{"id":11799,"date":"2025-06-04T11:33:18","date_gmt":"2025-06-04T10:33:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/killyourpetpuppy.co.uk\/news\/?p=11799"},"modified":"2026-01-21T22:54:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T22:54:12","slug":"grid-the-car-boot-affair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/killyourpetpuppy.co.uk\/news\/grid-the-car-boot-affair\/","title":{"rendered":"GRID: THE CAR BOOT AFFAIR"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Mickey Penguin & Tim Wells – Finsbury Park\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Sometime last year I was in Camden for Tim Well’s book launch for his book; ‘Crown and Anchor’, which is\u00a0 available from Spinners publishing.<\/span><\/p>\n

The ‘Crown and Anchor’ book contains a dozen short ghost stories, each story revolves around an everyday item or object. This sounds mad, and it is, but the stories work.<\/span><\/p>\n

The rear of the cover states: <\/span><\/p>\n

‘Tales of unease; a portmanteau of haunted car boot sale items’. <\/span><\/p>\n

So there you go…<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As I was at the launch, I mentioned to Tim and to Raoul (from Spinners publishing) that I once had a dream that concerned a DJ who could only hear the song ‘No Faith’ by the Suburban Studs so every record he put on the turntable, he could only hear ‘No Faith’, and nothing else, whatever the record was on the turntable. <\/span><\/p>\n

Raoul was interested in this dream, and asked me if I was interested in writing something for a future issue of the Spinners book. I have never ever written any fiction before, so I was hesitant at first, unsure of my ability but with Raoul’s encouragement, I warmed to the idea of writing my short story of an everyday item (a record) being in some way haunted (or whatever), and my story would have fitted in well with the concept of Tim’s book ‘Crown and Anchor’! <\/span><\/p>\n

The first thing that happened when I eventually tried to write the story was I got a complete mental block and I couldn’t write anything. I then had an idea of basing the main character on someone I knew so I could focus more; the person I thought would be the perfect fit was Tim Wells himself. I spoke to him about this and he was completely okay with my ideas and left me to it. <\/span><\/p>\n

I have known Tim, then known as ‘Bilko’, since the mid \/ latter years of the eighties, a year or two before he joined the Blaggers, so I know him pretty well throughout the last decades passed. Tim<\/span> remembers me when I had bleached crimped hair, shaved at the sides adorned with jangly bangles, and that was a long long time ago! <\/span><\/p>\n

Tim lives in Stoke Newington. He goes to the local car boot sales. He gets DJ gigs, and up to a couple of years ago, he has a long standing residency in the DJ booth at the nearby Mascara Bar (the M Bar) run by Irish Maggie who in real life is a bit of a nutter. He has DJ’d on the floor of the Sir George Robey in Finsbury Park during those ska \/ skinhead festivals in the latter-eighties and early-nineties. He has all the records that matter in punk, new wave, mod, 2-Tone, reggae and ska, he even owns Dennis Waterman’s ‘I Could Be So Good For You’ which he has ‘played out’ before – a perfect record collection, all killer no filler! He puts his records onto his Dansette record player at home. He is generally immaculately dressed, and the attention to detail, and knowledge of the clothing that he wears is encyclopaedic. He owns a tan Harrington jacket (so do I actually). He knows Hoxton Tom from the 4-Skins (Tom from Hoxton in the story). He saw gigs down the Hope and Anchor around 1979 (but not 1977 that bit is fictional). He owns a bottle of Brut. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And lastly, Tim was in the band Anti Social Workers in 1982, (“his voice over a dub reggae punky beat” in the story).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These details about Tim’s real life and history are laid out in my story! <\/span><\/p>\n

Tim is named ‘GRID’ in the story. <\/span><\/p>\n

Myself? <\/span><\/p>\n

Apart from actually writing the story, I was known as Grid in my secondary modern comprehensive school, for exactly the reasons mentioned in the story. I did have a girlfriend called Sara Hunt who I had met at a gig (not at a Ruts gig though!). I had a short residency (two Sundays a month for two months) spinning reggae records in the DJ booth at the Swan pub in Tottenham in the mid-nineties. I owned a black Harrington jacket in 1979, the only black Harrington jacket that I ever owned. <\/span><\/p>\n

Those memories are all mine. <\/span><\/p>\n

It was so much easier to write a short story with someone to base the character on, and Tim brings the ‘Grid’ character to bring to life wonderfully. <\/span><\/p>\n

When I had finished the story both Tim and Raoul liked it, which was a relief. If they did not like it, especially Tim (that was important to get the story passed Tim first) I would have not wanted the story to be published.<\/span><\/p>\n

Anyway the details.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

My story is in Spinners issue 10 if you want to get a physical copy the book is available for a small donation and for postage costs. <\/span><\/p>\n

There are plenty of other poets and writers in all Spinners books including Tim Wells himself. <\/span><\/p>\n

Tim’s book ‘Crown and Anchor’ is also available for a tenner. <\/span><\/p>\n

If anyone is interested in some great books then please cut and paste the link HERE<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Should I write about the Suburban Studs now? <\/span><\/p>\n

Nah can’t be arsed!<\/span><\/p>\n

My short story is written out below.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Tim Wells – Stoke Newington\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Mickey Penguin – Stoke Newington<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n