NOTORIOUS AMERICAN KILLER CLOWN AND RAPIST JOHN WAYNE GACY. ALSO KNOWN AS POGO THE CLOWN. HE MURDERED AT LEAST 33 TEENAGE BOYS AND YOUNG MEN AND WAS EXECUTED BY LETHAL INJECTION IN 1994 .

DARK TOURISM HERE IN THE UK – WHERE GOOD AND EVIL COLLIDE & WHERE FANTASY MEETS REALITY .

TRUE CRIME , MURDERABILIA, WITCHCRAFT, SATANISM AND THE OCCULT …. IT’S ALL HERE AND MUCH MORE ON DISPLAY AT THE CRIME THROUGH TIME COLLECTION , LITTLEDEAN JAIL, FOREST OF DEAN , GLOUCESTERSHIRE , UK .

John Wayne Gacy, Jr. (March 17, 1942 – May 10, 1994), also known as the Killer Clown, was an American serial killer and rapist. He sexually assaulted and murdered at least 33 teenage boys and young men between 1972 and 1978 in Cook County, Illinois.

ABOVE: Original painting by Gloucestershire artist Paul Bridgman of John Wayne Gacy on display at Littledean Jail .

All of Gacy’s known murders were committed inside his Norwood Park, Illinois home. His victims would typically be lured to this address by force or deception, and all but one victim were murdered by either asphyxiation or strangulation with a tourniquet (his first victim was stabbed to death). Gacy buried 26 of his victims in the crawl space of his home. Three further victims were buried elsewhere on his property, while the bodies of his last four known victims were discarded in the Des Plaines River.

Convicted of 33 murders, Gacy was sentenced to death for 12 of these killings on March 13, 1980. He spent 14 years on death row before he was executed by lethal injection at Stateville Correctional Center on May 10, 1994.

Above: Police mugshots of John Wayne Gacy .

Gacy became known as the “Killer Clown” due to his charitable services at fundraising events, parades, and children’s parties where he would dress as “Pogo the Clown”, a character he devised himself.

BELOW : Various exhibit items to include one of Gacy’s “Pogo The Clown ” suits , handwritten and signed correspondence , a hand painting and various other memorabilia, all of which is on display here at The Crime Through Time Collection , Littledean Jail , Forest of Dean , Gloucestershire, UK .

ABOVE AND BELOW : One of  John Wayne Gacy’s  original worn clown suits. There are two other known Gacy clown suits on display  at The National Museum of Crime , Washington DC , USA .

BELOW: picture of 2 other Gacy clown suits, on display at The National Museum of Crime, Washington DC ….. Previously owned ( not sure if he still owns them )  by Jonathan Davis, lead singer of American Heavy Metal Band “Korn .”

ABOVE: John Wayne Gacy pictured in jail, so say,  shortly before his execution by lethal injection

 

 

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QUADROPHENIA, NORTHERN SOUL AND TAMLA MOTOWN TOGETHER AT LITTLEDEAN JAIL, FOREST OF DEAN GLOUCESTERSHIRE, UK

NEW ADDITIONS TO THE UK’S ONLY QUADROPHENIA COLLECTION NOW INCLUDE NORTHERN SOUL AND  TAMLA MOTOWN MEMORABILIA….. TO INCLUDE SIGNED  PHOTOGRAPHS , PARAPHERNALIA  ETC . 

THIS TO FURTHER COMPLIMENT THE VARIOUS MODS , SCOOTER BOYS AND GIRLS , RUDE BOYS AND GIRLS , SKINHEADS , REGGAE SKINHEADS , SKA AND TWO TONE MEMORABILIA ON DISPLAY HERE TOO

NOT FORGETTING OF COURSE OUR 1960’S REVISITED COLLECTIONS TOO

HERE’S A BRIEF INTERACTIVE REMINDER AND INSIGHT INTO THE TRAGIC DEATH OF THE LEGENDARY PRINCE OF SOUL ……. MARVIN GAYE  WHO WAS SHOT TO DEATH BY HIS OWN FATHER BACK IN 1984

Death of Marvin Gaye

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

On April 1, 1984, Marvin Gaye was fatally shot by his father, Marvin Gay, Sr. in the West Adams district of Los Angeles at their house on Gramercy Place. Gaye was shot twice after an altercation he had with his father after intervening in an argument between the elder Gaye and his mother Alberta. Gaye’s wounds proved to be fatal and he was pronounced dead on arrival upon his body’s entrance to the California Hospital Medical Center. Gaye’s death produced several musical tributes over the years including recollections of the incidents leading to his death. Gaye was given a burial plot at Forest Lawn Cemetery and was later cremated with his ashes spread around the Pacific Ocean.

[edit]Musical comeback and personal problems

Marvin Gaye performing in concert during the 1970s.

Marvin Gaye was at, in his own words, a low personal ebb when he reached the shores of Ostend in February 1981. After rising to the top of the pop charts in the 1960s and 1970s as an artist for the Motown Records label, Gaye had struggled with several albums and had sometimes cancelled, postponed or abruptly departed from concerts despite owing a heavy debt to the IRS. At the time Gaye began his exile from the United States in 1980, the singer owed the IRS up to $8 million in debt. Several concerts were created to alleviate the debt, which shortened to $4 million by the time Gaye announced a musical revival. After Motown released his final album with the label, In Our Lifetime, Gaye had requested to leave the label, finally settling for a multi-million dollar offer from CBS Records. The deal helped to temporarily heal Gaye’s struggling finances. Having found sobriety while in Ostend^[1], the singer felt refreshed enough to record a new album. In September of 1982, “Sexual Healing” was released and quickly brought Gaye back on top hitting the top ten in several countries and winning Gaye two Grammy Awards. Its parent album, Midnight Love, also became an international success.

Gaye then announced a U.S. tour to promote the album that started in April 1983. However, Gaye had been reluctant to return to the United States. Reports stated his return to his native country was due to his mother recovering from a stroke while in surgery for bone cancer.^[2] Struggling to deal with pressure from promoters and his hatred for live performances, Gaye returned to drugs. In August 1983, the tour wrapped up in Los Angeles and Gaye retreated to the home he had bought for his mother. According to family, things were peaceful enough though Gaye struggled to come to terms with his drug abuse. In October of the year, Gaye’s father Marvin Gay, Sr., an ex-minister who reportedly had physically abused Gaye and his three siblings growing up in Washington, D.C., moved back in the house. Gaye had learned prior to his father’s arrival that he was in the beginnings of selling Marvin’s childhood home, something that angered both Gaye and his mother, since he didn’t contact either of them about it. While at Gramercy, Gaye rarely left his room without wearing a maroon robe and carrying a pistol and a BB gun in his pockets. Gaye struggled with paranoia and during his last tour he had hired a group of bodyguards to watch out for potential killers. Gaye was reportedly spooked by the death of musical contemporary John Lennon and a few years before, a report stated that someone had poisoned Gaye’s drink while attending a party. In December 1983, Gaye gave his father a .38 pistol as a Christmas present to protect him.

[edit]Death

Marvin Gay, Sr. at his sentencing hearing following the shooting of his son, September 1984.

On March 31, 1984, Marvin’s parents had a domestic argument over misplaced business documents while Marvin, ill from drug use, lay in bed. Upon hearing this, he woke up and told his dad to leave his mother alone, though neither man physically attacked the other. The next day, April 1, the arguments started again.

Marvin’s brother Frankie and his wife, Irene, were next door when Irene heard the shots. When Irene rushed outside, she saw Marvin’s mother screaming for help saying “He shot my son!” Frankie ran upstairs to see his dying brother struggling to breathe, while Irene called 9-1-1. Paramedics arrived to find Gaye Sr. sitting on the front porch. They demanded to see the gun before they would enter the house. Irene found it under Marvin Sr.’s pillow and threw it on the lawn. When police arrived, Gay, Sr. was quickly escorted to the police station for questioning.

People gathering outside Marvin Gaye‘s house following news the singer was fatally shot, April 1, 1984.

Gaye was pronounced dead on arrival upon his entry to the California Hospital Medical Center at 1:01 pm PST, dying a day before his 45th birthday (April 2). Fans and neighbors of Marvin’s crowded around the scene of the crime shortly after hearing the news.

Four days later, on April 5, Gaye was given a star-studded funeral, attended by over 10,000 mourners, including his Motown colleagues Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder and Motown CEO Berry Gordy, who was at one point, Gaye’s brother-in-law. The singer’s two ex-wivesAnna Gordy Gaye and Janis Gaye and his three children, Marvin P. Gaye III, 18; Nona Gaye, 9; and Frankie “Bubby” Gaye, 8; also attended the funeral. Gaye had an open casket funeral led by one of his ministers from his Pentecostal church. Shortly afterwards, the singer’s remains were cremated and Marvin’s children and his ex-wife Anna spread his ashes at the Pacific Ocean.

Around the same time, police interviewed Marvin Sr. on the events leading up to his son’s murder. When asked if he loved his son, Marvin Sr. reportedly took his time before finally answering, “Let’s just say I didn’t dislike him”.

Shortly after their son’s death, Alberta Gaye filed for divorce from Marvin Sr. after 49 years of marriage. Marvin Sr., then 69 years old at the time of his son’s death, continued to live in the Gramercy house until eventually he was sent to a rest home in Culver City, California, where he eventually died of pneumonia on October 10, 1998 at the age of 84.

Marvin, who was in debt at the time of his death, reportedly left no will. In his autobiography, Marvin’s friend Bobby Womack said he gave some money for Marvin’s second ex-wife, Janis to help try to cover up Marvin’s financial ruins leading to the death.

[edit]Court case

Gaye, Sr. was arrested under suspicion of murder shortly after the shooting, found standing on the front lawn of their home. He was held at the Los Angeles County Jail on $100,000 bail. An interview with The Los Angeles Herald Examiner quoted Gaye, Sr.: “I didn’t mean to do it.” ^[3]

A benign tumor then discovered at the base of Gaye, Sr.’s brain was removed on May 17, 1984 at County-USC Medical Centre. Despite this development, Superior Court Judge Michael Pirosh ruled that Gaye, Sr. was competent to stand trial on June 12, 1984 after reviewing a two-page report, including two psychiatric evaluations conducted by Dr. Ronald Markman.^[4] He appeared in court again on June 20, 1984, where he was ordered to return on July 16 for a preliminary hearing. His wife, Alberta, posted the reduced bond of $30,000 via a bondsman to secure Gaye, Sr.’s release.^[5][6]

Though initially charged with first degree murder, Marvin Gay Sr. pleaded no-contest to a voluntary manslaughter charge on September 20, 1984 via a plea bargain.^[7] On November 2, 1984, Judge Gordon Ringer sentenced Marvin Gaye, Sr. to six-year suspended sentence and five years probation. During the sentencing, a deeply emotional and frail Marvin Sr. told the court that he regretted killing his son. As quoted during the sentencing, Marvin Sr. said, “If I could bring him back, I would. I was afraid of him. I thought I was going to get hurt. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I’m really sorry for everything that happened.”^[8]

[edit]Tributes and reevaluation of Marvin’s music

A day after Marvin’s death, British rock group Duran Duran dedicated the song “Save A Prayer” to Gaye while on their Seven and the Ragged Tiger U.S. tour; later on that year, R&B singer Teena Marierecorded the song, “My Dear Mr. Gaye” with Gaye’s 1970s collaborator, Leon Ware. A year afterwards, two tribute songs, Diana Ross‘ “Missing You” and The Commodores‘ “Nightshift“, were released to national acclaim, both reaching number-one on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart while also reaching the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100.

That same year, David Ritz released the biography, Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye, which quickly became a national best-seller upon its release. In 1984 Columbia and Motown re-released Marvin’s popular records, What’s Going On, Let’s Get It On, and Midnight Love on the charts. The following year, the labels, with help from Marvin’s friend Harvey Fuqua and his brother-in-law, Gordon Banks, released two works featuring unreleased Marvin material, Dream of a Lifetime and Romantically Yours.

In 1987, Gaye was posthumously inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by Ashford & Simpson, Gaye’s frequent collaborators in the 1960s during his duets with Tammi Terrell. Two years later, another tribute song, “Silky Soul”, was released by Frankie Beverly & Maze, a group Marvin had mentored and had allowed to open for him during a 1977 tour. In 1994, Motown re-released more of Gaye’s works, including 1976’s I Want You, 1978’s Here, My Dear, and 1981’s In Our Lifetime. All three albums were critically reevaluated by music critics who hailed the former two albums as landmark masterpieces in Gaye’s career.

Marvin’s What’s Going On (1971), Let’s Get It On (1973), I Want You (1976), Here, My Dear (1978) and Midnight Love (1982) albums have been on several best-of lists over the years while rock criticDave Marsh declared Marvin’s international number-one 1968 hit, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” as the greatest song in rock history. In 1996, Gaye was given another posthumous honor with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The singer was honored in song by Seal and Annie Lennox. In 1990, Gaye was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, six years after his death. In his 2008 album, Something Else, Robin Thicke mentioned Marvin’s death in the song, “Dreamworld” with the lyric “I would say, Marvin Gaye, your father didn’t want you to die.”

Since his death and the release of Divided Soul, three more books, Steve Turner’s Trouble Man: The Life and Death of Marvin Gaye, brother Frankie’s My Brother, Marvin and Michael Eric Dyson‘sMercy Mercy Me: The Art, Life and Demons of Marvin Gaye have been released. Two planned films on the singer’s life are also in the works.

Rapper B. Dolan‘s 2010 album ‘Fallen House, Sunken City’ features the track “Marvin,” a tribute which details the events leading up to Gaye’s death.

1960’s SLEAZE AND SCANDAL REVISITED HERE AT THE JAIL-THE PROFUMO AFFAIR

‎1960’S REVISITED AT LITTLEDEAN JAIL – CHRISTINE KEELER & THE PROFUMO AFFAIR
Our many diverse collections here also includes an insight into our endless array of Politicians behaving badly, caught with their trousers down and of course as always …apparently on the fiddle with their expenses etc.
On display here we have various personally signed ephemera , memorabilia etc pieced together within an intriguing montage from the likes of John Profumo, Christine Keeler , Mandy Rice-Davies and Stephan Ward .

See more interactive video footage below relating to one of Britain’s most infamous scandals

Profumo Affair

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Profumo Affair was a 1963 British political scandal named after John Profumo, Secretary of State for War. His affair with Christine Keeler, the reputed mistress of an alleged Russian spy, followed by lying in the House of Commons when he was questioned about it, forced the resignation of Profumo and damaged the reputation of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan‘s government. Macmillan himself resigned a few months later due to ill health.

Profumo’s relationship with Keeler

Christine Keeler—the iconic Lewis Morley image, taken in May 1963, became an instant national talking point when a stolen copy was published by the Sunday Mirror, adding yet more fuel to the fire under Profumo. As the scandal intensified, it was endlessly republished.^[1]

In the early 1960s, Profumo was the Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan‘s Conservative government and was married to actress Valerie Hobson. In 1961, Profumo met Christine Keeler, a London call girl,^[2] at a house party at Cliveden, the Buckinghamshire mansion owned by Lord Astor. Many years later Profumo would claim, in discussion with his son, David, that he had met Keeler previously at a night club in London called Murray’s and “probably had a drink with her.”^[3] Also present at the Cliveden party were Profumo’s wife and the fashionable osteopath, Dr Stephen Ward, a long-standing acquaintance of Keeler. The relationship with Keeler lasted only a few weeks before Profumo ended it. However, rumours about the affair became public in 1962, as did the allegation that Keeler had also had a relationship with Yevgeny “Eugene” Ivanov, a senior naval attaché at the Soviet embassy in London. Given Profumo’s position in the government and with the Cold War at its height, the potential ramifications in terms of national security were grave, and this, along with the adulterous nature of Profumo’s relationship with Keeler, quickly elevated the affair into a public scandal.

Exposure of the affair

In 1962, Keeler became involved in an altercation with her former live-in lover Johnny Edgecombe. When she announced the end of their relationship, a confrontation followed 10 days before Christmas 1962. Edgecombe attempted to force his way into Stephen Ward’s flat where Keeler was staying and fired several shots at the doorlock. Meanwhile, Keeler had become involved with a Jamaican drug dealer named Aloysius “Lucky” Gordon. When that relationship ended Gordon attacked her with an axe and held her hostage for two days. Keeler turned to Edgecombe for help and in the ensuing fight between him and Gordon, the latter received a knife wound to his face. Fearful of reprisals from Gordon, Edgecombe asked Keeler to help him find a solicitor so that he could turn himself in. She refused and instead told him that she intended to give evidence against Edgecombe in court for wounding Gordon. As a result of her refusal, Edgecombe hatched a plot to murder Keeler. Three months later, when she failed to turn up in court for Edgecombe’s trial, previous press suspicions boiled over and the affair became front page news with headlines like “WAR MINISTER SHOCK”.^[4]

Announcement in Parliament

In March 1963, Profumo stated to the House of Commons that there was “no impropriety whatever” in his relationship with Keeler and that he would issue writs for libel and slander if the allegations were repeated outside the House.^[5] (Within the House, such allegations are protected by Parliamentary privilege.) However, in June, Profumo confessed that he had misled the House and lied in his testimony and on 5 June, he resigned his Cabinet position, as well as his Privy Council and Parliamentary membership.

Peter Wright, in his autobiography Spycatcher,^[6] relates that he was working at the British counter-intelligence agency MI5 at the time and was assigned to question Keeler on security matters. He conducted a fairly lengthy interview and found Keeler to be poorly educated and not well informed on current events, very much the “party girl” described in the press at the time. However, in the course of questioning her, the subject of nuclear missiles came up, and Keeler, on her own, used the term “nuclear payload” in relation to the missiles. This alerted Wright’s suspicions. According to Wright, in the very early 1960s in Britain, the term “nuclear payload” was not in general use by the public, and even among those who kept up with such things, the term was not commonly heard. For a young woman with such limited knowledge to casually use the term was more than suspicious. In fact, Wright came away convinced that at the very least there had been an attempt by the Soviet attaché (perhaps through Stephen Ward) to use Keeler to get classified information from Profumo.

Lord Denning released the government’s official report on 25 September 1963, and, one month later, the prime minister, Harold Macmillan, resigned on the grounds of ill health, which had apparently been exacerbated by the scandal. He was replaced by the Foreign Secretary, the Earl of Home, who renounced his title to become Sir Alec Douglas-Home. However, the change of leader failed to save the Conservative Party’s place in government; they lost the general election to Harold Wilson’s Labour a year later.

Stephen Ward was prosecuted for living on the immoral earnings of prostitution and he committed suicide in August. He was defended by James Burge QC (who was later the basis for John Mortimer‘s character Rumpole of the Bailey). Keeler was found guilty on unrelated perjury charges and was sentenced to nine months in prison.^[7] Profumo died on 9 March 2006.

The Profumo Affair in film and theatre

The relationship between a senior politician and a prostitute^[2] caught the public imagination and led to the release of a number of films and documentaries detailing the event. The Danish film The Keeler Affair^[8] was released in 1963 followed in 1989 by the British film Scandal. The musical A Model Girl premiered at The Greenwich Theatre on 30 January 2007.^[9] In theatre Hugh Whitemore‘s playA Letter of Resignation, first staged at the Comedy Theatre in October 1997, dramatises the occasion when Harold Macmillan, staying with friends in Scotland, received a political bombshell, a letter of resignation from Profumo, his war minister. Edward Fox portrayed Macmillan. ^[10][11]

The Profumo Affair in popular music

• The Song “Christine” by “Miss X” (a pseudonym of Joyce Blair) in 1963 is said to be about Christine Keeler and the Profumo Affair.^{[12][citation needed]}
• Adam Ant referenced the Profumo scandal in a song called “High Heels In High Places”.
• American folk singer Phil Ochs wrote and recorded a song about the affair, “Christine Keeler”, in 1963. It is available on The Broadside Tapes 1, released in 1989.^[13]
• The Jamaican band The Skatalites recorded an instrumental song called “Christine Keeler” in 1964.^[14]
• Billy Joel’s song We Didn’t Start the Fire depicts this affair in the line “British Politician Sex.”^[15]
• Christine Keeler is mentioned in the song “Post World War Two Blues” from the album Past, Present and Future^[16] (1973), written and performed by Al Stewart, and the Ray Davies song “Where Are They Now?” from the Kinks album Preservation: Act 1.^[17]
• The British post-punk group Glaxo Babies released a 7-inch single in 1979 entitled “Christine Keeler” that included a song of the same name.^[18]
• The affair is central to the hit songs “Nothing Has Been Proved” and “In Private“, performed by Dusty Springfield and written by Pet Shop Boys. These songs were used over the opening and closing titles of the 1989 film Scandal.^[19]
• The Lewis Morley image of Christine Keeler is used on the cover of The Charlatans 1997 single release “Telling Stories”.^[20]

WIGAN CASINO AND NORTHERN SOUL REVISITED HERE AT LITTLEDEAN JAIL

NEW ADDITIONS TO OUR UPCOMING WIGAN CASINO, NORTHERN SOUL & 1960’S REVISITED EXHIBITION HERE DOWN SOUTH AT LITTLEDEAN JAIL IN THE ROYAL FOREST OF DEAN , GLOUCESTERSHIRE

HERE BELOW ARE SOME PERSONALLY SIGNED  CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE STAR OF THE SOULBOY FILM…. MARTIN COMPSTON , KINDLY SENT CARE OF AJ (ANDY JONES ) AT LITTLEDEAN JAIL TO BE DISPLAYED ALONG WITH OTHER WIGAN CASINO AND NORTHERN SOUL EXHIBIT MATERIAL HOUSED IN ALONGSIDE THE QUADROPHENIA COLLECTION

ORIGINAL VINTAGE 1974 WIGAN CASINO REVERE COLLARED TEE SHIRT ON DISPLAY ALONGSIDE THE UK’S ONLY QUADROPHENIA COLLECTION HERE AT LITTLEDEAN JAIL 

For once words just fail me – is this the most outrageous example of genuine “Wigan Casino” memorabilia ever to come to market? Absolutely perfect for framing and perhaps the last surviving example of this garment. Made in 1974 and all most likely discarded by 1975. The front is an artists impression of the Casino complete with balcony, a crammed hall, clearly depicting all those “dance-moves” with one “soulie” performing a back-drop. It’s wild, it’s crazy and the coolest piece Casino-kitsch you could ever possibly own. A beyond-rare Retro-Northern Soul conversation…

ORIGINAL COLOURFUL ARTWORK FROM ARTISIT NEIL THOMPSON OF WIGAN CASINO ENTITLED -” WHERE IT’S AT” …. HERE ON DISPLAY AT LITTLEDEAN JAIL’S…….. QUADROPHENIA COLLECTION 
ORIGINAL VERY COLOURFUL WIGAN CASINO ARTWORK FROM ARTIST NEIL THOMPSON ENTITLED “I’M ON MY WAY ”  ON DISPLAY HERE AT LITTLEDEAN JAIL’S QUADROPHENIA COLLECTION 

ABOUT THE ARTIST NEIL THOMPSON – WHOSE ORIGINAL WIGAN CASINO ARTWORK CAN NOW BE SEEN ON DISPLAY HERE AT THE JAIL ALONG WITH THE UK’S ONLY  QUADROPHENIA COLLECTION, WHICH ALSO INCLUDES REVISITING THE 1960’S, NORTHERN SOUL, SKA, TWO-TONE AND  MUCH MORE 

NOT FORGETTING OF COURSE THE MODS AND ROCKERS !!

 

Neil has been a professional artist for over 30 years. He was born and brought up in Lancaster, and first discovered soul music in the many pubs and clubs of his home city. He first visited Wigan Casino in 1973. Like many, his life changed at that point. The images on this website reflect the Northern Soul Scene – the first underground music scene ever in this country.

 

Some experiences are so essential they are always part of who you are. That’s it with Northern Soul, whether it was the Casino, the Wheel, the Mecca, the Torch or any of the other great soul clubs.

 

Why Cool Dude Art?? Easy, the music was cool, the fashions were cool, the people were cool, and the art is cool!

 

Neil’s work has been highlighted in a range of publications from the soul music magazine “Mojo” to Spain’s “Go” magazine.

 

Some of Neil’s work is on exhibit at the Grand Arcade Shopping Centre in Wigan, built on the exact site of Wigan Casino.

 

For the first time, Neil has decided to publish his many paintings and drawings online.

 Neil presenting “Something Keeps Calling Me Back” to the late, great Edwin Starr.

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Wigan Casino

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Wigan Casino was a nightclub in Wigan, Lancashire, England. Operating between 1973 and 1981, it was known as a primary venue for northern soul music. It carried forward the legacy created by clubs such as the Twisted Wheel in Manchester and the Golden Torch in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent. It remains one of the most famous clubs in Northern England.^[1]

This England, a TV documentary about the venue, was filmed in 1977. In 1978, the American music magazine Billboard voted Wigan Casino “The Best Disco in the World”, ahead of New York City‘sStudio 54.^[2] Russ Winstanley and Dave Nowell wrote a history of the club, Soul Survivors, The Wigan Casino Story, which was published in 1996. A stage play by Urban Expansions, produced and directed by Paul Sadot about the Wigan Casino years, Once upon a time in Wigan, debuted in February 2003 at the Contact Theatre in Manchester, and has since toured nationally.

Wigan Casino was the name of the last incarnation of a Wigan ballroom called the Empress. Russ Winstanley approached Wigan Casino manager and leaseowner Gerry Marshall to run Allnighters there. Walker brought Winstanley from the rugby club to the Casino Club, and Wigan Casino opened in September 1973, with Winstanley as the DJ. Many famous soul performers performed there, including Jackie Wilson, Edwin Starr and Junior Walker.[edit]History

Young people from all over the UK regularly made the trek to Wigan Casino to hear the latest northern soul artists and to dance. Queues to get in were sometimes five or six people deep, and stretched quite a way up the road. The second dance floor, called Mr. M’s, stayed open until 6am and played oldies songs from a variety of DJs. Every all-nighter traditionally ended with three songs that became known as the 3 before 8: “Time Will Pass You By” by Tobi Legend, “Long After Tonight Is Over” by Jimmy Radcliffe, and “I’m On My Way” by Dean Parrish. Parrish is still active on the northern soul circuit. Over Four Million people attended the Soul Sessions which also had early sessions every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Wigan Council owned the building and wanted to extend the nearby Civic Centre, but due to running out of cash,it never went ahead.^{[citation needed]} The Club was closed December 6, 1981; that final night of Wigan Casino in its northern soul state was DJed by Winstanley, and the 3 before 8 were played three times consecutively at the end of the night. The crowd refused to leave, so according to Winstanley, to “break this spell of hysteria” he picked a 7″ at random from his box and played that. This final Wigan Casino song became one of the most famous northern soul songs of all time, Frank Wilson‘s “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)”. Annual reunions are held in Wigan and hosted by the original DJs.

The site, as of 2009, is occupied by the Grand Arcade shopping centre.

THE UK’S (PROBABLY THE WORLD’S) ONLY PERMANENT QUADROPHENIA COLLECTION HERE AT LITTLEDEAN JAIL

ALSO NOW INCLUDING AND EMBRACING NORTHERN SOUL DANCE AND MUSIC SCENE MEMORABILIA AS WELL AS SCOOTER BOYS , SKA,TWO TONE, SKINHEAD, MODS , RUDE BOYS & GIRLS , REGGAE SKINS AND 1960’S REVISITED  MEMORABILIA TOO .

ALL IN ALL A TRULY FASCINATING INSIGHT AND EXHIBITION INTO YOUTH CULTURE AND BEYOND HERE IN THE UK ….TO FURTHER COMPLIMENT OUR QUADROPHENIA COLLECTION 

Here are some of our favourite clips from this great iconic British film Quadrophenia .Still to this day a much loved masterpiece depicting the youth culture of 1960’s here in the UK

They;ve only gone and killed Jimmy’s scooter …. fortunately only a mock up one made for this scene . Here at our Quadrophenia collection we have a 100% replica of the original Lambretta scooter used by Jimmy (Phil Daniels) made up from many of the original parts of the scooter prior to the original scooter being rebuilt , restored with new parts for its subsequent sale at London’s Bonham’s auction in 2008 for £36,000

Iconic Quadrophenia scooter sold

The Lambretta became synonymous with the Mod movement of the 1960s. Incidentally many of the original parts of this scooter as used in the film have been used on the replica scooter on display at Littledean Jail’s Quadrophenia collection which also houses the original “Ace Face ” (Sting) GS Vespa scooter The Lambretta scooter ridden by actor Phil Daniels in the iconic 1970s film Quadrophenia has sold at auction for £36,000 – more than had been expected. The scooter, which was ridden by Daniels’s character James “Jimmy” Cooper in The Who-inspired movie, had a list price of £20,000 to £25,000. The bike, which is now fully-restored, was spotted rusting in a garden in Southsea, Portsmouth, by Paul Marsh. It was sold at Bonhams auction house in London on Tuesday. Mod culture Earlier, Stephanie Connell, of Bonhams, said: “We have a few items from Quadrophenia come through the auction house but a scooter is very rare. “It has been fully restored and is in great condition. We are expecting a lot of interest.” Mr Marsh realised the scooter featured in the film because of its distinctive number plate. The Lambretta become an integral part of British youth culture in the 1960s as a favourite mode of transport of the fashion-conscious Modernists, or Mods.

Here’s the epic trailer for this cult classic film

Another great clip from the film…..

here’s the Wiki info on the film….

Quadrophenia is a 1979 British film, loosely based around the 1973 rock opera of the same name by The Who. The film stars Phil Daniels as a Modnamed Jimmy. It was directed by Franc Roddam in his feature directing debut. Unlike the film adaptation of Tommy, Quadrophenia is not a musical film.

The film, set in 1965, follows the story of Jimmy Cooper (Phil Daniels), a London Mod. Disillusioned by his parents and a job as a post room boy in an advertising firm, Jimmy finds an outlet for his teenage angst with his Mod friends Dave (Mark Wingett), Chalky (Philip Davis) and Spider (Gary Shail). However, his angst and confusion are compounded by the fact that one of his rivals is in fact childhood friend Kevin (Ray Winstone).[edit]Story

A bank holiday weekend provides the excuse for the rivalry between Mods and Rockers to come to a head, as they both descend upon the seaside town ofBrighton. A series of running battles ensues. As the police close in on the rioters, Jimmy escapes down an alleyway with Steph (Leslie Ash), a girl on whom he has a crush, to have sex. When the pair emerge, they find themselves in the middle of the melee just as police are succeeding in detaining rioters. Jimmy is arrested and later fined £50.

Back in London, Jimmy becomes increasingly depressed. He is thrown out of his house by his mother, who finds his stash of amphetamine pills. He then quits his job, spends his severance package on more pills, and finds out that Steph has become the girlfriend of his friend Dave. After a brief fight with Dave, Jimmy’s Lambretta scooter is accidentally destroyed, and he takes a train back to Brighton. He revisits the scene of his encounter with Steph, and then discovers that his idol, Ace Face (played by Sting), is in reality a lowly bellboy at a Brighton hotel. He steals Ace’s scooter and heads out to the cliffs at Beachy Head, where he rides towards the cliff edge. The film ends with the scooter smashing on the rocks below.

[edit]Cast

• Phil Daniels as Jimmy
• Leslie Ash as Steph
• Philip Davis as Chalky
• Mark Wingett as Dave
• Sting as Ace Face
• Ray Winstone as Kevin
• Gary Shail as Spider
• Toyah Willcox as Monkey
• Trevor Laird as Ferdy
• Andy Sayce as Kenny
• Kate Williams as Mother
• Michael Elphick as Father
• Benjamin Whitrow as Mr. Fulford
• Daniel Peacock as Danny
• Jeremy Child as Agency Man
• John Phillips as Magistrate
• Timothy Spall as Projectionist
• George Innes as Cafe Owner
• John Bindon as Harry
• P. H. Moriarty as Barman at Villain Club
• Hugh Lloyd as Mr. Cale
• Gary Holton as Wesley ‘Wez’ Brooks
• John Altman as Johnny ‘John the Mod’ Fagin
• Mickey Royce as Ken ‘Jonesy’ Jones
• James Lombard as Nicky

John Lydon (Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols) screen-tested for the role of Jimmy. However, the distributors of the film refused to insure him for the part and he was replaced by Phil Daniels.^[1][2]

The cast were reunited after 28 years at Earls Court on 1 and 2 September 2007 as part of The Quadrophenia Reunion at the London Film & Comic Con run by Quadcon.co.uk.^[3] Subsequently the cast agreed to be part of a Quadrophenia Convention at Brighton in 2009.^[3]

[edit]Soundtrack

Main article: Quadrophenia (soundtrack)

[edit]Production notes

Several references to The Who appear throughout the film, including an anachronistic inclusion of a repackaged Who album that was not available at the time, a clip of the band performing “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere” on the TV series Ready Steady Go!, pictures of the band and a “Maximum R&B” poster in Jimmy’s bedroom, and the inclusion of “My Generation” during a party gatecrashing scene. The film was almost cancelled when Keith Moon, the drummer for The Who, died, but in the words of Roddam, the producers, Roy Baird and Bill Curbishley, “held it together” and the film was made.

Only one scene in the whole film was shot in the studio; all others were on location. Beachy Head, where Jimmy may or may not have tried to kill himself at the end of the film, was the location of a real-life suicide that supposedly influenced the film’s ending.

The stunt coordinators underestimated the distance that the scooter would fly through the air after being driven off Beachy Head. Franc Roddam, who shot the scene from a helicopter, was almost hit.

Jeff Dexter, a club dancer and disc jockey fixture in the Sixties London music scene was the DJ in the club scenes, and was the uncredited choreographer of 500 extras for the ballroom and club scenes. He also choreographed Sting’s feet in his dance close-ups. Dexter managed America whose first major gig at “Implosion” at The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, was the opening act to The Who on 20 December 1970.

MEMORIES OF THE YOUTH CULTURE AND MUSIC SCENE OF THE 1970’S TO EARLY 1980’S …& 1960’S REVISITED TOO HERE AT LITTLEDEAN JAIL

AS WELL AS THE UK’S ONLY QUADROPHENIA COLLECTION HERE AT LITTLEDEAN JAIL WE ARE CONTINUING TO ADD AND EMBRACE OTHER UK YOUTH CULTURE AND MUSIC SCENE MEMORIES AND MEMORABILIA TO COMPLIMENT THIS EXHIBITION . 

HERE’S SOME INTERACTIVE VIDEO FOOTAGE AND MEMORIES RELATING TO SOME OF THE YOUTH CULTURE AND MUSIC SCENE WE CONTINUE TO COVER  HERE .

MORE INTERACTIVE FOOTAGE FROM THE 1960’S SEASIDE CLASHES BETWEEN MODS AND ROCKERS.

PLEASE NOTE HOW SIMILAR SOME OF THIS GREAT ORIGINAL FOOTAGE IS TO THE QUADROPHENIA RIOT FILM SCENE FILM FOOTAGE ON THE BRIGHTON SEAFRONT.

DO COME AND VISIT THE UK’S ONLY QUADROPHENIA COLLECTION HERE AT LITTLEDEAN JAIL