| Description | An interview with Nick MORGAN, a single man with no children, who is a Student, born in Birmingham and now living in Birmingham. Nick MORGAN’s father was a Accountant, born in England and his mother a Teacher born in England. In the interview, he talks about …
'NICK MORGAN MS2255/2/058
01
I was born at the QE. Hospital in Birmingham in 1981. Mother moved to Birmingham to attend teacher training college. Father went to Aston University from Essex to do business studies degree.
1.17 Brought up in Kings Heath….then moved to Shirley. Felt distance from friends in Kings Heath. Contrasts the 2 areas.
02
I went to a relatively small Catholic primary school in Kings Heath.
03
We had assemblies every morning…Thursdays we had mass….Fridays we had hymn practice….you would get into trouble if you didn’t sing, so we’d sit at the back and mime….
1.04 It was in St. Dunstan’s parish and there were 2 sister schools….Describes the 2 schools.
04
Mother has always been quite religious, father not so religious.
43” The stress on religion varied greatly with each teacher you had each year…it was very Irish as well….Story about being disciplined.
1.31 There was the odd non-Catholic person at school….one Asian kid, so when I went to a grammar school…the differences I noticed were extreme…I’d only ever met 2 Asian kids before and then 30-40% of the year was Asian, which took a while to get used to….I’d never questioned before anything I’d been told from primary school, parents, etc…Suddenly I was exposed to all these other aspects of life….I diverged from the Catholic faith…..
3.08 Story about preparing for 11+ exams. Reluctant to go to grammar school. Preferred to go to the same school as his friends.
05
Differences between grammar and comprehensive schools.
1.15 It was always really stressed at our school that you are some elite, you should take advantage of that….
1.38 Kept in touch with friends from primary school.
2.22 It helped me become more of a rounded individual, whereas they are more restricted in their views, in a lot of their attitudes….
06
Describes how the local leisure centre in Kings Heath provided a basis for his sports and social life as a child.
07
Other activities out of school. Out of town shopping malls.
08
Independent trips to town.
1.04 We later progressed to going to pubs and things which would have been when we were 15 going on 16….
1.35 Moseley was where it all began….Explains how he spent the time in pubs in Moseley and the city centre.
09
First job with paper round. At 16 got work in a small sports shop. Describes the job.
2.21 About a year ago when I was 17 I got a job working at a newsagents….it’s below the minimum wage, very low indeed….a lot of my friends were earning £4.00 an hour….
3.32 Not a lot of my friends had jobs until the start of the upper-sixth at school when they were becoming 18….but at the same time going to a grammar school a lot of my friends were quite rich….
10
Details musical tastes.
Music lessons at school and the choir.
11
Broad Street has become more accessible to us…..Describes club scene in the area.
1.04 There was never really any drugs around at first….there’s been a definite increase in drugs usage, drug culture….Ecstacy wasn’t really that commercial at first…..people went from taking one or two pills a night…to 7 a night….Since going to places like the Que Club….
3.53 I’d say a lot more people do drugs than the general public imagine…there’s a definite drug problem with the youth of Birmingham….
12
I think a lot more people do cannabis than smoke cigarettes….
39” I started off drinking on the streets with a few people from my area….drink our bottles of alcopops. I think we were the first generation to really experience those as well….Storye about drinking and taking drugs.
13
I think my first experience of mobile phones would have been in 1997-8….Describes the increase in use of mobiles amongst young people.
1.48 For me now I can’t go out without my mobile phone, I feel empty….
2.46 I’ve always been quite interested in computers….Describes how he went online.
14
Continues to describe how he uses the internet. Napster.
2.00 The second internet boom came when my brother started experiencing Microsoft Messenger….that would have been about early 2000….Difficult to remember how much is taking place online.
3.58 Not sure what he wants to do in the future.
15
From going through the older areas of Birmingham….run-down areas and then 10 minutes later going through Brindleyplace….I think that’s how it will look in 50 years….I’d always thought Birmingham to be quite a grotty place…the Rotunda especially…
16
I went to King Edwards VI Camp Hill boys school which was a grammar school….describes the environment.
Difference between primary and secondary school.
2.19 Story about being given detention.
17
Why grammar school was good for him.
52” I’m now off to University in Manchester to do psychology and neuroscience….Reasons for interest in subjects.
After studying would like to go to China, stay at a Buddhist temple.
18
Because a lot of my childhood was based around religion….through experiencing a lot of different religions at secondary school, I’ve always considered myself a Buddhist from what I’ve read about it, people that I’ve met….After I’ve come out of university I think I’ll be a lot more independent than I am now…
19
When I started going into different areas of Birmingham…multi-racial society.
20
Asian and English kids didn’t really mix at all at first….but then the splitting into different classes broke down a few barriers…..
Describes how Asian students are more community based.
21
Political views.
1.07 When I was first eligible to vote…Feels he wasn’t mature enough to vote.
ENDS |