Tuesday, 23 August 2016

Goblins Hot Ding Time



Certainly fitting into the " possible worst worst job in my life" category.
 
On leaving art college in 1974, I felt that I ought to get a taste of real life, after spending the summer as a postman, then a fair period hitching around the south of France with Barbara Young. I decided to take on the real world.


 
Bob Meecham and I worked in a vacuum cleaner factory, working in the aluminium foundry. Smelting. I was alright for the first three hours each day. I could think about things - take my mind off the immenent dangers, unfortunately abject empty boredom took over.

 
There was a tannoy system that went off bong bong bong in a crescending scale of notes. Bob and I decided to take it in 15 minute shifts to note down each and every message, it kept us in touch with another world. Our foreman who should have been called Tommy, came over to me one day and quietly said "I don't know what you are up to but for Christs sake don't get caught".

 
I bumped into Richard Butler in the canteen a couple of days after he had been there. Another finished at art college enforced labourer. " When I came in for the interview, they asked me what I wanted to do. < something menial > I replied. (might as well make it easy for myself) Little did I know what I was setting myself up for".

 

 
Phil Gray worked there as well, in a much more advanced capacity - actually sticking the machines together. Him and his mates used to call the "hoovers" - well, you have to annoy the management, don't you?

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