Thursday Thirteen - 172 - 13 Things About My Teeny Bopper Crush - Les McKeown

1 - Teen crushes seemed to have become a female right of passage by the early 20th century. With my coming-of-age enfolding in the late 1970's, my new awareness of myself as a hormonal being with nowhere to channel that energy found its outlet in a larger-than-life singer from Edinburgh, Scotland - Leslie McKeown.


















2 - My entire world revolved around the next issues of 16 Magazine and Tiger Beat. Every month when the new magazines were due to arrive at the pharmacy, I obsessively dropped in over and over until my heart swelled at the sight of the fresh stack of glossy covers piled on the shelf.













3 - There I could read all about Les' group, the Bay City Rollers.

All of the band hailed from Edinburgh -

L to R: Bassist Alan Longmuir, rhythm guitarist and co-songwriter Woody (Stuart Wood), drummer Derek Longmuir, lead singer Leslie McKeown, and lead guitarist and co-songwriter Eric Faulkner.















4 - Key point of attraction from the get-go:

His Scottish homeland. Ooo, yeah - the accent I can't get enough of, and the highly irreverent attitude common to his countrymen. Perfect sort of guy for me.


















5 - This is an album cover I spent hours mooning over. Among the draws for me, seriously, was the lovely red tartan border. It was a photograph of real tartan, and I used to stare at the weave of the fabric as if it were a cherished old friend.

I became enamoured of their Converse hightop sneakers and ended up getting a black pair myself. I also had a few plaid scarves, and I made my own Roller gear, as it was called, by sewing plaid patches over a white shirt which I then proudly wore in public.











6 - I won't even hazard a guess as to how many hours I spent gazing at this picture of him on the back of one of the earlier albums.

I was always partial to this white jacket with the blue trim.






























7 - His voice was a big draw for me - there's a specific quality to male Scottish singing voices that really gets to me. It's as if there's a built-in tone of longing in there somewhere.

In the clip below, he gives the teeny boppers something to ponder in Give it to Me Now, which appeared on an early UK album.


















8 - Les released a memoir about his time in the whirlwind of Rollermania - Shang-a-lang: Life as an International Pop Idol.

Not surprisingly, it's full of the heightened energy of being a handsome young thing who in no way fought off the attentions of his willing young fans. It also doesn't shy away from his bitter rivalry with lead guitarist Eric Faulkner, or his constant rebellion against manager Tam Paton.
















9 - Some recent comments by 40-something fans on You Tube:

OMG Les does not stop driving me crazy........GOOSEBUMPS!!

Les, is well, my Les...sigh...woo hoo...dayum!!

Those bedroom eyes kill me.....go Leslie!!!

Les holds me in the palm of his hand and he has me wrapped around his lil finger

Could watch Les all day

YUMMY HONEY!!! Rock on Les!!!!

Les was one hot piece of........

Les gets better and better, goosebumps ladies, goosebumps on goosebumps here

I can't believe I'm still infatuated with Les all these years later

Paralized & hypnotized by Les' eyes!

I want to slow dance with Leslie. Love the way he moves his body to the music.

OMG I think my heart just stopped.




















10 - Leslie's Nov. 12th birthday instantly bonded me to my birthday buddy (mine being the day before.) Thus began my lifelong trend of finding myself attracted to Scorpio males, including uber hottie Gerard Butler (Nov. 13th) and ultimately ending up with my Scorpio husband, Brad.















11 - In the mysterious ways of the heart, my teenage crush on Leslie was a blueprint for my lifelong attraction to the tortured hero.

While I (and millions of others) dreamed of what it would be like if he gave me my first kiss, Leslie was living under the psychological manipulation and physical coercion of their manager, Tam Paton.

"Les McKeown claimed in April of last year that Paton raped him and threatened to kill him if he spoke out about it. He described Paton as a tyrant.

He said: 'I almost feel guilty for being so happy but I can't imagine a man nor beast who will be mourning the passing of Tam Paton.

'I hate him. I'm glad he's dead. I was just a young boy. I was only 18, 19 when he raped me.' " - Catherine Salmond, scotsman.com

To deal with the emotional fall-out of the rape, Leslie developed drug and alcohol problems which he addressed at a rehab clinic. While in treatment, he was finally able to face up to what had happened, which includes the wholesale theft of the band's millions in earnings. A 30-year legal battle against Paton and Arista Records have yet to see any money return to the five musicians who made the music and performed around the world.

Leslie was not the only Roller to be sexually assaulted by Paton. During his reign of terror, two suicides were attempted by other band members.













12 - Leslie today with his family:

Wife Peko, Les and their son Jubei

"My doctor said I wouldn't live to see Christmas [several years ago.] I didn't care. I walked out of her surgery and I went straight to the nearest pub for a drink.

"When I went home, I sat down with my wife and son and saw a little opening for the human being to come out in me again."

Les was thrown a lifeline from a most unlikely source. He was invited to appear on Rehab, a Living TV reality show where a group of celebrities received treatment at a clinic in California.

"I still don't know how I had the strength to reach out and grasp that last opportunity to get fixed.

"I thought, 'the show's producers want some clown for a bit of car crash TV'. In between moments of total clarity and being absolutely pissed I agreed to take part.

"I said to myself, 'I don't care what they film - if this place can fix me that's what I should focus on'. It was live or die." - Billy Sloan, Sunday Mail




To say I admire Leslie McKeown today is putting it mildly.

It's very, very difficult to name one's sexual attacker when the predator used threats of physical harm - yet, eventually Leslie did so. Go, Les!

In an era of revolving-door rehab stays before troubled celebrities manage to settle in for any real help, Leslie took one stay and put himself through the wringer so that it would remain one stay. He took the offer of getting his seriously-derailed life back on track, and treated it with the respect it deserved.


Bye Bye Malibu

Les McKeown | MySpace Video





















13 - Thanks for taking this stroll down memory lane with me. You know, the more things change, the more they stay the same:

Apparently I can't resist lead singers who like to wear striped pants.

Les McKeown 1970's - Eugene Hutz, Present day


Join me tomorrow for 5 on Friday, where I'll be featuring five rockin' tunes by the Fab Lads in Plaid.










Travis Cody says I remember these guys. Most of the girls I knew had crushes on one or several. At any school dance, we could count on hearing the song Dedication at least twice.

Joanna D'Angelo says OMG! I loved the Bay City Rollers! I remember being at a party at my cousin's house and Saturday Night came on - the first time I heard it (I was a wee lass) and we just danced and danced!

Julianne MacLean says Hey cuz - great post about Les. Oh, how I remember every detail of those album covers, and I knew every word of Give it to Me Now, which is something else, considerining it's been about 30 years since we listened to it!

Thursday Thirteen - 168 - 13 International Folk Dances For Male Dancers

I'm enjoying a week off from work - which is doing double duty as a writing week, as I tackle revisions on my Welsh Dark Ages vampire story.

But I'm finding time to rest and renew, as well. And one of the ways I've done this is by taking an impromptu around-the-world tour, via You Tube, to watch this awesome display of male folk dancing.

1 - Sword Dance - Scotland

I love how this warrior dance says I'll be dancing on your grave.



2 - Playful Competition (Kiev Fellows) - Ukraine

Here is the classic male bonding scenario: rivals first, then see what each is made of, then respect and friendship.



3 - Flamenco - Spain

The passion! The arrogance! The self-containment! Chick Magnet City.

As in all male dances, the aim is to display strength moves, agility and speed. Here with flamenco, the dancer adds balance and timing, which in a bull-fighting culture, is highly-valued.



4 - Haka - New Zealand

This group posturing dance has been given an upgrade from traditional Maori culture to contemporary New Zealand rugby matches. Here the opposing team gathers on the field as the All Blacks team informs them of what they can expect during the game.

Apparently the performance of this dance - which has been done since 1884 - works.

The All Blacks are "the leading points scorers of all time. They have the highest win ratio, and more than half of the top 20 ranked rugby nations have never beaten New Zealand in over 100 years of international competition." - Wikipedia



5 - Gule Wamkulu (Great Dance) - Mozambique

These dancers hide their true identities from all but their village chiefs. It is their continued ceremonial role to drive away evil spirits from the village, today as yesterday. As in the animal kingdom, these dancers use increased body size through costumes and broad movements to intimidate their foes.



6 - Fire Dance - Polynesia

The addition of fire to the traditional pre-battle knife dance is relatively modern - since the late 1940's.

What began as a posturing war dance transformed into a display of man's mastery over the planet's destructive elements.

CLICK HERE to see clip of fire dancer













7 - Bhangra - Punjab

This group dance is celebratory and uses bold color in the costuming. The men showcase their physical endurance through repetitive jumping movement throughout a long and complex routine. Harmonious group dynamics replace the more common male competitive element.



8 - Dabke - The Arab World

Another celebratory dance, this is done with the dancers connected to one another arm-to-shoulder, with a dance leader in the center. The solidarity and sense of community is showcased by complicated movements that can only be done with the literal support of other dancers.



9 - Men's Northern Traditional - North American First Nations

This is actually a single dancer's war dance or tale of hunting prowess. The dancers here are competing. The inclusion of animal movements honors the animal brothers whose fur and feathers are included on the dancer's regalia.



10 - Danza de Las Tijeras (Scissors Dance) - Peru

These scissor dancers perform acrobatic stunts and tests of physical endurance, all while maintaining the cutting action of the scissors in one hand. Not included in this dance segment are the trials such as piercing the body and walking on fire. In the tradition of their Incan ancestors, these men of the Andes Mountains perform this dance as a sacred ritual where the limits of the physical world are pushed past the brink by the dancers.



11 - Kritikos - Greece

This male-centered dance incorporates the female symbolism of the circle, uniting the two genders. It was originally performed by the King of Crete upon his marriage to the Mother Goddess's representative, the Queen.



12 - Traditional Edo Period Sword Dance - Japan

This is a stylized representation of the battle movements of a samurai. It even includes the ever-practical wiping-the-blood-from-the-sword movements.



13 - Schuhplattler (Shoe Slapping) - Germany

This hilarious version of the traditional Bavarian slap dance takes the male competitive urge and ramps it up a notch.



Janet says WOW - thanks for this, Julia. What an array of dancing culture - loved it.

I beati says I could watch these all day I get so educated on this meme.

Adelle Laudan says Very kewl. I just finished researching several Native American dances. Great list. Happy T13!

Thursday Thirteen - 74 - 13 Things I Long To Do

Last week I listed 13 things I'll always take a pass on. But what do I long to do?


1 - Go to the home venues of all the great ballet companies of the world to see these elite artists perform.




Which ones? Oh, let's start with the Mariinsky Ballet Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia.





Originally the Imperial Russian Ballet, and afterwards known as the Kirov Ballet, it's now been restored to its proper theatre-based name.





A Mariinsky production of Swan Lake.







Other companies I long to see:

The Royal Ballet at Covent Garden, London, England
American Ballet Theatre at the Metropolitan Opera House
Paris Opera Ballet at the Palais Garnier
Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen, Denmark
La Scala Ballet in Milan, Italy
The Australian Ballet at the Sydney Opera House


2 - Walk the red carpet as an Oscar nominee.










3 - Attend the Cannes Film Festival as a filmmaker.









4 - Direct my favorite actors and actresses in my films.










Gerard Butler











Richard Armitage















Ewan McGregor
















Hugh Jackman
















Scarlett Johansson
















Natalie Portman
















Shirley Henderson
















Emma Thompson







5 - Learn to stage-fight with swords.





6 - Go to a Romance Writers of America national convention as a published author and meet up with all my blog buddies.

These are two writers from my RWA Atlantic chapter at this year's San Francisco convention - my cousin Julianne MacLean and Stella MacLean.


7 - Drop into a book store and see all my books on the shelf. In the meantime I do that now with many friends' books.


Like this one by my chapter mate Cathryn Fox.










Or this one by my cousin, Julianne MacLean. That's my friend Lisa as my partner in crime.

Look at Julianne's shelf of books! Sweet.






8 - Have my engagement and wedding rings remade. If you put these two rings together, you'd get a close approximation of what they looked like. Losing them ranks up there with one of the worst things that has ever happened to me. I lost them when we moved from Toronto to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.


I wasn't wearing them at the time because I'd lost a diamond out of the wedding ring and had them in a container, packed in a box of all my most precious things (including my diaries. I know.) Needless to say, this box did not get put on the truck.

At the moment I'm wearing a simple gold chevron ring with a small diamond which I bought on my trip to Toronto last October, with money my gram gave me. (Gram: "Come here, you. Take this, now. Don't spend it all in one place.")


9 - Drive a black Jag XJ6.











10 - Live in a restored Victorian mansion.

























11 - Attend a reenactment Victorian all-night ball.









12 - Visit historic gardens with exceptional rose displays.










13 - Go to Scotland.

Thwarted

I was all set to mail out my assortment of Nova Scotia goodies to Scotland for fun and a laugh, when the eagle-eyed postal clerk saw me about to drop two fridge magnets into the box she'd just put together for me. She then informed me that magnets are prohibited items as far as Canada Post is concerned.

She had a laminated visual aid in case I had trouble following her logic. Reluctantly I removed the magnets from the box, as they were the initial reason for doing this cultural exchange in the first place. But having worked in customer service for many a year, I will never give another worker a hard time for doing her job. I mailed off the stuff that is not in the "Class 9 – Miscellaneous" section of the Canada Post grid outlining "Dangerous Goods". Although on the visual aid the drawing was more like those red U-shaped magnets that could hold up a bike. Don't think fridge magnets are meant to hold up appliances.

Now for my plotting and scheming. How to sneak my fridge magnets through the mail and across the sea...