Have you ever been a clerk in an office?
You know, like Bob Cratchit.
I have.
It was 1978. I wuz 17. I'd just dropped out of college and I got a job with General Accident as a clerk in the claims department. I had hair down to my elbows and was fundamentally opposed to work but I needed the money for a Kawasaki 250 in order to impress a girl. The things we do for love!
I had one cheap suit, which I wore to death. I think my shoes were blue or maybe even desert boots. I had the book Lord of the Rings hidden in my desk's top drawer and read it in there whenever I could pretending to fill in the claims ledger. They called me Inri because of my long black hair and beard. On Saturdays I could wear what I wanted because it was overtime and the public counter was shut. Out came the denim flairs and cheescloth shirts and lashings of patchouli oil. I think there were beads too. Lots of beads.
I stayed for two years. I think I was paid £70 a week. I bought the Kawasaki, was promptly knocked off it, broke my ankle, bought an amplifier, formed a rock band, did some gigs, gave up being a clerk, split and became a bird reserve warden!
I wasn't much of a clerk!
Were you?
.jpg)
.jpg)
