We Can Be Heroes: Just For One Day

Many years ago. Way before global warming. When some indeed were fearing a catastrophic cooling. In 1978. I travelled from Manchester to Newcastle to see David Bowie in concert at the City Hall. With my neighbour 'Pete' who always claimed his middle name was 'Himmler', who loved to shoot guns, revelled in NF marches in Hyde, was a Tory and worse, obviously had a different empathy in the sectarian dispute in Northern Ireland, and was, as you may have guessed, a major Dave/id Bowie freak.

The journey was OK. The concert just about average, the hall way too light, the seats too stationary, the whole just like the vinyl - even though Iggy not Ziggy played guitar. And I did get the Tee shirt. But best bit was rolling beer barrels through DEEP SNOW to above average party. One invitee is now a long time Newcastle Labour councillor. Another was a ridiculous professional Tory agent. But no fibby Lib Dems on the scene then at all. We all knew where we stood. Mostly in the kitchen nursing the barrels. Hurrah!

The Denis O'Regan exhibition - from which the top image of that very concert in Newcastle is taken via the BBC - can be seen at The Proud Gallery, Camden, London until 4 March.

Happy 60th Birthday Dave/id Bowie you rather old and at times magnificent tosser.