The
graphical school in Amsterdam, an old building in the southern part
of the city, I didn't like it there ay all in the third and last year.
My only good grades were for drawing and skipping school, the rest
of the lessons you could rub my boots with (a Dutch saying) then (1973)
already size 46. A good friend of mine already dropped out of school
and worked as a trainee at a graphical company. When the time came
for my Easter report I decided to quit as well, I did that by walking
out of the classroom with my report in hand and never to come back.
I switched my parttime job in a full time job. These last days in
school I had my first introduction to Rock & Roll music, it was a
radio broadcast of Brian McKenzie's Rock & Roll show, every Friday
evening from ten till twelve on Northsea Radio. Before that I wasn't
interested in music, because I never heard anything to interest me.
At work I bought a recorder from a colleague, from the moment I had
this recorder Rock & Roll burst into my life. Every Friday night I
was stuck to the radio in the living room, most of the time I had
to stop because my parents wanted to sleep. Soon after I bought my
own radio, so that I could record the music in my own room, undisturbed.
My personal favourites those days: Sixteen tons, Suspicion, Poetry
in motion, all Bill Haley and Lets Dance. My good friend (Ron Visser)
was the record expert, often I went to visit his home to record. From
dishwasher at V&D I became salesman on the DIY department. My collection
of recordings grew, as did my reputation as an outsider in the neighbourhood,
where only Soul fans lived, Early 1974 I started to wear greased hair
first with some carrot oil, than peanut oil, butter and finally Brylcream.
One evening I was reading the newspaper to see what movies were playing,
I couldn't believe my eyes, there was a movie playing named, "AMERICAN
GRAFFITY". Ron and I went to see it a lot of times, it's a classic
every rocker should see. This movie was the reason for buying my first
record. Before this I was a real tape fanatic, I thought I could record
everything. This record was a double album with all songs and Wolfman
Jack from the same movie. I bought a small pick-up for 49,- at Pool
to Pool. Now my record collection grew by the weekand, I also started
to archive my tapes. Straight legged trousers were very hard to get,
My first outfit was a red pair of trousers with wide legs and a Hawaii
shirt. Then there suddenly was "the Rock & Roll method" a radio show
by Felix Murders and also a show called "the Rock & Roll happening"
by Ad Visser and Gerard van Dijk. I subscripted to Gerard van Dijk's
magazine "56-". Ron told me "the Hellraisers" from England would play
in IJmuiden, so we drove there on our old "benelli's" bikes on a cold
December night. I made a "rocker jacket" from an old corduroy suite
jacket, which I fitted with metal stars and buttons. It was a smashing
party in IJmuiden, we and a couple of other rockers, made the show
with "twistin" The contact with Ron became less and less, we both
went our own ways. My record collection was already bigger than Ron's.
Then I got in contact with "the 11 record shack" a R & R record shop
in Amsterdam, where I bought a lot of records every week. Through
them I got all information about Rock & Roll meetings. The first good
meeting was in "the Harmony" in Tilburg, early '75 where "the Flying
Saucers" were playing. I went there by train and changed clothes in
the toilets. The R & R movement in Holland was growing, I was no exception.
The hall was filled with real R & R fans. A meeting like this was
being held every half year with lots of old and new R & R performers,
and I became a regular visitor of these events. After several sales
jobs I started working at "Fokker" where I soon got the nickname "Elvis",
because I had my hair greased permanently by now. When I bought a
record of Gene Vincent, it didn't leave my record player for a long
time, the song "Jump back baby, Jump back" made me into a Vincent
fan for life. Within a month I had bought all of his records. My favourite
songs are : "You better believe","cruising" and "Bop street". I always
went alone to the meetings. When I went in my '56 suit all these commercial
losers looked upon me strangely, through my parents I was able to
fly cheap, so Wimpy (that's me) went to New York late '76, where lots
of great R & R albums became my property. Now it became my wish to
own a real fifty's jukebox. My clothes collection grew as well. 1977
and 1978 were the years of the USA first I went back to New York record
hunting, then to Al Capone's city from where I returned with lots
of records too. By then I was living in the "Bijlmermeer" and my whole
house was in fifty's style, complete with a '55 Rock-Ola a '59 pinball
machine and a collection of radio's from '49 till '62. After counting
I owned 466 LP's 250 single's and 20 tapes full with R & R radio recordings.
I struggled on as a lonely rocker in the black outer parts of Amsterdam.
On the radio I heard of a R & R meeting in Monster so I went there,
alone as usual. My 9 year oldSaab model 96 drove me without problems
to the Choorstreet where I soon found the hall. The music and especially
the atmosphere were terrific, maybe even better then the big meetings
in Eindhoven. In Monster I met a "Bopcat" from Amsterdam named Gert.
I agreed to go with him to the Pub inn next Saturday. There the Bopcats
would initiate me as a member. That night I met a lot of people who
were as strange as I was. From then Wimpy "Flatfoot" went everywhere
with the Bopcats. Today is the 9th of September 1980, we went to England's
Great Yarmouth for the half annual "Weekend Hop". It was a unforgettable
meeting three days long in two halls with great bands from England
and the USA with the fabulous newcomers "The Blue Cat trio", a band
in the style of Gene Vincent and his Blue Caps. The atmosphere was
in real fifty's style with old cars and Teddy Boys and us in Marc
Gregoire's Cadillac. Our regular Hangout is "Ko's Coffee house" in
Amsterdam, in October we, The Bopcats, go back to Great Yarmouth together
with "the Rockin Rebels" from Eindhoven, We will show England that
Rock & roll is alive and Kicking in Holland.
The
Lion alias Flatfoot with his car named "Bubble".
Translation:
André Kolthek.
