"Hmmmm, where have I seen her before?"steemCreated with Sketch.

in #story7 years ago

Hello Steemians,

I have had a little bit of a creativity block and distractive habits of recent, which I feel have affected the amount of time and energy that I would have liked to be spending on Steemit. Last night I typed out this post, but I was approaching it from a different angle. This has made me think of creating a film score, based upon the different perspectives, not from or of different folks, but from the same source. Borne in the mind of the same person. Imagine there was a time in your past, where you and two or three friends were together and something happened that you all call an event - something that you all remember, and refer back to, when reminiscing.

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picture source: http://broadambition.com/keys-to-spring-cleaning/

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picture source: https://www.shutterstock.com/video/clip-14645500-stock-footage-edlerly-old-friends-reminiscing.html?src=same_model/14152811:5

You will all have your personal accounts, but these will change slightly, when told to different people, due to the atmosphere in the company you're in and how well you know the person or people you're addressing. It's just a small thing, but it just made me wonder, after I had finished composing the original version of this and I think it's an audience based matter. You will tell a story differently to different people as you will be able, on most occasions, to second guess the audience's reaction/s. I guess that my first draft of this tale, was from a very much more raw source and although I feel it may be appreciated one day, for now it sits in my notepad, awaiting the day that may never come to pass.

I ought to elucidate upon the title, I guess, having started out on a tangent. The title refers to a television show, from the 1990's, called 'Smack The Pony', starring three women, namely, Doon Mackichan, Sally Phillips and Fiona Allen. It was a very funny show and here's an example of it, from YouTube:

This may be one of them shows you missed, but you have the chance to catch up now :). Anyway, when this was first aired, I looked at Fiona Allen and thought, "Hmmmm, where have I seen her before?"

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picture source: http://factoryrecords.org/fiona-allen.php

It took me a while, but then it all came back to me, and the following might explain why I have decided to re-type this, from a different perspective that the 'first-person' one that I had first adopted. It was some years earlier, and I had gone to a nightclub in Manchester, called The Hacienda. I have many a tale about the Hacienda, but it was a bit of a madhouse, so I have to tone them down, somewhat. I went to the Hacienda with others, but ended up going in alone. Maybe they felt a bit worried or maybe it was because I was very full of beans, so to speak and the Hacienda was just the place that I needed to be....

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picture source: http://www.nme.com/photos/15-of-the-most-legendary-clubs-of-all-time-1424308

It was hot, foggy, steamy, seedy, shady, dark, labyrinth-like and was always an unknown quantity added to the evening - it was perfect! I almost never dance these days and the only time I have danced in the last forever, was when I was dj-ing at a local pub (doing a Hacienda night :) ). Droogs danced all night and only stopped for a liquid top up, but the amount of prune-complexioned zombies staggering around was all part and parcel of a night at The Hacienda.

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picture source: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/501377370988407884/?lp=true

These were the very early, formative years of the Madchester music scene, which rapidly grew to a massive audience, with such bands as The Happy Mondays, The Charlatans, Inspiral Carpets, The Stone Roses, James, 808 State, The Farm and other bans that either adapted the sound or were a part of the creation of the new sound direction. The main focus of a night out in one of these clubs was to dance all night and only stop to consume something that would help you dance more or have a genuinely needed drink break, but was usually alcoholic and not refreshing.

There was a time when the Hacienda was the best nightclub in the world, but the chaos took over, it was losing money badly, the security had taken over the running of the club, which escalated into a shooting in the club one night and this was the straw that broke Manchester's back. But, before it lost it's handle, The Hacienda was second to no other venue in Manchester. Yes, there was the Konspiracy Club, Jilly's, The Banshee and The Ritz on a Monday, but the Hacienda stood out on it's own, and forged a way forward, even though it stumbled along and provided some of the most amazing times for many of Manchester's Moogers, Mingers and Droogs, who danced many a night away in the converted factory - FAC 51.

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picture source: http://www.live4ever.uk.com/2012/04/special-events-announced-to-celebrate-haciendas-30th-anniversary/

I was greeted at the door by two blokes and a woman and as I approached the woman, she smiled and said, "Good evening", which was a good sign, as it was hit or miss and dependant upon the door staff's moods on the night as to whether you were going to be allowed in or not and I don't remember an evening when I was greeted by them laughing and joking, or even smiling.

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picture source: http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/two-members-of-security-stand-by-the-main-fac-51-doors-to-news-photo/558234265

I entered the club and I remember spending all but the whole night talking to this woman, who had greeted me at the door. She wasn't the only woman who used to manage the door. I had acci-purposely taken a few more energy enhancing 'things' that I maybe should have, and so I was in a very talkative mood. We chatted the night away and before I knew it, the lights were going up and the evening was over......

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picture source: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/397020523376596225/?lp=true

"Ahhhh! That's where I've seen her before....." Fiona was the member of door staff that I had spent the night talking to at The Hacienda. I remember it as one of my quieter, but still nice, evenings there and would love to bump into Fiona again to see if she remembers that evening and, of course, just to have another, maybe not as intense or lengthy chat :).

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picture source: https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/3bwjnj/jason-coghlan-reveals-the-secret-gangland-history-of-the-hacienda

Thank you for reading this and I hope that you enjoyed it.

All of my posts are 100% original content (or picture linked/sourced directly, if used). 100% of all curator rewards will go to the curators of this post, because I don't upvote my own work and all rewards are powered up 100% for Steem Power. I'm here for the long haul, to learn, share and grow with you.

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Distractions are annoying. How much sleep do we really need? 😉 (Me trying to be funny.) Thanks for the story! Also, I'm going to have to check out Smack the Pony, the clip was hilarious! (There's not enough time to watch everything I want to watch. Or read everything I want to read, or eat everything I want to eat... There's just not enough time! 😁 )
Don't you love it when you have a memory just click in your brain? One moment things are hazy and then the next you could swear you talked to the person a minute ago? I hope you get to meet and talk to her again! Is she still performing? Smile and have a good one @gwb235!

Hi brisby,

I tend not to need lots of sleep and I'm easily distracted :). Smack the Pony was a very funny series. You won't be disappointed. On par with The Fast Show, Trigger Happy TV and Shooting Stars. I guess you're right about the time. Each second we spend is gone, and yet, we have no control over it, besides on an outside of the box level.

It's been an odd few days, because commented on a few posts and they seem to have disappeared, so I need to backtrack a bit. It's early morning and I have just finished skeleton number two. It was going so well, until the head. I like him, but I don't think the person that wants him will, so I might have to make a new head :).

I really do enjoy reminiscing and as you say, those moments of clarity when you remember so much about something that has been in your mind for a long time, or all of your life, to such a degree that you know that it is a different memory from the usual ones, or one that you will not get the clarity of again, should you try. My problem is that I have so many tales like this one that when I try to tell one, I am constantly distracted by the enticing tangents of greener grass.

I'm going to attempt to create the skeleton post, seems as I'm awake still. Oh, I don't know if Fiona's still performing, but she has a long catalogue of parts that she's played and I hope she's keeping busy.

Thanks for the comment and nice to hear from you again. Have a nice day or evening, depending on when you read this and take care :).