Just
fastening the mattress and mister Flatfoot and his car bubble are
ready for departure to England! It's Thursday, October 16th 1980.
We assembled at Ko's Coffeehouse at 07.00, I've only half an hour
left. Most of the Bopcats are going to England, also the Coolcats
from Haarlem with their huge Cadillac are there. After some talk about
luggage and seats we finaly depart from “Discodam”. The procession
is 6 cars long and gets a lot of looks from people on the street with
the Caddy, Zephyr and Dodge, we look like a couple of gangsters. After
a smooth ride we check in the boat at Hoek van Holland, an old passport
is the only problem, soon solved with a tourist card. We drive into
the boat and on board we occupy the discotheque, sadly enough there
are only a few R&R records in the jukebox which we play about a hundred
times. The Rockin Rebels from Eindhoven are on another boat, later
in the evening we go to our stolen or rented cabins where sea and
wind rock us to sleep. Sleepy but anxious we wait for checking out
the next morning. Luckily we have no problems at the customs only
the mattress on top of bubble raise some questions. After getting
used to driving left for a couple of miles we are of again. Rain,
rain and more rain that morning, The landscape is not easily tamed
underneath our Dutch wheels, driving up and down hills, but the longer
we drive the better we feel knowing that somewhere over the horizon
Rock & Roll is waiting for us. The cars are doing great and of course
we play “good” Rock & Roll music, everywhere people are staring after
us like we're the devil himself. A roundabout, then straight on ……Yes!!!
Here on the left is the entrance to Ladbroke's Caister Holiday centre!
Finally we drive into R&R city, some of us for the second time, they
know what to expect, later today the first bands will start playing.
We are lucky for the houses we booked are close to the 2 hall's, I
even didn't have to bring my own mattress!! The house of the rockin
rebels is close to ours. Some of us start exploring the compound,
there are lots of great cars parked around. The houses are cosy and
after some meal we prepare for the big evening! It's cold and the
rain keeps falling down but even for the worst weather you can find
a matching R&R song and then you'll forget. A new world opens up for
us as we enter the “neptunes place” show our passes to the bouncers
up the stairs…. and a huge glass dancefloor with little shops around
it and light effects is in front of your pointed shoes. It's just
as if you're playing in an old R&R film. I can't describe it on paper,
you've got to see this yourself. Slowly the hall fills up with rockers
in smashing outfits, ready to dance, from the speakers you'll hear
the best of the fifty's, the crowd dances with it nobody can keep
his feet still. Then the first bands start playing and I step up the
steps to get a better view. The music is really great, its getting
more crowded. The “mods” are here as well but they keep quit for now.
There's a lot for sale like records clothes and other R&R stuff. In
“Neptunes” there are 3 record shops, 2 clothes shops, 2 bars and a
restaurant. The beer is tasteless and without foam. The kittle hall
is open as well, the atmosphere there is really good, there are 2
shops a bar and a cinema. That first night: "Gina & the rockin rebels",
"Blue Cat trio", "Remember this", "Black Jacks" and "The Shades" were
playing and in between the tremendous “wildwax” discotheque. With
our ears buzzin and full with beer we go back to our cabins that night,
the halls are closed but the R&R city is still full with noises. Saturday
morning we pick up bags of treats in Great Yarmouth. Around our house
“American Graffiti” awakes, fifty's sleds cruise by. In the village
I look for new clothes but everything is to short or tight for this
long Dutch body, our friend the rain stays with us all the time. Later
on the R&R city will come back to life. The heaters is perfect and
the thee tastes well, we picked up lots of food . Tonight I will wear
my pink suit, we drive the couple of yards to the hall in the Caddy,
the dance floor fills up again and the music is streaming out of the
loudspeakers. Tonight is the night, Carl Perkins, Jack Scott and the
Cruisers will be playing, with in between the “wildwax” Disco. Tonight
everybody is in his best outfit, the girls in there nicest petticoats.
A lot of people take pictures and the “house photographer” runs up
and down. His photo's are for sale the next day for to much money.
Jack Scott is a bit disappointing, to much country, but Carl Perkins
is good, he hasn't changed much in these years. When the Shades are
playing the Mods are starting to misbehave. It threatens to escalate
when the Rockin Rebels go and stand nearby, than during the Polecats
performance a big fight starts, but within 15 minutes things are quiet
again. Wildwax starts again and the dance floor is full with dancing
rockers and pairs. The small hall is crowded to and between the two
a stream of rockers and teds go up and down, dream cars are cruising
around. Maybe this weekend-hop is the best in his kind. The restaurant
slowly turns into a garbage belt, the shopkeepers are sweaty and working
like never before. It still is like in a movie, people dancing like
hypnotised to the great music from yesterday, but also this night
is coming to an end, its getting quieter and the side of the dancefloor
is turning into a mess, all night people will be cleaning up and polishing
the dance floor into its former glossy state. Wile the rain pours
down on the English cabin we are on the peanut butter sandwiches again
after this dream night. This second R&R night it's quiet, everybody
is worn out, outside the old cars are waiting quietly for there owners.
Sunday morning, a bright rainbow pierces the English sky, finally
some sun, everybody is fit for the final day in R&R city. In the cinema
I see Johnny Burnette, Lavern Baker and Franky Lymonn move in black
and white for the first time. We cruise to the boulevard in the Caddy,
it's windy but the pier with its fair are fit for a R&R movie! With
my revolver I play the big Gangster. In the small hall we see the
Blue-Cats playing, but they are all changed. The sax player has red
stripes painted in his blond hair, so he is also infected with the
“punk” virus. After some shopping and dancing we start to prepare
for the voyage home for another half a year. The suitcases are packed,
everybody wants to stay longer but most of us have to go to work tomorrow.
After some final photo's of the cars I start packing my mattress on
faithful bubble, everybody is ready, we can leave. Some of us (me
as well) need to fuel up there cars and we have to look for a gas
station which has Four-star (leaded fuel) but once that's done we
are ready to go. For the last time we drive past R&R city, a long
journey ahead of us. In my car we play “cruising 1958” it is a nice
ride, the sky is blood red and the contours of the Caddy show good
against the lightly clouded sky. I won't easily forget this ride.
It's almost dark as we drive with a constant 60 km/h on the English
tarmac. We only stop once for a sanitary stop It's a little hard to
drive in the dark on the left side but we stick together, like a caterpillar
12 red and 12 white light drive to the boat, suddenly we miss the
Caddy, where is it ? After searching through the village we discover
that it's already on the boat! We are just in time to board, what
fun! This time the Rockin Rebels are with us on the boat, I go and
try steal another cabin, it's to expensive to rent. One part of the
boat we turn into our domain, Red Elvis is still big boss of the Rockin
Rebels. Lots of beer is being consumed, while the boat slowly moves
away from the coast. For most of us the weekend was to short. Red
Elvis tells his amazing stories while somebody brings up a tape recorder,
loud R&R music sounds through the restaurant. Plates filled with beer
travel from the bar to our corner, most of us wander of to get some
sleep. I couldn't find a cabin so I sleep where I sit. Coming awake
once and a while I see the far of light of a Dutch lighthouse, it's
quiet on board, I sit at a table with a Rockin Rebel while bottles
roll by and back again. Through the closed curtains the beam of the
lighthouse grows brighter. Some people wake up and join us. Others
keep on sleeping ,it looks like a battlefield. In a couple of hours
we will go ashore, back to home and job. I will have another day off.
We will drive on the right again, with the idea we are out of the
time machine. In 6 months time we will go back and home again with
the same lead in our feet, I'm sure of that!!!
Wimpy
“Flatfoot” de Leeuw November the 2nd, 1980.
Translation:
André Kolthek.
