Vintage Discos, Jerry Sailor, Teddy Girls, and a bit of Tom Waits, in a dodgy bar in Dingle

So, another Retro Romp. Our guest DJs, this time round, are hosts of Galway’s best club night, The Nitty Gritty. They play music aimed at the feet and the dance floor, loosely vintage, a night of stomping soul, funk, 50s rock’n’roll, early reggae, rockabilly, swing, original ska, R&B and jump blues. Check them out on Facebook. It's going to be a finger-clicking, foot-stomping rocker of a night!!

 

For this Romps theme, we were thinking 1950/60's with a bit of love thrown in. Well, it is nearly Valentines...So, how do we do a loved-up theme with a difference?

All you have to do is imagine going on a date with Tom Waits...

 Now you’re talking! A bottle of rum, in a dark dodgy bar by the docks...

So for our inspiration we could look no further then Jerry Sailor, (the man, not the brand!). 

The Original Jerry was a sailor and a prominent American tattooist. Not only did he create a new form of tattoo design, the style of which is so original it still bears his name, he also expanded the array of colours available by developing his own safe pigments. He created needle formations that embedded pigment with much less trauma to the skin, and he was one of the first to utilize single-use needles and hospital-quality sterilization. His attention to detail was so precise that the depiction of rigging in his nautical tattoos was said to be perfectly accurate. Now that’s a man dedicated to his craft, and worthy of honour. So, expect the back room of McCarthy’s to be decked out in sailors hearts, polkadots, a vintage nautical love-in.

Doing a bit of online research into the 1950's/60's, it’s amazing just how much American tupperware trash comes up. Where the hell is all the European photos, images, info about the 50s/60s? I know Ireland was pretty grim in that time, more tenements and Beckett than plastic neon Yankie. You have to dive deep into the ridiculous mass of crap information about the perfect housewife, and standard commuter male to uncover the real people of 50s/60s. But I wanted to see the real women, the independent, single, free ladies. And believe me, doing online research into women is not easy. Frankly it's quite disturbing, but thats another ranty angry post for another day. A quick chat with the folks, and I heard all about Teddy boys. We're all seen one, an old geaser with ducks arse haircut....

So, I started doing a bit of research into the teddy boys, and I discovered Teddy girls or Judies. According to http://subcultureslist.com/teddy-girls, “The Teddy Girls were the first British female youth subculture”.  

They are not as well documented as the Teddy boys, infact,“historically almost invisible”, apart from a series of photos and an article published in the 1950’s by Ken Russell. Russell is more known for having directed movies such as Women in Love, Tommy, but he was a still photographer in his early years. What I found very interesting about Teddy girls is that in a lot of articles, they mention that these girls not only were mostly made up of  working class Londoners, some of them Irish immigrants. Here’s some more of Ken Russells Photos http://www.retronaut.co/2011/09/teddy-girls-1950s/

There is definately more researh to be done there, I've become fascinated by Judies. But, time is short, only 7 DAYs until the next Retro Romp, and lots of decorations yet to be made!!

For those of you who are asking me about what to wear to the Romp (cd prizes for the best dressed!!) and don’t want to dress as the perfect suburban man and wife, what  better than to dress as the misfits, the Teddy Boys and Girls, the original teenagers. So, come on, let’s hang out, and drink rum in a dodgy bar in Dingle*...

 

*Not that McCarthy’s Bar is a dodgy bar; on the contrary, it is a perfectly fine drinking establishment, which I highly recommend. Especially on the 10th of February, 9.30pm!  

Admission €8, Tickets from McCarthys and Ré Nua. See you there...