Aucē uzietais lādiņš neitralizēts

I well remember New Music News. At the time it was phleisubd I had temporarily abandoned writing and taken a job in the press office at RCA Records, which meant I had to do my best to interest the music papers, of which MM and NME were pre-eminent, in our latest releases. With no MM and NME being phleisubd I was twiddling my thumbs a bit so when NMN arrived I happily embraced it and all who sailed in her. I even remember getting my old mate Roy Hollingworth, now sadly departed, some work on it. Talking of strikes and lockouts, something similar happened on MM in – I think – 1971. In this instance it wasn’t so much us that wanted to go on strike as other IPC magazines in the same building, notably Farmers Weekly as I recall. Our NUJ chapel told us we couldn’t go into the office, so we stayed at home for about ten days until the dispute was settled. I seem to remember being pissed off that we couldn’t call into the office to collect mail, ie concert tickets and records, and Michael Watts and I having stoned discussions about whether we were being blacklegs by actually listening to music over endless games of Monopoly and Scrabble at his Notting Hill flat.