I tend to agree with you Yuca this is idealised bollocks in my opinion.
Most of the southern casual guys were into the pop music of the day.
The East End was now turning to disco pubs from Stratford to Bethnal Green full of posers but wearing your MA jacket to football and then going to gigs was still all about being a tasty geezer. Then the pirate soul radio of JFM and Horizon etc exploded around the same time. The younger football lads I call the ‘Thatcher’s children’ started to put the colour into Casual, with the track tops, fraying the Lois cord bottoms and diamond Pringle jumpers. By the time I’d come out of doing remand and then a prison sentence from 81 and’82, that one-time geezer crew had firmly got into Jazz funk, Brit funk and into birds. Great days for the music of Southern Freez, Beggar & co, Shakatak, all them – never forget it. We all went to the same places but like as one now, with the black lads from Leytonstone and Canning town all properly on the firm.
well, that's from Cass Pennant if that's any good fellers.
This isn't Talk Ivy.
It was mentioned that casual had no particular genre of music that was theirs.
I did not disagree, but pointed out from my experience that I saw and heard. I stressed 'not all' to counter any issues re: generalisation.
The quote from Cass Pennant only goes to show that the soul and jazz-funk were the sounds of the times.
Last edited by Charlie Kasso (2013-11-17 16:34:09)
TBH I didn't separate the two, I was trying to define a point in time before casuals and football hooligans became synonymous.
Cass is right about the music, regardless of your opinion. Most were into the soul and jazz-funk of the early 80s. With all due respect, I stand by my post.
Why would Cass make up what music they were listening to on East London pirate radio anyway?
Most not all does NOT counter any issues re. generalisation. This is the point you seem to be missing. If you had said some not all then you certainly would have had a point. Only one word difference (obviously), but a vastly different meaning.
The quote from Cass shows that in his circles, soul and jazz-funk were the sounds. Which is no surprise; contemporary black American music has been popular with black British youths, plus certain non-black British youths, for some time, and still is. So is wearing the latest fashion. To extend that as saying most people into the latest fashion must be into contemporary black American music is absurd.
And let's be real - although Cass was a black football hooligan, for most clubs, the terraces were dominated by the far right. And it is the terraces where the casuals were most prevalent. Just look at the incessant racism every back in the day black player received throughout their career from the terraces. Booing every time they touched the ball, bananas thrown on the pitch, no support from their team's fans when they did well. True not all casuals were football fans and/or racist, and also it is possible to be racist and a black music fan. But it's rare.
You're romanticising an era. Many, maybe most, soul and jazz funk fans wore casual gear. However most casuals were into football, and part of being a young football fan in that era was fighting rival firms and being in regular contact with dedicated racists. Being into a particular niche music scene was not part of the lifestyle.
Last edited by Yuca (2013-11-17 16:50:29)
Most casuals just wore the clothes to be honest.
I meant as in not really being into the football violence that was carried out by well turned-out lads.
The style was everywhere, and it was only a small minority up for Saturday afternoon chaos.
Regarding the music, in the main, soul and jazz-funk. Just like previous subcultures choosing the music of black America and its derivatives.
That was typical of people into soul and jazz funk, not typical of casuals in general. Most casuals were into fighting and trying to intimidate black footballers. Not the sort of people you were hanging round with, and who can blame you, but it doesn't mean you and your friends were in the majority.
My own experience of the northern casual scene is that it started on the terraces but didn't stay there. It spread out. Lot of the kids who sported the style were into football (I wasn't) but didn't get involved with footie violence, primarily because they were to young and couldn't get to the games. London may be a bit different in this regarded because you have several big clubs in close proximity to one another.
Musically they liked what they liked.
And what were you listening to at the time AC ? (there was a comma after Chelsea)
I was as you know listening to the pirate radio stations but i was in a minority, i will add.
a lot of the people who dressed this way were listening to things like culture club.
i have always been unusual i like music and clothes which is why i post on a clothing forum even though i am now middle aged.
We'll have to agree to disagree on this point then. Fine by me and I wish you a good week.
Good night : )
Last edited by Yuca (2013-11-17 17:32:15)
Good night Charlie and this is what i was listening to Yuca.
too shy shy hush hush eye to eye.
(url=)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbLYsuudJuA(url/)
and I wish you a good week too Yuca.