| Description | An interview with Tim ALLCOCK, a married man with one step-daughter, who is a Audio-visual technician, born in Redditch and now living in Birmingham. Tim ALLCOCK’s father was a Technical illustrator/ musician, born in England and his mother a Housewife born in England. In the interview, he talks about …
'MS2255/2/ 059 Allcock, Tim, logged by Lorraine Blakemore
01
I was born in 1965 in Astwood Bank in Redditch, and then we moved to Birmingham when I was less than a year old….Father a draughtsman at British Leyland in Longbridge, mother a housewife. Lived in Northfield as a child. Parents divorced when he was 9 years old.
2.03 In 1974 divorce becoming more common.
02
Thinks it was strange that whilst father remained in the family home, mother and children moved into a council flat. I never felt stigmatised because there were other people at junior school who had divorced parents….I was kind of brought up with no father figure as such…I wonder if it was because my father was a musician that I went into the career that I did…
03
Attended Rathvilly School which was a private junior and infants school. Good quality education which was intended to prepare pupils for King Edward’s High School or The King Edward’s Foundation. As a child didn’t realise how good an education he was receiving.
1.04 Describes Rathvilly School.
1.42 I regret not taking more of the opportunities I had at school now, but I have a problem with formal structured learning. My lifestyle perhaps is too chaotic, it has been since about the age of 6….
2.07 Parents of pupils at Rathvilly were largely professional/ white collar workers. From what I remember a lot of the parents were small business owners….at the time it used to be about £100. per term, which in the 1970s was a lot of money…
3.43 Passed exam for entry to High School, but father refused to pay fees. Also passed to go to King Edward’s Camp Hill for Boys in Kings Heath.
04
Describes school extra-curricular activities.
Comments on the changes in foreign language teaching at the school over the past 20 years.
2.09 I left school in 1981 with 4 O’levels….at the time we were living in Kings Heath…I went to colleges…and kind of played at getting A’Levels…I did it more because I thought my parents wanted me to, and basically I messed about for 2 years….
3.08 Just before my 18th birthday my brother was killed in a bike accident….I ended up constantly trying to live my brother’s life aswell….That’s when I started going off the rails, thinking “what’s the point?”…I can take drugs, drink myself stupid… Compares his aspirations with those of his brother.
05
I left home about 6 months after my brother’s death…to me it was suddenly like a whole new world had opened. I had started smoking cannabis when I was about 15….as far as I’m concerned it made no impact on my education….
Makes observation about drinking culture of the rugby club and the hypocrisy with regard to soft drugs.
1.30 Moved into a flat in Northfield. In those days you could just walk into Birmingham Council and say you were homeless and they would give you a flat. I went in at 9 o’clock in the morning and by 3 o’clock I had keys to a flat…that’s how it was in 1982. Then I started going over to Moseley….to the Fighting Cocks Pub… Talks about the changes to the pub.
3.31 Discusses different drugs, relative price value, etc.
06
It was a whole cross-section of middle and working class…distinctions I don’t particularly like using, but you have to use some kind of label to differentiate…most of the people I hang out with are, for want of a better term, creative…musicians,artists…materialism wasn’t a big thing….
From 1983-88 we were all pretty much on the dole. At the time the dole was good money…everybody knew the scams…
2.26 Elaborates on drug use. Wasted wilderness time…
07
I’ve had friends go blue on my kitchen floor through heroin overdose….at the time it was like, “I want my hit and I’ve got to deal with him now.” The person dying is in the way…. I got myself off hard drugs….I am truly an advocate of the legalisation of all drugs… discusses views on legalising drugs.
3.09 During that period I worked for the civil service signing people on, for 6 months at Selly Oak dole office. Story about conversation with manager about working permanently with Social Services.
4.00 1985 was the turning point in my career path….Story about being asked to become a tape operator in a recording studio.
08
Unpaid work, so still signing on. Used to get paid a quarter of hashish a week…worked for about 2 years. Describes work.
57” Then a job came up at the Dome Nightclub….they wanted a second technician… Later found an advert for a job at Madam Tussauds in London. Spent 3 years in London.
3.20 Story about leaving London impulsively. Worked in Spain in a bar.
09
Decided to return to Birmingham and found employment. Describes music scene in Birmingham in the past decade. Debunks the myth of the glamorous rock lifestyle.
10
Compares the status of Birmingham as the ‘Second City’ with other large cities. In early 1980s Broad Street was a really seedy horrible road….it’s incredible to go to where the ICC is now, where the Old Bingley Hall used to be…I am quite proud of Birmingham in the sense of what it’s done, but the biggest problem is that most of the people are xenophobic. Generational differences.
3.58 I did rock and roll for 3 years from about 1990-93….then a friend of mine started up a company called Q Tec, which supplies technicians to the service industry….
11
Changes in drug culture within the music industry.
Roles for women in the music industry.
4.08 I went from rock and roll to corporate, but during the period of r ‘n’ r, a friend of mine used to grow cannabis….I ended up growing draw….from about 1994-98…
12
Describes the change in cannabis growing and preferences for skunk weed. It’s such a cliquey circle…
2.31 Preventative measures taken to avoid getting busted by the police.
4.10 I was working for Q Tec so I could legitimise my income if I ever got busted because the work I was doing was paying £120. per day…
13
Story about not paying a taxi fare which resulted in a visit by the police.
1.35 I’m proud to say I fly the black flag, that I am an anarchist….the more these days you read about the police force, the more you see what a corrupt, despicable, misogynistic, racist group of inarticulate bastards…
14
Decided to stop growing cannabis in 1998.
3.15 Story about meeting his wife Angela.
15
Angela became pregnant in March 2000. Regarding marriage: We said, we are going to be life partners because we are having a baby, so why not?
1.30 Reflects on a conversation he had with a friend on Millennium Eve about life choices and values.
16
Changes in behaviour since getting married.
1.32 That was my biggest fear that Lulu, my stepdaughter got on with me…. Discusses the difficulties associated with being a step-parent.
17
Continues to discuss relationship with stepdaughter and financial concerns.
18
Reflects on Moseley and the community. After I returned from London I was immediately accepted back into the community…back onside….
When things happen we would never involve the police, we would sort it out ourselves….
3.29 Anecdote about The Trafalgar pub and conflict to maintain a presence.
19
Continues to discuss changes in Moseley and fears that it is becoming unrecognisable socially.
1.45 Political beliefs. The problem with anarchism is that as soon as you say you are an anarchist there are people who have this idea of black capes throwing bombs….
20
Continues to discuss Anarchism.
21
Doesn’t believe in ownership. A lot of people have said to me, “well, can I have your telly then ?” If you have a good reason for needing my television then I don’t have a problem with that….
22
I’ve always had black friends, and I’ve never looked at them as being black, they are just my friends….
ENDS |