When your safety blanket becomes a curse.

[hirez]

That was odd. I trolled into work wearing my leather jacket of the biker style since my fleece was in the washing machine. I didn't think much of it in the AM, since I don't really wake up 'til ten. However, I walked out of work past a full-length mirror (Labs has all mod cons), caught sight of myself and stopped dead.

The chap in the mirror wasn't... Me. In fact I wasn't sure who it was, and to be frank I didn't much care for the cut of his jib.

It was very strange.

I don't think I've worn that jacket for around a year, and now it looks... Twattish. Trying to be something I'm not. There's even a hint of Jez Clarkson in there.

I think. I'm not sure. I should probably try to find an Ecclestone jacket before all the Whovians snap them up, just to find out if that makes a difference.

The thing is, I can hear my twenty-year-old self howling his speed-fuelled head off: "Fucking sell out!" he's going, and rightly so. I should give it a few more days to see if the wrongness goes away, out of a sense of history more than anything else. Thinking about it some more, it would have been about then when I was sent off up to Derby to learn things. One of the hotel porters accosted me, saying "D'you like the music that goes with that jacket?" which even then was a hard question. It was a different leather jacket of course, but even so... What is the music that goes with biker jackets? I think I mumbled some positive answer, because the chap reeled off a list of random Derby clubs circa 1985 that would cater for whatever specialist tastes he assumed I had.

So, do I like the music that goes with that jacket? No, I don't think so. Not any more. I'm not entirely sure I much care for anything else that goes with it, either.

I wonder when that happened?

Comments

[sheepthief.livejournal.com]

I know exactly what you mean. And I have the jacket.

[jarkman.livejournal.com]

When ? Over the last year or so, I think. But it seems to have been slowly soaking out of you since before you left London. It must be nearly time for you to move to Tokyo and reinvent yourself as an ambient glitch DJ and part-time bioinformatics smuggler.

[quercus.livejournal.com]

Leather jackets make everyone look like Clarkson.

Except, it has to be said, you.

[serpentstar.livejournal.com]

I've been wearing mine less and less. I think I still like some of what I associate with it, because I attempted to paint it up in a dayglow Zodiac Mindwarp style about 15 years ago, but a lot of the paint has flaked off and it doesn't quite fit any more and it's falling apart even more than ever (and not in a good way this time, the lining has fallen out completely). So I don't know if I'll wear it again. I don't think I have for a year or so either.

[reddragdiva]

Odd. I feel fine wearing mine. In fact, next I have money a chunk of it will be going on minor repairs and relining.

[ex-halja931.livejournal.com]

Should you be inclined to chuck it: don't. Instead, have your lovely wife cut it up into squares and make a leather pillow out of it. You can use it to rest your head while you take your afternoon nap or are lounging on the couch.

[sushidog.livejournal.com]

When we're young, we think we'll stay young forever, and therefore that anyone who chooses not to, is a sell-out.
Fact is, we _do_ grow older, and we change. And that's OK. Sometimes it's even a good thing.

[silverskull.livejournal.com]

Not sure I've seen your jacket and don't know your riding history or even if you have one so forgive if I offend. The trick, if indeed there is to be one, is to get a new jacket. You may find that the thing you 'don't like the cut of' is the way that the jacket is hanging after all the years of abuse.

I brought an old jacket, that I used to ride in, out of retirement about a year ago when I was getting the zips on my current one redone and found that as with anything that had/has regular use and is made of leather it was slightly oddly shaped. Much as I loved the memories attached to the jacket and would probably buy the original style again if it was still made by the same company; I find the one I wear now, bought about 4 years ago has a much better line and thus as with anything - looks better, feels better.

And as to whether you like the music that goes with the jacket. I think I would have replied, "what do you think?" and walked away. Lets face it. This is the 21st century and for 'individuals' the music goes with whatever you wear not the other way round.

[drpete.livejournal.com]

Liz Burrows (331 leather, Garratt Lane SW17 and Camden Market) does superb repairs and re-lining, and she doesn't charge the earth either.

[drpete.livejournal.com]

I chucked out my old biker jacket several years ago. Mainly because it was getting too small, looked shite and very eighties, and was going mouldy.

Change is good.

[aeia.livejournal.com]

I have one of those old "biker style" jackts still in my wardrobe. Cant remember the last time I wore it. Too many good memories of wearing it to "Metal" clubs in Brighton though to chuck it out. I suppose it was the "hoodie" of the 80's/90's everyone had one and probably still has one going mouldy in the wardrobe.

[mr-tom.livejournal.com]

There's nothing quite as sobering as realising that This T-shirt doesn't go with That Beergut. Bugger.

[hirez.livejournal.com]

Well, indeed. We're back to Hester's baggy t-shirts.

Though I ought to note that this jacket was bought about two sizes too large for my then frame so I could wear a huge jersey underneath it and look exactly like the scruffy indie-kid with g*th pretentions that I usually feel like when surrounded by the serious kitbag types.

What seems to have happened is that I've spent enough time in the gym to make it fit better. Not in any sort of Charles Altas manner, more a Chas Redstone one. [/Obscure rocketry joke]

[reddragdiva]

Oooh, thank you!

I'm glad I got my mid-life crisis over with in my twenties. Saves me a lot of time now.

[reddragdiva]

I am in my mid- late thirties. SITUPS ARE IN MY PRESENT.

[hirez.livejournal.com]

:p

You have my full permission to terminate me with exteme hilarity should I cultivate a ponytail, string-back driving gloves or otherwise start to look like Tim Robbins.

[reddragdiva]

You cannot kill what does not have a life.