Dr Michael Anthony Clark

If a Horse Was a Cat Dr Michael Anthony Clark

It's the end of the summer in 1982 and everyone is 'upwardly mobile' in Maggie's booming Britain; unless you're a coal miner, in a trade union or one of the 2 million on the dole. Clark has drunk his way through his degree course and is, miraculously, not a 'one in ten' in the words of UB40, having somehow stumbled his way into a junior teaching post at Plastic Polytechnic. Britain's defeat of Argentina in the Falklands War has ensured Thatcher will remain PM for ever and Clark wants out; Owen, his flat mate from his first year at Red Brick University, is in Australia and has him lined up for a 'bonzer' job starting the following summer, it'll be a life of 'booze, beach babes and big bucks' according to Owen. Clark just needs to clear his debts, buy a one way plane ticket and get a good reference from the Poly; what could be easier! There's nothing interesting holding him back in England, Gale and Jenny, his girlfriends from Uni, and most of his friends are out of his life, or so he thinks, only Dave is hanging around to keep him anchored in Birmingham, like a hangover from a pub crawl on the Hagley Road, Dave is hard to shake off. There's Ruby Tuesday of course, but she's bonkers and far too bright for Clark! The music scene's gone down the pan; the raging fire that was punk is just smouldering embers, it's now all about the 'look'; big hair, big shoulder pads and makeup, and nothing about the 'feel'. Music videos are replacing live performance, Clark thinks they're 'polishing a turd', he's clinging onto his cool roots music; Ska, punk and, of course, The Jam. A lot can happen in a year and by the summer of 1983 not everything in Clark's life has gone entirely to plan.