Carnaby Street re-visited; again.

Since writing the column on Carnaby Street, I've looked at a few old pictures and videos and decided that it really looks much smarter now than it did in 1967. I don't think it's just that everything was monochrome back then (there are some colour pictures); it was so grubby compared to today. The "scene" then was about fashionistas, photographers and rock bands like The Who, Beatles, Stones, Pink Floyd, Traffic and the Small Faces. It wasn't really for everyone. Now it's for tourists who want to spend hundreds of pounds on trainers.

All the same, I remember getting such a buzz out of being in the heart of Swinging London with other young people like me. It was such a fast moving time for music and fashion as we put hippy kaftans over our old Mod trousers and shoes. We had some amazing free concerts in London around then, and John Peel used to fill us in on all sorts of novel events and rallies we could attend. For a brief time, Carnaby Street represented the "underground", a whole alternative world for a young lad to play in.

The nice young man (yes, it is a bloke) in the colour photo is me in 1968. If I was a trendy, lefty, young person now, and I was seeking some kind of alternative world to the one mapped out for me by my teachers, I guess I would head for Brick Lane, or Cambden, or perhaps to somewhere not in London at all. I'd certainly think twice about University at 7,000 UKP a year.

You know, even now at 60, I reckon a gap year would be a good idea. How about a year when you can do just about anything that you like, just so long as it is a) creative, b) idealistic and c) totally pointless? With local government redundancies in the air, I might be up for it sooner than I thought.