Baron's Court, All Change (1961) by Terry Taylor
Jun 10, 2022 10:41:59 GMT
stu77 and doug61 like this
Post by Lord Emsworth on Jun 10, 2022 10:41:59 GMT
I've meant to read this for years. A recent reprint prompted me to get stuck in and I'm now about halfway through Baron's Court, All Change (1961) and, after a slow start which left me a little unsure about it, I'm now well and truly embracing and enjoying its charms
Ever wondered who informed the lead character in Absolute Beginners? According to the introduction of Baron's Court, All Change, it was Terry Taylor
Despite being a proto Mod novel that word is never mentioned. It’s all there though: jazz clubs, jazz recordings, the suits, the drugs, “spades”, and that compulsion to avoid the fate of the straights caught up in rat race.
It’s all about a nameless teenager in London suburbia at the end of the 1950s. Working full time as a sales assistant in a hat shop but more interested in hanging around jazz clubs. His curious obsession with spiritualism features thought but his main obsession is the moment when he arrives at Baron’s Court station, which he perceives as the spot where his version of civilisation starts.
The story is, so far, a bit ho hum but what makes it worth reading is the social history. Our hero soon embraces “charge” to really appreciate jazz and further distance himself from the straights. It’s obvious Terry Taylor is writing from first hand experience.
So, whilst no masterpiece, taken on its own terms, complete with the prejudices of the era, it’s well worth reading.
More soon
Who was this Terry Taylor?
Terry Taylor was the young lover of Ida Kar, whose National Portrait Gallery collection includes many images of the author (including a series of him getting stoned…). His exploits inspired Absolute Beginners and a life in which hallucogenic drugs featured large. He spent time in Goa and hung out with William Burroughs in Tangier before spending the 80s running a successful sandwich shop in Rhyl. He continued living in North Wales until he died in 2014. What a life.
Ever wondered who informed the lead character in Absolute Beginners? According to the introduction of Baron's Court, All Change, it was Terry Taylor
Despite being a proto Mod novel that word is never mentioned. It’s all there though: jazz clubs, jazz recordings, the suits, the drugs, “spades”, and that compulsion to avoid the fate of the straights caught up in rat race.
It’s all about a nameless teenager in London suburbia at the end of the 1950s. Working full time as a sales assistant in a hat shop but more interested in hanging around jazz clubs. His curious obsession with spiritualism features thought but his main obsession is the moment when he arrives at Baron’s Court station, which he perceives as the spot where his version of civilisation starts.
The story is, so far, a bit ho hum but what makes it worth reading is the social history. Our hero soon embraces “charge” to really appreciate jazz and further distance himself from the straights. It’s obvious Terry Taylor is writing from first hand experience.
So, whilst no masterpiece, taken on its own terms, complete with the prejudices of the era, it’s well worth reading.
More soon
Who was this Terry Taylor?
Terry Taylor was the young lover of Ida Kar, whose National Portrait Gallery collection includes many images of the author (including a series of him getting stoned…). His exploits inspired Absolute Beginners and a life in which hallucogenic drugs featured large. He spent time in Goa and hung out with William Burroughs in Tangier before spending the 80s running a successful sandwich shop in Rhyl. He continued living in North Wales until he died in 2014. What a life.
