THE CONCRETE ROUNDABOUT (TCR)

I was thinking about how old farts of my vintage often bang on about how everything was better when they were young, compared to today. I don't agree - I think the perception is twisted - it's not the era that was better, it's just that being young, fit, healthy and gorgeous is better than the shell you age into.

However, getting to the point, it also made me think about things that were around in my youth (broadly the 1970s) that don't seem to be a thing anymore. Maybe this will trigger some memories for the older demographic on here.

Starting, obviously, with Spangles. Packets of square boiled sweets, in different flavours (what the hell flavour was "Old English"?). I say "obviously" because "Do you remember Spangles" became the main material for lots of sub-Peter Kaye style comedians in the late 80s and 90s.

Next up, Rag Mags. These were a once a year, cheaply produced magazines full of "jokes" of dubious quality, many being sexist, racist or homophobic, pulled together by the Students Union of every uni or tech college across the land. to raise money (presumably for beer) and sold on the High Streets of every town and city by the male students (it was always the males, of course).

In a similar vein, how about books of collected Rugby Songs. Supposedly staples of the rugby club bar and generally sexist, racist or homophobic. One I distinctly remember started: "The Mayor of Bayswater has got a pretty daughter" and went downhill from there.

Then there was Ronco products. Cheap, gimmicky inventions, sold via TV adverts. Who could forget the Ronco Buttoneer or the Ronco Record Vacuum? What a time to be alive!!

I doubt young people can imaging a time when there were only two or three TV channels and they closed down at night! And the BBC didn't just stop; they played the National Anthem at close down.

And how about reusing your beer glass? Nowadays, every pint you buy comes in a fresh glass, usually branded with the name of the beer just poured. Back in the day, your plain glass (dimpled jug for the old boys, straight glass if they had them for the yoof) was refilled 3, 4, 5 times before it was grudgingly replaced. If I only had a pound for every time I've asked "can I have a clean glass please?"

Any memories you'd care to share?

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I don't need your ill-informed, half-baked, idiotic opinions. I have plenty of those myself.

The original shop on Eaglestone.

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Redacted

From wiki:

The Old English Spangles packet contained "traditional English" flavours. The standard line-up was liquorice (black), mint humbug (brown), pear drop (orange/red), aniseed (green) and treacle (opaque mustard yellow), but other flavours appeared from time to time.

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I don't need your ill-informed, half-baked, idiotic opinions. I have plenty of those myself.

Yeah there was some right old crap around back in the day

Jamboree Bags, with a selection of pretty poor sweets and some cheap tacky novelty toy

Space Hopper Some massive over inflated orange thing, used for sitting on and bouncing around, holding onto two handles/ears whilst trying not to fall off, knock someone over, this thing had a black grinning face of some sort of animal?

Clackers Mostly used by girls, two hard balls the size of golf balls attached to some string, which were whirled together to make a clacking noise and obvously a few broken bones, especially fingers and wrists

No Health and Safety shit back then!

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Johnstone Paint Trophy Winners, you’ll never sing that

My uni reunion approaches again . We will undoubtable get round to talking about the fact that the government paid for us to be there.

There's obviously no denying that. What will be more contentious on here is the claim that 'we got to see all the great bands'. I'm NOT claiming that. Music...'evolves'.
Now I hate rap and am not really into funk but most other 'modern' stuff I can at least listen to without switching it off immediately. In the 1970s we had (here we go) Floyd/Zep/(proper) Quo/Genesis/The Ramones/Clash/The Who/Frank Zappa/(more animated than now) Stones/Purple/Pistols/Jam/Springsteen (at his most animated)T Rex/Slade...

Now I can guess one person on here will come on and say they are/were (mostly) all shite but the legacy of these bands cannot be denied. I say this in the same way I say I'm not a great fan of The Beatles or The Doors but I can enjoy some of the stuff and can clearly see how they influenced those who came after. 'Respect' as the junior Ramones would say.

So ask any band like RHCP, Green Day, Foo Fighters and obviously others more recent and they will unashamedly give a nod to some of those bands. I saw them all except Zep, T Rex and The Jam and it wasn't just the fact that I had had a few (plus ca change) they were full on brilliant. This was in the days before elaborate stage shows and bands just came on and played (ok Genesis excepted) and they had to be good. I suppose that is the point I'm making.

Comics anyone? The Beano? Was that the one with The Bash Street Kids? (Penny Smith - I think - once said 'being on tour with the clash is like being on a commando raid with the BSK'). The Topper? (where 'Topper' Headon got his name from).
Back to student days...The Furry Freak Brothers comics...I suppose Viz was an updated/Anglicised version of that.

We had actual political DEBATE in those days at college - of course tempers got frayed but there was a reduced dependency on simply providing soundbite comment, making a poor joke and then belittling your opponent.

I could go on...but I need some (more) red wine.

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Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment

Other than the gorgeous part, this is absolutely spot on.

I'd say it's also because so much is aimed at the 'youth market', nowadays more than ever, so it's obvious that things won't appeal as much as you get older as they're deliberately changed to appeal more to an ever younger demographic.

In fact, this generation more than any other is pretty much changing everything to appeal more to every other demographic other than what I fall into, so it's hardly a surprise that much of it appeals less and less to me - as it's deliberately designed to do so.

So I wouldn't say it's an incorrect hypothesis that things 'were better' when they were the way that appealed to you, rather than when they were deliberately changed to appeal more to a.different demographic. Difference is, when some demographics don't like something, it's changed to appeal more to them. When another demographic (often those who liked it as it was) don't like the change, the complaints are dismissed and given little significance.

The way views of existing fans of something are just dismissed as they change beyond recognition to chase 'new, young, diverse' audiences, etc, reminds me of the shitty way so many companies treat existing customers by continually pushing up prices to them while offering much better deals for new customers. The views and wishes of most existing fans of anything just don't seem to be considered at all in the constant desire to appeal to different demographics instead.

Delorean sports car and Sinclair C5.

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Disclaimer: All my comments are my opinions unless stated otherwise. I'm just a fan following my club.

Every car had a road atlas in the glove box, or the netting pocket at the back of the drivers seat. Just think young people - actual paper maps!

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I don't need your ill-informed, half-baked, idiotic opinions. I have plenty of those myself.

Commerce that is directed at youth ignores the fact that older people often have more disposable cash from savings and inheritances.