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If a kid had a hairstyle that could cause physical injury I'm sure there would be a case for suspending them. I imagine there are teachers around now with hairstyles, colours etc that would have been banned 20 yrs ago. When I was at secondary school in the 80s I had hair down my back and the teachers who were more concerned with teaching you something rather than playing Trinnie + Suzanna would compliment me for being an individual boy and for risking scorn from my peers in the pursuit of non-conformity. Yeah, other kids are distracted by anything different but the novelty soon wears off. Things move on.

Anyone remember the tall, thin bloke with a floor sweeping beard and a wooly hat? He used to play a wild air guitar that would carry him from one side of Rebels to another, spinning and jumping onto seats? This would have been late 80s. he used to turn up alone and I never saw him speak to anybody, he was just lost in the music. One night he wasn't there and I never saw him again anywhere. Wonder what happened to him.

Your morals don't upset me Cyclone, I wouldn't question them and technically you are right, anyone who pirates material is a thief by definition of law. However, I'm sure everyone has broken a law at some point whether it's a biggie or some obscure medieval law about not pulling a face at an ox on the sabbath or whatever. My point is that I don't view someone copying a DVD as being the same as nicking an old ladies purse or anyones purse for that matter. Most laws protect the rich and greedy and I have little respect for them in my heart.

I think I remember that phone ringing when I was a young teenager and I'm in my early thirties now. I might be wrong my memory's a bit funny when it comes to the passage of time. My mate answered it once and the caller claimed to be The Robert Powell Appreciation Society! It could be originating from a church building I suppose as Powell played the lead role in Jesus of Nazareth... Or is that a bit of a stretch?

Roughest pub I've been into was Cricketers on Bramhall lane. I used to know a girl who lived nearby who swore it was a great pub. First time I went in a crowd of young lads kept trying to grope my friend and started fronting when I asked them to stop. So we left. She convinced me it was a one-off. Next time I went in it was full of BBC, (hoolies not TV presenters obviously), They were getting a bit threatening until one of 'em pulled my friends chair away just as she was sitting down with a couple of pints. As she fell, she threw the pints over a really big b*****d who luckily started on the chair puller. So we left in the ensuing confusion. Christ knows how she convinced me to go in again but the third and last time I went in the barman offered me out for no reason I could see except that I wasn't a regular. I'm sure it's changed and is a luvverly place now though where sweet old ladies sit knitting and sipping tea. Hmm...

Thanks for the sympathetic attitude and good advice Tony but Deano's right; informing the police is useless in a lot of cases, you get an incident number and little else. Let's say we successfully prosecuted our aggressors, what then? You get to watch the magistrate give out a ridiculously lenient punishment and release monkeyboy back on the streets safe in the knowledge that he or his mates are free to give you a good kicking the next time he sees you without witnesses around. Call me cynical and negative if you will. When you've been through something like that it's healthy to have a good old moan

heel and toe heel and toe!

The Rescuers at ABC. I can't remember much about it except that I loved it even though it scared me. Sensitive kid! The other option was Jaws 2, glad I didn't see that, may have scared me by how bad it was.

There are some good bouncers. We all want someone who can handle themselves watching our backs when we're trying to have a good time, after all there are a lot of cretins in town who get a drink inside them and just want to crack skulls. I'm talking about the kind of doormen who talk down situations, employ control and restraint techniques and only use force as a last resort. I've met bouncers with a 'peace always wins' philosophy who quote Ghandi and Buddhist scriptures and they blow me away with their cool attitude. They are pretty rare though. The job must attract a lot of throwbacks who want power without responsibility and accountability.

Deano, as we're not allowed to name establishments think of a place in town that shares its name with an area in Morocco, The Clash rocked it, allegedly! Is it the same place you had grief? This sounds just like my experience when I was attacked without provocation by a p****d up young lad claiming to be a bouncer and thrown out of a back door. When I went round the front with blood pouring down my face to warn the doormen that they had someone pretending to be a bouncer, off his head and attacking customers I find out, guess what, he IS a bouncer! You could tell they knew I was in the right despite him saying first that I was banging on doors then that I was tagging the walls with a marker pen because they let me back in. A few of them privately told me that he was deranged and they'd had problems with him before. They put up a wall of silence about it as a group though, leading me to wonder whether he has some family connection to the owners or 'knows people'. or summat. Wish I'd prosecuted, I still have problems bending one of my thumbs and a scar on my top lip where my tooth went through. I still have one more opposable thumb than he does! won't be going back there again even if Rudolph Valentino said "Come with me to the..."

This is subject to change, I have about 50 films that I rotate into my top 3 depending on mood. 1. Taxi Driver 2. Fight Club 3. Memento ...when I'm feeling bleak and nihilistic and, 1. Fellowship of the Ring 2. Back to the Future 3. Royal Tennenbaums when I'm sunny.

Somewhere along the line all the money we spend must fund something dodgy, especially the various taxes we pay to the upper-class gangsters, called politicians, who run the country. Most people work a major part of their lives for a fraction of what they deserve. Why shouldn't they save a few quid here and there? It's not stealing if you are taking back whats being legally but immorally stolen from you. The music and film industry are greedy and what's more most of their output isn't even worth nicking. They can afford to lose a few billion.

Frank deserves more recognition for his work. Why that Clapton dullard is revered the world over and Frank isn't is just criminal. When I first went to see him I was simply expecting a competent blues gig, I wasn't expecting to hear the passion and range of styles (Jazz, Country, Funk etc) that I did. It hurt when my jaw hit the floor! He plays a blistering rock guitar, has a great voice and has that X factor that all great performers have, something that touches and transports you and is impossible to put into words.

It sounds like you're describing what we used to call "okky watter" back in the day, (Ochre water?). The only reason I remember this is because I was on a nature ramble through Rivelin with my sister last week. As we passed a stagnant, orange pool she pointed at it and shouted "Okky watter!" and we both fell about laughing. I don't know why really , maybe 'cos I've not heard the term for ages and it was good to hear big sis get her Sheffield dialect back after living in London for 30 years.