THE ARTIST IN RESIDENCE 6

 IN THE CONA BAR WITH DOCILE AND BRUIN

It is 1967 or 8..

our boy is coming of age..

he is 'in town' in Griffin and Spalding a department store..

he is with friends from school..

nick names only..

Docile is Stones but Bruin is Beatles..

they are 'Mods'..

of a kind..

not the Parker and scooter and soul kind..

these guys have

back combed hair and flares..

they also listen to..

Incredible String Band, Spook tooth, Ten Years After..

They are townies where our boy is strictly Burbs..

he is doing 'O' level Art at school..

this is probably an after school thing..

before going home..

on a bus..

NO KEDS YET

our boy is only 15..

these guys are 16..

as is nearly every one in his school year..

Docile and Bruin read 'Oz'

and like underground stuff..

they are aesthetes of a sort..

and so we are in The Cona Bar..

not

THE FOUR SEASONS

where all the proper mods and townies sit..

where a cup of coffee is 8 old pennies..

around 60 cups for £1..

3 cups for two shillings..

that's ten pence in New Money..

about 24 cups of Joe for a $1..

at that time..

here in the Cona Bar..

all are drinking Russian Tea..

tea with no milk in a glass with a slice of lemon..

they are Uptown Top Ranking..

THE PHONE NEVER RINGS BUT IT POURS

nobody needs to wear noise cancelling headphones..

as there are no mobile (cell) phones..

no laptops, no idiot videos for juniors..

who cannot sit at table properly..

here in The Cona Bar..

silence or just a gentle hum of real conversations..

our boy is just a junior partner in this meet..

is is hopelessly out cooled by these guys..

yet he is here..

just as one day he will be an artist..

he is expecting to fly..

and is still but a fledgeling..

but he is both..

Four Seasoned and Cona Barred..

and will struggle to take off..

not an early pick for the team..

he would only have become arrogant..

anyway.. probably..

there are many stories in the tale of..

THE ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

will he succeed?

or snatch defeat from the jaws of victory/

can the boy from the Burbs..

be the golden boy..

or has the boy with the glasses..

blond mop and gold lame jacket..

left only muddy waters..

and the blues?

WATCH THIS SPACE

the sugar paper of the Art Class..

will become..

the large canvas of..

THE ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

see it all unfold..

in precious technicolor..