Monday 29 June 2009

THINGS AIN'T WHAT THEY USED TO BE by Philip Glenister


We all know that Philip Glenisher is Gene Hunt - Life On Mars and Ashes To Ashes - but not as a writer.
This book is absolutely fascinating as Gene Hunt - sorry, Philip Glenister takes us back to his childhood in the 70s and 80s and makes comparisons with life back then and now.
It is really weird because Philip Glenister's book sounds like Gene Hunt talking.
Here we discover the wonderful world of the Curly Wurly. Has it got smaller? Well, according to the book they got hold of the original wrapper into which they got three of today's Curly Wurlys. Still Cadbury's still insist that it is the same size.
But it is the trivia of real life that makes this book so appealing and it is humourous as he poses the important question of why can't gravy be called gravy? Why does it have to be called jus? When I read that bit I thought that jus was a toilet cleaner.
He recalls a time when footballers had real nicknames like 'Chopper' Harris, the Anvil Iron, the Axe not JT, Becks and Lamps. When they wore thick leather boots and didn't fall over every other week with a broken metatasal because they were wearing ballet shoes.
This is a great little book that not only gives the reader a glimpse of Philip Glenister's youth but opens a window of the world behind 'Life On Mars' and 'Ashes To Ashes'.
And I only got it this morning.

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