Author: Holywell Street

By HWS 30th December 2023

Holywell Street has been eager to catch up with Jim Cameron (JC) on all things Celtic, suede-head, skinhead, and the Glasgow gangs. All this with the political angle for our subcultures section. Connecting music, Celtic and threads, as it says on the tin. I have conversed with Jim for a while; he’s one cool chap, but it’s good to sit with him and get things on paper. We met in McChuills Bar in Glasgow’s Merchant City as we usually do.

Good to see you, Jim, how are things?

I’m doing good mate, taking each day as it comes.

Starting with terrace styles, what did you notice growing up was it the skinhead suede head scene you were into?

We were Skinheads, also known as Boot Boys. I often converse with some older folks on a web page called Mod to Bootboy: 1958 – 1974. They were original West Ham and Chelsea skins. We agree that Skinheads first appeared in London around 1967, although there weren’t many at the time. They started going to football matches in 1968, and by 1969, they were widespread in London. 1969 was the year it really came alive. The style was multicultural, they dressed very smartly, and the music was Ska and Reggae. I still discuss this with the older lads, and two of them, big Gerry and Robert Kelly, come in here often. They still wear the mod look. We all agree that the Skinhead look hit Glasgow around 1970, but it wasn’t as big as it was in London. Those who embraced the look were older than us, probably around 17 or 18 years old. I met a couple of these guys many years later in the ’80s. They described the look as sharp, with tonic suits, but also Harrington’s were worn with shirts and braces. As they were around 18 years of age, they started getting banned from pubs and dancehalls, and the police targeted them. Personally, I got into the scene around 1971. Robert Kelly describes a small group of smart Skins in 1970 from the Springburn area who were well ahead with style. They seemed to have friends in London and were able to keep updated with what was happening.

I have always thought a Skinhead was basically an off-cut Mod?

Yes. Although there were some arguments about it, one newspaper at the time described it as ‘hard mod,’ but the guys I knew and still do, never call it that. However, there is a picture from the 1967 FA Cup Final of around 30 lads, who I believe to be Tottenham guys. I ended up chatting with one of them years later. These guys had older brothers who were Mods, and they were growing out of that scene. So in this picture from the cup final, you can see them wearing braces and white shirts, mixed with Harringtons and desert boots. These North London chaps can claim to be the originals. They caused a bit of a reaction as there was a mystique to is as they certainly weren’t Mods, and some of them had the crewcut hairstyle. As I mentioned earlier, they grew in 1968, and by 1969, it was a massive subculture in London.

Did you Grow up in Royston or was it Springburn? We are all aware of the Shamrock Gang back then?

I grew up in the area between Possil and Springburn, which was essentially Keppochill Road. There were fields there that we called “the cuddies,” and they began building high-rise flats there around ’63. This area is now known as Sighthill. On the other side of Sighthill was the Garngad, where I eventually attended school. We moved into the high-rise flats on May 10th, 1967. I was still very young, but I remember the gang fights between ’68 and ’69. The older guys referred to themselves as “The Shamrock,” and they would come up from the Garngad. They weren’t trying to take over, but they were the gang in the area. When I eventually attended St. Roch’s school, I ended up running with The Shamrock. My mother was from the Garngad, and my father was from Blackhill, but I have always had a connection to the Garngad.

From the 2-Tone movement onwards the Skinhead took a change in politics for many. Moving then to more a punk connection with Oi etc? Strange also within in the two-tone scene as what it stood for. How did this happen?

This happened around 1979 with the Skinhead revival. The National Front was getting big in London, and they latched onto the violence and tried to hijack it. This lot were actually the polar opposite of what Skinheads were originally about. I liked the Specials and Madness, I liked Ska. I used to argue with a lot of them. Also, I felt a lot that their dress sense was one-dimensional; we never wore bleached-up jeans and bomber jackets, massive DMs, and shaved heads. I used to give up when I spoke to guys on building sites for years, trying to explain yer youth culture and what an original skinhead was but they couldn’t shift their opinion of us being nazi’s. I would say the right wing ruined it. Funnily enough, the Mod revival of ’79 was also off the mark. The cool Mods from the ’60s didn’t wear parkas with big patches; they were suited and booted, and Nick from here will also tell you that.  

Did you not contribute a book back then?

I am in a book called ‘SCORCHA’ with the DJ Paul ‘Smiley’ Anderson. He contacted me to do a section on the Skinhead style. It is more London-orientated, but it is well worth a look if you are into music, styles, and subcultures.

We have chatted about those original Skinheads and how smart they were, I spoke with Terry Farley a while back and he mirrors what you say about their style.

I should say as much as football casuals and the rave scene, skinhead was a massive subculture. It was just as expensive and hard to afford the Ben Sherman shirts, Levi Sta-Press and Crombie jackets. As I said earlier the original Skins were very smart probably the smartest subculture of all. We wore Ivy league and the Suedehead look wore Tassled Weejuns, Brougues with the Crombies. We still wore doc martins to the football though.

So, tell us about the terrace culture in the ‘70s.

I would describe our group at Celtic as Boot Boys, and we were handy. In England, Manchester United had huge numbers and were considered the top mob. Rangers also had a large following, but they had a reputation for wrecking places, such as in Barcelona and at Aston Villa. I always felt they were liberty takers. Between 1971 and 1976, I truly believe that Celtic was the top mob in Scotland. The groups that gave us the toughest fights were Hibs and surprisingly, the two Dundee teams. Not much is spoken about the gangs in Dundee, but they are quite capable. I never rated Hearts, as I always felt they were also liberty takers and wouldn’t hesitate in sticking you in ti the coppers. One time after a match there we fought them all the way down Gorgie Road to Haymarket, then we we left on the train back home the Hearts lot were attacking Celtic fans who were on their own not Skinheads but young guys who didn’t want trouble. I got the nick three times at Tynecastle, once at Easter Road and only once at Ibrox on Paisley Road West.

The scene back then wasn’t as organised as the casuals were, but there was a famous match in 1975 where we were to play Hearts at Tynecastle midweek. On the Saturday before, we were playing against Stirling Albion. During the match, we decided to plan for the next game. This involved the lads from the Shamrock and other Glasgow mobs teaming up. One of the guys suggested that we don’t wear scarves, not even round the wrists which was strange for that time. so we were going anti-suss. We also agreed to go over to the Hearts end in groups of ten separately and pay in at which was the old shed at the time. We got off at Haymarket and walked up in our small groups. Some of our younger lads were very apprehensive. By this year, we were still wearing certain Skinhead gear, but some had longer hair with a lot of Bowie haircut influences. When we paid to get into the Hearts end, we headed to the pie stall and gathered. By this time, the Hearts skinheads were all in and their full support was in song. One of the Shamrock lads carried a whistle, believe it or not. There must have been around 150 of us all in, and we made sure everyone was ready for this. So the teams came out onto the pitch, and one of our lot gave it “Hail Hail the Celts are here!” It ended up in chaos. The Hearts fans tried to attack, but we stood our ground. There was a big gap that appeared in the middle of the terracing, then we chased the Hearts fans onto the pitch. We chased them across the park. By this time, the game had just started, but the referee stopped it. I always remember Kenny Dalglish and Dixie Deans shouting at us “mon ae fuck boys!” We then jumped back into the Hearts end and waited for their fans to come back in. There was a big gap in front of us, and they didn’t want to come into their own end. They eventually started throwing bottles up at us. We then jumped out and charged at them again. After about 10 minutes, the game got restarted but, on the terracing, it was going back and forth. However, we stood our ground. We then did a massive charge on them, causing them to spill onto the pitch once again. As a result, the referee stopped the match and started taking the players off. I remember running past Danny McGrain, and he asked me “what’s happening?” I replied, “we’re in the Hearts end Danny!” His face was just in disbelief. After 10 minutes, the referee brought the players back out, and by this time, the police had it sussed. They wrapped us up and marched us around to the Celtic end of the ground. We had to stick together, and we were taking dogs’ abuse and spitting from the Hearts fans as we walked past them. but the Celtic end was cheering us, we were like peacocks. The police just wanted us out of the way and into the Celtic end. However, some of our lads kept jumping back and fighting the Hearts fans. That was a great night, and it was all organised.

The funny thing was, many years later, while working at Grangemouth, I met a guy who was a Hearts fan. He dressed like a lad, with a hint of the casual look, even though he was around my age. As we got talking and became more familiar, I mentioned the match in 1975. He stopped me and said, “Jim, I know what you’re going to say. You done us and terrorised us.” He said that nobody had done that before or since, not even Hibs at Tynecastle.

Can you recall your first Celtic match?

Apart from a match at Firhill where my Dad took me to I can’t recall too much about it I was five years old it was 1963. My first real game was the 1967 Scottish Cup Final, we beat Aberdeen 2-0. It was an amazing day, and the weather was beautiful. Willie Wallace scored two goals, and there were around 126,000 people at the game. Aberdeen had about 40,000 supporters.

It was a great atmosphere, and what stands out in my mind is the flags, banners, and chants like “Celtic OK.” I remember climbing up to the top of the terrace and looking over to the other side, where I could see more and more banners waving. This was just before the European Cup Final, and I remember going back home on the bus. I was only nine years old at the time, but I could hear my dad and his pals talking about how they believed we could win the European Cup.

My dad attended every game leading up to the European Cup Final. However, I discovered 20 years ago the reason he didn’t go to Lisbon was because we were moving to a new house and needed funds to buy new furniture and carpets. He had promised my mum that he would prioritise these expenses. He still regrets not going to Lisbon and I still tease him about it

I remember the Lisbon Final. It was a school holiday that day for some reason, and we were playing football in the Sighthill Graveyard. There were often gang fights there as well as football, it was out place to hang out. Any outsiders from the area thought this was a bit freaky and odd but it was the place we hung out and didn’t think anything of it. We played two aside in the cemetery one team Celtic the other Inter Milan. I think Celtic won 26-1 which was a good omen.

At around 4 o’clock, I remember the Caley factory coming out, where approximately 3,000 men worked. I recall the factory horn going off and the men rushing out in their boiler suits. However, that day was different as some of them were carrying McEwan’s Export and half bottles of whisky, and a lot were singing Celtic songs. We all headed back to our houses. We had a brand new high-rise flat in Sighthill. My mum agreed to let me have some mates over to watch the match in our new posh house which had an inside toilet, two bedrooms, a massive living room, and a brand-new TV. My mum’s pals and my aunties were in and enjoying a sherry or two whilst my Dad was still in the pub with his mates.

My wee pal Wullie Paterson, who was in the house, didn’t have a telly at the time. The game kicked off, and we were all singing the Celtic song, “We’ll be running roond Lisbon wi the Cup!” The game is kind of a blur, to be honest; much of my memories came later, watching again and again. At half-time, we were losing 1-0, and my ma told us all to pray to the rosary in front of the Virgin Mary statue. Into the second half, we were winning 2-1 and onto being Champions of Europe. The place had erupted, and me and my young mates with our Celtic tammies ran down to the bottom of the block where loads had gathered and were singing and waving flags and scarves; there were women doing Irish jigs. Lots of carry-outs had been bought, and I always remember the women in their polka-dot dresses and the men with the Celtic rosettes. We could hear the Glen Daly song and the Dubliners being played from the houses. I saw my Dad and his pals appear from the pub, and I ran towards him, and he threw me in the air. I could see the tears in his eyes, which was the first time I had seen him cry. We went back to the house and partied all night. I recall when I finally went to bed, I looked up at my wall, which was covered in Celtic pictures; I fell asleep smiling at the knowledge that my team, Celtic, were the Champions of Europe.

I suppose it’s that time, can you give us your five favourite bands?

As you may believe this could be tricky and change five minutes later but when pushed I will say:

The Clash

The Pogues

Bob Marley & Wailers

Talking Heads

Rolling Stones

That’s a good mix, what about the Skinhead music?

I am a big music fan and I enjoy a wide variety. One of the best concerts I’ve ever been to was Bob Marley at the Apollo in 1980. Although Ska was very popular in London, it wasn’t as big up here where we didn’t have a large West Indian community. But Symarip brought out an album Skinhead Moonstomp and I loved that and the Trojan label brought out some classics and the album covers well cool. There was a club on Buchanan Street round about where JD Sports is now called the Picasso Club and on a Tuesday night from about 8 till 10, it was the first of it’s kind and it was mainly under 18’s that went, this club played a bit of Ska but at the same time a lot of the Skinheads were actually into Slade believe it or not. Slade were massive in the ’70s and a lot of the terrace chants came from their music.

The shop Dee’s down the road, I admire the fact it is still there and never changed, did you visit there for threads?

Yes, it’s always been there, and I visited it a lot and still do. There was also another shop up in Charing Cross, which was a wee private shop, believe it or not. It wasn’t a shop for Skinheads. You had to look around for it, and this shop sold Ben Sherman’s as they were also popular with older guys who worked in offices. These were the ones that you famously had to get three fingers in between the collars.  I still wear it all [laughs]. My wife will tell you it takes me longer to get ready for a night out than it does her; I can’t drop it; it is bedded into you. There’s Nick in here, the same, always stylish.  I dabbled in the rave scene in the late ‘80s when I was down in Brighton and stopped dressing sharp and was into baggy stuff, but I wore Lacoste and loafers also. Unfortunately, I noticed that Lacoste was taken over by the Ned culture in later years, particularly in areas like Possil and Springburn.

Also, can you give us your five best stylish staples?

Ok, this could differ again in an hour, but lately, I really like the label “REISS.” For the last four years, I have been going through a phase of this just now. I have three daughters and every Father’s Day, birthday, and Christmas, they have bought me something from this label; it is quite casual, and I like it a lot.

“John Smedley” knitwear is another top one.

Aye, I was chatting with Jimmy Whelan last week. He likes that one; it’s quite a classic and hard to get these days. I owned one in the ‘90s.

You can still get it online. I like the Italian-style ones with the longer collar. Big Paul Murray, a pal of mine, and Jimmy believe they aren’t the same these days.

Fred Perry as always. I think I own about 26.

Ted Baker

Levi is the other staple that is always in my top five.

For us Celtic and good bands seem to be intertwined would you agree?

Oh, definitely, we seem to have many, and the other lot has next to none [laughter]. Even the manager of Oasis said we are cooler. I think it also has that working-class left-leaning thing that a lot of the Indie bans have. There’s Shaun’s brother as well – The Vaselines, another good band. I could go on and on. We are certainly the more creative; the Irish immigrant thing has a lot to do with it as well; they brought their songs, stories, and poetry.  That’s where you find the creative.

A question I’ve always want to ask: do you think there could have been a mixed overlap with the Celtic teams of the 60s and 70s that would perhaps make a better team than the Lions?

Yes, I do, and I have had debates about this with Nicky in here as well. He doesn’t think so. Definitely, for me, there’s Danny McGrain, who would walk into that team and Kenny Dalglish, but you would need to argue who you dropped, and there is also George Connolly. I have what I would call a famous five and Bobby Murdoch is probably my favourite ever Celtic player If I was to stick my neck out, but it is hard. So, it would go Murdoch, Jinky, Dalglish, McGrain, Connolly, and that’s the five out of the two eras. For me, Danny McGrain was a better right-back than Jim Craig, so he would be dropped but you would need to be ruthless. John Clark was very underrated but a great player but I think Connolly would be a better sweeper in there as he was a better player.

How do you feel about the present Celtic team and our manager?

I think Brendan Rodgers is the man for the job, and I don’t care what anyone says. They talked about the assistant guy at Man City and the Spanish chap, but we have the right man. He knows us, and I’ve spoken with some good football coaches. I believe Brendan Rodgers is one of the cleverest coaches in the business.  I think we are getting to see bits again. And I will say this, and it may sound stupid; I know we were humiliated in Europe, but as stupid as it may sound, some of the performances in Europe show we are getting there. We should have beat Lazio. Our possession fitba was great, and the first 50 minutes at Celtic Park against Athletico were fantastic.  So, we have this transfer window and summer, and he will start getting his own team together. We had some bad luck. Domestically, I am confident we can go on and destroy any myths of the world’s most successful club nonsense.  

Thanks for meeting us Jim

My pleasure.

By Phil Thornton

Graham ‘Kerso’ Kerr lived by the Holy trinity; HIS holy trinity that is: Motherwell FC, Detroit techno and casual clothing. It was the latter that brought his gang of mates together with ours. Kerso was friends with Alan’ Aldo Walls’ a Fife-born Celtic fan, Anthony Byrne, a Liverpool-based Notts Forest fan and Kevan Lowe. a Derbyshire-based Derby fan. We all got to know each other in the early days of the internet in the late ’90s and early ’00s. We were all regulars on the Terrace Retro forum and Ste Connor and I would organise a music night called Pow Wow in Liverpool. Kerso would travel hundreds of miles from his home in Bellshill near Glasgow to attend these nights.

One year Everton were playing Motherwell in a pre season friendly so a bunch of us decided to go up. Kerso’s home was modest semi on a council estate yet inside there were treasures. His collection of casual wear was amazing. In one bedroom There were racks of Massimo Osti designed coats and other classic garments. Then up in the loft was his huge collection of mostly adidas trainers. God knows how much his collection came to but K wasn’t into for the money. Unlike most serious collectors he was always a fan first and foremost, and was never aloof but passionate and humble.

Kerso was also great company; a mischievous bundle of energy who would add leats have his laptop and Bluetooth speakers plugged in to Underground Resistance at some hotel room we’d managed to jib into. As usual K would have his infamous Aquascutum wash bag handy with its various potions.

Kerso was respected not only for his knowledge and passion for casual clothing and culture but for being a force of nature. His tragic early death was met with many eulogies from far and wide. We will all miss his cheeky grin and anarchic energy

HWS managed to get a Q&A with my good pal Roo Oxley author of the book Clobber, model and Terrace Girl on her recent visit to Glasgow. It was good to get a sit down and chat on subcultures and put it on paper. We met in McCHuills Bar in the Merchant City as we always try to do. She is one cool lady and the Guinness did flow.

Ayup lass, thanks for meeting us, how’s things?

Ayup Chop, all sound thank you, hope you’re orate?

All good chick …

So, to kick off, I read that you were crowd-watching at Stoke matches and seeing what I would describe as a working-class catwalk is this where you started your love-in with casual labels?

Yeah it was at the matches in the late ‘90s but also spilled out into what the lads were wearing anyway. Stoke was a town of football casuals, so a lot of dressers were milling about.

I have heard you say ‘it’s how you wear it’ I believe that also, I think sometimes you need to mix it up a bit would you agree?

Totally. No one should wear such identikit boring uniforms, all rack-ready badged up. Be creative and just wear what you want to wear! I still pull out loads of old nineties’ pieces and mix it with new stuff, be it CP or Primark. Wear what suits your style, and if you haven’t worked out your style by now, then you’re fucked and clearly just don’t have any!

Agreed, I think it was Andy Weatherall that said ‘fashion is temporary—style is permanent’ fashion is just something you do until you find your own sense of style.

Well as Coco Chanel also said, fashion fades only style remains the same. Fashion is fleeting but you need to be aware of it so as not to be stuck in the same old sartorial hole. You need fashion to evolve your own sense of style. Fashion should enhance, guide and teach you what you already know- to have style is to know which bits of fashion suits and underpins your personal style.

We must do this one, can you give us your top five tunes?

I’m Only Sleeping —The Beatles

Gimme Shelter — Rolling Stones

Massive Attack—Unfinished Symphony

Rhythm Foundation—Let the Whole World Know

Oasis—Slide Away

Oh and top three thread labels?

Aquascutum

Tacchini

(Vintage) Stone Island

Do you have a favourite DJ from over the years.

I used to live and work in Ibiza so seen all the big ones from that era, like Carl Cox, Sasha and co, but my favourites are Stoke legends Pete Bromley and Daz Willott.

80s Casuals Classics shop has been in Glasgow for over a year now and is always worth a visit, I see you are wearing Gabbici, is that label you wear a lot of? I think it’s a quality thread and a decent price.

Yeah I love the mod vibe of Gabbici and Neil Primett has done a great job of bringing attention back to the label at 80s Casual Classics. What I’ve had recently has been really smart.

Do you think modern-day ‘soccer’ is part of the reason why a lot of us still wear Terrace clobber, as we feel it is perhaps a heritage thing that is being taken away from us?

I cover this in more detail in my latest book, ‘Clobber!’ but the football scene, and the terrace culture that went with it, is pretty much dead. People who affiliate with it, or indeed any subcultures such as mod, rave etc, will still wear clothes that represent the era that makes up such a big part of their identity. Modern football is so soulless that the last subculture that preceded this—the Casuals, is something that many cling onto, out of nostalgia, or just because it looked (still looks) cool as fuck.

What’s your opinion on Glasgow and McCHuills Bar?

It’s a pisser, great craic —I’ve been asked to come back. And if I don’t come back I’ll be kidnapped 😉

What has the casual scene brought to your life as a woman, and what do your female friends think of your involvement in it?

 That my friend, is all to be revealed in book number 2!

Can you give us an IN and an OUT for this week?

IN:

England in the euros

Tacchini Trainers

OUT:

Sambas

Sunak Vibes

What are your hopes and expectations for Stoke City next season?

Same as every season- hope for the best, expect the worst. Expect Stoke City!

Thanks for coming Roo x

No worries.

Thanks to Paul Kealy as always, also Neil Primmet, Nick from McCHuills and Richard Kelly for coming along and doing the photos.

 

* Roo Oxley is a freelance writer born and bred in Stoke-on-Trent. A football girl, Roo has long attended Stoke City football games both home and away. With a master’s degree in marketing and a successful career in marketing following this, Roo has written about subcultures, music, fashion and football but with a particular interest in terrace casuals. Dressed impeccably always, Roo ultimately knows her clobber, inside and out. One of the leading and most well-known female casuals today, Roo intends to continue to write about her one true passion:

Casuals@missroooxley

roo.oxley@oxleycontinproductions.com

Ourselves Alone, bold and green,
Stands a man of steel, a goalkeeper supreme,
Joe Hart, his name echoes through the roar,
In the heart of the faithful, forevermore.

From England’s shores, your journey began,
To Glasgow’s Paradise, as our anchorman
With gloves of grace and courage unbound,
You guard the goal, where dreams are found.

In the shadows of our towering stands,
You stand tall, another guardian of Celtic’s lands,
With every dive, a testament of pride,
In the green and white, you will never hide.

Through fierce battles and Celtic’s chant,
Joe Hart, the keeper, valiant and gallant,
A comrade in the storm, a beacon bright,
For victory’s glory, you’ll fiercely fight.

In Celtic’s tapestry your name is sewn,
Warrior in green, of the keeper’s throne,
With each save, a tale of triumph unfurled,
In our saga of heroes, you’ll be known around the world.

J.J. Whelan 2024

With sun ablaze and sky so clear
This day of dreams on which we cheer
The hallowed trophy pride of the land
The league is ours, our spirits grand.

The banners wave the crowd ignites
A sea of green our hearts delights
Our hoops we wear with pride so proud
Songs of victory we chant so loud

From early battles, fierce and tight
To final whistles, pure delight
A journey carved in sweat and tears
We raise the cup and dispel our fears

Legends past and heroes new
Together bind for me and you
In every heart, the fire burns
For every goal, the tide it turns

So on this day, we stand as one
Beneath the Lords blazing sun
The league is ours, the dream fulfilled
With passion pure our hearts so thrilled

The voices rise and joy takes flight
In Celtic Park, the magic ignites
The league trophy, bright and true
Belongs to us, the faithful through and through

For in this moment, time stands still
With every roar, our hearts are filled
The Bhoys have done us proud this day,
In victorios green, we’ll always stay…

J.J. Whelan 18/5/24

All Celtic Fans.

Let’s make Saturday special for this great guy.

As you know, we lost our dear friend Joop Sparkes. In honour of him and our team can we do a minutes applause for Joop on the 29th minute.

You will never walk alone 🍀

Welcome Neil, cheers for dropping by, it is a pleasure to have you in as a Q&A guest at last – how are you?

My head is all over the place at the moment to be honest with you, I’ve had a very challenging week but on the flip side I’m incredibly glad to be alive. I’m not one to make a fuss, yeah I’m alright now honestly. I’ve had a Guinness, let’s move on.

Starting off with your love for mountain wear jackets, what came first, the passion for their style on the terrace or the rambling and hiking I see you are doing these days?

I’d say posing came way before hiking, though as a kid I did spend most of my time running up and down valleys and making dens in forests so maybe it’s always been there? Back in the late 80s my best mate Barclay was bang into his climbing which coincided with us both getting into acid house. He already knew his way around an outdoor shop and so we would spend many an hour in places like Alpenstock in Stockport or Magic Mountain in Glossop planning our outdoor outfits for a mad weekend getting high in Manchester rather than the Matterhorn. I should probably mention that I’m not really a football fan either so the terraces have never had much of an effect on me, apart from when I lived in Tuscany and used to go to the odd Fiorentina game which taught me a plethora of offensive hand signals.

I must ask, you were the co-editor at Proper Mag? I always liked it for a bit of a laugh and piss-take as much as anything else, how did the idea come about?

Yeah, back when it wasn’t just about gorpcore and house plants. It was created in a perfect storm of having a job with lots of down time alongside a strong desire to blag free jackets whilst having an innate need to make my mates piss themselves laughing whilst reading it. I miss you Mark, please get in touch to let us know you’re safe and sound.

Stockport County is your team, do you still go?

If it’s kicking off then yes I am 100% SCFC but as mentioned football isn’t really my bag. I did go to quite a few matches with my aforementioned mate and die hard supporter Mark but I’d find myself losing the will to live and would end up watching the weirder fans rather than the action on the pitch. I did see them beat Man City though which was really funny, our end were singing ‘are you County in disguise?’ to a sea of angry ‘Berts’ I believe they’re called.

Are you still DJing?

Since moving house last December I’ve not managed to set my decks up so I’m a bit out of the loop. My mates at ace menswear brand Bound did invite me over to DJ at their pop up event recently in Manchester but they didn’t realise I only spin on vinyl. Which meant I’d spent £100 on eighties gay European disco records in vain and that they no longer reply to my letters begging for a new pair of their cords. Honestly they’re amazing. 

If I was to ask for a favourite shoe would it come from Adidas SPZL range?

Without a doubt the Cote that Gary brought out in around 2016 I think. Around the time of the MCR exhibition I mithered him to reissue the Beach, not knowing that he was already on it with the creation of the Cote. I recently asked him to do an adidas Spezial ‘Bredbury Green’ because that’s pretty much where the UK HQ was when I worked there back in the day and their main offices are still just up the road in Hazel Grove. So watch this space all you fans of Stockport themed sports shoes. If he does another Lancashire based one I’m really going to throw my sambas out of the pram.

What projects have you got on the go these days?

I’ve got my irons in a few pies and my fingers in a couple of fires but my regular gigs are doing the PR for the amazing Swedish outdoor brands Haglofs and Dometic as well as working with the guys at Eddie Bauer. I’m also part of a hiking/climbing collective called Outdoor Licence whose ethos is to demystify the outdoors and get as many people out enjoying the hills as possible. Give us a follow and drop me a line if you fancy going up a hill with us https://www.instagram.com/outdoorlicence/

As Terry Hall once said … How do you feel these days about the Tory government and the shit they’re leading us into …

Oh Terry, why did you have to leave us? Tell me why, tell me why, tell me why? 

When a man who is most famous for his incredibly creepy impersonation of a cat is capable of putting the entire government to shame (both left and right) then it’s a sad day for British politics isn’t it? I feel like we’ve all come to accept corruption and ineptitude as perfectly normal. I’m still amazed that those chinless dickheads who went round in a bus spreading lies about Europe haven’t been hung, drawn and quartered for completely fucking up our economy. I might move back to France, those lads really know how to kick off when it comes to political injustice BRING FORTH THE GUILLOTINE! Speaking of which, have you heard that new Frankie Boyle podcast btw? He should be running the country.

I recall you were one of the first wearing Fjallraven around 20 years ago, is it still a favourite?

I still have one or two vintage pieces but there’s only really room for one Swedish outdoor brand in my life and that’s Haglofs. 

Standardly it’s time to give us your five favourite tunes ..

Ah man that’s kind of impossible but here’s what came to mind immediately….

Redondo Beach – Patti Smith

Kilburn Towers – Bee Gees

Waterfall – Wendy & Lisa

Gates of Heaven – Mary Wallopers

Flashlights (Leo Zero Disco version) – Mica Miller

Have you had a look at the Magnetic book archive by Tony Rivers & James Burnnet?

Yeah it’s terrific innit? I don’t know James but I’ve known Tony since the 80s Casuals forum days in the early noughties so I wasn’t surprised that it was a really in depth and clued up read. I was particularly chuffed to see my mate John Poland had written a piece about a mate of his (from Stockport I might add) who was wearing Stone Island when most of us were still getting our heads around Kappa. Who knew Nick Heywood was a dresser too?

Can you give us an IN and an OUT for this week?

OUT

Telling Emily Maitlis to fuck off when she questions you about Jewish space lazers

VAT

Lee Anderson’s Imagination

Watching Big Brother 

Italian brands sending swag to all your mates (but not you)

Skriking in a hotel

IN

Politely saying’ thank you’ to an American conspiracy theorist when they tell you to fuck off

LSD

Leee John from Imagination

Reading 1984

Rock stars habitually name-dropping you in their podcast (thanks Blossoms)

Hiking with Andy Votel

This will be tough can you give us your five top jackets?

This is the same as music in that I don’t have favourites, but I will tell you what I currently have in heavy rotation on my groaning coat rack….

TNF Purple Label Short Mountain Parka

Fresh Store Frida Fleece

Haglofs LIM ZT Mountain GTX Jacket

Natal Design Big ISDO Jacket

C.P. Company x Barbour Explorer

Have you any plans to tackle any hills or mountains up here in Scotland?

I really really want to go to Skye but haven’t made it there yet. My mate Liam from Edinburgh is an amazing climber and I’d love to go for a hike in the hills with him too though I fear he’d probably take me where I’d end up needing a helicopter and a defibrillator to get home. I might just admire him from afar on instagram instead, check him out, he’s a total legend https://www.instagram.com/liamjscott/

Finally, can you give us the name of your favourite crisps?

This may surprise you but I’m not that fussed about crisps though I am very middle class at least in what I eat if not my bank account. So I’ll say Torres Tapas Fried Egg flavour. De nada x

Thanks for dropping by mate.

My pleasure

To some Celtic is just a club
As silly as it may seem
It captures the imagination
Fulfils aspirations and lifelong dreams

For the global family of Celtic
This club is part of life and inspiration
A switch off from the troubles of life
Can lead you to despair or ecstatic elation

A club where strangers meet
Suddenly become friends
Ride the rollercoaster every week
And see it through till the end

A club that’s steeped in history
With many trophy’s in their cabinet
Many more within their grasp
The Big Cup in ’67 they never will forget

Champions League and Europa
It’s where they aspire to be
Barcelona, Real Madrid and AC Milan
They’re all the same to you and me

Sometimes they may not win
But they always take it with grace
They never give up on their club
A club they shall never disgrace

For those who don’t understand
Why the fans hold this club so dear
Just look at the excitement upon their faces
When they’re winning year after year.

J.J. Whelan

By Philip Thornton 25/10/2023

As usual, it’s down to football fans worldwide to demonstrate their support first for the besieged victims of Israeli fascism in Palestine. Celtic fans, of course, have been at the forefront of this protest and endured the wrath of the FIFA cowards back in 2016 for daring to fly the Palestinian flag.

This highlighted the typical double standards and hypocrisy of the sport’s administrators who are okay with Ukrainian flags being displayed but not Palestinian and symptomatic of the broader political hypocrisy that condemns oppression and slaughter in one country but watches on or provides tacit support for the same crimes in another. The sickening spectacle of our supposedly ‘democracy’ loving political leaders lining up to support the Israelis only intensifies the hatred of those who can see through this charade. In fact, to many Muslim, the response to this will undoubtedly be more support for the jihadists.

Let us be clear, the cynicism and sophistry of those that declare any opposition to Zionism as a form of anti-semitism is to desecrate the memory of those killed by the Nazis during WW2. These self-justifying definitions of ‘anti-semitism’ only silence legitimate criticism and debate about Israeli crimes against humanity. Zionism IS a form of fascism, based on self-imposed racial concepts of ethnic purity, dubious tribal claims to land and religious dogma. It is a falsehood as nauseating and evil as the Nazi ideology that slaughtered 6 million Jews. To deny this form of fascism as any different to that of the Nazis is to repeat that most evil era of human existence. We should be against fascism in any form, whatever disguise it chooses wears.

The football fan community cannot be silenced so easily as our supposed political, religious, intellectual, cultural and sporting ‘leaders.’ Fans don’t bow to the demands of Zionist lobbyists and apologists. The Palestinian flag has been flown at grounds across the world to demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinian people the types of banning orders and restrictions placed upon The Green Brigade and other fan groups will only backfire on those that seek to control the political narrative being spun by our corrupt and bought off media.