chapter 4 rock n roll

John felt his whole life was mapped out before him. He would work in the shop until he was 65. He would eventually marry someone and settle down. He would have two children. He would continue going out most nights, while his wife stayed at home. It looked like it would be a very dull uneventful life.
Then he heard rock n roll on the radio for the first time! He was blown away! This music was so different! Immediately he knew he wanted to play it. He took all his savings out of the Post Office, then went into town to buy a cheap electric guitar. He did not realise he needed a separate amplifier to be able to hear the sound the guitar made. He had to save up for another six months to buy that.
There were no one who could teach him how to play an electric guitar, so he could not take lessons. The music shop had no books on how to play. He bought a book on classical guitar to learn the basics and practiced quietly in his room (with no amp) every day.
His dates were less frequent now because he needed to learn how to play this instrument the way they did on the records. There was no telly he could watch to get some visual tips. There was only the radio.
He had a friend called Stephen who had caught to rock n roll bug too. He had a record player. Between them they bought every new rock and roll single that came out and listened to them over and over.
They went to see a film called ‘rock around the clock’ at the cinema, starring Bill Haley. They had to queue up to get in. When they came out they were buzzing! They saw it again every other night it played at that cinema, then they travelled to see it again in the next town.
The film had an impact in other ways as well. John grew his hair slightly longer so that he could create a quiff and have a DA at the back. At work, he kept the slicked back look. Stephen coaxed his fringe into a cute little kiss curl, just like Bill Haley’s.
John persuaded the back room staff to make him a cut price powder blue suit with narrow drainpipe trousers, that were short enough to show his socks. The longline jacket had a yellow brocade and a velvet collar. The waistcoat was a sunshine yellow brocade with velvet trims.
John felt the ‘bees knees’ in his new suit. He stood out from the crowd and he was the height of the new ‘teddy boy’ fashion.
Stephen got himself a teddy boy suit too, but his was mostly taken from his grandfather’s wardrobe, but the cut, colour and style were not right. The jacket was long, but it was also big and boxy, the trousers were wide, with turnups. It was more of a 1930’s ‘zoot suit’ in tweed than an elegant Edwardian era look. Nevertheless, it did not look like a post war austerity or demob suit.
Their new style attracted more followers. Adam was an apprentice electrician down the pit, but was learning to play honky took piano. Graham was a joiner who had followed the skiffle movement and learned how to play the double bass. He was now trying to transfer his skills to a bass guitar.
Geoff was an apprentice blacksmith. He could sing a bit, having once been a boy soprano in the church choir. Rock n roll had rekindled his love for singing.
Together, the five of them started up their own band. They practiced wherever they could find an unused hall, with a piano that they could hire for free.

John’s new look attracted even more female attention. When he was out, he was never without a girl by his side. His band mates struggled to make it to rehearsal nights because of their shifts at work, he struggled because he had so many dates.
His boss did not like the look either. However, when John came to work, he modified his appearance into something more conventional. They made excuses for him. He was young. He was going through a period of self expression. This music thing was just a phase. Rock n roll would not last. They were willing to tolerate it, for now.