My
first acquaintance with Rock 'n Roll started somewhere in the seventies
(don't ask me for the years, I think that's best) My oldest sister
had a boyfriend in those days, a guy named Gregoire. One night the
brother of this guy, Marc, came to our home, he wanted to change clothes
to go to some R&R party in Paradiso. Later he was to be picked up
by another guy named Theo, young boys still, but older then I was
then (There's always an older prick than yourself, is a nice thought
nowadays) In front of the mirror in the hallway Marc greased his hair,
borrowed my sunglasses and looked, especially because of that, pretty
cool. But it didn't impress me much. I was cool enough already (or
just to young, that's an other possibility). That I really became
interested in R&R came a couple of years later (late seventies?),
in that time I was a true punkrocker (one of the first) but that wasn't
much fun anymore because everybody became punk. The music became softer
and softer. On a bad night (or looking back a good night) I heard
Siouxie Sioux sing a Gene Vincent song. I spontaneously threw up.
Not because of the Gene Vincent song, but because of the way someone
could get something so beautiful, so horrible out of his (or her's
in this case) throat. I'm sorry to say that my Saturday night puke
sounds are a blessing compared to what I heard that evening.
I
decided to go to the R&R café (Ko) the next evening. The only one
I new there was Marc, who was some sort of brother in law, at first
they some as an outsider but Marc asked me to go with him to a couple
of meetings and shows. Slowly I got some contact with a couple of
guys, I never was group social so it took some time. I had a good
contact with Marc though, also maybe because my motorbike, an old
BSA A7 was stalled at his parents house in Laren. One tour I remember
well, together with Marc, who had an HD liberator, through the Ice-cold
weather (old newspapers in your trousers to keep warm) to the recording
studio of PeeWee and the Specials. At the Gregoire residence there
was always a true car park. Marc and me changed an engine from an
Citröen Diane into his 2CV pickup one day. One day Marc could buy
an old Cadillac (coup de Ville '61), but didn't have enough money,
we planned to buy the car together but Marc wouldn't be Marc if he
didn't find some money somewhere. But boy did we have fun with it,
I never seen something so big and it was still only a coupé. Climax
and bottom of my relation with the Bopcats was the fight with ”the
Boys” from Utrecht (see the newspaper parts in “media”) for years
after being part in that fight was for me a binding factor because
of the seriousness of the fight.
I'll
never forget how Gert, who was standing next to me, was stabbed with
a big bread knife, not a pretty sight especially because it went in
completely. Luckily Gert is still alive and even that night was talking
like nothing happened. (he still owes me a new hanky (just joking
Gert). The police was nice as well, and even managed to get the Bopcats
and the Boys to fight with them. Yeah the police, I nearly fell for
the charms of an officer with a big rubber baton to get to know each
other better, but didn't after all. :-) One of the times I spended
longer than one night with the Bopcats was a weekend in England (Caister
in Great Yarmouth) Wimpy brought his own bed with him on top of his
car. Nice memories. In the meantime I'm a father of two sons and a
couple of years older. Once in a while I see some Bopcats here and
there, Bopper in his taxi, Willem as head of city control. Bart phoned
me a couple of times and talked me into going to the Cruise Inn again.
The good the internet can do, a binding factor for the oldies of the
Bopcats for instance. Rock&Roll and especially DooWop, I always stayed
loyal to, and I am and forever will be Bopcat. Bopcats Forever!!!
Stef
"Study Rudy" van Dijk.
Translation:
André Kolthek
Bopcats
Forever.
