October reflections

 

Everything starts from somewhere and that somewhere included little rituals like reading comics such as the Beano every Wednesday and in a sea of changes that has seen many comics go and changed reading habits that's still a constant.

Most of us could relate to the world of the Bash Street Kids even if mirroring real life over the decades that's changed too and I adored Minnie The Minx.

We formed bonds too with our closest friends hanging out with them by choice for ages, we helped each other out in both practical ways and also by just talking about what was on our minds.

We bear hugged each other.

We looked after younger children ourselves caring for them as older people cared for us.

As boys and girls, we do actually care.

Emotions

 

Honestly my emotions get the worst of me at times add sensory overload to it  and I need to have someone I can talk about them to like a daddy.

Children's Magazines

Although the weather has been lousy for most of the week I do get out rather than living life behind a screen, interacting with people and that means at the very least I get to go to the general store and newsagent quite a bit.

I had been looking for a while at comics and magazines aimed for children are both displayed and also the kinds of content because in the time I've been on this planet things have changed, something prompted a little by last weeks post.

 This kind of display should be familiar to most Britains, usually a few levels high with the children's magazines toward the bottom in a dedicated sub section, titles battle it out for supremacy especially as when here one or more is stack just above the other, limiting exposure of the cover.

One of the first things you'll notice is the cover mounted usually plastic gifts and because of the whole comic or magazine is then covered in plastic.

The first thing to say is those mounts make the display harder fit in the racks and this makes it harder to be seen by children who contrary to popular opinion aren't super tall.

The other is the return rates for most as they're sold on "sale or return" is quite high no less than 35% and often higher then them means the plastic gifts need to be recycled or otherwise disposed of as ultimately at children's homes they also do so it isn't really helping the environment.

 Often publishers have a different idea of the age range they are catering for and for example when I scanned through Nat Geographic Kids this Saturday, there wasn't anything that would really appeal to a child of nine or older - the last years of Junior School to thirteen plus as while animals featured it was more quiz and simple fact centred as if they expected that age group to pay for and read the 'adult' National Geographic magazine.

As with some other magazines around say Soccer there wasn't a lot that might stretch a child's reading ability and vocabulary in the that in the past adventure comics would promoting understanding of ideas and rules.

It just seems to me there doesn't appear to anything that filled the void left by the celebratory and Tv centred Look In of the nineteen-seventies and eighties where intelligent well written pieces around topics can be found mixed in with fun for those over eight but not wanting an adult publication.

4,000 editions of The Beano

After last week's post we move to something that did happen a few weeks back when the long running children's comic - and there was  time when comic didn't need that bit in front of it - marked its 4,000th edition on September 4th.

The main theme running through Beanoland, the imaginary world of all the comics characters live in is the future through such devices as time travel although for some of us it might seem the comic inhabits a different world than that we grew up in which is hardly surprising I guess.

One issue I have with it in its current form as a child who read this from the age of at least seven is the stories I loved from the time such as Dennis The Menace, Minnie The Minx and the Bash Street Kids set in a fictional school while still carried bare little resemblance to the origins we knew.

That's a simple summary of what's changed with Dennis-he no longer is a menace being mean and getting punished for it as we did and much the same applies with Minnie The Minx who doesn't get smacked and the cane has been removed from the Bash Street Kids school.

The problem I have with it is that simply these are long running stories whose characters haven't changed were formed in the era when that mirrored the lives of boys and girls and  for today's youngsters it's no more odd than the world of Lord Snooty and Pals was to us but we enjoyed the story set that past.

Moreover, when Dennis isn't allowed to menace really he loses his reason for existence, the bit of us who could be cold, mean spirit and who got punished for it which provided a tone even for those boys who were  - and I'm not condoning bullying - where people like them could see bad behaviour called out and and dealt with.

Simply not showing bullying does nothing to prevent it where showing it affirms the reality that as children we knew and know happens.

There is nothing at all wrong with including newer stories that reflect modern ideas, that have greater diversity in terms of gender and ethnic origins matching that of today's boys and girls liking many of the newer stories, it is simply that I cannot let pass how I feel about what has happened those set in the past as it marks it's 4,000 anniversary.

The Pleasure Principal - vinyl collection restoration

One thing I went through during the nineteen nineties was format standardization usually across whole artists as I bought things on tape for quite a period and lp record before that so albums in no particular order were across them

The downside of that is some special albums went in forms I did love and this did include what I regard as Janet Jackson's two most consistently good albums that matched personal expression with musical experimentation.

 Released in April 1986 Control was her breakout album after two very so-so albums issued while being a child actor and Control is the key word in this as it was her adult statement of independence exploring issues and linking up with Jam and Lewis produce who through their production company FlyteTime to the signature Minneapolis funk sound popularized by Prince to new heights.

This featured four singles Nasty, What Have You Do For Me lately, When I Think of You and Let's Wait Awhile who wold very well.
This copy is a mint first UK copy.

Her follow up, issued as the buzz around brother Michael's Bad album dropped in late 1989 took the same team but instead invited people to look at the world around them such as disadvantaged children, under educated and excluded young adults, the drugs issue touched on memorably by Mrs Reagan in the Just say No campaign and also encourage positivism, the belief things can be turned around.

 This had a number of hits across 1989 and 1990  with Miss You Much, Escapade, Black Cat that featured heavy metal guitar solo, Alright and Lonely.
I own a seven version cd of Black cat.

One issue with the original vinyl issue I had was that - it was a single disc for just over an hours worth of dense loud music  so some songs were trimmed and it had be cut at low volume meaning it could and did sound noisy on replay.

There was only a half inch gap between the end of last song and the start of the paper label making the end  tracks sound poorer than normal.

In that era the lp was something issued as an after though with majority sales on tape and cd where such issues simply don't exist.

In July of this year this album was reissued on vinyl as a double rectifying that failure using heavy 180 gram vinyl and that version is now restored to my collection.

Openness is key

For many of us this could well be a scene that is familiar, bed with pretty bed linen on it and in the draw underneath of it a blouse and skirt for us to wear once we've showered and washed ourselves clean.

That was always the thing I wanted at the time to be able to do and to feel I can say that.

Times at least for some are better with schools youth organizations and new enterprises being more inclusive, being more open to variance but for a good many others of us and the people in our lives, there are still in the mental prison of the fear of what will the neighbours and works colleagues say???

Why shouldn't I like to wear satin french knickers cos they're so soft and comfortable?

Nobody is asking anyone to understand why we like and do what we do or join in but just accept we are different and should only be judged on what actually matters.

Does it really hurt?

Re-reading the Chalet School series

Reading is one thing I do like and I have read Juliet at the Chalet School a few times with the reminder of that series together with Enid Blyton's boarding school series for good measure. 

In this volume of the series, Redheads at the Chalet School, Flavia Letton, the daughter of a police inspector, is enrolled in the Chalet School. Despite every effort being made to protect her true identity from her father's world of crime, criminals manage to track her down, bringing danger not only to Flavia, but to the whole school.

As a feminine boy back then I did sneak read a number of Girls only girls boarding school based  series  loving the plots and characters but today I need not care about such concerns.