MUSIC

Tell me something about the different styles of music that rockabillies listen to.
AD: Well, the styles range from hillbilly, doo wop, swing, country-swing, rock'n'roll, rockabilly, jive, I mean you can be on the rockin' scene and totally hate rock'n'roll, couldn't you? [To Rob] You could be into doo wop couldn't you?
RT: Yeah. I mean it varies right up to 'bad to the bone' stuff.
What's your favourite, you two? Favourite artist, favourite type of music.
AD: My favourite type is hillbilly/rockabilly because I do like the sort of country side of it as well. I like the stories they tell, the Southern guys, like about running moonshine and liquor and everything and that's quite appealing. Each song tells a story.
RT: I like the same really. I do like hillbilly, but I love wild rockabilly as well.
Who's your favourite artist?
RT: I wouldn't really say I've got a favourite, but [Johnny] Burnette has gotta come into it. Burnette's gotta be definitely well up there still.
AD: Yeah, definitely.

DANCING

Tell me about the different types of dancing.
AD: There's bopping, which is mainly what the blokes do.
What happens if the girls do it?
AD: Nothing.
That's alright, yeah? But it's mainly what the boys do?
RT: Yeah, mainly, but you do still get women doing it but not as many. Same as when you get strollers [records], you get the odd bloke strolling, which is mainly a girl's dance, isn't it?
And strolling is like line dancing isn't it?
AD: It's similar to line dancing, yeah – a bit more elaborate.
RT: And then obviously, you've got the jive which is for both men and women.
How is that different to the rock'n'roll jiving? Not so much of that throwing over the shoulder and through the legs malarkey?
RT: Well, that's jitterbugging anyway, that is.
So, rockabilly jiving is not jitterbugging then? That's what you're saying?
RT: No, it's not [jitterbugging].
When you go to these things, in my memory I remember that people preferred DJs to bands for dancing to. Have you found that?
RT: That ain't changed! I don't know why – I mean there are some good bands about. It's even more so, people now just stand there and they've gotta be cool just standing there. No-one really does a lot unless they're really pissed or whatever.
Is it important to be quite cool then? Reserved almost?
RT: Well, yeah – but it's good to go and have a laugh. I think some people are too stiff and they just don't want to do anything. They just want to stand around and try and look the part, if you know what I mean, but it's not about that – it's about going there and having some fun, really. I mean we all do try and look a bit cool and that though.

CLUBBING

Can you remember when you went to your first rockin' club and where it was?
AD: Valentino's in North London.
How did you find out about it?
AD: Just through somebody in the local pub who knew rock'n'roll and we just thought we'd give it a go, find out where it was. It was the first time we'd really been to London.
How old were you?
AD: Seventeen.
How did you get there?
RT: In my first car – a mini.
AD: And I tell you what, to be honest, when I first went in there, I sh** myself for one reason – we weren't alone all of a sudden. Do you know what I mean? There was ****in' like loads of ya and it was like – phew! It was hardcore, wasn't it? There was like us two in the village and next thing we're like – there's loads of them! When there's loads of them, you just think – Jesus!
RT: It was a real eye-opener.
Was it an eye-opener to see girls dressed in the rockin' way as well?
RT: Well – we had the Great Northern in Cambridge then and we used to go there – but there was more teds in Cambridge than rockabillies. When we went to London there were still a lot of teds there, but there was more rockabillies.
Did you start going regularly to other clubs as well after that?
AD: Yeah – because you found fliers.
RT: As many as we could, but neither of us had transport – only our bikes [at this point] and they were only 175's so you couldn't really go far.

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