When I planned my journey, I didn’t think much about Glasgow – it was a pit stop on my journey between Belfast and almost any other destination I chose in Scotland. My mission, from the limited investigations I had done in the guide books for my short stopover, was to find the Wee Curry Shop and have a madras or similar. I had imagined Glasgow to be a northern industrial town, somewhere where everyone spoke in a thick Scottish accent and looked like they carried the weight of the world on their shoulders.
While Glasgow obviously carries the heritage of an industrial city, and I certainly wouldn’t describe it as a contender for a tidy towns competition, there is evidence everywhere of a vibrant arts community. And Glasgow is apparently the home of Scottish fashion. Which may explain why this was the first place on my journey where I heard someone comment on the poor fashion sense of my particular brand of backpacker chic. So my black, baggy army pants are not even chic enough for grunge but they are really comfy and don’t soak up the rain (which was forecast for Glasgow) and my puffy jacket was a little bit of overkill (although it was cold ad it was my only waterproof jacket – lesson learnt there). They seemed to take the most exception to my two bag arrangement – my small tardis handbag that has about 50 pockets and lets me keep everything I really need in an easily accessible position and my backpack which, among other things, contained the acer. I wasn’t leaving that as left luggage! [‘Pride – in the name of love’ – fun Tracy fact – this was a favourite of mine in my religious youth group days]
Speaking of the tardis – I found it – right in the middle of Glasgow. There was a blue police box in the middle of the main arcade through the centre of town. I am presuming it is an homage to the Doctor, as played by David Tennant, himself a Glaswegian. I never understood why they made him talk like an Englishman. I for one, would have been even more excited to watch Dr Who if he had’ve used his own accent. After all, it’s not just Sean Connery’s looks that have kept the interest of women for all these years. [‘I’m gonna be (500 Miles)’ – The Proclaimers – I thought some Scottish 80s pop was appropriate. I actually hated this song at the time but I saw The Proclaimers live a few years ago and really enjoyed it – this is probably their worst song (but the only one I have on my MP3 player)]
In case you wondered whether Glasgow would be a good place to get an Argyle Diamond, the answer on convenience is yes. As I’m not really ever in the market for jewellery that cost more than my car, I can’t really comment on price. So if you’re in the market for an authentic engagement ring (or if you’ve got loads to splash around, a spectacular diamond choker), Argyle Arcade is the place. There is an endless array of jewellery stores selling diamonds. In fact there is nothing but jewellery stores in the arcade and they all seemed to sell the same style of jewellery I find so boring in the stores at home. Until I got to the end of the arcade where there were a couple of original designers doing some awesome things with the diamonds. Of course diamonds and good design came at a price. Always the way with me – extremes – I’m either happy with the bargain basement option or I want the really stylish one that costs more than I’ll ever afford. What happened to the theory of manufacturing making good design available to the masses? Probably doesn’t apply to diamonds right?
From Argyle Arcade, I wandered up to the street where the Wee Curry Shop was supposed to be. When I got there, it seemed more like a residential street but I wandered along it anyway, checking out the buildings. At the end of the street, I found the tenement house. It was closed for renovations but that was OK – I hadn’t really been looking for it anyway. I walked back towards town on the lower street, which had a number of arty stores and premises of theatre groups and the like. It was clear I was in the vicinity of the School of Art. [‘Life in a Northern Town’ – Academy Dream – I know it’s about the north of England but it seemed appropriate for Glasgow]
As I headed toward the city, I tossed up the idea of checking out the other end of the street where the Wee Curry Shop was supposed to be found. By now, at almost 3pm, it was going to be far too late for a curry – the shop only did lunch from 12-2. Then I was drawn by perhaps the biggest urban renewal project I had seen so far. There were a whole lot of what I imagine were 60s built council flats (mainly because I have watched too much of The Bill over the years). They were covered in scaffolding and under redevelopment. I had seen plenty of really old buildings being restored but this was the first project like this, on this scale I had seen – a sign of the level of urban renewal occurring in Glasgow. [‘Take on Me’ – Aha – By the time A-Ha hit the airwaves in the late 80s, I had moved back in time to discover 70s punk and Jamaican ska but I do remember the video for this song was pretty cool and some years later Reel Big Fish did quite a good cover of it.]
It’s funny how some places remind you of people but it wasn’t something I expected to happen on the other side of the world. Some years ago, someone I knew for a short period of time spent a year overseas, mostly living in Glasgow, and I had received occasional updates of his life there. At the time he left a big impression on me but I hadn’t thought about him in a very long time. Wandering around Glasgow, I found myself thinking of his life there, and those tales from Glasgow. [‘The Prince’ – Madness – I am so excited about seeing Madness as a post – birthday present. I had loved ‘House of Fun’ and then an English guy at school played more of their stuff for me. That was it – I was in love (with the band. Everybody was in love with the English guy. He wore bleach spotted jeans and rollers. And he was way too cool to be interested in me. . In fact my introduction to another ska band, The Specials, came from another guy who dressed like that. He made tapes for me. Hands up those that remember tapes.)
After taking some snaps of the urban renewal project, I rounded the corner into Buccleuch Street and there it was – The Wee Curry Shop. And it was tiny but a lot more upmarket looking than I was expecting. So I had achieved half my objective. I had found it. Unfortunately I didn’t get to meat at it – it was time to head back to the station for my trip north the Inverness to make like Christopher Lambert – I am Connor MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod. . I was born in 1518 in the village of Glenfinnan on the shores of Loch Shiel. And I am immortal. [I was looking for an appropriate Queen track but sadly, couldn’t find one. This movie still has the best scene changes I have ever seen.]
