the main news or paper for an update. I fear now big stories just don't have tgd same impact.