...is the title of a recent Pan Macmillan published book. Essentially, it's a biography of Britain's best ska-revival band, The Specials, and it's written by Specials' bass player Horace Panter. Panter these days is a special needs teacher although he can still be found doing weekend gigs in and around the Coventry area. It's good to be close to your roots.Lucky you, dear reader, if you're old and ugly enough to remember this lot. They had the best songs and (according to many reports) were the best live band going at the time. Being at primary school at the height of their fame, I never got to see them and I would've had to be accompanied by one of my parents had I went, which would not have been cool. They then split up in October 1981 leaving me more than pissed off.
This book is a must-have historical document for any fan of the band, ska and the 2-Tone movement. It's also a valuable wealth of information for pop culture historians. Not only does Panter give his version of events in an openly honest manner, he describes the frictional and often ugly political culture that was very much a part of British life back in the late seventies and early eighties. Run-ins with right-wing "fans" that seig-heiled the band at venues occured but sometimes these thugs went further. Panter describes the time when rhythm guitarist Lynval Golding got a race-related beating on leaving The Moonlight Club in London by three men. Golding's unfortunate experience eventually lead to the composition of the song "Why?" which ended up as a b-side of "Ghost Town" (Horace gets to drive the 1962 Vauxhall Cresta in the promo video of the latter).
Clothes fashions of the time are reflected on with fondness. The sharp suits, the loafers and Doc Martens, the pork pie hats are all remembered here. Oh, and let's not forget the ridiculous garish woollen jumpers that they wore for their mimed performance of "Do Nothing" on Top of the Pops (our Horace got away with not wearing one as David Steele, The Beat's bass player, stood in for him while Panter bass-mimed to The Beat's "Too Nice To Talk To" on the same show).
Well written with a unique style that's easy to get into, "Ska'd For Life" gives a funny, brutal and shocking insight into what life was really like as The Specials' bassist. The camaraderie, the friendships, the cliques, the arguments as well as the gigs, the tours, the drugs - it's all here along with insights of the band's origins and rise to their decline and inevitable split.
This Coventry rude boy wrote a book and he did well.
I hope all you die-hard Specials fans are ready for the following clip:
