Wednesday, 28 November 1990

Last Letter from Cleavsie

22 Hillhead Drive
West Denton
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE5 5AT

Hi Dude,

Guess who's fucked off from their course, but you probably already knew that. The course was simply shit.

Well I'm on the dole now, I 'sign on' on the Tuesday, it's all a laugh init. Sorry I haven't written for so long but my ex-flatmate is just such as lazy fucker that it took him two weeks to write to me and send me any letters. Lazy cunt!

I'm sorry hear that things are so shit down there, that's part of the reason why I left, it was getting me down too much. I got back to Newcastle on the 6th and I rang up Sos to go to the local pub and we had a few pints there, then Lynchy walked in and we went back to his flat as he had just made 40 pints of home brew which we got pissed on.

(Lynchy always seemed to have home brew on the go. Horrible, gut rotting bitter, but it was alcohol and that was all that mattered.) David
 

After that I went to a party almost every night till Tuesday, good going huh? Me and Sos were going to go the the Mayfair all-nighter that first week, but we ended up going to another 'Barbeque' (sic) party at Laura's house we thought it would work out cheaper. It did! We got absolutely shit-faced.

(Laura and her sister Sarah lived in a former school building out in the fields, on the outskirts of Newcastle. The place was huge which made it great for parties. It was at one of these parties that I met Cleavsie. I accused him of stealing my beer. We've been friends ever since.

Most of the kids that went to these barbecue parties were underage, but Laura's parents didn't seem to mind anyone drinking. I suppose they thought it was safe enough if they were there to keep an eye on things. A few of the parents thought that way. Fools! Apart from the drinking and drugs use, there was cunnilingus in cupboards and.... oh, need I go on?) David
 

We went with Mark and James Gambles. It was a corker. Catherine was there and we were getting off with each other, and I went to the toilet when I bumped into non other than Fiona and we started hugging and kissing each other when Catherine walked past. What a pisser.

So me and Sos went round pinching all the beer, we found a crate in one of the spare rooms and took 6 cans each and walked out when Laura's father caught us, and told us to put them back or fuck off. So we put them back and just pinched 4 each. We then found another crate and got another warning, then we spotted one of the plastic home brew containers which we pinched and sat on the out-house roof drinking from the tap. Once we finished it we started rolling it around trying to play football with it. At about 4.00, after we nicked more beer and stuffed them in our coats, we were told to leave.

So when Laura's mum left the kitchen Sos pinched a full bottle of whisky and stuck it up his sleeve and we left, and me and Sos went back to my house and proceed to drink all the beer.

We kept the whisky for the following week's Mayfair, which we drank before we went in. A good time had by all, I can tell you.

It's starting to get quite crazy up here. After the party at Laura's, the following Monday I went to Lynchy's flat with Sos and Sage, where he had more home brew and a bit of black so we got shit-faced and stoned, fucking great blow-backs I tell ya!

The next Friday me and Sos went down to the Farmers* to meet Ray from college, and then on go on to the Mayfair which was pretty good. Then me and Ray went to Trillians the next day about 11 o'clock and proceeded to get pissed.

(*The long gone Farmer's Rest, which stood at Newcastle's Haymarket bus station, at the corner where Marks and Spencer is now. It had great atmosphere and being on the corner of a bus station attracted a fair share of weirdos and derelicts. Had a good jukeboy though. It was a popular stopping off point midway between Trillians and the Percy Arms. ) David

Caherine turned up at about 1 with her friend and we all went to the Mayfair. (Again, I'm knackered just writing about it.) Then me and Ray went to Trillians on Sunday and Monday.

Scott, Wrighty and Tony went to the last Mayfair last Friday along with Catherine and her friends. By the way Catherine's now going out with Pete, and my love life's a damn disgrace! It wasn't bad except for Catherine, bitch! ha ha

Do you remember that kid called Neil who got a blow-job off Jenny? Well last night we went to his house in South Shields for a party. There were a load of fucking trendies, we came close to fucking the lot of them. Even though one of them gave me a couple of joints, well after I threatened him. Christ what a wanker.

(The infamous blowjob took place in Eldon Square bus concourse, on a Saturday afternoon, in full view of passers by.

This was the era of Bros of course, when trendy kids attached Grolsch bottle tops to their shoes and put bryl cream in their hair. There was always a lot of tension between the trendies and the heavy metal kids, that occasionally resulted in minor skermishes. Thankfully in those days nobody carried knives.) David

Anyway we got kicked out about 9 (I'm starting to get a bit pissed off getting kicked out of parties!) because the stupid fucking trendies started throwing paving stones into the fish pond!

Anyway I bet you can't wait to come back up here at Christmas, we'll have a fucking crazy time eh! Mind you I'm getting very pissed off up here, I really just want to move away. My mum found out the other day that we've got some sponsors to go to Canada, so that cheered my up a bit.

Anyway, I'll see you at Christmas and we'll get pissed, although I don't know how I'll be able to afford it. I'm in debt to the tune of about £1000. Shit eh! Give me a ring when you get back, or write before then.

(It was amazing how far a dole check went in those days. You could go out with £5 pounds in your pocket and spend the whole day drinking. Someone would always help you out with a pint or two.) David

See ya soon
Mark

P.S. Though for the day. Surely it's a crime to squander the best years of your life working. Rock n Roll!!