jonb

Just flagging up that I'll be in Southampton West Quay Waterstones this Thursday (30 June) 12-2, signing copies of 69ers. Really hope to see some of you there.

I did join a CS web forum or something a while back but I'll check them out again thanks.

Thanks VectisSaint. btw apparently the window of Newport Waterstones is well worth looking at at the moment!

Were you at school with Martin Chivers, Leicestersaint? The boys' grammar on the other side of the common comes in for a good savaging in 69ers. Amazing to come across another veteran of IOW68 - not sure how Hendrix comes into it though! I've now got some Waterstones events pencilled in for the end of this month: I'll be doing IOW (Newport) Waterstones on Mon 27th, 7pm, where there will also be live music, 1969 archive display etc - should be a great evening. Then I'll be in Soton! Thurs 30 June, 12 to 2 pm, at West Quay Waterstones. Be great to meet some of you from this forum. Any more updates on visits etc at http://www.dylan69.com.

Ok, just mail to blake.blake@ntlworld.com - my email is not secret! It was Stuart Williams and Tommy Traynor in 1964 when I started going. Thanks for the tip, theyin. Ladysaint, the novel discusses festivals now and then - they used to be more political but community singing was not the norm (Country Joe at Woodstock being an honourable exception)! Really enjoying this forum and getting quite homesick for Soton and the IOW - but not quite homesick enough to leave the fantastic city of Cardiff!

I believe we had two international full backs! You can contact me via http://www.dylan69.com - check on the right for Contact.

That's great pressingon, much appreciated. There can't be many who remember all 3 fests - should write a book about it! Would love to hear a firsthand account of the first festival. Interesting about the stolen tent - without giving too much away, 69ers also revolves around a theft and the implications of this to the peace-loving festival-goers. Inspired by the interest shown on this forum, I've now appended a video of Man Utd 1 Saints 4 in 1969 to the extract at http://www.dylan69.com/extract . Amazing the amount of space players were allowed then! Also amazing the speed of Sydenham and Ron Davies's lethal heading ability - there can have been few better.

The memory plays strange tricks, Sue: http://www.soccerway.com/matches/1971/01/16/england/premier-league/tottenham-hotspur-football-club/southampton-fc/584043/ If Chiv scored it was for Spurs!

Thanks for positive comments - actually it was Banister I went to, Kenilworthy, and I was very glad to escape to Heathfield! You've made me check out my first match: Feb 1964, a 2-3 defeat to Pompey of all things! We were down the Milton Rd end: my big bro (10 at the time) thought it would be funny to cheer for Pompey and got hit in the face for it. I always remember the sweet shop on Milton Rd and the untamed youths sticking their hands in the jars. Vectis, can I put some of your post on my website? Palmers Rd is mentioned by name several times in the book. Maybe you should buy it! I'd love to hear a fuller account of what you saw going down that road. Suspect Chivers might just be remembered in 69 as he only left in 68. I remember his transfer fee (£125,000 I think) was thought to be scandalous, but his goalscoring record for Spurs was fantastic. But Mick Channon for me will always be the essence of Southampton FC. Did I mention my website at http://dylan69.com?

ps Rick Danko gets a special mention - great guy: tragic what happened to him.

Much appreciated, Lord D, I guarantee you a good read! While researching 69ers novel I spoke to a guy who got underneath the stage when The Band were rehearsing - a memorable experience, and one which found its way into the climatic scene of the novel. I was maybe a bit too young to fully appreciate being backstage at the festival, but I'll always remember standing near Dylan as he prepared to go on - that's in the book too! Great to be in touch with Saints fans - I went to school fo a while next to the Dell and have followed them through thick and thin although I left Soton (Sholing) in 1973 and now live within spitting distance of the City Stadium in Cardiff, not that I'd ever spit on the Bluebells, or whatever they're called! Maybe a few more out there might fancy a good holiday read?

Hoping it may amuse some Saints fans to read this extract from 69ers, my recent novel about the 1969 IOW festival, in which Soton features heavily (particularly one well-known former grammar school), and the great Saints team of that year play an important part in helping our main character overcome his inhibitions about the festival toilets (if you think they're primitive now, you can't remember the UK's first great rockfest): http://iow69.wordpress.com/extract/ (it's the last extract). So does anyone remember the team or even the IOW festival?

The 1969 Saints team featuring TP (which I watched many times) are celebrated in my new novel about the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival. There's an extract at http://iow69.wordpress.com/extract/ which I hope will amuse people.