{"id":9950,"date":"2018-11-24T19:17:23","date_gmt":"2018-11-24T18:17:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.themanchesterreview.co.uk\/?p=9950"},"modified":"2018-12-06T16:54:46","modified_gmt":"2018-12-06T15:54:46","slug":"salford-1986","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themanchesterreview.co.uk\/?p=9950","title":{"rendered":"Salford, 1986<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Salford, 1986<\/h5>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

Martin Parr\u2019s photographs capture the frozen moment.<\/p>\n

They offer fleeting glimpses into passing lives, framed and constrained by the parameters of the print.<\/p>\n

Who are these subjects? We rarely find out; they are dispossessed of literal voices, as all photographic subjects are.<\/p>\n

Instead it is left to our imaginations to fill in the gaps. We look through and beyond the pictures and wonder about the lives they are leading: their hopes, their troubles, their desires. We hear their words, their laughter, the chatter of everyday conversation.<\/p>\n

I have taken the utmost liberty in attempting to bring these voices into being. To do so I have created imaginary monologues or overheard snippets of conversation, the fictionalised thoughts of real people echoing down the years from Salford in 1986 to this moment in Manchester in 2018.<\/p>\n

Benjamin Myers<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Salford Terminator<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Kwik Save is further than the others but you can get four cans of LCL for \u00a31.80 up there.<\/p>\n

I like the exercise, me. Someone told us that LCL stands for \u201cLow Calorie Lager\u201d so when people ask how it is I maintain my impressive physique I tell them it\u2019s down to a low calorie diet and regular elbow-bending.<\/p>\n

I bet Schwarzenegger would walk to Kwik Save. Actually, he probably has someone fetch his cans for him while he\u2019s pumping iron. If it was me running the errand for him I\u2019d say \u201cI\u2019ll be back\u2026\u201d on my way out. <\/p>\n

Sometimes I tell people I\u2019m an android assassin full of wires, and once I said \u201cYour clothes… give them to me, now\u201d, just like The Terminator does, but it got me into a spot of bother because I was in a park and there was kiddies on the swings nearby. It was a misunderstanding. I\u2019ve definitely not been back.<\/p>\n

After this I\u2019m helping me Mam get rid of some of her old man\u2019s clothes after he done a midnight flit at the weekend. It\u2019s the second fella in eighteen months. These shoes are his. They\u2019re too good to chuck. <\/p>\n

They\u2019re Italian, like Paolo Rossi. Like pizzas. Like champagne.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Reinforced Gusset<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Now the gusset on this is reinforced so that it won\u2019t perish. You could dangle a hanging basket off it and it\u2019ll still keep its shape.<\/p>\n

The Russians could drop a bomb on Salford, and this bodice will still be intact. Trust me.<\/p>\n

The ribbon is made from a silk-like material and the shoulder straps utilise an elastic that has been approved by NASA, which means this piece is literally out of this world.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a simple-snap triple clasp on the back for easy access for hubby\u2019s big clumsy fingers on a Saturday night.<\/p>\n

And even the most stubborn unwanted stains will wash out at a high temperature.
\nI have it on very good authority that Bo Derek has the exact same one, only her\u2019s is in lilac.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Manchester\u2019s Second Most Eligible Bachelor<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve worked my way through all the horrors. I started in \u201882 with An American Werewolf In London<\/em>, then I moved onto the nasties and it has been three films a week ever since. <\/p>\n

I\u2019ve seen stuff that the general public can\u2019t get their hands on. Under the counter, like. Roy sorts me out: I Spit On your Grave, Cannibal Ferox, Cannibal Holocaust<\/em> \u2013 all of that lot. <\/p>\n

Some of them are on Betamax, so now that I\u2019ve moved the engine parts out the living room I have two video players, one stacked on top of the other. I\u2019ve got a little fridge in there and sometimes when I can\u2019t be bothered to move in the middle of a film I\u2019ll piss in a cup. It\u2019s one of the benefits of being Manchester\u2019s second most eligible bachelor. Morrissey\u2019s the first of course \u2013 it said so in our kid\u2019s Smash Hits<\/em>. Moz said he wanted to play the field a bit before he settled down.<\/p>\n

The amount I\u2019ve spent on video rentals I could probably have bought myself a souped-up Kawasaki.<\/p>\n

People reckon Texas Chainsaw<\/em>\u2026 is bad but I thought it were funny, me. The bit where Leatherface comes bumbling through the house and the lass is trying to run away, and he puts her on the meat-hook\u2026.it always made me laugh, that bit. It just weren\u2019t realistic.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m on the martial arts now. Bruce Lee\u2019s not all he\u2019s cracked up to be. Chuck Norris could have him, easy. That bit where he gets killed at the colosseum at the end of Way Of The Dragon<\/em>\u2026that just weren\u2019t realistic either. Chuck would panel Lee, I reckon, but it\u2019s all scripted you see. <\/p>\n

Mind, there\u2019s a guy I know in Hulme called Shuggie who could have them both, no bother. I\u2019ve seen him karate chop breezeblocks with his head. He can\u2019t see colours as a result.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Any Old Iron<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

They say I\u2019m like one of them Wombles: I pick up the stuff everyday folk leave behind.<\/p>\n

They say there are no jobs these days but there\u2019s always money to be made.<\/p>\n

One man\u2019s rubbish is another man\u2019s treasure. <\/p>\n

All you need is a cart and a pair of eyes. It\u2019s a case of knowing where to look.<\/p>\n

Lead pipes. Old bikes. Pram wheels. <\/p>\n

Washing machine parts. Busted irons. Car tyres. Anything.<\/p>\n

Someone gave us a life-sized Buddha once. It weighed a tonne.<\/p>\n

I sold it to a bloke in Bacup who had made his fortune in sunbeds. He weren\u2019t even a Buddhist, he just liked the look of it.<\/p>\n

I used to have horses then. I used to have two horses. But I lost them in a bet.
\nAnyway, horses need hay and water and somewhere to graze and who needs the hassle?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a free spirit, me, and I\u2019ll just do it all on my toes now. And then when I turn those toes to the sky our Patrick will take over the business.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m the Womble of Wythenshawe, me, wombling free.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Since The Operation<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

She\u2019s not been the same since the operation, you know.<\/p>\n

How come?<\/p>\n

She says the seepage is affecting her social life.<\/p>\n

Well, it would, wouldn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

She\u2019s made herself a surgical truss from an old sock and her Keith\u2019s judo belt, but she still has to change it twice a day.<\/p>\n

Ah, it\u2019s such a shame. She were a brilliant tap-dancer. Did you get the Angel Delight?<\/p>\n

Aye. Butterscotch.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Punx Not Dead<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Punk\u2019s not dead. No way. <\/p>\n

Oi! is dead and new romantic is dead and the mod revival is dead, and Two-Tone ska is dead and new wave is dead and poxy heavy metal is dead, and poncey synthpop is dead, and goth is dead, and I\u2019d rather be dead than listen to Duran cocking Duran, but punk will never die. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a way of life, see. It\u2019s about being an individual and staying true and saying \u2018fuck you\u2019. <\/p>\n

Yes, twice please, love. Scrapings on one. And a pickled egg for me nan please. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The National<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve developed a system. It\u2019s taken decades, but I\u2019ve got there.<\/p>\n

See, what you do is \u2013 oh, hang on. They\u2019re starting.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s mine in the green and yellow.<\/p>\n

Late Night Extra, he\u2019s called. I\u2019ve put the rent on this one. A dead cert.<\/p>\n

The odds are long, but he\u2019s a sure-fire. How long? Long enough to feed and clothe the bairn for a year when I win. Long enough to silence the missus\u2019s mithering.<\/p>\n

Come on, lad.<\/p>\n

Come on, Late Night Extra.<\/p>\n

Come on.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s it. That\u2019s it. Over you go. And the next one.<\/p>\n

Time to dig in.<\/p>\n

Come on, lad.<\/p>\n

Clear it. Good boy.<\/p>\n

Come on, Late Night Extra.<\/p>\n

\u2026.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re pulling away, man.<\/p>\n

Come on.<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s this jockey? He\u2019s bloody useless.<\/p>\n

Come on, Late Night Extra.<\/p>\n

Come on, Late Night Extra.<\/p>\n

Where\u2019s he going?<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s this midget jockey?<\/p>\n

Come on, you piece of shit.<\/p>\n

Come on, you tin of dog meat.<\/p>\n

Fucking come on, Late Night Extra.<\/p>\n

Whip him, man. Whip him\u2026 oh, he\u2019s down! He\u2019s fucking down.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s it. It\u2019s all over, man. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s it. It\u2019s gone. Everything. The whole lot.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing left.<\/p>\n

Nothing.<\/p>\n

She\u2019ll kill me.<\/p>\n

Nothing.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Black Forest Gateau<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Black Forest Gateau is it?<\/p>\n

Aye, love.<\/p>\n

Well what\u2019s in it?<\/p>\n

Here, have a look: Cream. Morello cherries. Glucose-Fructose syrup. Plain Chocolate Drops. Plain Chocolate flakes. Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder. Emulsifiers. Mono Fatty Acids. Wheat Starch. Acidity Regulators. Potassium Citrates, Calcium Sulphate, Calcium Citrates, Sodium Citrates, Citric Acid. Invert Sugar Syrup, Modified Maize Starch, Thickeners. Sodium Alginate. Pectin. Chocolate Powder, Dried Whole Milk, Salt, Concentrated Carrot Juice Flavouring. Sodium Carbonates. Beta-Carotene. Cocoa Butter, Concentrated Butter, Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder, Soya Lecithin. It may contain fruit stones or pips. Sugar. Wheat. Flour and Egg. Oh, and Water.<\/p>\n

Oh, that\u2019s a shame. I can\u2019t have it. <\/p>\n

Why not?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the water. It bloats us something like rotten.<\/p>\n

by Benjamin Myers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Salford 1986 was commissioned by Manchester Literature Festival and Manchester Art Gallery in response to the Martin Parr Return to Manchester exhibition. The work was performed in the Gallery on Wednesday 5th December as part of the 2018 Manchester Literature Festival. <\/p>\n

Manchester Literature Festival
\nThe Department Store
\n5 Oak Street
\nManchester
\nM4 5JD
\nwww.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n

Copywright \u00a9 Benjamin Myers (words) Martin Parr (photographs)<\/p>\n

Manchester Literature Festival would like to thank Arts Council England and Manchester City Council for their generous support.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Salford, 1986 Introduction Martin Parr\u2019s photographs capture the frozen moment. They offer fleeting glimpses into passing lives, framed and constrained by the parameters of the print. Who are these subjects? We rarely find out; they are dispossessed of literal voices, as all photographic subjects are. 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