That is almost word for word what my mother said to me. She herself travelled from Sheffield to Kings College in London, first (and to this day only) member of her branch of the family to go to university.
I had no appreciation at the time what a wrench it was for her to see me go. At that time, she was a single parent, my father having died unexpectedly 3 years earlier and my sister was at med school in London. Only when my own son went off 2 years ago did I understand how painful it can be for the parent and how well my wife did to hold it together until the very moment we headed off. It was easier though when my daughter went a year later. We’ve just seen my son off for the third time since he rows ahead of term officially starting. We’ll see him again in a few weeks when we drop off the daughter as their universities are about an hour apart.
Though we drive our two (only for the big load) back in the 80s there was no possibility of me getting a lift from the Essex Riviera down to Exeter so what I could carry, I took, on the bus, Fenchurch St line, tube and then the intercity from Paddington.
I did get a Pioneer ‘ghetto blaster’ with FM and cassette (AM never used) as well as phono line in/line out sockets (also never used). I rigged up a shoulder strap and it travelled in its packaging. I still have it to this day but really should get rid of it. Nobody has used it in decades but I remember it pumping out the Eurythmics, Leo Sayer, Peter Gabriel, Frankie and adverts for Trago Mills and St Bridget’s Garden Centres so it holds memories for me. I might add that having listened to the Eurythmics ‘Sweet Dreams’ on my Pioneer, a few months later I was standing a few yards only from Annie Lennox as they performed in Exeter’s Great Hall. She was bl**dy fantastic.
Luckily I fell in with people who were into Rega, Creek, NAD, Mission, Kef, Monitor Audio and eventually naim. It’s like the other brands were the gateway drug leading to that one. You get lured in with digestive biscuits and coffee and before you know it you’re spending thousands on active systems and high copper interconnects!
Back then we would sit around listening to whatever was new and where it would lead us. So 90125 had been released for example and that led to someone putting on Going For The One, then Tormato and before long you’re elbows deep in Close to the Edge waiting for the sing-along opportunity.
I did manage to save for a Planar 3, Creek and Monitor Audio system but it stayed home. I still have the Rega which is now 42.
My daughter has expressed a wish to have a record player, and to experience the ‘joy’ of sifting through vinyl in a record shop and taking a record on and off so maybe that can happen this year. She does now have space.
Both kids however are well versed in all music it seems. My son introduced his friends to King Crimson and CCR, my daughter knows at once Sammy Davis, Tears for Fears and the Beatles for example. None of my doing.
I do worry though that they are missing out because their experience is typically one of ear pods and solo enjoyment. They also have competing entertainment that I never did - more than 4 channels of TV, the chance to watch programming wherever there is a screen and internet and if I’m honest, degree content that seems to me harder than what I did.
I do wish I could catch up with two university friends in particular who now owe me thousands because of my hifi habit, but we lost touch. I’m suspicious that at least one of them could be a member of this forum!
