Night Shift
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This book is the 'autobiographical' work of Pete McKenna recounting his days as a Blackpool Soulie. Its central theme is not the music, but its relationship with drugs and its associated sub-cultures. As a Blackpool boy myself I personally knew most of the people involved in this story which makes it difficult for me to be objective. If I were to push my bias to one side however I still think it has a general appeal to anyone who was on the scene during the early seventies. Considering we had so many mutual contacts it seems strange that I never met Pete McKenna though I do remember people talking about him. This book has already had a mixed reception with its biggest criticism being that it is 'pure fiction'. From personal experience I know this is not the case because the Blackpool Clubs, the people, the cults and fashions have all been accurately described. The problem is that the author seems to have exaggerated in places which has made people suspicious of it. I think his description of his Mod battles with the greasers in particular should be taken with a pinch of salt. The book is 120 pages long and roughly divided into three sections: the first is about Blackpool, Mod fashions, gang warfare and scooters and occupies forty-six pages; the second is entirely about Pete McKenna's time at Wigan Casino with its surrounding drug culture and ends on page ninety-seven; the third is a mixture of reminiceses from some high profile soul regulars of the time. This means that only 50 pages, less than half the book, are devoted to the authors own experiences at the 'Heart of Soul'. None-the-less these fifty pages make up for any deficiencies in the others. His descriptions of the building, the music, the atmosphere are extremely evocative and will bring a lump to the throat of any old Casino regular. It does however get a little repetitive which may be the author's way of disguising the fact that he didn't quite have enough material for his purpose and needed to pad it out a little. It is also heavily biased towards the drug scene rather than the music but despite its shortcomings these were pages which I enjoyed reading. If you're after an accurate and factual account of Wigan Casino then give this book a miss, but if all you're wanting is a good read and to revel in a bit of nostalgia then this book unquestionably hits the spot. |
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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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