Roy Harper and the burning car
We were on our way to a Roy Harper gig in Leeds. Rich was in the front giving me instructions ‘Straight on, Oph. It’s always straight on’. I had a few sixth Form students in the back and we were heading down the M62.
It was winter and there was snow on the ground. It was very cold. We were well wrapped up. But strangely as we went along we were all getting warmer and warmer. Coats, jumpers and jackets were being shed as we thundered along in my old banger.
A car pulled up alongside us and a stricken driver flagged us down. As he looked so frantic I quickly pulled over to the hard shoulder. The car also pulled in but parked fifty yards away. As soon as I came to a stop I could see why. Smoke and flames billowed out from under the bonnet.
Everyone, some in socks, baled out of our car and quickly joined the other driver looking back to survey the burning vehicle.
But this was my car. I couldn’t afford to lose it. It had cost me fifty quid. I had to save it.
I undid the bonnet latch and lifted the bonnet to assess the damage. I was half expecting it to explode. I think everyone else was too from the way they were standing half a mile away and staring.
Flame and smoke was pouring out.
I peered in. It didn’t take long to figure out. A big air-filter sat on top of the engine. It had a large plastic top that was held on by a wingnut. Vibration had loosened the wingnut and it had dropped off on to the red hot manifold where it had caught fire. The flames and molten drops of plastic were streaming back under the car through the forward motion. From behind it had looked like a roaring firework show with drops of burning plastic dripping. Fortunately it was on the other side to the petrol coming in to the carburetor or we would have gone up. No wonder the driver of the other car had been so shaken. It must have looked quite something – like a roaring jet flame about to detonate.
I grabbed handfuls of grass and snow to put the flames out and started stuffing them on the burning plastic. Unfortunately I caught my hand on the red-hot exhaust manifold and took the skin off the back of my hand. I jerked back in a reflex action and banged my head on the bonnet which promptly fell on me.
The students unfairly said that all they could see was a closed bonnet with smoke pouring out and two feet kicking in the air.
It was a story that rapidly circulated around the school. It didn’t do a lot for my image!
I extricated myself, put the fire out and prised the remains off the manifold. Then everyone came back to give advice. Very helpful. It was apparent that the wiring on the near-side had been melted. Fortunately the lights seemed to work and the only casualty was the starter motor.
We had a debate. I managed to persuade them that it was completely safe. Reluctantly they bump-started the car and we set off again. We got to the concert in time and it was brilliant as usual.
Roy enquired why I was blackened and singed and smelt of burnt plastic but other than that it was all very normal.
My hand had a nasty burn and it cost me ten quid to get the wiring seen to but it was worth it – a Roy Harper gig at the peak of his power was not something to be missed!!
Ha!!! Lovely story Opher
Cheers Ian – good to hear from you!
Cool story. I like some Roy Harper, too, though, I think most Americans don’t know who he is.
Cheers Eric. Good to hear that you like him. It’s a shame he’s not better known in the States. He deserves to be.
I never heard him on the radio, on, you know, rock stations. I only know him from much more adventurous internet radio (WFMU). But my MP3 player really likes Tom Tiddlers Ground, and so do I.
I suspect he’s a bit too English and outlandish for most American tastes. But his lyrics are some of the best I’ve ever heard. He makes some of the greatest music. I have five of his albums in my top ten.
Sorry but I did laugh, Opher there is another book there, go on I would buy it, get typing please, that is after you return safely from Leeds. Hope the car will be ok!
Maybe I’ll collect all these things together and put them out. We’ll see. You’ll have read them anyway.
Yes but next time you will make them different, you are such a good writer.
I don’t know about that. I think I’d sell a lot more books if I was. I just tell it as it comes. People tend to like less contentious stuff. I annoy too many people. They don’t like me being serious.
Well I like you being serious, I have learnt a lot from you in such a short time, I really mean that. You are being honest and I like that too, a lot of people do. I have said to you that I tell the truth, you do and if people do not like the truth too bad. I will always buy your books they are hard to put down, I know it was gone 2.35 this morning before I put your book down. I will recommend you to anyone that is the truth.
Well I’m glad you feel like that. I’m not everybody’s cup of tea. My wife says that I am so opinionated that I annoy people. I prefer to think I’m passionate about things. The trouble that if people disagree they get turned off. I’m OK with people not agreeing with me. I like an argument. But most people seem to like trivia and fun. They don’t like serious.
Opher, that is what is wrong with the World you have to be passionate about things to get things done. Too many people obsessed with so called “celebs” and rubbish tv, that is not real life. You certainly do not annoy me (I have had enough do that) I may not always agree as I do not always agree with Jonathan we argue about things and David-Patrick is very “all guns blazing about isis” etc, but how sad if we all agreed. I used to agree with my husband all the time, but I felt like I still had not grown up. Keep going the way you are.
I’m much too long in the tooth to change. I’ll no doubt going on getting into trouble.
You, no doubt, will enjoy that.
Yes I probably will. Depends.
Good morning Opher. Reading “Sixties Freak” you mention “The Angel, Ilford” if you had crossed over from High Street, take any corner road onto Albert Road, then along there you would have found Meath Road where I lived – small world isn’t it. Totally agree I too hate it when I have my music on and someone starts a conversation. When down, if I put my music on immediately lifts me, I become a different person, am carried away with the words/music that is playing – makes a better world for me.
So you were living there when I was! We may have walked past each other!
Could well have done, life is strange. Where you lived was known as the Cranbrook area the “posh side of Ilford”, we were the working class side if you like. Last time I was in Ilford, long story that you could not make it up what I did, with Jonathan watching guard – that’s a story. All about Bird grit and Ashes.
That sounds intriguing. Get it written.
I would love to as long as “sister” does not find it.
Ah – I get the picture!