#25 – 1984 Week 28: Guv’nors’ Day n’ all that jazz.

I have just been daydreaming. I do it a lot.

Monday 9 July 1984
191-175 Week 28

Nowt much happening, and even if there was, I couldn’t be bothered to say what it was. After school we had a rehearsal for the concert on Wednesday, and Ethan and I had a lift home with Jon. I know he drives badly, but this was worse than ever. So I am going to avoid his car in the future, because it is frightening. On the way home I just missed the sunset, again, which was really annoying. There is about one minute when you get the full redness of the sun on seas of towering clouds, and there are so many different textures and hues. It is a precious, priceless minute.

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Tuesday 10 July
192-174 Week 28

Went to school, had lessons, had lunch, had lessons, went home, did homework etc. At lunchtime I went off and tried to play the first movement of the Beethoven Violin Concerto. I won't play it well, but it is satisfying to play it to yourself. After school - in the evening - I had to come back to school for a talk on university etc. ETC. I asked Mr Taylor if we could have lettering on the door of the prefects’ room, which he thought was a good idea. Gold will suit the job just fine.

Got back home and tried to work until midnight, but I am hopeless at organising my work.

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Wednesday 11 July
193-173 Week 28

I am just sitting here with this book open, my pencil on the page, but not writing anything. In fact, I have just been daydreaming. I do it a lot, and it is such a waste of time.

Today. Played volleyball for a couple of hours and then went for a quick swim and did silly things with car tyres.

In the evening we had a school concert with Tonbridge and a few others in preparation for the Barbican. (Do you know about that yet?) I sang in Berlioz’ “Te Deum”. It is a good work once you get to know it, but the performance today was really weedy. I sang so many wrong notes but it didn't matter since most of it was ff. I had a lift there and back with Mr Evenden, which really annoyed Jonathan. Oh dear. I am quite diplomatic usually, but I was a bit unsettled today.

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Thursday 12 July
194-172 Week 28

Oh, that was fantastic. The last chord just shook the organ, it was so loud. And that gong! A brilliant performance. The Academic Overture by Brahms was amazing too. And so was Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante. The best concert I have been in. The Barbican is going to be absolutely, absolutely good. Today we only had half the forces.

2024: So, Wednesday and Thursday we performed the same concert twice at Tonbridge School in preparation for a concert at London’s Barbican Hall later in the year. Here you go, this is 1981, a young Claudio Abbado conducting the European Youth Orchestra in St Albans in the Berlioz Te Deum. I’ve lined up the final roof-raising seconds for you to get a feel. But it you have time you can skip back through the full 47 minutes.

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Friday 13 July
195-171 Week 28 Full Moon

Today it is Skinner's Day. Oh, jolly good. Hair washed, trousers washed, best collar*, new shirt etc. A bit of a joke, really. In the morning I had a piano lesson and then I walked down to school. Ah yes, Prefects, what! We all had to line up to meet the Governors – “Afternoon Guv” – wearing their morning suits and furs. “Jerusalem” was the best bit. It is the best hymn there is and it needs to be sung by at least 2000 English people in a massive old cathedral. I wish I could be there. Then a few very boring speeches. They were boring. And prize giving. But they made me collect my Music and German prize at the same time, which was a bit rotten, what. Afterwards I had to show a Governor around and then have tea on the lawn. Mr Rendall introduced me to all sorts of people, and we all had to make conversation. But there were some people worth talking to, some highly intelligent women. The rest was all a big farce. The school never looks as neat as on Governors’ Day. Will I be nervous when I have to do my Head Prefect’s speech next year?

2024: Jerusalem in a massive cathedral. With handy lyrics.

* yes, well spotted, for some reason I wore detachable collars to school.

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Saturday 14 July
196-170 Week 28 sr 5.00, ss 21.12

I am a week behind with this now and I can't remember at all what I did today. I think I went to T. Wells. Possibly English essay.

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Sunday 15 July
197-169 Week 28

Eight o’clock church. English essay. After lunch, guess what, I didn't think you would, we (with a capital W) had our second dancing exam – Bronze. What masterful dancers. I think I passed well, but we did not dance particularly well. This pencil is ruining the paper and does not suit the rest of the book. Afterwards, we all went back to Sophie's. It was the most boring, detestable evening I have spent for a long time. I also decided to end it. I had been thinking about it for a long time. Katya and Ethan and everyone else came to pick us up. English essay.

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2024: Hello. Once again, I haven’t been able to get this week’s edition out at my usual Sunday morning time. Due, as in 1984, to the relentless schedule of life. And once again, there are some fortuitous connections with things I mention in the diary this week. Just last Thursday I went to the Skinners’ Company summer drinks party. I’m going to have to explain this for those who aren’t in the know, aren’t I. The Skinner’s Company was founded in 1327 as a guild for men in the skin and fur trade. It’s not a modern, commercial limited company, it’s an association. Today it is more like a members’ club with charitable and social functions. I don’t think anyone in the Company trades fur! They have a grand old building in the City of London, which is soon to reopen after a refurbishment. The Company supports eight schools and members are school governors. My school was a Skinners’ Company school, a state grammar school, not private. So back in 1984 on Friday 13 July it was Governors’ Day, where the Skinners pitch up and strut their stuff in their furs with a bit of pomp and circumstance. Look, it’s England. Stuff like that happens. In my diary I’m looking askance at the whole caboodle, with what I think is probably a healthy amount of questioning. Although, it’s easy to criticise quaint traditions; when I actually get talking to individuals I find some “highly intelligent women”. (I think the implication is more interesting than the men.) And at Skinners’ Company functions in recent years I’ve also met really interesting people who have achieved a lot, are culturally engaged, represent different political persuasions, and their charitable work is excellent. So I’ve toned down my rather feeble teenage radicalism. And in any case, back then I’m looking forward to becoming Head Prefect, so I’ve bought in to the system. But, hang on, that doesn’t happen till next week. I’m writing a week behind, so I’ve let that cat out of the bag too early!

Anyway, here's a photograph of “tea on the lawn” at school at Governor’s Day, though in fact this must be from the following year, 1985, but you get the picture. Me on the left, and opposite with hand on chin is friend and artist Angus Fairhurst, who came to public attention in the early days with Damien Hirst and sadly died in 2008.

This week too I heard the news that teacher Roger Evernden, whom I mention having a lift with on the Wednesday, passed away. He was the music teacher. A very kind and humble man, who did an incredible amount with probably rather meagre resources (the music room was a ‘prefab’). Another teacher, Mr Boyce, also died this week. I mention him sometimes in the diary. He taught French and sports and showed pupils a lot of respect by being perfectly unfussy and normal, and was in turn mightily respected and loved by the boys. This diary is a very much a testament to good and dedicated school teachers.

Oh dear. I think I had better post a nice photo of me and Sophie here, hadn’t I. Before I end it. And - it’s hard to explain why if you weren’t there, but I know Sophie will agree with me here - that shirt you see there, which I pinched from my mum or dad, don’t know which, was one of the coolest items of clothing ever made on this planet. And it was mine. It will feature again in the coming weeks.

Thank you for reading! If you’re enjoying this do give it a “like”, leave a comment, and maybe restack it or put the publication on your Substack recommendations. I really appreciate it.