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This has to be the best book about Wigan Casino to date. The affection with which Dave Shaw still holds the place is evident on every page. A touch which I particularly liked was the way he included a playlist from a particular year at the end of every chapter. Dave clearly explains the politics of the time without getting embroiled in casting too many opinions of his own, in fact with the exception of 'the Mods' who invaded the Casino during its last couple of years he is kind to everyone. One of the most interesting sections was his description of the relationship between the DJ's and their suppliers. It all made common sense really, but it wasn't something I had particularly thought about so I found the details quite revealing. The book is good not only because Dave was a regular and could describe his own experiences but also because he had access to the DJ's as well. Despite being a Casino member myself I never met Dave, this was because I stopped going just before he started. Strangely enough it was because of people like him that I did so. In 1975 I was fast approaching my twentieth birthday and I did not want to spend my time with school children. The publicity which resulted from Wigan's Chosen Few on TOTP attracted many fourteen/fifteen year olds like Dave. Despite preferring oldies I transferred my allegiance back to the Mecca, not because of any music policy, but simply because it attracted an older crowd. It is not something I have thought about before but I wonder if anybody truly did attend the Casino regularly from 1973 to 1981. If they first went at 15 they would be 23 at the time of the club's closure. How many people of that age would choose to spend their time with fifteen year olds? In many ways it is this generation gap which made the book interesting. So much of what he described was familiar and gave me the chance to enjoy a little nostalgia. So much was very different and was therefore stimulating. His stories of the Mod invasion, the human pyramid and the reggae incident were not ones I had heard before. Not often that I read about the Casino and learn something new. Excellent, well written stuff that I could hardly put down.
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Why Not visit the Authors other Website, 'The Alternative Blackpool Website' at http://www.localdial.com/users/jsyedu133/bpool This Site Last Updated 18/05/05
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