There's a bit in my book where one of the characters lifts his sister's diary, hoping to treat his mates to a treasure trove of salacious stories, but is disappointed to only find a few study details.
There would have been no such disappointment if his sister's tome had been more like Julie Mac's
"Rage - A Sharpie's Journal Melbourne 1974 to 1980".
Rage - which is based on Julie's own teenage diary, is a hilarious, rough-as-guts account of pashing, punching on, rooting, scrag-fighting, fingering,shit-stirring, riding in "shaggin'wagons" and hanging out at Iceland, BoxHill Bowl, Croydon Drive-In, 21 Flavours and Macca's, all set to a soundtrack of Countdown, Rose Tattoo, The Angels, La Femme, Akker-Dakker, Hush and Skyhooks. Definitely no Sherbet though - ugh!
It's as '70's as wobbling about in platform shoes and shouting,"Hey Charger".
At the back of the book there are remembrances of their own Sharpie youth or run-ins from the likes of Angry Anderson, Les Twentyman, Keith Lamb and - er - Michelle's mum.
Of course I too remember the Sharpie's from my own high school daze.
There was a time from about '74 to '76 when it seemed like everybody was wearing those two-tone skintight cardies, and chunks of steel-belted radials with strips of woven suede top shoes.
People say that Sharpies were violent, but although I was bullied mercilessly in school because of my shy disposition, I never had a problem with the Sharps. It was your longhairs and garden variety thugs who made my teen years a misery. Besides, the toughest Sharpie in my form, Bruce, who everyone just called "Bowie", had a haircut just like Ziggy Stardust. So that made him pretty cool in my books.
....And speaking of Ziggy Stardust - Happy Birthday to David Bowie, who turns 64 today!
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