Diary Of An Anarcho-Goth-Punk Fiend: An essay by Al Puppy

THIS POST HAS BEEN BROUGHT FORWARD FROM THE ORIGINAL POSTING DATE OF DECEMBER 2007 – IN REMBERENCE OF ALISTAIR 

I found a diary I kept through 1983.

Here are some edited highlights. Of interest is the movement on from punk (anarcho / goth) towards first Psychic TV and second Stonehenge, but also the politics – Stop the City.

What I find hard to realise is that through until November I was still working for London Rubber, busy making condoms and rubber gloves. I seemed to spend a lot of time staying up all night!

Here is a photo of me in my white lab coat fast asleep at work.

People mentioned in 1983 diary (in vaguely sequential order)

Bob, Tony, Val, Min, Nicki, Mouse, Fod, Big Steve, Paul, Scarecrow, Marina, Jenny, Tinsel, Andy Palmer, Lu, Elaine, Ruth, Karen, Helen, Gary, Donna, Michelle, Richard, Michael Moorcock, Lorraine, Alex, Mark, Tod, Jane, Jackie, Lisa, Sally, Alf Martin, Mick (Luggy), Mick (Mercer), Genesis P. Orridge, Ronnie, Sarah, Rachel , Kenneth Grant, Colin (printer not Conflict,) Ripper, Brett, Angie, Julian, Josef, Greenhair, WOg (William Ogden), Caroline, Iosanna, Marion, Shirley, Keith (Here and Now?), Jeremy Gluck, Matt, Valentina, Jake, Debbie, Joan, Gabrielle, Lou, Cory, Andrea, Claudette, Beki Bondage (!), Janet, Rod, Les, Angee, Sonia, Lol, John, Derek Flux, Simon (Rough Trade?) James, Claudette, Chris, Emma, Sally(2), Zena, Hester, Anya, Soo, and Rob Vex. Who did eat all his muesli?

I make it over seventy altogether, which gives a fair idea of how lively it all was.

January

1st to 3rd. First to New North Road (squat where Mark Wilson of The Mob lived + Val Drayton, Mark ‘s younger brother Paul, and Richard Cabut – Kick and NME journo)

Then to Nettleton Road, New Cross – New Year party at Mouse and Alex’s house with Val, Mark, Nicki, Tod, Paul, Michelle, Tony, Scarecrow, Fod, Donna, Tinsel, Lorraine, Min, Gary and Michelle’s guitarist. We listened intently to first Psychic TV album; ‘Force The Hand Of Chance’; “Very cosmic man” is my opinion.

Mouse later became PTV person and Min moved to Beck Road, Hackney former Throbbing Gristle HQ, then Psychic Temple, and became singer for Zos Kia.

7th to 9th To Bayston Road / Stoke Newington where Bob and Scarecrow had been making a film, then on to Kingdon Road / West Hampstead – a lesbian squat. Helen lived there. Met Helen when I visited Min for the first time in 1981 when she was living at Cazenove Road / Stoke Newington. Helen had a leather jacket with “Lesbian Guerilla” and a Kalashnikov painted on it. I was impressed and only a teensy bit nervous when I got talking to her and her girl friend Sonia. But it was cool, and I loaned them a fiver to get a taxi home the next day.

Then on to Puppy Mansions / Westbere Road / West Hampstead – Tony, Mouse, Bob, Jackie and listened to tape of ‘Necromantra’ and ‘Love Is The Law’ – the forthcoming Blood and Roses single. We celebrated with a bonfire in the garden.

15th Visited new house – an as yet still derelict 103 Grosvenor Avenue, soon to become a home for eight Black Sheep.

22nd The Mob played the London Musician’s Collective.

February

Thursday 17th Richard’s NME piece came out – front cover. “Positive Punk”. Blame the sub-editor. Went to a Blood and Roses gig. At the time I just wrote “NME piece”, but it was used to heap derision upon the whole scene.

19th / 20th Started work at 103 Grosvenor Avenue, clearing crap out of garden and having a bonfire. A policeman came round, assuming we were dirty squatters – but we had a Council key. Got some photos of us at work. Weekends in Feb were all house work. We filled several skips.

March

4th / 6th Visited Mouse and Bob at Bayston Road, then more skip filling at 103. Cover of Mob album done. Spoke to Alf Martin about writing for Punk Lives. Alf rang back on the Monday – join the crew. So I wrote a piece about the Centro Iberico for him.

12th / 13th New North Road. Mark planning a bus trip. (As in free festivals and travellers).

Westbere Road. Michael Moorcock had been to film – following Richard’s NME piece – for a TV show. I had read all of Michael Moorcock’s books and knew of his links with Hawkwind – though he had also written a Sex Pistols meet Jerry Cornelius piece years before. Exciting times.

Julien drew a sex-chart – putting everyone’s names on a big sheet of paper and linking up who had slept with whom. It came out as a sex-web.

14th Got a letter from Kenneth Grant.

18th Michael Moorcock film on TV. “Dodgy” Lots of elder punk persons like Siouxsie saying how crap the music / scene was in comparison to the old days. And several minutes of Michelle Brigandage talking whilst using hairdrier on Richard’s billowing tresses. Why?

20th to 25th On a course “Project Management for Engineers” at a Management Training College near Rugby. One of our tutors had worked for NASA on the Space Shuttle. Was actually very useful – still using ideas I learnt there. Like – break down big task into small bits and tackle each in turn – after first working out which are ‘critical’ – called critical path analysis- so you focus on the problem areas and don’t get swamped by details.

April

1st April – Val and Nicky off to Greenham. Long talk with Min at Tolly (Tollington) Way when she told me about the rape that became the Zos Kia single.

April 2nd Punk Lives – my article becomes two page Anarchy Centre spread.

April 6th Wrote Blood and Roses story for Punk Lives, focused on Lisa (singer) so took it round to let her read it and get one of her drawing to illustrate it. She liked the story. Actually recycled from a high school essay based on Lou Reed / Berlin album.

Sunday 10th Elaine, Karen and Ruth – Hagar the Womb – at Puppy Mansions. Bought three gas fires at Brick Lane for new house.

21st / 22nd Stayed at Mouse’s New Cross to go on another course “Working in a Co-Operative” One of the people on course was Keith / Here and Now. Met Marina from USA. Told me her ex-boyfriend Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo.

23rd / 24th Blood and Roses at the Scala. At soundcheck. Bad PA! Visited Helen at Kingdon Road.

28th Pip has been bannistering at 103. Met Jeremy Gluck.

Nearly all the work done to convert four derelict houses to a liveable standard was done ‘in house’. We had gas-fitters and roofers, joiners, plumbers, electricians, painters… all the skills needed found amongst anarcho-punk-goth community. Maybe the NME sub-editor should have called us “Practical Punks”.

May

1st Interview Conflict with Tony (For Punk Lives).

7th CND March – to Brockwell Park.

21st Moved in to 103 – after four years living in a bed sit in Ilford with a Polish Catholic landlady – refugee from communists after WW2. Brother Ian came down from Scotland and built table in kitchen and a bed for me.

24th to 31st To Scotland with Min. We camped in the forest at Drumness for a few days, on the Polmaddy (wolf’s stream) Burn. Min not looking forward to returning to London. Go to “possibly last ever Blood and Roses gig” at The Tribe in Leicester Square.

June

3rd Mob and Hagar the Womb gig.

4th New Pet Puppy – No.6, about long strange journey to Stonehenge – finished.

6th Printed 100 copies of Puppy 6 at Islington Bus Garage community centre.

Monday 13th Val, Tony and Nicky off to Stonehenge

18th Andy Palmer (of Crass) and Lou visit. They are living at Cross Street Black Sheep house. Up all night doing layout for Encyclopaedia Of Ecstasy Volume 1.

23rd Mick, Tony, Mark and Sarah back from Stonehenge.

24th Val, Nicky and Fod back from Stonehenge.

July

3rd Brick Lane. Mark bought truck. Note: key moment in shift from ‘anarcho-punk’ to ‘hippy traveller’.

10th Blood and Roses gig. Abortive attempt to squat new Anarchy Centre – Ives House on Roseberry Avenue.

15th Mob gig. Stayed up til 6am. Bit knackered.

20th Read some of Dreaming the Dark by Starhawk. Tinsel came to visit.

22nd Mob gig.

August

2nd Lengthy discussions about Co-Ops with Val, Mark, Rod, Les and Mick until 2am. Mick said “Co-Ops don’t work, people need to be told what to do… ”

3rd Rob Vex’s birthday.

6th Mob gig at Meanwhile Gardens / Westbourne Park.

13th Picnic on Hampstead Heath with Angee, Anne, Les, Tod, Mick, Maria, Anna, two Italians and Dom. Faction gig blown out. Note: Maria and Anna lived in other Black Sheep House. They ran Southern Death Cult fanclub and wrote article ‘Magick and Greenham Common” for Vague.

19th Sold five copies of Encyclopaedia Of Ecstasy Volume 1 to Mysteries book shop, bought lots of books on structuralism. Met Beki Bondage and Ligotage – went to pub with them. Visited Sheffield anarchos squatting on Camden Road.

21st Everyone back from Berlin. (Mob on tour).

23rd Aleister Crowley in Flexipop.

30th Wog (William Ogden) visited. Coming off heroin – again.

September

2nd Washed up, cooked dinner for Cory, Wog, Min, John A. Washed up. Sleeved 500 Witch Hunts with Mark and Min then a chillum. Hunt Sabs visited – they had had a good one.

3rd Rough Trade with Mark, met with Derek of Flux and Simon – talked business.

4th Mark and Fod met Genesis P.Orridge.

7th St. Ives House finally squatted – great place. Me and Tony build stage in basement.

8th Making and printing poster’s for St. Ives house / New Puppy.

9th A work related entry “Pat on back from Finance Department” – I had solved mystery of a job which had run £10000 over budget. Production Dept. had bought a ‘titration’ device which came in on invoice at £36000 rather than the £26000 estimated. I had gone through every invoice for the past six months until I found it. Such dedication!

10th Gig at Ives House – Poison Girls. Not many people but lots of fanzines, good atmosphere, but police checked us out… Got home 5 am.

16th Mob gig at Burn it Down Ballroom. Sarah a bit drunk – still wanting Mark.

17th Min is moving to Beck Road / PTV.

21st Gas oven working – made six loaves of bread.

28th Invoked Hecate and Kali in back garden for Stop the City.

29th Stop the City.

30th My 25th birthday party (so wild I had fallen asleep by midnight).

October

24th Gig New Puritans, June Brides, Boys Brigade, The Mob. Lots of people – Zena, Min, Cory, Sue, Debbie and new person Anya, who is Polish.

26th Big Steve needs £500 bail! Josef sorts it out.

28th New PTV album – very good.


29th Gig at Ives House anarchy centre. Curse of Eve, Toxic Shock, John’s band, Curse of Eve. Woken up by Zena and Hester giggling. First copies of Alternative Sex from printer‘s (feminist zine produced by Val, Nicky, etc).

November

5th Marina came to visit – took ecstasy with her. She had weird visions of plutonium.

9th Tony gone weird, psychotic? Kept saying “Tony’s gone” Sat trying to bring him back until about 2am.

11th Missed Hagar gig – Tony still not right.

18th Left London Rubber – to manage All the Madmen once everything sorted out.

20th New Encyclopaedia Of Ecstasy – not ready yet.

Diary ends

In January 1984 at a party at 103 Grosvenor Avenue met Pinki. Relationship lasted twelve years – until her death in January 1996. Photograph features Cory / Quick Phil / Pinki / Lisa circa 1979.

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE COLLECTIONS OF MICK LUGWORM / TONY D / AL PUPPY / MIN

27 comments
  1. Val
    Val
    December 29, 2007 at 3:36 pm

    Wow Alistair! I didn’t know you kept a diary. That’s fantastic! Reading this, it struck me how much was happening in such a short space of time. It brought loads of ‘side tracking’ personal memories up –
    New North Rd – I lived there with Mick, Nicky and Mark as the mainstays, but also Greenhair and Angie earlier, then Lorraine and Les, Paul W and Andee Ashford, then Richard North. We also had various Yeovilites staying – do you remember the two lads who were too shy to speak? We had to say ‘hands up who wants a cup of tea?’ to get them to comunicate! Debbie, later of My Bloody Valentine, also lived there for a short time – she was lovely and perfectly capable of making her own cups of tea! After we moved into Grosvenor Ave, Anna and Maria moved into NN Rd, before Corbyn St was done up. Lorraine and Les (and Paul and Andee?) moved into one of the Cross St houses (with Jenny and Anne, Wolfen and who else?), whilst the other Cross St house was pretty much everyone from Grantbridge St (Steve, Greit, Lu, Andy and Andy etc) plus Trevor.

    Black Sheep – Grosvenor Ave – Mick went to the studio with Mark and the Mob to record Let the Tribe Increase for a few days, during which time Nicky and I went for a crucial meeting on Mick’s behalf with Islington’s housing officer where we were to be told what property the council would let Black Sheep have. We had already discussed how to handle this and decided that if they offered us only one long term house we would have to turn it down, cos there was just too many of us who needed somewhere. Luckily they gave us all 4 houses at once – Grosvenor and Corbyn St for 5 yrs and the 2 Cross Sts for 6 months – 2 yrs. There wasn’t a key for the padlock on Grosvenor – the council had long lost it, so Nicky, Trevor and I went round there with a crowbar and got in and put our own lock on. When the police came round whilst we were clearing the place out, it was cos the next door neighbour had complained about the volume of the music being played – which was ironic, as we had no electricity so we wern’t playing any. Perhaps we were singing too loud, was the follow up?

    “Val and Nicky off to Greenham” – we hitched to lots of places but this one time was very memorable because we were picked up by a bloke driving a gold rolls royce, who was very kind and terribly interested in the whole Greenham demo. I remember he stopped for petrol on the way, at a garage full of 2CVs full of Greenham protesters and Nicky and I ducking down on the back seat to hide. He missed the turning off the motorway and drove the extra eighteen miles or so to the next one and back, then took us right up to the main gate so he could see the peace camp for himself. You can imagine how the protesters greeted the sight of this ridiculous luxury car sweeping to a halt in their midst – and how we felt about stepping out of it!!

  2. alistairliv
    alistairliv • Post Author •
    December 30, 2007 at 1:38 am

    Hi Val – I love the gold rolls royce to greenham story… and changing the padlock for Grosvenor…

    I think used to write up the diary entries at London Rubber because I didn’t actually have much work to do – I got the job there in 1979 (after transferring from Lydney, Gloucestershire) when the company was expanding but by 83 the Thatcher governments ‘monetarist’ economic policy had scuppered that and the Lydney factory was shut down. By the time I left at end of 1983, even the London factory was looking dodgy. It is all gone now.

  3. greg pierotti
    greg pierotti
    July 4, 2008 at 4:05 pm

    Wow! I just stumbled upon your site.

    I passed several deranged months in a squat in Highbury Islington called the House of Baninz. I think it was more in ’84 not ’85 that I was there. It is quite a haze. Did you know it? Wog was certainly there. Whatever happened to him? And Cory lived there. (At least I think, if you mean Cory Spondence). And I wonder if the Andrea you referred to in your list of names was my sister. Wild American girl? I had a desperate crush on Wog, and think I spent my last traveler’s checks buying us heroin. I recall that we both od’d in the bathroom of The Crass squat, which wasn’t very appreciated. If I knew who to apologize to for that now, I would.

    There was another girl who lived with us… Kriz Teen. She was so lovely and when the squat fell apart, I think she refused to leave and got arrested. I was hitchhiking to Germany with another Andrea (German girl with pink hair), when I got back the Squat was kaput. I located everyone else, but no one knew what had happened to Krizteen, and I have often wondered if she made it. She was such a tender spirit under the chaos of it all.

    It was a heartbreaking and wonderful time.

  4. Phil
    Phil
    July 4, 2008 at 5:21 pm

    Greg> I can’t think of the squat you are talking about, but I still see German Andrea (in fact im seeing her tomorrow ) I saw Wog about four years ago in the same Acupuncture clinic that I use, but didn’t cotton on that it was him till he walked out the door. You can find Cory selling the big issue outside waitrose at the Nags head in Islington most days.

  5. Penguin
    Penguin
    July 4, 2008 at 6:31 pm

    Greg, check out some of the photos in the gallery. Choose any ‘subalbums’ on the left hand of the photobucket page for some faces you may recognise.

  6. greg pierotti
    greg pierotti
    July 5, 2008 at 5:34 am

    Thanks to Phil and Penguin. Hey Phil, if you see this before you meet with Andrea, please say hello to her from American Greg who hitch hiked with her to Freiberg to visit her Mom. I am sure that will be a surprise. I am flabergasted!! Heading to photo gallery now, Penguin.

  7. Phil
    Phil
    July 5, 2008 at 8:22 am

    Hi Greg, I will do. Andrea lives in Stratford east London now. She says she also has a few pics that I will post up here for her.

  8. Stewart
    Stewart
    July 8, 2008 at 9:50 pm

    Also Greg, though I don’t know you, Cory (who I knew very well) had a thing about ‘Baninz’, which is why I assume your squat was called the House of Baninz – he always was a primadonna, bless him… I don’t know where that came from, I guess from his extraordinary imagination… 🙂

  9. Stewart
    Stewart
    July 8, 2008 at 9:52 pm

    Ooooo, website playing up again, dammit…

  10. Tony Puppy
    Tony Puppy
    July 8, 2008 at 9:54 pm

    Excuse the bumps Stewart, we just changed hosts.

  11. Stewart
    Stewart
    July 8, 2008 at 10:23 pm

    That’s OK, Tony, I like bumps…

    Phil – how come you didn’t show me the photos then, you git???? Post them up NOW, and be quick about it…

  12. Mark M
    Mark M
    July 8, 2008 at 11:43 pm

    Hey Phil isnt that Christina Greg speaks of.I know I saw her in Bristol some years ago and she looked well and good.Im afraid my memory couldnt pin it down to 5 or 10 years ago but someone will know..

  13. Stewart
    Stewart
    July 8, 2008 at 11:51 pm

    If it’s the same Christina we’re all talking of here, I’d love to see her again… if she remembered me 🙂 (Wasn’t she Italian????)

  14. John Shag one sheep and you're forever John the sheepshagger
    John Shag one sheep and you're forever John the sheepshagger
    July 9, 2008 at 2:40 am

    Christina and Kriz teen are two different people. Kriz teen lived with Cory and Kathy that had a huge pink mohican when they lived on Petherton Rd, she had “Anti-Nowhere Leage” painted on the back of her leather jacket, cool girl. Cory had made a sign that said “Bazoomies demand Baninz” hence the name house of baninz.

  15. Phil
    Phil
    July 9, 2008 at 9:39 am

    John> Matt says Hi!
    Greg> German Andrea says Hi! Neither of them are on line but will invite them around mine so they can post some stuff up here.
    Stew and Mark you are talking about the same Christina as she stayed at both Huntingdon st and Brougham road.

  16. greg pierotti
    greg pierotti
    July 9, 2008 at 3:16 pm

    yes that’s it Kriz Teen of Baninz. House of Baninz Petherton Road. I lived there only briefly just passing through as usual. but the cast of characters was German Andrea, Kath (big blue mohawk), Kriz Teen, Cory, Nick and Molly, American Andrea (my sister), and Spit and Mortitia (who kind of kept to themselves. Wog drifting in and out. I was a mess at the time, don’t remember a lot, but great people.

    Stewart please send love to Cory. And from my sister Andrea too, who he was closer with.

  17. Stewart
    Stewart
    July 9, 2008 at 5:55 pm

    Greg – I haven’t seen him in 25 years, lol, but I’m sure Phil will…

  18. luggy
    luggy
    July 9, 2008 at 7:42 pm

    Kath’s still lurking about South London as well.

  19. Andrea
    Andrea
    July 17, 2008 at 3:02 pm

    Hi Greg, John and anyone else that remembers me,

    it’s Andrea from Germany, Petherton Road, Peckham, Laura Place…
    found some stained old pictures from the Petherton Rd days Phil will be posting for me. By the way, it was Nick and Billy, not Molly. Also Spig, not Spit and Mortitia.
    Cory’s the only one of all these I’ve seen in decades. Would love to meet up with some more people. i meant to go to the Subway Sect gig but couldn’t make it that day.
    Love to you all and also to Andrea Pierotti x

  20. John Shag one sheep and you're forever John the sheepshagger
    John Shag one sheep and you're forever John the sheepshagger
    July 17, 2008 at 9:22 pm

    Hi Andrea,

    Spig and Spit were two different people. The first time I lived in on Petherton Rd Spit lived opposite us with Sniper from the legendary Heretics and Morat from Soldiers of Destruction. I met Spig and Mort a few years later the second time I lived on Petherton Rd. I ended up back there again a couple more times later on. As Val said the other day “That poor Rd what did it ever do to you”

  21. Stewart
    Stewart
    July 17, 2008 at 9:59 pm

    Well, if we’re talking about the same Morticia, I remember her from squatting in that square round the corner from Huntingdon Street – Thornhill Square was it???? – and living with some blonde-haired geezer whose name I can’t remember. Both into smack and anything else that was going hardcore very early on. Well before Petherton Road. Not very easy people to like as I recall, but that was probably just me…

    Andrea – hi there! (*smiles*). Was Laura Place that old Sally Army building off Lower Clapton Road (or was it Upper Clapton Road????). Andy Lyon lived there too? I loved that building! The ramshackleness and general feel of it…

  22. eugene
    eugene
    July 31, 2008 at 10:05 pm

    Andrea ,Laura Place eh ?? that takes me back
    do you remember Clare and Pete ?

  23. wog
    wog
    February 28, 2009 at 6:23 pm

    Hi Greg, hope you still out there, I’ve got some great pictures of us from this time…. give my love to your sister. Did you ever make it to San Fran??

  24. greg pierotti
    greg pierotti
    March 1, 2009 at 4:09 am

    Wow! Wog Amazing to hear from you. I’d love to see those pictures…really.

    Truth be told I remember so little of that period I was so messed up most of the time, but I do remember a rather wild (I might say disastrous) evening we spent together at the Crass Squat I think, do you remember that? And also squatting a basement somewhere in Notting Hill for the carnival and hearing Aswad (I think) play live at a park up there. Must have been Notting Hill gate carnival around 85 or 86, something like that. As out of control as I was, I have some very fond memories of you, Wog, and I hope you are doing well.

    I did end up in SF very briefly, but moved on pretty quickly to LA where I was about as wild as I was in London!
    I have some pretty crazy stories from that time in California. I have simmered down a quite a bit in the ensuing 20 years. In the theatre now and doing pretty well.

    Let me know if there is a way I can get a look at those pics.
    Anyway happy to hear from you, and I will say hi to Andrea from you.
    Be well, Greg!

  25. greg pierotti
    greg pierotti
    March 1, 2009 at 4:17 am

    Also to Andrea from Germany, baninz etc. I didn’t see your response of this past summer till now. Great to hear from you too, and I will send your love to my sister. I have fond memories of you too. A great pic of you smoking in red plastic sun glasses with pink hair that you wore in two pony tails and sporting a rather cool green trench coat. I think it is from our hitchhiking trip to Freiburg.

    Hope you are well, too.
    Greg

  26. wog
    wog
    March 1, 2009 at 2:34 pm

    greg are you on face book? if not whats ya e-mail

  27. Penguin
    Penguin
    March 1, 2009 at 2:50 pm

    Wog, Greg I have emailed you both seperately with each others details so do not bother putting your details up on this public comments thread, unless you want to of course!

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